By Dan Strittmatter

By Dan Strittmatter

 

Triple-A Reno:

 

1B Brandon Allen – Last Seven Games – 9-for-23, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R, 6:6 K:BB, 2 SB (0 CS).

Yep, Brandon Allen is on yet another tear. Allen’s numbers on the year: 80-296 (.270), 16 doubles, three triples, 21 home runs, a 75:68 K:BB ratio and 10-14 in stolen base attempts. All of this amounts to an OBP/SLG/OPS line of .415/.557/.973 and wOBA of .417. And with those numbers being as incredible as they are, it’s easy to forget how the year started for Allen. In 21 games before going on the disabled list with a shoulder injury on April 30, Allen was hitting just 16-74 (.216), with a line of .356/.405/.761 and a wOBA of .343. The fact that he’s played so well since that time that his overall season numbers look so impressive is, well, impressive.

 

 

Double-A Mobile:

 

OF Ollie Linton – Aug. 7 – 4-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 0:1 K:BB, 1 SB (0 CS).

Mobile beat Jacksonville 7-4 on Saturday, and Linton’s spectacular game was a big reason why. Not known for having much of a power tool, Linton hit just his second home run of the year, but a two-hit game on Sunday gave him 100 hits on the year with a .316 batting average. His OBP/SLG/OPS line is .426/.389/.816, an improvement on the .794 OPS he posted last year at Visalia. From a center fielder known for having a plus glove and great closing speed, that type of on-base skill is impressive. Further, Linton is now 7-for-10 in stolen base attempts since the All-Star break.

 

 

Hi-A Visalia:

 

RHP Ryan Cook – Aug. 8 – 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 9:1 K:BB, 5/2 GO/FO.

Cook was dominant on Sunday night against Modesto, though he did not record the win for his efforts, as the bullpen blew his lead before Yonata Ortega restored order, recording all four of his outs via strikeout, and got the win. Cook has been one of the least-heralded starters for the Rawhide despite his stellar performance on the year, with 93 strikeouts and 34 walks in 102 1/3 innings for Visalia and a fabulous 2.47 GO/FO ratio.

 

 

Paul Goldschmidt:

 

Aug. 7: 2-4, 1 3B, 2 R.

Goldschmidt may still be stuck on 31 home runs, but the big fella chugged around the bases on Saturday to record his second triple of the season. The player tied with Goldschmidt for first place in minor league baseball for home runs, J.P. Arencibia of Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate, was promoted to the major leagues (where he has already homered twice), so Goldschmidt now has an opportunity to put himself in the lead.

 

 

Low-A South Bend:

 

RHP Andrew Wolcott – Aug. 7 – 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4:2 K:BB, 9/6 GO/FO.

RHP Scottie Allen – Aug. 8 – 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4:0 K:BB, 12/4 GO/FO.

South Bend has seen some nice starting pitching performances the past two days against Lake County, beginning with Wolcott’s stellar performance. Wolcott has had an interesting year, being bounced around from affiliate to affiliate. He began the year at Visalia, but was transferred to Yakima when their season began. After dominating the Northwest League, Wolcott was finally promoted to South Bend, where he has stuck. Saturday’s game was the second time Wolcott has thrown seven innings for the Silver Hawks, and Wolcott now boasts a 64:24 K:BB ratio in 94 2/3 innings spread across the three affiliates (strangely enough, his worst affiliate K:BB ratio was at Yakima, 16:8).

 

Allen’s performance is rather unusual for a couple of reasons. On one hand, a 68:21 K:BB ratio in 66 innings of work foreshadows a lot of success for a pitcher, but Allen currently sits on a 5.05 ERA despite being able to miss so many bats. So to see Allen strikeout only four, yet simultaneously put in one of his best efforts of the season, is a strange bit of coincidence. And for those looking to find an explanation for that unappealing ERA, take into consideration the fact that Allen’s BABIP in 2010 is a staggeringly-high .585 — possibly the definition of unsustainable. Allen’s FIP at South Bend is a fantastic 2.82. And he just turned 19 years old.

