7/8: Minor League Wrap-Up

Tacoma was pasted by Tucson, 9-2. An early 2-0 lead didn't hold up, as Cha Baek fell victim to a five-run third and a four-run fifth to take the loss. Not that you can really blame him for the poor effort - at gametime, the field temperature was 104 degrees. Jamal Strong, Greg Dobbs, and Justin Leone each had two hits, with Leone drilling a pair of doubles to lead the offense. The two runs scored on a Ramon Santiago RBI groundout and a Strong double. Notables:

Baek: 4 IP, 8 H, 9 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Leone: 2-4, 2 2B
Dobbs: 2-4, 1 2B
Strong: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 BB
Betancourt: 1-3
Choo: 1-4

San Antonio lost to Midland, 9-4. Again, the Mariner affiliate held a 2-0 lead early on, but the starter couldn't hold on. This time, it was Ryan Rowland-Smith who surrendered the lead and Renee Cortez who made it a lot worse (the latter giving up five runs in the eighth). Jon Nelson was the only Mission to go hitless on the day, while Adam Jones, Ismael Castro, and Jesse Hoorelbeke had two apiece. Hoorelbeke hit his 11th home run on the year, the big blast of the game. Notables:

Rowland-Smith: 7 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Jones: 2-3, 1 BB (.278/.361/.426 so far in AA)
Hoorelbeke: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 HR
Castro: 2-4
Guzman: 1-4, 1 BB
Bohn: 1-5

Inland Empire downed Modesto, 4-1. Although the Nuts committed four errors in the game, each run was earned, as the 66ers couldn't take further advantage of their opponents' mistakes. This one could've been worse, too:

Ryan Feierabend picked up his fourth win of the year, tossing eight shutout innings, while Craig James allowed a run in an inning in his third Inland Empire appearance (note: he was a lights-out reliever in Wisconsin). Asdrubal Cabrera, Bryan Lahair, and Carlos Arroyo all had multi-hit days. Notables:

Feierabend: 8 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 6 K
Cabrera: 2-4
Lahair: 2-4, 1 BB
Arroyo: 2-4
Balentien: 1-4
Boucher: 1-4
Rogelstad: 1-4, 1 2B

Wisconsin fell to Peoria, 5-2. Stop me if you've heard this one before: a slim early lead didn't stand up, as the starter gave way in the middle innings. Today it was Randall Frye, who allowed 13 baserunners but just three runs in five innings of work. Not that the T'Rats had much of a chance - opposing starter Rich Hill fanned 12 in eight innings. This is a guy who struck out nine hitters in 5.2 Major League innings last month. If anyone can tell me why he's in low-A right now, please do so. Anyhoo, Chris Colton and Mike Wilson each had two hits, and Wilson's double was Wisconsin's lone extra-base hit of the day. Notables:

Frye: 5 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
Colton: 2-4
Wilson: 2-4, 1 2B
Tuiasosopo: 0-3 (.282/.367/.412, after a very hot start)
Navarro: 1-4
Hubbard: 0-4

Everett was smashed by Boise, 12-4. Eric Carter's day: seven hits, a walk, a homer, a wild pitch, a hit batter, and six runs allowed - all while recording just five outs as the starter. Not his best day. Not even Casey Abrams' best day. After falling behind 6-1 after two, the Aquasox tried to rally, but Jeff Flaig struck out with the tying run on second base in the fourth, and a three-run sixth for the Hawks put Everett away for good. Casey Craig contined his hot streak with a three-hit day, while Ron Prettyman upped his early average to .455 with a single and a double. Jesse Hoorelbeke was the only Mariner minor leaguer to homer yesterday. Notables:

Carter: 1.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 HR
Craig: 3-5, 1 2B
Prettyman: 2-4, 1 2B
Valbuena: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 BB
Santin: 0-4
Schweiger: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 BB

Coming up: Andrew Lorraine for Tacoma, Jon Huber for San Antonio, some guy for Inland Empire, Mark Lowe for Wisconsin, and Nick Allen for Everett.