Minor League Recap 7/25/2021: Aside from the Serial Home-Run-Itis, Great Starting Pitching

Diamondbacks affiliates won just three out of seven games played over the weekend. Reno’s game on Sunday July 25, was postponed due to poor air quality from the wildfires blazing nearby. The game will made up as part of a doubleheader the 26th, but I wouldn’t bet on either game being played.

Saturday July 24th, 2021

Reno Aces 2 Round Rock Express 1

Humberto Castellanos went 5 ²⁄₃ innings and allowed just one run on five hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Predictably, the lone run came via solo home run, in the second inning. Stefan Crichton pitched 1 ¹⁄₃ scoreless innings, Keegan Curtis a scoreless inning, with both allowing a hit and a walk, and the former striking out one. Miguel Aguilar struck out a pair in a scoreless ninth,

Down 1-0 in the bottom of the 7th, Henry Ramos hit a two out single, and stole second. Christian Lopes walked, and Juniel Querecuto singled, scoring Ramos. The Aces scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth in similar fashion. Jake McCarthy hit a two out single, stole second, and scored on a Drew Ellis double.

Humberto Castellanos 5.2 IP 1 ER 5 H 1 BB 7 SO 1HR

Jose Herrera went 2-3 with a double

Drew Ellis 1-4 with a double

Jake McCarthy 1-4 with a stolen base

Frisco RoughRiders 3 Amarillo Sod Poodles 2

Ryne Nelson tossed a gem, with his only real mistake being a two run homer in the first inning. Nelson went six innings and allowed just two runs on four hits, no walks, with eleven strikeouts. Blake Workman went an 1 ¹⁄₃ innings, with one run allowed on a hit. Mack Lemieux inherited a runner with two outs in the eighth, and gave up the hit allowing said run to score, but Workman was tagged with the loss.

Down 2-0 after the first, Amarillo got on the scoreboard with Renae Martinez’ solo homer in the bottom of the fourth. Stone Garrett singled and scored a Ryder Jones double in the bottom of the sixth.

Ryne Nelson 6.0 IP 2ER 4 H 0 BB 11SO 1HR

Alek Thomas 0-3, BB, picked off at 1st

Renae Martinez 1-4 with a homerun

Hillsboro Hops 3 Eugene Emeralds 2

Drey Jameson went six innings, and allowed just one run on four hits and two walks, with eleven strikeouts. Like Nelson, the only really mistake was a home run in the top of the second inning, which fortunately was of the solo variety. Wesley Rodriguez went two innings and allowed one run on a wild pitch, two hits and a walk, while striking out four. Justin Lewis pitched a perfect scoreless inning in the eighth, getting a pair of ground outs and a fly out.

Down 1-0 in the top of the fourth, Andy Yerzy lead off with a single, stole second, and scored on a Cam Coursey double. In the top of the fifth, with runners on first (Axel Andueza) and third (Roman Ruiz) with one out, Tristin English singled, scoring the runner at third. Andy Yerzy would reach on a ground out, scoring Andueza, with English out at second. Although the Hops wouldn’t score anymore runs in the inning, interestingly Andy Yerzy would proceed to steal his second base of the game before Reece Hampton was called out on strike to end the inning.

Drey Jameson 6.0 IP 1 ER 4 H 2 BB 11 K 1 HR

Cam Coursey 2-3 with a double, walk, stolen base

Dominic Canzone 2-3 with a walk

Nick Dalesandro 1-4 with a double, stolen base

Andy Yerzy 1-4 with two stolen bases

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 11 Visalia Rawhide 4

Avery Short went three innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits and three walks, a wild pitch, and a hit by pitch, while striking out four. Jose Alcantara 2 ²⁄₃ innings with two runs (one earned) allowed on two hits, a walk, and a hit by pitch, while striking out a pair. Both runs came via a two run homerun in the fourth. Liu Fuenmayor went 1 ¹⁄₃ innings and allowed three runs on three hits, though he walked none while striking out three. The longball hurt Fuenmayor too, with a two run home run allowed in the seventh. Francis Beriguette struck out three and allowed just a walk in two scoreless innings.

