Diamondbacks Minor League Recap 7/30/2019

The Diamondbacks minor league affiliates combined for a 3-3 record. The AZL Dbacks vs. Royals game was suspended in the 2nd inning due to rain.

(AAA) Reno Aces 13, Iowa Cubs 7: Another HR Derby fest, here is my shocked face. The Aces would outhomer the Cubs 4 to 1, with all four for the Aces coming with a runner on base. Jon Duplantier would get pasted for 5 runs on 7 hits in 4 innings with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. Matt Koch would go the final 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits with 8 strikeouts and no walks to get the win. The Aces would take the lead in the 4th thanks to a 4-run frame highlighted by Juniel Querecuto’s first homer of the game. John Ryan Murphy would hit a 2-run shot in the 5th and Querecuto would double the fun with another 2-run homer in the 8th.

(AA) Jackson Generals 5, Biloxi Shuckers 3: Another game dominated by home runs, as the Generals outhomered the Shuckers 3 to 1. The Generals would hit all 3 homers off Alec Bettinger, solo shots by Pavin Smith and Daulton Varsho before a 2-run homer by Ellis that gave Jackson a 4-1 lead. Josh Green would pitch 7 innings, striking out 6 and walking none, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and only the 2nd HR he’s allowed ALL SEASON on a surprising fly ball prone day for him. Ramon Hernandez would add a sac fly in the 9th for much-needed breathing room, although West Tunnell and Miguel Aguilar would pitch scoreless frames in relief.

(A+) Visalia Rawhide 1, Inland Empire 66ers 15: When your box score says 1-2-3, that typically is a sign of an all-out team stinker. Rawhide pitching allowed 15 runs on 14 hits and walked 6 hitters while 3 errors led to 7 unearned runs. No pitcher left this game unscathed, although Connor Grey would be the least awful with 1 unearned run in 2 innings (you do NOT want to see the box score for this game). The Rawhide would score their only run in the 5th on both of the hits they got. Jancarlos Cintron would score Alex King from first on a single although I presume there was sloppy fielding work done as Cintron was not credited with an RBI but no error charged on the play either.

(A) Kane County Cougars 7, Peoria Chiefs 11: The Cougars would score 5 runs in the first 2 innings, but immediately blow the lead as they surrendered 11 unanswered runs. We’ll start with the positives as Dominic Fletcher had a triple and a 3-run homer in this game, while also doing his best Tim Locastro impression to reach base 3 times. Next we go with the bad asAdrian Del Moral would allow 5 runs in the 3rd to blow the 5-0 lead before giving way to Kenny Hernandez, who surrendered 6 runs on 10 hits in 2+ innings.

(A-) Hillsboro Hops 4, Everett AquaSox 3: Luis Frias struck out 6 in 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk. The Hops would strike first, loading the bases with 1 out before a Steven Layton sac fly and a Tristin English RBI single would score 2 runs. Joe Gillette, who started that 3rd inning with a lead-off walk, would add a 2-run homer in the 6th. Conor Grammes would come in after Frias and struggled mightily. He would walk 2 and allow an RBI triple that put runners on the corners with 1 out in a 4-2 game. Bryan Menendez would come in and allow a sac fly, but contained the inning to just that with no further damage. He would run into some trouble in the 8th, but Eduardo Herrera would strand the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the 8th before pitching a scoreless 9th for the save.

(Rk+) Missoula Osprey 5, Idaho Falls Chukars 9: A solid day at the plate, but a terrible day in the field and on the mound for Missoula. Josh McMinn would allow 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts in 3 ¹⁄₃ innings. The bullpen wasn’t much better as Oliver Rosario allowed 2 runs before as well as 2 inherited runners to score before finishing the 4th. Nick Marchese and Landon Whitson would allow a run in their outings, going 2 and 1 inning respectively. A 3-run top of the 6th, highlighted by a 2-run triple by Kevin Watson Jr., would cut the deficit to 8-5, but they never got any closer.

(Rk) AZL Dbacks 0, AZL Royals 6 (Susp. B2, Rain): Cody Reed’s first appearance since the 2017 season (I presume he had TJ surgery?) was an interesting one as he would walk 2, strike out 1, and allow a run in ²⁄₃ of an inning. Dan Swain would allow 5 runs while only getting 2 more outs in the game. Eric Mendez would allow a 2-run single (charged to Swain) and hit a batter before the umpires suspended the game due to weather. The Dbacks got 1 baserunner with a Neyfy Castillo walk in the 2nd, but are otherwise 0 for 6 at the plate. I presume there will be a different pitcher on the mound when the game resumes, as the weather out here is a little bit better today I think.