Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston) 10 vs OKC Dodgers 15
The OKC Dodgers like playing on Sunday, or so it would seem. For the third time in 2022 in four Sunday games they have scored 10 or more runs.
On the Mound
Rehabbing lefty Caleb Ferguson made his second rehab assignment with the OKC Dodgers. He pitched to four batters recording two outs but leaving after a single and Space Cowboy reaching base on an error. He threw 18 pitches, 12 for strikes.
Left-hander Daniel Zamora followed Ferguson but was not able to strand the two runners he inherited. The two runs that came across on his watch were charged to Ferguson. Zamora pitched an inning giving up a hit while walking two and striking out two.
Right-hander Sam Gaviglio came on in the top of the fourth inning and spun four shutout innings on three hits while walking one and striking out six. In the top of the seventh he served up a three-run home run to Sugar Land catcher Corey Lee. With none out in the seventh he was replaced by right-hander Jose Adames.
Adames breathed a bit more life into the Space Cowboys by giving up three runs on three hits and two walks without recording an out.
Right-hander Jon Duplantier did strand two runners for Adames but gave up one of his own I his 1.1 innings pitched.
Staying with right-handers, Justin Hagenman gave up the last of the Sugar Land runs with one more in the top of the ninth inning.
At the Plate
The Dodgers had a bit of a bonanza at the plate with 11 hits and 11 walks.
They scored four times in the bottom of the first inning on four walks and two hits, one a two-run double by Stefen Romero.
They had another four-run inning in the bottom of the fourth inning. One run scored on a sacrifice fly and three on a home run by Drew Avans.
Leading 8-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, OKC scored six more to run the score to 14-2. Two came home on another double by Stefen Romero and three on a home run by Thomas Telis.
The Dodgers scored one more time in the bottom of the eighth inning on a Drew Avans double and a Ty Kelly sacrifice fly.
Miguel Vargas, Stefen Romero, Tomas Telis and Drew Avans all had two hits.
Player of the Game
Right fielder Stefen Romero was an easy choice. His stat line reads two runs, two doubles and six runs batted in.
Corpus Christi Hooks 1(Houston) vs Tulsa Drillers 2
The Drillers came into the game still smarting from a ninth inning loss at the hands of the Hooks on Saturday. The decisive runs for Corpus Christi came on a three-run home run by third baseman Emmanuel Valdez.
On the Mound
The Drillers were quite efficient with their pitching on Sunday using four pitchers before a day off on Monday.
Right-hander Michael Grove gave up the only run to the Hooks in the fourth inning on a single by Ross Adolph and a double by the aforementioned Emmanuel Valdez. Grove pitched 3.2 innings giving up that run on three hits while walking one and striking out five.
Another right-hander – Jose Martinez – followed Grove. He did did give up five hits but was able to keep the Hooks scoreless while striking out two and issuing no walks in his 2.1 innings pitched.
Right-hander Mark Washington (Pictured) who remains invisible at 6’7” did have to bail Martinez out in the top of the seventh inning. He inherited a bases loaded situation with none out as three of those hits allowed by Martinez did come in the top of the seventh. Washington retired the side on a strikeout and an inning ending line out by Emanuel Valdez.
Washington pitched two innings giving up only one walk while striking out one.
A fourth right-hander – Guillermo Zuniga – finished off the Hooks in the top of the ninth. He gave up a walk and a hit but with two out gained some pay back for Emmanuel Valdez by striking him out to end the game. Zuniga was credited with a save which he earned.
At the Plate
Tulsa had seven hits in the game but scored only two runs, enough to win.
In the bottom of the first inning Ryan Ward hit a solo home run to right center field.
The second run came in the bottom of the fifth inning on a Michael Busch double that drove in James Outman who had also doubled.
Player of the Game
Michael Busch and Ryan Ward each had to hits and drove in a run but the game was won in the top of the seventh inning. I must confess to a bit of bias here as I am definitely a Mark Washington fan. Coming from the bullpen with a bases loaded situation and none out and returning to the dugout with all three runners stranded is not all that easy to do. The game was saved right there but Washington gets credit for a hold and not a save. That game had two saves.
