After a stellar two months in the Southern League, the Diamondbacks decided to give him a more appropriate challenge by moving him up to AAA Reno. Banda started the first game of a 7-inning doubleheader series against the El Paso Chihuahuas and got knocked around a bit. As for the bad debut, I'm not too worried about him as a prospect as it takes some pitchers a bit of time to adjust towards pitching in the high elevation and dry air in Reno.
Snake Stars
3 Stars: LF Mitch Haniger (Reno) 2 for 3, BB, solo HR (8), 2 R in Game 2
2 Stars: RF Gabby Guerrero (Reno) 2 for 4, walk-off 2-R HR (1) in Game 2
1 Star: 1B Kyle Jensen (Reno) 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB in Game 2
0 Stars: DH Stryker Trahan (Visalia) 0 for 4, 3 K
Reno 4, El Paso 7 (Game 1): Anthony Banda's AAA debut didn't go too well, although unsurprising when going from a pitcher's park in Hank Aaron Stadium to the hitter-friendly atmosphere in Reno. He should be able to make adjustments with his breaking ball and fastball command although his main secondary pitch is a plus change-up, so there's a reason to believe he'll do OK in Reno. Overall, Banda allowed 7 runs (6 earned) on 7 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. The offense did what it could to slow down the game with 2 runs in the first after a 5-run top half, but coming back from a 5-run deficit is difficult. Tuffy Gosewisch had two hits, one for a double, and scored twice while Zach Borenstein drove in a pair of runs.
Reno 6, El Paso 4 (Game 2): The second game went a bit better than the first. This game was a battle of bullpens, with Matt Capps getting the start. Capps went 4 innings, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and 5 strikeouts. The bullpen behind him was outstanding with 2 shutout innings from Zack Godley and a shutout inning from Dominic Leone. With the Aces down 4-1, they chipped into the lead with a Mitch Haniger solo HR and got it to 4-2 when the Aces made their move in the bottom of the 7th. In the 7th inning, the Aces hit a natural cycle with Haniger singling, Kyle Jensen doubling to make it 6-3, Todd Glaesmann tripling to tie the game, and Gabby Guerrero launching his first AAA HR with an opposite field blast to end the game. Guerrero, Haniger, and Jensen all picked up two hits in the game.
Mobile 0, Birmingham 10: The Baybears had a stinker game, not being able to pitch or hit in the game. Taylor Clarke got ambushed in the 3rd inning for all 5 runs he would allow in the game on two home runs. Clarke struck out 6 and walked 2 in 6 innings. After Clarke exited the game, Jared Miller got the same treatment in the 6th inning with 4 runs coming against him on the day. On the other side, the Baybears could not hit Carson Fulmer, only getting 2 singles and 2 walks in the game. For the Baybears, that's one you flush out of the system and not even think about again.
Visalia 1, Inland Empire 5: The Rawhide scored the first run of the game thanks to the help of fielding errors and took a 1-0 lead. That lead would not last, as Cody Reed allowed 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings on 7 hits and a walk while striking out 3. The Rawhide would wind up falling behind 5-1 after 6, but they had a golden chance in the 8th inning. After the first three hitters walked, the next three hitters struck out and they wound up scoring 0 runs in that inning. The Rawhide hit 2 for 12 with RISP and struck out 10 times.
Kane County 5, Clinton 11: The Cougars fell behind 2-0 after the first but took the lead when Francis Christy hit a 3-run homer in the 2nd inning. Emilio Vargas would then give the lead back with a 3-run 5th inning, which game the Lumber Kings the lead for good. Vargas allowed 7 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits, 4 walks, and struck out 2 over 5 innings. Hector Hernandez came in and pitched a scoreless 6th inning before trouble came in the 7th. Hernandez allowed the first 4 runners to reach base before Mason McCullough came in. McCullough would allow the inherited runner to score before getting out of the inning. The Cougars made an effort with single tallies 5th and 9th inning on separate RBI hits by Zach Nehrir, but the deficit was too insurmountable for them.
Hillsboro 1, Vancouver 5: The Hops grabbed a 1-0 lead when Manny Jefferson hit his 2nd homer of the year, but that's all they got offensively in terms of scoring. Colin Poche started the game and allowed 1 run in 3 innings of work, but a 3-run 4th against Trevor Simms put the Hops behind the 8 ball. Marcus Wilson had a solid day overall, picking up 2 hits and turned a double play from the OF, doubling off a runner at 1st. The Hops struggled to sustain any rallies and had only 2 ABs with RISP for the day.
Missoula 3, Billings 4: The Osprey fell behind 3-0 when Pierce Romero allowed 3 runs in the 2nd inning, although that was all he allowed over 5 innings. The Osprey would allow a crucial insurance run to score in the 6th before making their comeback attempt. In the 6th inning, they plated two runs and another in the 8th to make it a 4-3 game. Eudy Ramos drove in 2 runs with a pair of doubles as part of the comeback attempt. The Osprey would put the tying run on base when BJ Lopez singled in the 9th, but pinch runner Luis Silverio was stranded on base.
AZL Dbacks 11, AZL White Sox 5: SSDD for these two teams, although the scoring pattern was different today. The Dbacks scored first in this game and quickly buried this game with a 6-run 3rd inning. Kyle Smith and Juan Araujo both homered in the 3rd, both with 1 man on base. Franklyn Soriano allowed only 2 runs to score in 5 innings, despite walking 4 hitters and only striking out 2. The Dbacks 9-2 at one point and even got a contribution from recently signed 5th round pick Joey Rose doubling in a run in a pinch hit appearance.