1-3 for the affiliates with just an Omaha win to show for the day.
HR Log Xavier Fernandez (1)
BP KC Hitter of the Day – Ryan O’Hearn 2-3 2b, 2BB, R
BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Brooks Pounders 5 IP 6 H 1 ER 1 Bb 2k
Omaha Storm Chasers 6 New Orleans Zephyrs 1
Once again Omaha used solid pitching and timely hitting to earn a win over New Orleans, extending their win streak to four games in the process. Starter Brooks Pounders gave the Chasers five innings of one run ball as he spread out six hits and one walk to earn his second win. The Chasers offense came through in the 1st with an RBI double from Cheslor Cuthbert and a sac fly by Balbino Fuenmayor. Another sac fly from Whit Merrifield in the 2nd made it 3-1 Omaha, a score that would remain that way until the 8th. In that 8th and ultimately deciding inning an error on a Cuthbert force out would open the door to a three run rally that featured a Balbino rbi single and a run scoring double from Jorge Bonifacio prior to a wild pitch that would cap the scoring for Omaha. Reliever Mark Peterson would toss the final three innings of the night to secure his first Triple-A save.
Jarrod Dyson 1-4 BB,R, SB (3)
Whit Merrifield 0-4 RBI 20 gm hitting streak snapped
Brett Eibner 1-3 2 R, BB
Cheslor Cuthbert 1-3 2b (2), RBI team leading 11th
Frisco Rough Riders 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 1
The Frisco Rough Riders are one of the most talented teams at the Double-A level currently and their defeat of the Naturals showed why on this night. Combining speed that made impressive plays in center and right field, the Rough Riders dodged possible rallies while using a big fly to take a commanding lead and eventual win. The Naturals starter Jake Junis was maneuvering through the talented lineup well until the 5th, when a pair of hit by pitches sandwiched around a double loaded the bases for the talented top of the Frisco lineup. A pop out by leadoff man gave Junis an out but a missed location on a 2-2 pitch to Ryan Cordell was drilled deep into the night for a 5-1 lead and eventual exit inning and loss by Junis. The offense for the Naturals wouldn’t mount much of a fight as the 6-8 hitters went 6-11 but the rest of the lineup would combine to go 0 for 23 in defeat.
Raul Mondesi 0-3 2 BB
Jake Junis 4.2 IP 5 h 5 ER 0 BB 3 K 2 HR
Mauricio Ramos 3-4 hitting .278
Potomac Nationals 14 Wilmington Blue Rocks 6
The Blue Rocks got into an offensive dogfight during the third game of their four game series with Potomac Saturday night, and as one would expect, things didn’t go their way. Starter Ashton Goudeau was the victim to most of the Nationals damage, giving up a bases loaded triple for a four run second inning and then another four spot in the fourth inning, two of the runs courtesy of a Jose Marmolejos-Diaz home run. The Rocks tried to keep pace with three in the 3rd to tie the game and a pair in the 5th to draw within two runs but the Nationals wouldn’t stop scoring off Rocks reliever Ian Tompkins and Mark McCoy, each surrendering three runs in the loss.
Ryan O’Hearn 2-3 2b (4) 2 BB, R
Brandon Downes 2-5 2b (4), R, RBI
Austin Bailey 3-4 R, RBI hitting .450 in 6 games
West Virginia Power 7 Lexington Legends 2
This series hasn’t gone like the Legends had hope through three games, dropping all three to the Pirates affiliate with two coming in rather easy fashion. The Legends couldn’t muster much of anything against Power starter Mitch Keller, going scoreless in five innings. Lefty Julio Pinto matched him for three frames but couldn’t keep it going in the 4th when West Virginia’s Carlos Munoz hit a two run homer off to break the tie. The Power weren’t finished there, adding two more in the inning on a double and a pair of singles. Pushing Pinto out of the game after four wouldn’t slow down that prodigious Power offense as they tacked on a pair in the 6th off reliever Torey Deshazier and another in the 9th courtesy of Niklas Stephenson. Things didn’t get much better for Lexington in Keller’s absense, scoring on just a solo home run for Xavier Fernandez in the 7th and an RBI double by Samir Duenez an inning prior in dropping their fourth consecutive game. In addition to the struggles on offense, second baseman DJ Burt had his sixty-eight game on-base streak snapped with a 0 for 5 day at the dish.
Chase Vallot 1-3 BB
Samir Duenez 2-4 2b, RBI
Marten Gasparini 1-4 R, SB (3) hitting .156