Three walkoff losses in extra innings were the lowlights in a 3-4 day for the affiliates.
HR Roll Call: Alfredo Escalera (3), Meibrys Viloria (1), Manny Olloque (1), Michael Arroyo (1), Leland Clemmons (1), Khalil Lee (1), Esteury Ruiz (1)
BP KC Hitter of the Day – Meibrys Viloria 3-4. HR, 2b, 2 RBI
BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Vance Tatum 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 4-2 GO-FO
Nashville Sounds 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2 F/12
A pitching duel broke out in Nashville and took the game to extras Monday night. Lefty John Lannan and Nashville starter Chris Jensen blanked the two lineups for the first five frames to start until Nashville finally broke through in the sixth. A single by Renato Nunez brought in Chad Pinder following his double to push the Sounds into a 1-0 lead. The deficit was two for Omaha in the eighth before Brett Eibner’s first triple of the season brought home Ramon Torres to cut lead in half. Into the ninth, Jorge Bonifacio would pinch run for Tony Cruz following his leadoff walk to open the inning. That move would quickly pay off when Bonifacio advanced to second on a poor pickoff throw. Now into scoring position, Bonifacio would come home via a Irving Falu double that would eventually send the game to extras. The two teams would exchange scoreless innings again until the twelfth when Nunez and Pinder would end the game the way they started it; walking it off with a Nunez single off Kevin McCarthy after a Pinder double had opened the inning. Reliever Andrew Edwards put four hitters away via strikeout in his two innings of relief to push his total to 50 this season in 37.1 innings.
Andrew Edwards 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 1-0 GO-FO, 40p/24k
Brett Eibner 1-3, 3b, RBI, 2BB, 2SB
Ramon Torres 2-5, R, BB, 3 SB (15)
Lynchburg Hillcats 12 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3
Lynchburg knocked around Blue Rocks pitching on their way to an easy win in game one of their series. It all started off Wilmington’s Foster Griffin, with the Hillcats getting after the Royals left-handed pitching prospect for nine hits in 4.2 innings. Griffin gave up a pair of solo home runs as part of his five runs allowed to watch his ERA balloon to 6.21 at High-A after eight starts. Things didn’t go any easier for Luis Rico or Brennan Henry, each giving up multiple runs in the last 4.1 innings. The Rocks offense mustered just three runs with a 1 for 9 effort with runners in scoring position. Alfredo Escalera hit a solo home run and had a single that scored Raul Mondesi after an outfielder misplayed the ball. Escalera has three home runs in his last six games after not homering in his first 54.
Raul Mondesi 1-5, R
Foster Griffin 4.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 2-4 GO-FO, 89p/54k
Alfredo Escalera 2-4, HR, BB
Lexington Legends 13 West Virginia Power 6
It was a big night on offense for the Legends with all but one hitter connecting for a multi-hit game on the way to exercising the Mitch Keller demons. Coming into the game the pitcher from Cedar Rapids had dominated the Legends, striking out 20 in just 15 innings while allowing just two runs during his three winning starts. That wouldn’t be the case in this one as the Lexington lineup bullied their way through him in just 2.2 innings, scoring three runs on four hits with a pair of walks to push him out. Lexington would get after the next West Virginia reliever for seven runs in the fourth inning, piling up seven hits and a walk with Brandon Dulin’s two-run double coming as part of the purge. Lexington would knock in three more runs while starter Yunior Marte labored his way through five innings to earn the win in his second start of the season. The win was just Lexington’s second in 12 tries versus West Virginia.
Yunior Marte 5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, 4-7 GO-FO, 93p/52k
Anderson Miller 2-4, R, 2b, 2 RBI
D.J. Burt 2-6, 3R, 3b, 2 RBI, SB (20)
Burlington Royals 9 Bluefield Blue Jays 3
The Burlington offense woke up to take game two over the Blue Jays on Monday. Five different hitters had multi-hit games for the Royals with all nine hitters reaching base via at least one hit. Puerto Ricans Michael Arroyo and Emmanuel Rivera drove in five of the team’s nine runs with Arroyo connecting on his first home run of the year for two of his three runs batted in. Four different Royals pitchers combined to complete the effort with Travis Eckert getting the start and striking out four in his two innings of work. Reliever Vance Tatum K’d three in his three innings of work to give him six strikeouts in two appearances for Burlington.
Vance Tatum 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 4-2 GO-FO
Vance Vizcaino 2-4, 2b, RBI
Nick Lopez 2-4, R, 3b, BB, SB (3)
Grand Junction Rockies 6 Idaho Falls Chukars 5 F/10
Starter Matt Portland got off to a slow start for the Chukars, giving up five runs on five hits and a pair of walks in the first inning to put his club behind early. The lefty would settle down following that though, allowing just one hit and one walk over the next four frames while finishing the night with seven strikeouts. That strong finish was rewarded with a no-decision with Chukars catcher Meibrys Viloria doing some big lifting. The 19 year old catcher homered as part of back-to-back bombs in the second, doubled in the fourth to drive in a run, and then got on in the ninth to setup the tying scenario for Idaho Falls. The Chukars pitching staff had tossed up zeroes since that first inning to put the offense in good position trailing 5-4 into the ninth. Following Vitoria’s single, Idaho Falls pinch ran with speedster Nick Heath. The ’16 draftee quickly stole second, advanced to third on a swinging bunt, and then slid under a tag on a squeeze bunt from Angelo Castellano to tie the game and eventually send it to extra innings. In extras, Grand Junction would walk it off with a leadoff walk, a sac bunt and a single in the home half of the 10th inning to split the four game series with the two teams. Viloria is hitting a cool .548 after eight games with 11 extra base hits to help pace the Chukars offense.
Matt Portland 5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 4-3 GO-FO, 84/53k
Manny Olloque 1-5, HR
David Edwards 1-3, R, 2BB
AZL Royals 8 AZL Angels 5
The Royals plated four runs on four walks and a single in the fourth to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 lead. The game would settle down with scoreless innings until the seventh inning when home runs by Leland Clemmons and Khalil Lee helped put three runs on the board and give the Royals some breathing room. Dalton Griffin’s first pro hit in the eighth pushed the lead to 8-3, proving to be enough after Dillon Drabble allowed a pair of runs in the ninth. Royals 2nd round pick A.J. Puckett started the game, giving up three runs on six hits in four innings with four strikeouts in that time.
A.J. Puckett 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 6-2 GO-FO
Khalil Lee 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB, CS
Jeison Guzman 1-4, R, 2 RBI
DSL Phillies 5 DSL Royals 4 F/12
The Phillies tied the game in the ninth and then won it in the 12th to snap the DSL squad’s six game winning streak.
Esteury Ruiz 2-4, 2R, HR, 2 RBI, SB (5)
Dennicher Carrasco 2-4, R, RBI, BB, SB (2)
Andres Martin 1-4, 3b, RBI, BB