A big bounce-back performance from a rising lefty prospect and big offensive days from a few outfielders highlighted the day…
Charlotte 6, Durham 4
The Knights rode a balanced offensive attack that saw every hitter in the lineup reach base at least once. Jason Coats had a pair of doubles and a pair of walks, driving in four runs. Coats’ 61 RBI lead the Knights and are third in the league despite not arriving in Charlotte until a month into the season, and he’s got a .324/.410/.563 line with nearly as many walks (11) as strikeouts (15) in July. Trayce Thompson hit his 12th home run of the season, which was also the 100th of his minor league career. Both outfielders are making a case for an appearance in Chicago soon, though it’s hard to see where they would slot in. Scott Carroll gave up four earned in his six inning start. Micah Johnson had the other multi-hit day, 2-4 with a double and a walk, though he also committed his 6th error.
Carolina 7, Winston-Salem 1
Though they lost the game, one Dash player had a stand-out night. Jordan Guerrero had probably his best start in A+, striking out 11 with just one walk in 6 innings, allowing a pair of earned runs. That’s quite a bounce-back from his last start, which was likely his roughest at the level (2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K). Brad Goldberg took one for the team allowing five runs – but only one earned – in the final inning. Nothing much was going on offense, with Keon Barnum‘s 1-3 day with a double and a walk being one highlight. The other was Eddy Alvarez‘ Advanced A debut, and he acquitted himself well at the plate: 1-2, BB. Adam Engel had the team’s only other hit, a single in four trips, and stole his 19th base.
Kannapolis 6, Greensboro 2
Mason Robbins had a career day, registering a triple and three singles in five plate appearances while driving in half the team’s runs. Robbins has surprising speed, as his six triples on the year attest. Luis Martinez booked another solid start (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), and it looks like he’s figured something out. In his last six starts, the 20-year old has a 1.84 ERA, .208 BAA, and 21 K in 29.1 IP. Ethan Gross had a nice 2-3 day with a double and a base on balls.
Billings 6, Great Falls 4
The Voyagers made a furious comeback attempt in the 9th but still fell short in this one. Landon Lassiter, Dante Flores, Antonio Rodriguez and Grant Massey all had 2-hit days, and Johan Cruz hit his first professional home run during that 9th inning rally. Brandon Magallones threw four shutout innings in a strong start and 2015 draftee Zack Erwin added another scoreless frame, but the bullpen struggled after that.
AZL Reds 6, AZL White Sox 4
Brandon Quintero has had a nice pro debut in the AZL thus far, but he struggled in this one (5 ER on 8 hits in 4 IP) and the offense couldn’t make up the gap. Corey Zangari continues to improve after struggling his first couple weeks, and he registered a double, single and walk in this one. Felix Mercedes went 2-3 with a triple and a free pass.
DSL Padres 5, DSL White Sox 4
Maiker Feliz was back in the lineup, going 0-3 but drawing another two walks. The lineup as a whole worked 10 walks. 20-year old righty Hansel Mora had another strong start (1 ER in 4 IP), and is having a strong season in his third go at the league: 1.95 ERA, 39 K vs 7 BB in 37 IP.
***Birmingham was off
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