 

 

Short-Season-A Yakima:

 

CF Westley Moss – Aug. 6 – 4-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI.

Hitting in the back of Yakima’s lineup, Moss had a fantastic game last Friday, collecting four hits and a double as well as stealing his 14th base of the year in 19 attempts. This was the second game in the last 10 days in which Moss has reached base four times, the other coming on July 31, when he recorded three hits, a walk and four stolen bases.

 

 

Rookie-level Missoula:

 

RHP Robby Rowland – Aug. 7 – 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R (1 ER), 4:0 K:BB, 0 HR, 5/5 GO/FO.

Rowland followed up his worst outing of the season (1/3 IP, 4 ER on Aug. 2) with his best outing of the season. The D-backs’ third-round pick in 2010 missed bats and limited free passes en route to recording his first win in his professional baseball career in a 5-1 game against Billings.

 

 

Rookie-level Dominican Summer League:

 

1B Wilmer Santana – Last Four Games – 4-for-9, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2:2 K:BB.

Santana, an 18-year-old left-handed-hitting first baseman, has had some success over the last few days in getting on base for the DSL D-backs, and he isn’t the only one. The DSL D-backs have recorded 15 hits in each of their last two games, scoring 23 runs in a pair of victories, first over one of the DSL Orioles teams, and then against one of the DSL Cubs teams.

 

Others of note:

·         Oh, what a difference an All-Star Break makes for Reno second baseman Mark Hallberg. Always known for his stellar defense in the infield, Hallberg limped along to a .588 OPS going into the break, and the former-top-prospect had been struggling with the stick ever since arriving to Double-A in 2009. But something clicked at the plate after the break for Hallberg, and in an 18 games since the break, Hallberg has hit 19-for-52 with eight doubles, a triple and a home run, all while collecting more walks (12) than strikeouts (9). The end result has been a fantastic OPS of 1.100 since the break, raising his season OPS almost a hundred points, to .678. It’s a small sample of games, but an encouraging sign for Hallberg.

·         Mobile right-hander Bryan Henry‘s ERA keeps going lower as a starter. He threw six innings of work on Saturday, surrendering just an unearned run on two hits, two walks and two strikeouts. As a starter, his ERA is now 1.98. On the season, his ERA is 2.78.

·         While Linton was the big source of offense on Saturday, three more BayBears stepped up on Sunday to provide the punch in the lineup. Third baseman Bryan Byrne went 1-for-2 with a double and a pair of walks, shortstop Taylor Harbin went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, and first baseman Sean Coughlin went 3-for-3 with a home run.

·         Since being promoted to Hi-A Visalia, RHP Yonata Ortega has been fantastic in a pair of appearances, striking out six and walking one in 2 2/3 innings. He has allowed a pair of hits and no runs, and even has recorded a save for the Rawhide, his 23rd on the season. Ortega had 41 strikeouts to 15 walks in 41 2/3 innings at South Bend prior to the promotion.

·         The D-backs finally announced their player to be named later from the Dan Haren trade, left-handed pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Skaggs will join South Bend, though he’ll need a few days to get stretched out again before he can join the Silver Hawks rotation, as he has not pitched in a game since the trade was made in late July to make sure he did not suffer an injury.

·         It’s been an up-and-down season for South Bend second baseman David Nick, but Sunday’s game was certainly one of the “ups.” Nick went 3-for-4 with solo home run to help South Bend beat Lake County 5-2.

·         Yakima shortstop Zachary Walters saw his hitting streak end at 16 games.

·         Missoula lefty Patrick Schuster followed up Rowland’s five-inning, one-run performance with one of his own. Schuster allowed five hits while striking out three, walking two and recording seven ground-ball outs.