After rough top of the first where four runs crossed the plate, Glenallen Hill single handley manufactured a run. Hill singled, stole second, then third, then scored on a throwing error. Down 7-1 after a three run top of the fourth, Rawhide managed to bringing back within three runs in the bottom of the fourth after Neyfy Castillo walked in a run. Elian Miranda then singled scoring a pair of runs. Unfortunately the offense could surmount the three run deficit, and the bullpen would allow this one to be blown wide open.

Neyfy Castillo 1-3 with a double, two walks, stolen base

Glenallen Hill 1-5 with two stolen bases

Sheng-Ping Chen 2-4 with a double

Lyle Lin 1-3 with HBP

Sunday July 25, 2021

Frisco RoughRiders 8 Amarillo Sod Poodles 1

Luis Frias had a rough outing, despite going six innings while walking none and striking out seven. Frias allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits. Frias was hurt by a pair of home runs, a three run home run in the fifth, and a two run homerun in the seventh.

Matt Brill pitched an inning and allowed one hit, a solo homer, and struck out one. Levi Kelly pitched two innings and allowed a pair of hits, one of which was, you guessed right, a solo homerun.

Alek Thomas was the only Amarillo batter with a good game, going 3-4 and tripling and scoring a run in the bottom of the third.

Hillsboro Hops 5 Eugene Emeralds 6

Blake Walston went five innings, and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks, while striking out nine. Both earned runs came via back to back solo homers that lead off the top of the fifth. The unearned run came via a passed ball by rehabbing Carspn Kelly, that allowed a run to the score in the bottom of the second. Nick Snyder followed up Walston by pitching a perfect sixth inning. Kyler Stout pitched a scoreless seventh, but did allow a walk and a wild pitch. Bobby Ay got a pair of strikeouts that sandwiched a single and a walk, and was relieved by Denson Hull. Hull allowed a single, scoring a run, before getting the final out of the eighth. Yaramil Hiraldo pitched the nine, and though he got a strikeout for the first out of the inning, he proceeded to walk the next batter, then allowed a double and ground rule double that scored a pair of runs and cost the Hops the game.

This game looked promising, especially after the Hops plated four runs in the top of the second. Blaze Alexander lead off with a solo homer, and Eduardo Diaz followed up with a double. Axel Andueza ground out, but Roman Ruiz singled, putting runners on the corner for Jorge Barrosa, who proceed to hit a three run home run. Eduardo Diaz reached on a throwing error in the top of the sixth, and advanced to third on a Roman Ruiz fly ball single that was deflected. Jorge Barrosa was hit by pitch to load the bases for Carson Kelly, who then anticlimactically hit a sac fly, scoring Diaz.

Blake Walston 5.0 IP 3 R 2 ER 3H 3BB 9 SO 2 HR

Jorge Barrosa 2-4 with a double, homerun, hit by pitch

Blaze Alexander 1-4 with a homerun

Eduardo Diaz 1-3 with a double, walk

Tristin English 0-3 two hit by pitches

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7 Visalia Rawhide 5

Tell me if you’ve heard this before. Adrian Del Moral went six innings, and allowed three runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out eight. Del Moral was hurt by the long ball, with a solo home run and a two run homerun allowed. Jose Santamaria relieved Del Moral, pitching an inning and allowing two runs on two hits and a walk. Eric Mendez got two outs in the eighth, while allowing two runs on four hits. Gerald Ogando relieved Mendez and got the final eighth without letting the inherited runner score. Ogando pitched 1 ¹⁄₃ scoreless innings with two hits allowed, with three strikeouts.

Down one run after Adrian del Moral allowed a solo homer in the top of the second, Mason Berne reached on a throwing error, and score on a Sheng-Ping Chen homerun. The Rawhide added another pair of runs after A.J. Vukovich doubled and scored on a Ramses Malave homerun. Neyfey Castillo added a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth.

Adrian Del Moral 6.0 IP 3 ER 2 H 2BB 8 SO 2 HR

Neyfy Castillo 1-4 with a homerun

Sheng-Ping Chen 1-4 with a homerun

Ramses Malave 1-4 with a homerun

Ronny Simon 2-5 with a stolen base

AJ Vukovich 1-4 with a double

Lyle Lin 4-4