A couple affiliates are falling back in their playoff races, but the I’s made a nice come back and a DSL player is making contact at a ridiculous rate…
Columbus 10, Charlotte 6
Scott Carroll (6 runs, 5 earned in 5 IP) and Jeffrey Wendelken (4 ER in 1 IP) were hit around and the Knights offense couldn’t make up enough ground. Rob Brantly did have a 3-for-4 day with a home run, and he continues to hit well in AAA (.340/.375/.560 in 13 games). Leury Garcia also homered in a 2-hit day, as did Matt Davidson. Davidson hit his 20th bomb of the year, but he also struck out three times and he’s now hitting .206 with a staggering 32.6% K/PA rate on his third trip through AAA. Dayan Viciedo also drew the silver sombrero. At eight games back in the division and 5.5 back in their wild card race, the Knights’ playoff chances are starting to fade.
Montgomery 3, Birmingham 2
*Our writer, Will Siskel, has been live from Birmingham for this and the past couple games, and you can see some of his reports on our Twitter feed. There will be site content coming soon.*
The Barons lost their sixth straight game and have now fallen 2 games back of the division lead. Starter Myles Jaye didn’t have his best stuff, as he struggled some with his offspeed pitches and didn’t have quite his typical velocity on the sinker. But even without his best stuff he did manage to eek out a quality start (3 ER in 6 IP). The Birmingham offense struggled a bit, with just one extra base hit (a Tony Thomas double) and a 1-for-6 performance with runners in scoring position. Tim Anderson collected another pair of singles, but was picked off first by Biscuits catcher Justin O’Connor. Tim Crabbe turned in a strong performance in relief of Jaye, showing an impressive curve en route to three scoreless frames with four strikeouts.
Kannapolis 8, Asheville 4
The Intimidators rode a furious five-run 9th inning comeback to win this one. Cody Daily had a pair of doubles and a walk in five trips, Alexander Simon contributed three singles, and Louie Lechich hit his 5th home run of the season (which ties for the team lead). Kelvis Valerio made his first start of the year and was pretty effective (4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K). Lefty Johnathan Frebis, the team’s 33rd round pick this year, made his Class A debut and got the win with 1.1 scoreless IP (though he did walk three batters).
Grand Junction 6, Great Falls 3
Starter Matt Ball continues his fluctuation between very good and very bad starts, with this one being the latter, as he lasted just 3.2 innings allowing three earned on seven hits. The Voyagers offense did get nine hits, but went 2-for-15 with RISP. Frank Califano continues to get it done at the top of the order, going 2-5 with a triple, and adding an outfield assist. The club’s 19th round pick this year, the 21-year old Califano is hitting .333 with a .412 OBP and has stolen six bases as well. Antonio Rodriguez had three singles in four trips to the plate (and stole a base), and Dante Flores had a double and a single. The loss took Great Falls out of a tie for first place in their division and are now one game back.
AZL Cubs 10, AZL White Sox 7 (F/7, game 1)
In a rookie league version of the Crosstown Classic in the desert, the north side affiliates pounded south side pitching to win this one. Starter Yeuris Guerrero couldn’t finish the third inning, allowing six earned runs on six walks and three hits. Ryan Powers, who has had an overall strong rookie campaign, gave up four earned in two innings. On the offensive side the picture was better, highlighted by Danny Mendick‘s 2-4 day including his 5th bomb of the short season. Corey Zangari had a single and a walk, and Bradley Strong added a pair of base knocks.
AZL Cubs 4, AZL White Sox 2 (F/7, game 2)
The Arizona Cubs swept the double-header as the Sox couldn’t string together enough hits. David Walker, Zangari and Mendick each registered two-hit days, but the rest of the lineup was silent. Mendick, the clubs 22nd round pick this year, has drawn raves for his defense and his offense is starting to be a presence as well. He’s got an .807 OPS on the season, as well as eight steals in nine tries, and his August line is .342/.447/.605. Yelmison Peralta made his first AZL start after being demoted from Kannpolis, and gave up four runs in four innings. The AZL White Sox have already clinched a playoff spot.
DSL White Sox 5, DSL Reds 4
Carlos Perez was a home short of the cycle and his bat is on fire, with a 1.169 OPS in August for the 18-year old. Perez’ contact rate is amazing – he’s struck out just 4 times in 172 PA thus far this season, and two of those came in the first three games of the season. Ramon Beltre homered and added a base hit.
***The Winston-Salem Dash were off***
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