 

·         Movement around the minors:

o    RHP Kasey Olenberger was picked up by the D-backs and assigned to Triple-A Reno.

o    C Alex Herrnberger (from Short-Season Yakima) and IF Daniel Kaczrowski (from Hi-A Visalia) were assigned to Double-A Mobile, SS Jake Wald was released, and RHP Bryan Augenstein was activated off of the 7-Day DL.

o    As mentioned above, Tyler Skaggs was assigned to South Bend.

o    A pair of players, DH Evan Button and RHP Michael Bolsinger, were both assigned to Yakima, though both were also immediately put on the 7-Day disabled list.

By Dan Strittmatter

 

Triple-A Reno:

 

RHP Cesar Valdez – Aug. 4 – 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 9:0 K:BB, 0 HR, 7/2 GO/FO

RHP Kris Benson – Aug. 4 – 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R ( 1 ER), 1:0 K:BB, 0 HR, 5/2 GO/FO

The Aces received a dominant two-man performance on the mound yesterday, with Benson starting the game on his rehab assignment, throwing 39 pitches in an efficient and effective outing as he begins to rebuild strength in his arm. This is the second straight rehab outing for Benson in which he’s thrown three innings and surrendered just a single earned run.

Benson was followed by Valdez, who came in from the ‘pen to throw a mere 62 pitches in shutting down the Nashville lineup in six frames. Valdez appears to be regaining his dominant form at Reno from the start of the season, as he has now gone at least six innings while giving up one run or fewer for the third time in his last four appearances.

 

 

Double-A Mobile:

 

LHP Wade Miley – Aug. 3 – 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2:3 K:BB, 0 HR, 9/2 GO/FO

RHP Kyler Newby – Aug. 4 – 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 7:2 K:BB, 4/3 GO/FO

Just add another 10 innings with one earned run at the bottom of the list of incredible starting pitching performances for the BayBears over the last couple weeks. While Miley’s strikeout and walk rates may not have been as superb as he’s shown us in the past, he continues to force Southern League hitters to pound the ball into the ground. Anytime you give up one earned run in five innings of work and your ERA rises (to 1.61), you’re having a darn good season.

 

On the other hand, strikeout and walk rates were certainly not an issue for Newby. In his fifth start in the Mobile rotation filling in for Barry Enright, Newby missed a ton of bats and also did an admirable job keeping the ball on the ground. Allowing fewer than one baserunner per inning is pretty impressive however you look at it. On the season, Newby’s ERA is now an impressive 3.40, and in those five starts, it’s an even more impressive 2.57 (3.89 out of the ‘pen).

 

 

Hi-A Visalia:

 

RHP Charles Brewer – 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 4:0 K:BB, 1 HR, 9/5 GO/FO

Since his first start for Visalia (3 1/3 innings, 6 ER), Brewer has been phenomenal for the Rawhide, allowing just 12 earned runs in 44 1/3 innings of work (2.44 ERA) with 35 strikeouts, 11 walks and three home runs allowed. Also in that span, Brewer has induced 60 ground ball outs as opposed to just 33 outs in the air. Add those numbers to a 1.83 ERA in 69 innings at South Bend before his promotion to Visalia, and you’ve got a ridiculous first full season in the pros.

 

 

Low-A South Bend:

 

3B Bobby Borchering – Last Five Games (Aug. 1 – Aug. 5) – 14-for-23, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 8 R, 3:0 K:BB, 1 HBP

 

3B Matt Davidson – Last Six Games (July 31 – Aug. 5) – 12-for-22, 3 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 4 R, 6:4 K:BB, 1 SF

Bobby Borchering’s bat came alive for the month of August in a way that is reminiscent of some of Brandon Allen‘s explosions at Triple-A Reno. He has collected 25 total bases in 23 at-bats, (1.087 SLG), and an absolutely ludicrous August OPS of 1.712. Arguably his best game of the month came yesterday, when he went 2-3 with a solo home run — his second in two days and 11th of the season — three runs scored, and a hit-by-pitch while not striking out. We’ve been expecting this power surge all season long from Bobby, and it seems that batting practice power is turning into in-game power.

