OKC Redhawks 5, Round Rock Express (TEX) 4
Austin Wates: 1-4, 2 RBI, BB, K, SB
Domingo Santana: 1-4, BB, K
Preston Tucker: 2-4, 2 RBI, K
Asher Wojciechowski: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Thomas Shirley: 1.2 IP, 1 H, K
Kevin Chapman: 1.1 IP, 2 K
Games where everyone gets on base at least once usually don't seem empty, but this one did. Nobody besides Preston Tucker hit safely more than once, and there were no extra-base hits by the Redhawks. Still, Shirley and Chapman did well, and Wojo seemed pretty decent, although it took him 94 pitches to get through his 5.1 innings, and left Shirley with two men on when he was pulled.
Chapman has been excellent lately. Exluding one three-spot against Nashville, he hasn't allowed a single earned run in his last ten starts, to go along with a 19/4 K/BB rating over those 9.1 innings. He still has an MLB future.
San Antonio Missions (SDP) 6, Corpus Christi Hooks 0
Mark Appel: 5 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 4 K
Chris Devenski: 3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, BB, K
David Rollins: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R (0 ER), 2 K
After looking at the pitching performances by the Corpus Christi Hooks, you might be wondering, among other things: "Mark Appel pitched shutout innings? HOF-worthy!" "Mark Appel walked 4 guys? Bust!" or "Hey, don't hitters also play baseball?" Well, the Hooks' hitters didn't exactly show up. They got no-hit and no-walked, and Rene Garcia reached on a throwing error, followed by his theft of second base. Unfortunately, that was it in the baserunners department.
Appel, according to what I've heard, had a filthy slider that was a bit hard to control, a fastball that reached 97 that was a bit hard to control, and a changeup in his repertoire and seemed to be making an effort to throw his FB on the right side of the plate (left side for him). He also seemed to be adept at inducing weak contact, besides the time he loaded the bases and nearly allowed a grand slam that DeShields caught in deep center (it would've been out of the park in Lancaster). Solid improvement for him, I guess, especially considering he just jumped up a level after struggling (is that too mild?) at Lancaster.
Lancaster Jethawks 6, High Desert Mavericks (SEA) 4
Teoscar Hernandez: 1-4, Solo HR, BB, 2 K
Rio Ruiz: 1-3, Solo HR, BB
Jon Kemmer: 1-4, R, K
Tyler White: 1-4
Jobduan Morales: 0-2, R, RBI, BB, K
Kyle Westwood: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 ER), 9 K
Gonzalo Sanudo: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER
Jamaine Cotton: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Wow. Great game by Kyle Westwood, I couldn't have predicted that. That's the first game he's had where he's given up only 2 ER and struck out at least 5 since...back on June 7, where he allowed one hit over 5 and struck out 6. This is really hopefully a rebound. At 23 in A+, the guy really needs it.
Teoscar and Rio (both with solo shots) had the only extra-base hits in the top 3 levels, a surprise. (Obviously, the surprise wasn't that they were the ones to collect them.) However, Teoscar is slashing just .233/.267/.326 in his last 10 games, with this the only homer in that span. He also has a 2/12 BB/K over those games.
Clinton LumberKings 6, Quad Cities River Bandits 5
Brett Phillips: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, K
James Ramsay: 0-3, BB, K
Chase McDonald: 1-4, R, 2 K
A.J. Reed: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
Ryan Bottger: 2-4, 2 K
Marc Wik: 1-3, 2B, RBI, K
Chris Lee: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Chris Cotton: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, BB, 4 K
Andrew Walter: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, BB, 2 K
Lee's line is a little misleading, seeing as how he pitched to 4 batters in the sixth without getting an out after pitching 5 innings of shutout ball. The game was tied heading into the ninth when, after loading the bases, Thomas Lindauer snagged a foul ball. The LumberKings runner on third tagged up to score, and when Ryan Bottger was stranded at second to end the ninth, Quad Cities let a game they had (for the most part) been in position to win slip through their fingers.
Brett Phillips is awesome. Five homers in five days for the 20-year-old outfielder, and 12 on the season, meaning he has at least 12 of each type of base hit. If he cuts down on his strikeouts a bit (12 in the last 10 games), he should be in line for a promotion, if he's not already.
Mahoning Valley Scrappers (CLE) 1, Tri-City Valley Cats 0
Bobby Boyd: 1-4, K
Derek Fisher: 1-4, 2 K, SB
Nick Tanielu: 1-4, 2 K
Jamie Ritchie: 1-4
Jaun Santana: 1-4, 2B, K
Austin Chrismon: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K
Vince Wheeland: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER
Aaron Vaughn: 1 IP, 2 K
The only run in this game scored on a wild pitch, making for a surprising pitcher's duel between Chrismon and the Scrappers' starter, Jordan Carter, who ceded to an excellent bullpen after five shutout innings. Chrismon, 21, has been an above-average pitcher in his first two seasons after being a 26th-round pick in 2013, with a 3.27 ERA and 31/9 K/BB ratio in his 41.1 innings this year.
Derek Fisher has cooled off a little, but not a lot, still slashing .341/.400/.366 over his last 10 games. I'm waiting on that power to show up, he doesn't have a home run yet.
Greeneville Astros 5, Elizabethton Twins 1
Jason Martin: 1-4, R, RBI, K, SB
Jacob Nottingham: 1-4, RBI, 3 K
Hector Roa: 3-4, 2 R, 2B
Luis Reynoso: 1-3, R, RBI, BB, 2 K
Kristian Trompiz: 1-3, BB, K
Jeffry Santos: 1-4, R, 2B, RBI, K
Devonte German: 4 IP, H, 4 BB, 4 K
Agapito Barrios: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 K
Jorge Perez: 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K
Good games by the pitchers, even though German was a bit wild. The walks have been a problem for him (18 over 30 innings), although his strikeouts (26) and ERA (3.60) are both pretty decent numbers.
GCL Astros 4, GCL Pirates 3 (10 inn.)
Alexander Melendez: 3-4, 2 R, 3B, RBI, BB, SB
Edwin Medina: 1-4, R, 2B, RBI, SB
Brauly Mejia: 1-4, 2 RBI, CS
Randy Cesar: 1-5, 2B
Marlon Avea: 1-5, 2B
Brian Pena: 2-3, R, 2B, BB, K
Arturo Michelena: 2-4, K
Yhoan Acosta: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, BB, 8 K
Starlyng Sanchez: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, BB, K
Juan Delis: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER
Alejandro Solarte: 1 IP, 2 BB
DSL Astros Orange: Did not play
DSL Indians 7, DSL Astros Blue 4
Marcus Almonte: 2-5, R, 2B, K
Nestor Tejada: 0-2, 2 BB, K
Rodrigo Ayarza: 1-4, RBI, K, CS
Jake Bowey: 1-3, BB
Christopher Luciano: 1-3, R, BB, K
Wander Franco: 1-3, R, BB
Albert Abreu: 5 IP, 4 BB, 5 K
Joel Belboder: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 3 K