Snake Stars:
3 Stars: Visalia RHP Jose Almonte 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K, W (4-3), GS 84
2 Stars: Reno LHP Aaron Laffey 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 4 K, GS 59
1 Star: Jackson RHP Ivan Pineyro 5 2⁄3 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 4 K, W (3-0), GS 62
0 Stars: Reno RHP Erik Davis 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), BB, K, BS (1)
Reno Aces 3, Omaha Storm Chasers 5: Aaron Laffey pitched his 2nd consecutive quality start and got support in the form of a solo homer from Christian Walker and a 2 RBI game from Ketel Marte. Marte went 2 for 4 with a double, raising his slash to .396/.435/.529 off a .424 BABIP. In other news, OF Socrates Brito has begun his rehab assignment, going 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts. Brito, who is my #7 prospect at the midway point of the 2017 season, would need 40-man roster space cleared once activated. After Laffey exited with a 3-1 lead, Erik Davis and Rubby De La Rosa each gave up 2 runs, the latter taking the loss.
Jackson Generals 3, Montgomery Biscuits 4: The Generals split the doubleheader, winning the later game at 12:35am local time. After a rain delay pushed the first game to 6:30 local time, the Generals were able to get out to an early 3-1 lead. Colin Walsh homered for the 10th time to lead off the game and drew 2 walks to pace the offense. Brooks Hall was OK, allowing 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings with 4 strikeouts and no walks. The bullpen did it’s best job to keep things close, with #28 prospect Gabe Moya striking out 3 of the 4 hitters he faced in 1 1/3 innings. Daniel Gibson pitched 2 scoreless innings and Jared Miller pitched a scoreless 10th. In the 11th inning, the Biscuits scored the winning run on a Kevin Cron fielding error.
Jackson Generals 5, Montgomery Biscuits 2: The second game went a bit better, although they trailed 2-0 after 1. The score would remain that way until the 5th, when the Generals plated 5 runs in their final 3 trips to the plate. #8 prospect Dawel Lugo, playing SS instead of his usual 3B, went 1 for 2 with an RBI single and scored a run. Kelly Dugan had the big hit, a 2-run triple in the 6th to give the Generals a 4-2 lead. The bullpen was outstanding again with #24 prospect Joey Krehbiel getting strikeout for the final out of the 6th. Miller Diaz had a hitless 9th to seal the deal.
Visalia Rawhide 2, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 0: In a matchup between #23 prospect Jose Almonte and Dodgers pitching prospect Yadier Alvarez, it was the Dbacks prospect who stole the show. Almonte pitched 7 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts to 1 walk, throwing 65 of 90 pitches for strikes. Runs were scarce in the game, but the Rawhide got enough to win the game. A 2-run 8th, highlighted by an RBI single by Jason Morozowski, was the only scoring of the game. After Almonte’s brilliant outing, Mason McCullough and Bud Jeter pitched a pair of scoreless innings to finish the game.
Kane County Cougars 1, Burlington Bees 5: #12 prospect Curtis Taylor got roughed up for 5 runs (4 earned) in 5 innings and the offense was non-existent. #3 prospect Marcus Wilson went 1 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout in the leadoff spot. Fernery Ozuna had a perfect day at the plate, collecting 2 doubles and a walk in 3 plate appearances.