 

Not to be outdone, Matt Davidson has been equally impressive over the past week. His best game of the stretch (no “arguably” necessary on this one…) came on Aug. 3 against Bowling Green, when he went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs, five RBI, two runs scored, a walk and a strikeout. Davidson now has 30 doubles, three triples and 14 home runs amongst his 112 hits in 2010, and has an OBP/SLG/OPS line of .382/.509/.892 on the year, the best OPS on the Silver Hawks and third best OPS of all current Midwest League batters. To add to how impressive he’s been, both of the players ahead of Davidson on that list are 22 years old. Davidson, on the other hand, turned 19 last March.

 

 

Short-Season-A Yakima:

 

SS Zachary Walters – 15-Game Hitting Streak – 26-for-65, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 16 R, 14:3 K:BB, 5 SB (0 CS)

RHP Jake Hale – 2010 season – 17 games, 28 1/3 IP, 17 H, 2 R (1 ER), 29:5 K:BB, 0 HR, 1.50/1 GO/FO, 0.32 ERA

While the 15-game streak is extremely impressive, the numbers from Walters’ last ten games are even better – 20-for-42, five doubles, a triple, a home run, 12 RBI, 12 runs scored, three stolen bases and a 6:2 K:BB. He struggled earlier in the year with strikeouts and getting on-base, but while he still isn’t the most patient hitter, he’s certainly making a lot better contact as of late, and he’s got a lot of pop in his bat for a middle-infielder, particularly a shortstop. His batting average is up to .317 on the year with this streak, and his line of .333/.455/.788 is good for the third-best OPS on the Bears.

 

As for Hale, it’s about time he received some recognition here for being absolutely dominant all year long. While he’s old (24) for his level, the 2009 draft pick is poised to start rocketing up the system, as he has been almost completely unhittable in 2010. He was even dominant in the outing in which he allowed his one earned run of the year — he struck out three in two innings of work on July 15, but a series of balls put in play found holes in the defense, as four hits brought a run across the plate.

 

 

Rookie-level Missoula:

 

SS Raul Navarro – Last Three Games – 7-for-16, 3 R, 3:0 K:BB.

Navarro, the 18-year-old shortstop who spent 2009 in the DSL, has impressed in 2010 with Missoula hitting .299 with a line of .340/.438/.777 through 37 games. While the power hasn’t been there over the last three games, he’s making good contact, is playing a premium defensive position and his .139 ISO shows that he does have some pop in his bat.

 

 

Rookie-level Dominican Summer League:

 

OF Wagner Mateo – Last Three Games – 5-for-12, 1 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R, 3:0 K:BB, 1 SB (0 CS).

Widely regarded as the top prospect on the DSL D-backs, Mateo has been impressive recently, with a two-homer, six-RBI game on Wednesday against the DSL Padres followed by three more hits, including a double, in a doubleheader yesterday against the DSL White Sox. Mateo’s OPS on the year now sits at .811, 21st-best in the DSL. For a 17-year-old in a pitcher-friendly league made up almost entirely of players older than him, that number is very impressive.

 

Others of note:

·         While the great pitching of Wednesday night’s Triple-A Reno game was really nice to see, as Benson and Valdez are looking to re-establish themselves as Major League contributors, it would be a shame to overlook the Aces’ offensive explosion, as they scored 12 runs off of Nashville. Leading the way (once again) was Brandon Allen, who collected two hits, including a two-run homer, three RBI, and a hit-by-pitch. Ryan Roberts also homered and walked.

·         Right-hander Kevin Mulvey followed the strong performances of Benson and Valdez with a strong outing of his own on Thursday night, throwing seven innings, scattering eight hits and surrendering just a pair of runs. He gave up a homer and recorded a pair of strikeouts.

