Snake Stars:
3 Stars: Jackson RHP Brad Keller 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 6 K, GS 58, W (8-7)
2 Stars: Jackson SS Angel Franco 4 for 4, 2B, BB, SB, 2 RBI, 2 R
1 Star: Reno RF-CF Socrates Brito 2 for 4, 2B, HR (4), 2 RBI, R, OF assist
0 Stars: Reno RHP Frank Duncan 4 IP, 12 H, 5 R (5 ER), 2 BB, 4 K, GS 19, L (7-8)
Reno Aces 3, Memphis Redbirds 11: Frank Duncan turned in another clunker (see above) start, putting the Aces in an early 4-0 hole against Cardinals pitching prospect Jack Flaherty. Brito responded with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 4th to cut the lead in half, but the Aces pitchers could not avoid the big inning. David Carpenter allowed 3 runs in the 5th and Kaleb Fleck allowed 3 more in the 7th. The one bright spot with the pitching was Jared Miller, who struck out 3 in 2 scoreless innings. Christian Walker also added his 25th homer of the year.
Jackson Generals 10, Tennessee Smokies 2: Brad Keller was solid over 6 innings while the offense overwhelmed the Smokies pitchers. The Generals opened up with a 4-run 1st inning and never looked back. Angel Franco went 4 for 4 at the plate and reached in all 5 plate appearances. The big lead and Keller’s strong performance on the mound pretty much made this one a cakewalk.
Visalia Rawhide 2, San Jose Giants 4: Jose Almonte struggled on the mound, although he received no help from Wei-Chieh Huang, who allowed both of his inherited runners to score. The Rawhide fell behind 4-0 early and struggled to put together hits. They started to find a groove in the late innings, with Matt McPhearson singling in a run. Later in the frame, there was a play at the plate in which McPhearson was called out and subsequently resulted in his ejection along with manager Shelley Duncan’s, so I assume the call sucked and would have been overturned if this were a big league game. Ben DeLuzio went 3 for 4 in the game.
Kane County Cougars 4, Quad Cities River Bandits 3: Emilio Vargas allowed 3 runs in 5 1⁄3 innings, which is an OK start in my book. The Cougars offense was good enough to make it stand. Adam Walton went 3 for 4 with a double and Marcus Wilson 2 for 4 with a double. The offense made most of it’s RISP situations, going a solid 3 for 9. The bullpen pitched 3 2⁄3 scoreless innings although Cal Becker allowed 1 of the 2 runners Vargas left behind to score.
Hillsboro Hops Off Day
Missoula Osprey Off Day
AZL Dbacks 2, AZL Brewers 8: The Dbacks had a forgetful day with RISP, going 1 for 14 in that situation and stranding 12 runners. A big 4th inning put the team behind the 8-ball and an insurmountable 7-0 deficit.