Jacob May elicits sighs of relief with his healthy return, Eddy Alvarez is handling his promotion with patience, and the Knights and Voyagers are both struggling…
Gwinnett 5, Charlotte 3
The Knights were down early and a late comeback fell short as they lost their fourth straight and are now 3 games out of first place in their division. Micah Johnson had a triple and a single in four trips to continue his hot hitting (.390/.425/.638 in July). No one else in the lineup managed multiple hits or an extra base hit, though Christopher Marrero (1-3, BB, K) and Matt Davidson (also 1-3, BB, K) reached base twice each. Brad Penny was effective in his start, allowing a pair of earned runs in five innings. Onelki Garcia struggled in relief, allowing three runs (one was unearned, but on his own error) that made the difference.
Birmingham 6, Jacksonville 4
Jacob May hit his first home run since returning from his concussion to lead the Barons to victory. May came back on July 18th for three rehab games with AZL, and he’s had a hit in each game since his return to Birmingham (5-for-17). Adrian Nieto also homered in a 2-hit day, and Joey DeMichele added a pair of hits. Tim Anderson was 1-5 and was caught stealing. Starter Frank Montas was effective in 5.1 innings, allowing four runs (2 unearned on his own error), striking out five. Peter Tago made his AA debut and didn’t seem phased by the move up, striking out four in two perfect innings for the save. Tago has a big arm and should be an interesting reliever to watch the remainder of this season.
Winston-Salem 6, Frederick 4
The Dash rode a strong start from James Dysktra, who fanned 8 in 7 innings of 2-run ball, without walking a batter. Keon Barnum had a double and a single for the only multi-hit game in the lineup. Eddy Alvarez was 1-for-2 but also drew three walks and stole another base. In his first five games in A+, Alvarez is hitting .375 with a .545 OBP thanks to six walks against just one strikeout, and he’s stolen three bases without being caught. Defensively he’s been playing shortstop and doing so every day, which is an interesting development considering Cleuluis Rondon‘s presence on the Dash. Rondon has been playing some 2B during that stretch. Jake Peter and Adam Engel had a hit a piece and stole some bags too – one for Peter, two for Engel.
Lakewood 5, Kannapolis 3
Thaddius Lowry posted another strong start in this one, but the offense couldn’t overcome some bullpen scuffling. Lowry struck out seven in five innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks. Offensively, Cody Daily (2-3, HR, 2B) Michael Suiter (2-4) paced the lineup, with Cody’s home run being his first in Class A. Suiter also added his seventh stolen base.
Billings 6, Great Falls 5 (F/7)
Billings 5, Great Falls 3 (F/7)
The Voyagers were swept in a double-header and have lost five straight games. In the first game, the four runs Brannon Easterling gave up in the first inning put the team in an early hole the offense couldn’t overcome. Antonio Rodriguez hit his sixth long ball of the season and drew a walk, while Nick Parent and Joxelier Garcia had a pair of singles each. In the second game, 4th round pick Zack Erwin contributed another strong start in limited innings (3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 UER, 1 BB, 3 K), and his season ERA stands at 0.98. But there wasn’t much going on offense, as Frank Califano‘s 2-hit game (one being a triple) representing half the team’s hits.
AZL Dodgers 8, AZL White Sox 4
Yeuris Guerrero struggled again in his start to balloon his ERA to 9.10, though according to Kim Contreras (our AZL correspondant) he was looking quite good until the 4th inning. Jake Fincher led the offense with a two doubles, a single, a walk and a stolen base from the top of the order, and he’s now sporting a .901 OPS on the season with 9 SB in 24 games. Felix Mercedes (2-2, 3B, 2 BB) and Daniel Mendick (2-4, 2B, BB) also had nice days at the plate. The AZL club made five errors, which somehow didn’t amount to any unearned runs.
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