·         After a strong start was followed by a breakdown in the Major Leagues, Daniel Stange is piecing his command, and his season, back together at Double-A Mobile. His last nine appearances have been scoreless, spanning 10 2/3 innings.

·         Lefty Patrick Corbin made his second start for Visalia since being acquired in the Dan Haren deal. His innings are being limited, but he threw three scoreless frames, allowing just a pair of hits and striking out four with no walks.

·         Keon Broxton has also been dangerous at the top of the Silver Hawks’ lineup as of late, currently riding a seven-game hitting streak that includes a pair of three-hit games. One of those three-hit games came on Wednesday night, when Broxton also collected a double, a home run, and a walk.

·         19-year-old South Bend right-hander Scottie Allen struck out eight batters in just four innings of work on Tuesday night, but, unfortunately, every ball that was put in play seemed to fall for a hit against him, as he surrendered six earned runs. This has actually been an unfortunate trend of Allen’s for the entire 2010 season. His batting average on balls in play is an astounding, unsustainable .655.

·         On Tuesday, Yakima pitchers Andrea Pizziconi, Rashad Tucker, Keith Cantwell, Hale, and Corey Davisson combined for a shutout of the Eugene Emeralds, allowing just five hits, striking out nine and walking nobody.

·         David Holmberg, the left-hander acquired from the White Sox in the Edwin Jackson trade, made his debut for the Rookie-level Missoula Osprey on Wednesday. He threw five innings, allowing seven hits and six runs, though just three of those runs were earned. He struck out three, walked a pair and didn’t allow a home run.

·         Another lefty from Missoula, Patrick Schuster, had a good outing on Tuesday. Schuster went five innings, giving up seven hits and a pair of unearned runs while striking out five and walking just one.

·         DSL D-backs outfielder Socrates Brito has already jumped out to a .375 OBP in his first seven games with the team.

·         Some shifting around in the minor league system:

o    INF Tony Abreu was sent to Triple-A Reno as the D-backs recalled RHP Rafael Rodriguez, who was acquired in the Dan Haren trade.

o    Ed Easley was promoted to Triple-A Reno to give the Aces a second catcher after John Hester was called up by the D-backs to replace the traded Chris Snyder.

o    Double-A RHP Bryan Augenstein was activated from the 7-Day DL. He threw two innings of scoreless relief last night, striking out a pair and allowing a hit.

o    Back on Monday, RHP’s Casey Upperman and Rashad Tucker were promoted to Short-Season Yakima from Rookie-level Missoula.

Kris Benson – Photography: Jon Willey

 

By Dan Strittmatter

 

Triple-A Reno:

 

RHP Kris Benson – July 30 – 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0:1 K:BB, 5/3 GO/AO.

Benson is progressing through his second attempt at rehabbing from his shoulder injury, and had a solid outing for the Aces on Friday. He threw 32 pitches, 18 of them for strikes, and kept the ball on the ground effectively. Unfortunately, the Aces didn’t pitch very well in relief of Benson, coughing up eleven runs and handing a 12-9 victory to the Las Vegas 51’s.

 

LHP Zach Kroenke – Aug. 2 – 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5:3 K:BB, 6/4 GO/AO.

Unusual as it may be for two pitchers to be featured in the Triple-A section due to the immense hitter-friendliness of the Pacific Coast League, Kroenke was also deserving of notice for his five no-hit innings of work, making a spot-start for Reno. Perhaps even more impressive was that Kroenke pitched well enough to record the win in a matchup with Tacoma Rainiers’ phenom Michael Pineda, the 21-year-old Mariners prospect who breezed through Double-A and sports a 3.52 ERA at Triple-A.

 

 

Double-A Mobile:

 

Starting Pitching – Since July 24: Last Eight Games (LHP Tom Layne twice, LHP Patrick McAnaney twice, RHP Bryan Henry twice, LHP Wade Miley once, and RHP Kyler Newby once) – 48 IP, 35 H, 6 R (6 ER), 33:11 K:BB, 2 HR, 52/41 GO/AO, 1.13 ERA.

