Diamondbacks Minor League Recap 4/16/16: Pocket Aces

Braden Shipley made his 2nd start for the Reno Aces and didn't do as well as his first start, but still won today thanks to an overwhelming offensive attack from the Aces hitters lead by Jack Reinheimer. The Baybears offense fell silent today and got swept in a doubleheader. Visalia got shutout by the Bakersfield Blaze after walking off of them two nights in a row. Kane County got another terrific start by 2015 15th round pick Justin Donatella, who has outshined Alex Young and Taylor Clarke with now 12 shutout innings on the season.

3 Stars: Jack Reinheimer (Reno) 3 for 4, 2 2B, 2 BB, 3 RBI, 2 R

2 Stars: Justin Donatella (Kane County) 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K

1 Star: Peter O'Brien (Reno) 3 for 6, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

0 Stars: Mobile Baybear Hitters 6 for 48, 2 R, 2B, 5 BB, 15 K

Reno 13, El Paso 5: Braden Shipley had his 2nd start for Reno and it did not go as well as his first start. The 6th inning seems to be the big issue for him, as he's allowed 6 runs combined in that inning. It may be a case of running out of gas at the 75-80 pitch mark. The good news was he received a nice gift from the run support fairy. The Aces lineup crushed out 16 hits, with 6 XBH. Jack Reinheimer went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles, 2 walks, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Cody Hall, Kaleb Fleck, Enrique Burgos, and Silvino Bracho closed the door, allowing only 2 hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings to seal the deal.

Mobile 0, Biloxi 2: It was not a good day for the Baybears bats, who were only able to collect 3 hits over the course of the game and only 1 XBH. Despite the solid pitching effort of Matt Koch and Joey Kriehbiel, the Baybears went 0 for 4 with RISP. Two runs in the 7th allowed by Adam Miller proved to be the difference in this game as the Baybears dropped the first game of a doubleheader. Mitch Haniger and Ildemaro Vargas both went 1 for 2 with a walk while Tom Belza hit a double. Jamie Westbrook went 0 for 3 in this game.

Mobile 2, Biloxi 4: The nightcap game saw more of the same, with the Baybears bats and gloves failing to show up for the game. The Baybears allowed 3 unearned runs in the game, with runs scoring on a passed ball and a throwing error by Vargas. The bad defense plus the bad offense was too much for the Baybears to overcome in this game, despite a late-mounting rally in the 6th inning. Kevin Cron went 2 for 3 with an RBI in this game. Jamie Westbrook went 0 for 3, which his season batting average has dropped to .125.

Visalia 0, Bakersfield 5: After two unbelievable come from behind wins, the Rawhide bats were flat today, only collecting 4 singles and striking out 11 times. The lack of offense did not help starter Josh Taylor, who threw a dud of his own. Taylor went 6 innings, allowing 8 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), and 2 walks while striking out 5. Blake Perry pitched the final three innings, allowing 1 run and striking out 7. No player got two hits, although Rudy Flores and Victor Reyes were able to reach twice in the game.

Kane County 5, Quad City 4: Once again, Justin Donatella was brilliant on the mound with another start where he pitched 6 shutout innings. He allowed 5 hits, walked none, and punched out 6 in the winning effort. The offense came in the third inning, with the Cougars putting up a 5 spot on starter Sebastian Kessay. Zach Nehrir and Trevor Mitsui both drove in 2 runs in that inning. Mitsui and Raymel Flores both collected 2-hit games and Nehrir picked up the only XBH, which was a 2-run double. Things got dicey in the 8th, when Jency Solis allowed a run and left two on base for Gabriel Moya, who allowed both inherited runners to score and one of his own. Moya was able to strand the tying run on base. Cameron Gann came into the game for the 9th and struck out 2 for the save.