This week/weekend was the end of the 1st half of the MiLB Season. I will have a report on the first half soon.
OKC Baseball Club 8 – Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado) 4
Pitcher Christian Romero made a spot start for OKC and was credited with the win, allowing three runs (two earned) and four hits over 5.0 innings with one walk and one strikeout…Michael Flynn recorded his third save of the season.
Andre Lipcius drove in four runs as OKC finished with its highest run total of the series in an 8-4 win against Albuquerque.
Albuquerque grabbed the first lead of the game in the first inning on a two-run home run by Jimmy Herron. Lipcius answered with a two-run homer for Oklahoma City in the bottom of the inning to tie the score, 2-2.
The Isotopes took the lead again with a run in the third inning, but OKC took the lead for good with a four-run fifth inning. Drew Avans bunted a RBI single down the third base line to tie the score. A RBI single by Lipcius put OKC ahead, 4-3, before Ryan Ward belted a two-run homer in the fifth inning for a 6-3 advantage. After Albuquerque added a run in the sixth inning, OKC scored two runs in the seventh inning on a RBI double by Lipcius and RBI single by Trey Sweeney for an 8-4 lead.
Andre Lipcius went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, four RBI and also scored three runs. Sunday marked his fourth game of the season with four or more RBI and he hit his 18th home run of the season, adding to his career-high homer total and ranking second in the PCL in home runs this season. Lipcius has now hit safely in eight straight games to tie his longest hitting streak of the season, going 11-36 (.306) with four extra-base hits, six RBI and seven runs scored during the current stretch.
Ryan Ward homered in a second straight game as his two-run homer in the fifth inning was his league-leading 20th home run of the season.
Drew Avans went 2-for-4 with a RBI, stolen base and scored two runs. He extended his season-best on-base streak to 19 games — the second-longest on-base streak by an OKC player this season.
Jonathan Araúz finished with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4, scoring a run and recording a stolen base.
James Outman did not play in this game. I have no idea if it was a planned day off, or he was under the weather, or if he was on a plane to Chicago. No speculation, just an observation.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals (KC) 6 – Tulsa Drillers 5
Griffin Lockwood-Powell got the Drillers off to a good start on Sunday with his eighth home run of the season in the second inning.
The 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the third when the Naturals scored three times to go in front. Former Drillers infielder Leonel Valera tied the score with a solo homer. Northwest Arkansas executed a successful double steal to go in front before Gavin Cross capped the big inning with a run-scoring single that made it 3-1.
Cross singled home another run in the fifth before a pair of doubles from Damon Keith and Brendon Davis gave the Drillers their second run and cut their deficit to 4-2.
The Naturals again upped the margin to three runs before the Drillers rallied to tie the game in the top of the seventh. Taylor Young tripled home two runs and then scored himself on a balk to make it 5-5.
It stayed tied until the bottom of the ninth. The Drillers lost Saturday night’s game after walking ten batters, but had walked just one entering the ninth. The total quickly increased to three when the first two batters of the inning drew free passes. After a successful sacrifice bunt, Cross swung at the first pitch he saw and lofted a sacrifice fly into center field as Valera slid home safely ahead of the throw from Jose Ramos.
Tulsa starting pitcher Orlando Ortiz-Mayr worked the first five innings and was charged with four runs on seven hits.
Reliever Logan Boyer worked two scoreless innings, striking out three. Since May 1, Boyer has allowed just two earned runs in 17.0 IP for a 1.06 ERA during the stretch.
For the second time in the series, Ben Harris suffered the loss in a walk-off win for the Naturals.
- Yeiner Fernandez – 3-4, 1 run, double (13)
- Doubles – Alex Freeland (9), Damon Keith (1), Brandon Davis (14)
- Triples – Taulor Young (1)
- Home Run – Griffin Lockwood-Powell (8)
Quad Cities River Bandits 7 – Great Lakes Loons 1 (7 innings)
Payton Martin had his third start with Great Lakes. He completed 4.0 innings allowing 2 runs, both unearned, 4 hits, 2 BB, and 6 K.