 

We’ve mentioned Mobile’s spectacular starting pitching many times in these reports, but viewing the consistent dominance of the BayBears’ rotation over the past week and a half really gives you an idea of how good these guys have been. Henry (15 1/3 innings, 3 ER, 8:0 K:BB, 1 HR, 1.76 ERA) has pitched like the Southern League-equivalent of a staff ace, and McAnaney (12 2/3 innings, 3 ER, 8:3 K:BB, 1 HR, 2.13 ERA) is starting to really turn around a disappointing season. Further, Newby was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Week after his scoreless five-inning, seven-strikeout spot start. Miley pitches again tonight to try to follow up an impressive five-inning performance that was detailed in the previous Minor League Report.

 

 

Hi-A Visalia:

 

LHP Patrick Corbin – July 30 – 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 8:2 K:BB, 4/2 GO/AO.

We set the stage for Corbin’s debut in the previous Minor League Report, and Corbin did not fail to impress. Lake Elsinore hitters had a hard time putting the ball in play off of Corbin, and when they managed to make contact, the ball typically remained on the ground. The organization is being careful with the 21-year-old Corbin’s innings workload, but more outings like this from the young left-hander should keep him rocketing up the system.

 

 

Paul Goldschmidt:

 

July 31: 1-4, 1 HR (#30), 2 RBI, 1 R. Aug. 1: 2-4, 1 HR (#31), 3 RBI, 1 R.

The Rawhide’s official website now features a Paul Goldschmidt home run counter on its front page, so here at the D-blog, we felt it appropriate to follow suit and devote a section of our Minor League Reports to Goldschmidt’s continued destruction of the Cal League. Prior to yesterday’s off-day, Goldschmidt had clobbered his 30th and 31st homers in back-to-back games against Lake Elsinore to move into a tie with Triple-A Las Vegas’ J.P. Arencibia for the minor-league baseball home run lead.

 

 

Low-A South Bend:

 

3B Bobby Borchering – July 31, Aug. 1, & Aug. 2 – 7-for-13, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1:1 K:BB.

Borchering has spent the last few days spraying singles all over the place, and whacked a double on Sunday. Perhaps most importantly, Borchering has been making contact, striking out just once in the last three games despite his 93 whiffs in 101 games this year. The raw power is undeniable in Borchering, so the lack of extra bases isn’t too concerning — those extra bases will come along as he starts getting the barrel of the bat on the ball.

 

1B Ramon Castillo – Aug. 1 & Aug. 2 – 5-for-8, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 1:2 K:BB.

Despite being 5-foot-11, hitting the ball with authority is Castillo’s specialty. He now has 11 doubles and six home runs in just 37 games for South Bend, for a team-leading .507 slugging percentage. Further, his OPS of .860 is just one point behind team-leader Matt Davidson‘s .861 mark. Castillo also has an impressive understanding of the strike zone, with just 17 K’s in 138 at-bats.

 

 

Short-Season-A Yakima:

 

CF Westley Moss – July 31 – 3-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1:1 K:BB, 4 SB (0 CS).

Moss was unstoppable on Saturday, both in getting on-base in four of his six plate appearances and on the basepaths, stealing four bases without being caught. He nabbed second base three times, twice off of Salem-Keizer starter Edward Concepcion and once off of reliever Matthew Graham, and also took third base once off of Concepcion. The outing gave Moss eleven stolen bases on the year, and he has been caught just five times.

 

 

Rookie-level Missoula:

 

1B Bobby Stone – Last Four Games – 7-for-15, 1 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 R, 5:1 K:BB.

Stone has been mashing for Missoula in the cleanup spot lately, with four homers and three doubles in his last nine games. Further, he has been superb in getting runs across the plate, with a staggering 16 RBI’s in those nine games. Stone’s performance yesterday was especially impressive – he went 3-for-4 with a home run and four runs driven in.

