Diamondbacks Minor League Recap 5/14/21: Reno wins again, Bryce Jarvis dominates in loss

The Diamondbacks Minor League affiliates combined for a 1-3 record. Reno once again was propelled by late offense to steal a win despite being down 6 after 3 innings, and the other affiliates struggled to muster up any offense when it mattered.

Best Pitcher: Hillsboro RHP Bryce Jarvis 6 ²⁄₃ IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 9 K, L (0-1)
Best Hitter: Reno CF Ben DeLuzio 3 for 5, 2B, 2 3B, 3 RBI, R, 2 K

AAA: Reno Aces 10, Las Vegas Aviators (OAK) 7

Reno quickly fell behind in this game as Jon Duplantier allowed 5 runs in 2 innings, walked 2 and striking out 1 in his first outing of the year. Justin Donatella would get touched up for 2 more runs in the 3rd, which quickly put Reno down 7-1 after the top of the 3rd. Fortunately for the Aces, it was a home game in an environment where offense wasn’t hard to find. Reno scored 9 runs in their final 4 trips to the plate to put this game away.

Reno would quickly put a massive dent in the lead and kept their foot on the gas pedal. Stuart Fairchild opened up the inning with a double and scored on Bryan Holaday’s single. Jamie Ritchie would walk to put 2 on and no out, but a strikeout and forceout at 2nd certainly questioned if they were going to get more than 1 run. Josh Reddick answered with a single up the middle to score Holaday from 3rd and make it 7-3. Following a pitching change, Domingo Leyba continued his monstrous start to the season with a triple to the gap to plate the final two runs of the 5th claw back into the game.

The Reno bullpen would not allow much from the Vegas lineup, putting up zeros in their final 6 innings to assist in the comeback. After a scoreless 6th from Cameron Gann, Reno cashed in on a pair of 2 out walks when Ben DeLuzio hit out a triple to score both of them to tie the score at 7-7. Manager Blake Lalli was ejected by the HP umpire after a questionable Strike 3 call on Drew Ellis to start the inning. Miguel Aguilar would relieve Gann with 2 on and 1 out, completing the inning with a ground ball to 1B, which became a forceout at home, and a pop fly to 2B. Seth Beer would give Reno the lead when he took former A’s prospect A.J. Puk deep to right center for his 3rd homer of the year. Reno would tack on 2 more runs when DeLuzio picked up his 3rd extra base hit of the night to score Holaday again and scored on a Juniel Querecuto groundout again.

1B Seth Beer: 1 for 4, solo HR (3)
SS Domingo Leyba: 2 for 4, 2 RBI, 2 K

AA: Amarillo Sod Poodles 0, Wichita Wind Surge (MIN) 4

Amarillo’s offense, which did not have Alek Thomas or Geraldo Perdomo anchoring the top of the lineup, struggled to put any sort of offense together in this game. Jake McCarthy, Jose Herrera, and Dominic Miroglio were the only hitters that reached base safely in this game, combining for 4 hits, a double steal, and the only walk. Humberto Mejia turned in a competitive start with 5 ²⁄₃ innings of 2 run ball, but a self-inflicted error led to an unearned run scoring. Justin Lewis would allow 2 runs in the 8th to cement the loss, as he struggled in final inning on the mound.

RF Dominic Fletcher: 0 for 4, 1 K
CF Jake McCarthy: 1 for 4, 1 K, SB

High A: Hillsboro Hops 1, Eugene Emeralds (SFG) 3

The Hops would waste a quality start from Bryce Jarvis, who looked very much like the guy who lit the college baseball world on fire last year. Jarvis only allowed a 2-run homer in 6 ²⁄₃ innings, not issuing a walk and punching out 9 hitters. After struggling a bit in instructs last year, that is a very welcome sign to a team that has very little positive news in 2021.

The Hops offense struggled to put runs on the board in 2 games without the team’s top prospect, Corbin Carroll, in the lineup. Hillsboro would have a chance in the final 2 innings, after a fielding error put the leadoff runner in the 8th on 3rd and a Blaze Alexander single put the tying run on base before stranding it. In the 9th, back-to-back singles would put the tying runs on base but nothing was made of it.

SS Blaze Alexander: 1 for 4, 1 K, SB
3B Tristin English: 2 for 4, 1 K
RHP Bryce Jarvis: 6 ²⁄₃ IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 9 K, L (0-1)

Low A: Visalia Rawhide 5, Fresno Grizzlies 6 (COL) (F/11)

Visalia would strike first when Andy Yerzy doubled down the RF line to score Ronny Simon, but that lead would not last long. Fresno would score the next three runs of the game at Brandon Pfaadt’s expense. Pfaadt allowed 3 runs, walked 1, and struck out 7 over 5 innings of work, but Visalia struggled with RISP all night with a 3-16 clip. There was some hope in the 7th, when Simon ripped a ground ball to right and top 10 pick Zac Veen booted it with 2 runners on base. Simon tried to circle the bases for the lead, but was cut down at home on the play.

The score remained tied 3-3 until extra innings and the bull spit rules came into play. Both teams would trade runs in the 10th, with Lyle Lin driving home Jose Cuerpa with a double in the 10th. Visalia would score in the top half of the 11th on a Danny Oriente single that scored A.J. Vukovich. Unfortunately, the lead would not hold as a HBP and double would win the game for Fresno.