Mark Washington
Great Lakes Loons 3 vs West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit) 1 Game 1
On Sunday the Loons squared off in a seven inning double header with the West Michigan Whitecaps. They had won the first four games of the six-game series in West Michigan.
On the Mound
Right-hander Kyle Hurt started the first game of the two-game set making his fourth start of the season. In his previous two three-inning starts he have given up only three hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts.
In this start, also of three innings, Hurt pitched well but not as dominantly as in his previous starts. He gave up four hits and one earned run while walking two and striking out two.
Another right-hander – Cole Percival – replaced Kyle Hurt and pitched three innings allowing one hit with no runs while walking none and striking out two. Percival come out for the bottom of the seventh inning and immediately walked two batters.
Left-hander Jose Hernandez was called upon by manager Austin Chubb to put out the fire. He did by stranding the two runners on two long flies and a pop up earning a well deserved save.
At the Plate
The Loons brought the game into a 1-1 tie in the top of the fourth inning on a home run by designated hitter Aldrich DeJongh.
They took a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh inning on three hits on three pitches with a single by center fielder Ismael Alcantara, a double by catcher Ryan January and a single by third baseman Leonel Valera. They extended the lead to 3-1 when January scored on a Whitecaps error.
Player of the Game
Eddys Leonard and Leonel Valera both had two hits, but the panel selected Jose Hernandez who stranded two inherited runners in the bottom of the seventh inning on 10 pitches, eight of which were strikes.
Great Lakes Loons 2 vs West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit) 8 Game 2
The Loons goal of sweeping the Whitecaps in a six-game series came up short in the sixth game.
On the Mound
Kendall Williams made his first appearance since being promoted from the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on April 27. Things did not go well for the 6’6”/205-lb. right-hander. He did pitch three innings but gave up five runs on eight hits with no walks and four strikeouts.
Right-hander Kevin Malisheski pitched the next two innings recording all zeros except for one strikeout.
Cole Duensing pitched the sixth inning as the Loons fell further behind. He gave up four hits and three runs including a two-run home run to Whitecaps right-fielder Ulrich Bojarski who is from East London in South Africa.
At the Plate
The Loons mustered only five hits in the game, three of them by left-fielder Joe Vranesh. He scored the Loons first run on a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning. He finished the scoring in the top of the seventh inning with another solo shot to right field.
Player of the Game
This was an easy one with Joe Vranesh producing most of the Loons offense. It was the first time in his career that he has had a multi-homer game.
Visalia Rawhide (Arizona) 6 vs Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7
On the Mound
Right-hander Orlando Ortiz-Mayr started for the Quakes and pitched 3.2 innings giving up three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out six. He has now struck out 22 in 12 innings pitched.
Left-hander Octavio Becerra stranded a runner for Ortiz-Mayr and pitched another two innings in which he gave up two hits, one run and struck out one.
Following the two-inning pattern right-hander Yamil Castillo gave up four hits and two runs in his two innings. He walked two and struck out one.
Madison Jeffrey came on to pitch the top of the ninth inning and was credited with a win. He struck out the side.
At the Plate
The Quakes scored early with a Yeiner Fernandez home run in the bottom of the first inning and a Kenneth Betancourt sacrifice fly in the second inning following a Jake Vogel double.
They didn’t score again until the sixth inning when they scored three. Luis Yanel Diaz scored on a fielder’s choice and Alex De Jesus drove in two with a double.
Trailing 6-5 going into the bottom of the eight inning, the Quakes tied the score when Kenneth Betancourt scores on a Jose Ramos single.
After Madison Jeffrey shut down the Rawhide in the top of the ninth inning Luis Rodriguez secured the win for Jeffrey with a walk off home run to right field.
Player of the Game
Luis Rodriguez did provide the walk off home run, but he also struck out four times leaving six runners on base. Catcher Yeiner Fernandez gets the curtain call with his two hits, one of them his first inning home run.
Catcher Yeiner Fernandez showed a pretty quick transfer when he nailed an attempted base stealer by a mile, much to the delight of pitcher Braydon Fisher. Fernandez, an 18 year old 2019 IFA, was recently promoted from the Arizona Complex League, where he slashed .319/.382/.454 pic.twitter.com/D4Nf18mhUT
— Josh Thomas (@jokeylocomotive) September 11, 2021