 

 

Rookie-level Dominican Summer League:

LHP Diony Santana – Aug. 2 – 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1:0 K:BB, 8/7 GO/AO.

The 19-year-old Dominican southpaw rebounded from his worst outing of the season on July 27 (which had followed an eight-inning, one-earned-run outing) to continue his impressive campaign for the DSL D-backs, lowering his ERA to 2.16 with his solid outing against the DSL Rockies. Santana has now struck out 28 on the year while walking just nine in 41 2/3 innings of work. On the negative side, Santana has allowed 12 unearned runs, though much of this is attributable to the often-shady defensive play in the DSL.

 

Others of note:

·         Reno right-hander Carlos Rosa has been particularly impressive as of late, throwing four scoreless innings in his last four outings out of the Aces bullpen.

·         Double-A outfielders Evan Frey and Ollie Linton each put together good outings at the plate in the marathon July 31 game and on Aug. 1. In those two games combined, Frey went 5-for-11 with a pair of doubles and a pair of walks, while Linton went 6-for-12 with a triple and a walk.

·         Yonata Ortega, promoted to Visalia from South Bend on July 31, made his debut for the Rawhide on Aug. 1, striking out two and recording a pair of fly-outs in 1 1/3 innings with no hits or walks.

·         South Bend right-hander Kevin Munson has continued his dominance for the Silver Hawks, throwing a pair of innings on July 31 and another two innings on Aug. 2, allowing just one hit, no walks and no runs while striking out five. He has yet to allow a run, and has conceded just two hits, in 8 1/3 innings of work.

·         Yakima reliever Jake Hale earned Northwest League Pitcher of the Week honors by throwing five shutout innings in three appearances over the last seven days. Hale struck out five, walked nobody, gave up just three hits, recorded a pair of wins and collected a save.

·         Matt Helm wasted no time getting acclimated to the Pioneer League, going 4-for-8 in his first three games for Missoula. The young third baseman has doubled twice, driven in three runs, scored once, struck out three times and walked.

·         Missoula outfielder Roberto Rodriguez tore apart Billings last Friday, going 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and a walk, starting a small four-game hitting streak that is still active.

·         Highly-regarded 17-year-old outfielder Socrates Brito debuted for the DSL D-backs on Friday, going 1-for-2 with an RBI and a strikeout.

By Dan Strittmatter

Triple-A Reno:

 

OF/1B Jeff Bailey – July 28 & 29 – 5-for-10, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R, 1:0 K:BB

Bailey continues to be a force in the cleanup hole, and has taken advantage of the lineup protection afforded him by an absurd streak of power from Brandon Allen in the five spot to go on a tear of his own. Bailey has been hitting the seams off of the ball in July, with an even 1.000 OPS in 25 games, and now has 65 RBIs in 2010 with an .899 season OPS.

 

 

Double-A Mobile:

 

RHP Bryan Henry – July 28 – 8 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R (1 ER), 3:0 K:BB, 0 HR, 7/11 GO/AO

LHP Wade Miley – July 29 – 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5:1 K:BB, 0 HR, 7/3 GO/AO

 

The BayBears received some fantastic starting pitching over the last couple of days, beginning with Henry’s absolutely dominant outing on Wednesday. He worked into the ninth, facing a mere 30 Montgomery batters, with Dan Stange coming on in relief to record a quick double-play to end a ninth-inning threat.

 

Miley then picked up right where Henry left off, although he was on an innings limit and couldn’t go as deep into the game. He needed just 63 pitches to get through five quick innings, and allowed just three baserunners, wiping away one of them with a double play. A scoreless inning of work from Jeff Dietz, two scoreless innings from Bryan Woodall, and a scoreless save from Stange closed up the 1-0 win.

