Round Rock Express (Texas) 3 vs OKC Dodgers 20
On the Mound
What a MiLB day for the Dodgers! Emmet Sheehan going six shutout innings for the Great Lakes Loons and Bobby Miller 7.1 scoreless innings for the Tulsa Drillers.
Next up Dustin May for the OKC Dodgers. May didn’t disappoint pitching five innings giving up one run on four hits while walking one and striking out 10. He did have 24-pitch innings in both the first and fourth innings. He retired 13 of the final 15 batters he faced striking out nine of them.
In the top of the second inning May spun an immaculate 9-pitch inning with all three Round Rock hitters going down on a called strike.
Brusdar Graterol following May and pitched a clean sixth inning with one strikeout.
Pedro Baez trying to work his way back to MLB pitched the seventh inning giving up one run on a double and a single.
Beau Burrows mercifully was able to send the fans home by setting Round Rock down in the top of the ninth inning.
At the Plate
The Dodgers scored two runs in the second inning on a Jason Martin home run to right center field following a Michael Busch single.
In the bottom of the third inning Michael Busch drove in Drew Avans who had walked and stole second base. With that walk Avans owns the longest active on-base streak in the Minors and the longest on-base streak by an OKC player (since 2005). He has reached base in 64 of his last 65 games and his 50-game on-base streak is the longest in the PCL since 2018.
Michael Busch struck again in the bottom of the fifth inning tucking a home run (14) just inside the left field foul pole and driving in Edwin Rios who had singled and Miguel Vargas who had walked. Rios now has an 11-game hitting streak. Devin Mann knocked in two more following walks to Jason Martin and Ryan Noda.
The Dodgers pushed the lead to 10-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning stringing together singles by Miguel Vargas and Michael Busch, a walk to Jason Martin, and a two-out two-run single by Jacob Amaya. It was Busch’s fourth hit of the game.
OKC, with the help of Round Rock pitchers, scored three more in the bottom of the eighth inning on a walk, three hit batters and a Drew Avans single. The Express then went to a position player to finish the eighth inning and the Dodgers scored seven batting practice runs.
Players of the Game – Dustin May and Michael Busch
It was impossible to look past Michael Busch’s five hits and five runs batted in. It was also not possible to overlook Dustin May’s outing and his immaculate inning.
Midland RockHounds (A’s) 0 vs Tulsa Drillers (Noodlers) 7
On the Mound
Bobby Miller started for the Drillers looking to improve on his last two starts and he did just that. Over 7.1 innings and 103 pitches, 71 of them strikes, he gave up four singles, no runs, two walks and struck out nine. It was the longest outing of his professional career.
Miller did leave two runners on base with one out when he departed in the top of the eighth inning. Jordan Leasure came on to retire the side with no further damage and then pitched a perfect ninth inning.
At the Plate
Leonel Valera provided some early punch with a lead off home run (7) in the bottom of the first inning. He struck again in the bottom of the fifth inning driving home Chris Betts who had walked and Kenneth Betancourt who had singled.
Andy Pages got in on the act in the bottom of the eighth inning when he hit a home run (21) to left field that bounced out of the ball park. Ryan January drove home a fifth Drillers run with a single following a Brandon Lewis double.
With the bases loaded, still in the eighth inning, it looked like Leonel Valera would get a shot at the cycle if Kenneth Betancourt could stay out of a double play. Betancourt singled driving home another run. Valera was denied the single as he hit into a fielder’s choice.
Player of the Game – Bobby Miller
Also Kudos to Valera who was a single short of the cycle but Bobby Miller’s performance took the cake.
Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis) 0 vs Great Lakes Loons 1
On the Mound
The Loons pitching staff continued to be dominant on Sunday, following the Saturday shut out of the Chiefs.
Emmet Sheehan started for the Loons and pitched a strong six innings giving up four singles along with no walks and six strikeouts.
Ben Casparius followed Sheehan with two perfect innings and three strikeouts.
Left-hander Ben Harris came on in the top of the ninth inning and retired the Chiefs on three weakly hit ground balls on eight pitches, seven of them strikes.
Harris had to deal with a bit of drama in the top of the tenth inning. With a ghost runner on second, followed by a walk and a successful sacrifice bunt, he faced a one-out situation with runners on second and third. He then struck out the next two Chiefs looking. Harris has the highest K/9 ratio in the Midwest league.
At the Bat
Emmet Sheehan’s start was overshadowed by Chiefs right-hander Inohan Paniagua who had held the Loons hitless through six innings. My choice to break up the no-hitter, Imanol Vargas, did so with a single in the bottom of the seventh inning.
In the bottom of the tenth inning pinch runner Aldrich De Jongh was placed on second base. He advanced to third base on a wild pitch. My choice to get the winning hit, Imanol Vargas , did so with a single to left field bringing home the winning run.
The Loons came away with a win on three hits and and a walk while taking five out of six from the Peoria Chiefs. Vargas has two of those hits and a walk.
Player of the Game – Emmet Sheehan
Kudos to Vargas but Emmet Sheehan was the unanimous choice for the player of the game.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7 vs Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego) 9
On the Mound
Carlos De Los Santos started for the Quakes and gave up two earned runs before being removed with just two out. Orlando Ortiz-Mayr came on and stranded two inherited runners. He went 3.1 innings giving up one earned run while walking three and striking out three.
Martin Santana came on in the bottom of the fifth inning recording only one out and giving up three runs on three hits and three walks.
Kelvin Bautista was unable to stop the bleeding as he surrender two more runs in the sixth inning on a hit by pitch and a home run.
Yamil Castillo also gave up a run in his 1.2 innings pitched. Madison Jeffrey was able to stand an inherited runner left on base by Castillo.
At the Plate
The Quakes scored their first run in the top of the third inning on Chris Alleyne’s first professional home run.
They scored two more in the top of the fifth inning. Taylor Young walked, stole second base, and eventually scored on a ground out. Designated hitter Dalton Rushing then hit his second home run of his rookie season to right field.
The Quakes drew one run closer at 6-4 in the top of the sixth inning on a Taylor Young single following a Nick Biddison walk and a Sean McLain walk.
Rancho Cucamonga continued to play catch up scoring twice in the top of the seventh inning on a Yunior Garcia double driving in Dalton Rushing who had walked and then on a Nick Biddison single.
They inched one run closer in the top of the ninth inning on singles by Nick Biddison, Kyle Froemke and Taylor Young.
Player of the Game – Dalton Rushing
The Dodgers first selection in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, Dalton Rushing had three hits, including his home run, a walk and two runs scored.
Miller with 104 pitches and 0 earned runs.
Give him a start. Time to rest Gonsolin and/or Urias.
It will be Miller Time before too long. I just do not see it being this year. Too much uncertainty in the roster construction, and other options. But I have been proven wrong countless times.
Ok. I’ll go on record now and say I’d rather see Miller than Jackson. I don’t know about Grove and Duffy. With Buehler out for the year, we’ll need to find some innings somewhere.