Carson Hobbs and Jesus Luna each pitched an inning and combined to allow 5 runs (all earned), 6 hits and 3 BB.
Kyle Nevin hit a solo HR (5) in the 4th for the only GL run.
Great Lakes had a total of 5 hits from three players.
- Kyle Nevin – 2-3, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (5)
- Jordan Thompson – 2-3, double (4)
- Luis Rodriguez – 1-3
Great Lakes Loons 1 – Quad Cities River Bandits 0 (8 innings)
Jackson Ferris pitched his newest best game of the season. He completed 6.0 scoreless innings on 2 hits, 1 BB, and 8 K.
The problem was, the River Bandits matched Ferris, pitch for pitch. The seven inning game went into the 8th 0-0. Kelvin Ramirez pitched 2.0 scoreless innings with 3 K for GL. In the 8th, with a runner on 2nd, Quad Cities sacrificed, Ramirez struck out the next batter, then issued an IBB, and finally got the final out on a pop out to end the inning unscored on.
With a runner on 2B, Jordan Thompson sacrificed the runner to 3rd. Two IBB loaded the bases. The next two batters struck out, but on the 2nd strikeout, there was a passed ball that plated the walk off winning run.
Great Lakes had 2 hits, Chris Newell and Nelson Quiroz singles.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 11 – Inland Empire 66ers (LAA) 10 – 10 innings
Jesus Galiz doubled home Juan Alonso in the bottom of the tenth inning, as the Quakes outlasted the Inland Empire 66ers for a second straight day, winning 11-10 on Sunday evening.
The win for the Quakes is their second extra-inning win in as many games. It also gives them three straight and four of six against Inland Empire, marking their first series win since they took four of six at Visalia in early-May.
Trailing 10-9 with two outs in the tenth, Juan Alonso singled home pinch-runner Kendall George, evening the game at 10-10 against Inland Empire reliever Dawry Segura (1-1). Galiz followed with a double that one-hopped the left-field fence. 66ers’ left fielder Landon Wallace overshot the cut-off man, allowing Alonso to score all the way from first base without a play at the plate.
At one-point Rancho had a five-run lead, but Inland Empire got two home runs and five RBIs from former Quake Imanol Vargas to help tie the game at 9-9.
Inland took a 10-9 lead in the tenth, when Dario Valverde tripled home a run off eventual winner Christian Ruebeck (2-2). Ruebeck stranded Valverde at third base, which proved to be a huge play and allowed the Quakes to win it in the bottom of the inning.
Wilman Diaz popped a pair of homers (2,3) for Rancho, while Jose Meza led Rancho’s 13-hit attack by going 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
- Wilman Diaz – 2-4, 2 BB, 2 run, 3 RBI, 2 HR (3)
- Samuel Munoz – 2-6, 1 run
- Jose Meza – 3-5, 1 BB, 2 runs
- Juan Alonso – 2-3, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 2 runs, 1 RBI
- Jesus Galiz – 2-6, 1 run, 2 RBI, 2 doubles (6)
- Oswaldo Osorio – 1-5, 1 run, 3 RBI, double (5)
We gotta trade Jose Ramos. He’s going nowhere with us.
If you replace your morning coffee with green tea you can lose up to 87% of what little joy you still have left in your life.
Hey Jeff D. Your #1 trade target is on the mound tonight for the Sox. Let’s see if he can shut down the Dodgers to increase his trade value. You mentioned that he was a reliever in the past. With him now starting there may be a innings pitched issue. Along with his injury history, does his increase of use this season concern you at all? I know an effective LH starter is something the Dodgers and other teams could use. What would be your most aggressive trade proposal considering the competition for his services?
After Kershaws last outting I was hopeful, even confident he was coming back sooner than later. He pitched well and sounded like he felt good. Then a day off then a bullpen and it is sore, which could mean nothing or be of concern
How quickly things can change! I’m just being open and admitting my prediction could be wrong.
Ferris looks like a keeper as does Wrobleski. I think Outman might be recalled sometime around the trade deadline. But I am just guessing. He seems to have his swing back. I would really like to see what Lipcius could do at the MLB level.