 

 

Hi-A Visalia:

 

CF Alfredo Marte – July 28 – 3-for-6, 3 R

1B Paul Goldschmidt – July 28 – 4-for-6, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB

 

Marte has had a great July, with a .365/.516/.882 OBP/SLG/OPS line in 24 games. He tacked on a three-hit night on Wednesday to break out of a two-game hitless slump in which he went 0-for-8.

 

And Goldschmidt… what else can be said, really? He hit a three-run home run, his 29th of the season, which was his third in four games. He drove in four more runs, scored two more runs, collecting four more hits to bring up his average to .313 on the season with a .979 OPS and remarkable .609 slugging percentage. He’s just an unbelievable power hitter who is absolutely dominating the Cal League.

 

Low-A South Bend:

 

Not much to cover from South Bend. The Wednesday game was early, so it was covered in that Farm Report. Then, the SilverHawks were handed a 6-1 loss on Thursday while recording just six hits, all of which were singles. Keon Broxton and Ender Inciarte stole bases, Inciarte and Errol Hollinger reached base twice, and Scottie Allen struck out four in three innings of work, though he also walked four and surrendered a pair of runs.

 

 

Short-Season-A Yakima:

 

3B Raoul Torrez – July 28 & 29 – 5-for-7, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 R, 1:1 K:BB

Torrez has been one of the best bats in Yakima’s lineup since signing after the D-backs took him in the 2010 Draft. His OBP is a nice .359, and his .761 OPS has been steadily climbing over the past few games, particularly his last two, in which he has been seemingly impossible to keep off of the basepaths.

 

 

Rookie-level Missoula:

 

OF Adam Eaton – July 29 – 3-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1:1 K:BB

Eaton had a spectacular game for the Osprey yesterday, though in a losing effort. He hit his fourth home run of the season and also had an outfield assist from center field, nailing Billings Mustangs third baseman Cristobal Rodriguez at home. Eaton raised his batting average to a fantastic .381 on the season, with a .523 OBP and 1.107 OPS.

 

 

Rookie-level Dominican Summer League:

 

1B Jonathan Perez – Last Four Games – 5-for-8, 1 2B, 1 3B, 7 RBI, 5 R, 0:6 K:BB

Perez has been impossible to keep off of the bases lately, and despite his batting average of .228 on the year, his on-base percentage is .441 on the season, and he has an OBP/SLG/OPS line of .514/.409/.923 in his last ten games.

 

Others of note:

·         Kris Benson is scheduled to make his first start Friday since June 8 for Triple-A Reno, trying again to rehab from an injury that sidelined him in the middle of May.

·         Despite being hitless in his last two games (0-for-4), Reno first baseman Brandon Allen has reached base five times, collecting three walks and getting hit by a pitch twice.

·         Mobile right-handed pitcher Bryan Woodall has been superb since being called up to Double-A Mobile. In four games, he has thrown 7 1/3 innings, striking out eight, giving up just six hits with no walks or homers and allowing just two unearned runs.

·         Catcher Rossmel Perez also added a three-hit game to Visalia’s lineup on Wednesday in their 14-10 victory.

·         Hi-A Visalia Shortstop and 2010 draft pick Niko Gallego collected the first extra-base hit of his career on Wednesday, a two-RBI triple.

·         Lefty Patrick Corbin is scheduled to make his first start tonight for Hi-A Visalia after being acquired in the Dan Haren trade.

·         Yakima catcher Raywilly Gomez hit his third home run of the season on Wednesday, and his second in the last week. This was after hitting no homers in his first two seasons as a pro, in which he played 122 games.

·         Italian right-hander Andrea Pizziconi threw three scoreless innings of relief for Yakima on Thursday, lowering his season ERA to 2.02.

·         DSL D-backs LHP Johan Jaime has been superb in his last three starts, giving up just one earned run in each of those appearances, throwing 15 2/3 innings with 18 strikeouts, 11 walks and no home runs allowed.