So we had a couple of big hitting nights, an All Star meltdown, returning teams and other teams taking breaks.  Click the jump to figure out what this salad's made of.

... wait, that looks totally wrong.  What I mean- screw it.  I need to get back to work.  On to the wrap-up.

VENEZUELA~! The VSLMs had Thursday off.

Dominican: DSL Mariners 5, DSL Cardinals 1
DSLMs: 16-5... DSL Cards: 6-14 Miguel Celestino: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 walks, 3 K (5 GS +1, 1.80 ERA, 25 IP, 3/20 BB/K)
Nelson Germocen: 2 IP, 2 K (8 app, 0.69 ERA, 13 IP, 5/21 BB/K)
Juan Franco: one out, walk, K
Bruno Mercedes: two outs (9 app, 1.40 ERA, 19.1 IP, 6/15 BB/K)
Mario Flores: 1-3, double, RBI, walk, K (326/475/435)
Rudy van Heydoorn: 2-4, double, R, K (261/469/413)
Ameilis Carvajal: 1-3, 2 R, RBI, walk, K (214/404/310)
Oliver Garcia: 1-4, RBI, K
Augusto Marte: 1-3, triple, RBI, walk, K

DSLMs pitching locked down the Cards, and a 3 run 4th inning took care of business on the offensive end, though it didn't stop the DSLMs from piling on a couple extra runs.

Rk-AZL: The AZLMs had today off.

Rk+: Kingsport 8, Pulaski 3
PMs: 6-4... KIN: 4-6
(League: 262/338/397... 4.36 ERA)

Kenn Kasparek: 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 walks, 3 K
Taylor Lewis: 1 IP
Jose Rios: 2 IP, 5 H, (3 R) 2 ER
Jordan Alvis: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 walks, K
Tommy Johannesen-Ellis: one out
Juan Fuentes: 2-4, RBI, 2 K
Guy Welsh: 3-4, double
Fred Bello: 3-4, R, RBI

Kenn Kasparek left a curiously short outing after three innings, which wasn't so bad until two errors helped a Kingsport rally tie the game in the 5th against Jose Rios, and back to back XBHs powered a 2 run rally in the 6th off Rios for a 4-2 lead. Still, the PMs were in range, and even got a run home in the 8th on a two out Fred Bello single to make it 4-3... but Jordan Alvis missed his spots and got shellacked in a 4 run bottom 8th to ice this game.

A-: Boise 10, Everett 1
EVE: 4-6... BOI: 5-5
(League: 243/330/348... 3.84 ERA)

Kenta Suda: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, walk, wild pitch, hit batter
Mark Pettis: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 walks, K
Michael Renfree: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER (HR), 3 walks, K, hit batter
Christian Staehely: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 walks, 5 K, wild pitch
Nate Tenbrink: 1-4, solo HR, 2 K
rest of Aquasox lineup: 1-24, 2 walks, 10 K

Take two did not go well for the Japanese youngster Kenta Suda. But to wit, there must be something in the water in the Boise clubhouse this series, because they're beating the snot out of Aquasox pitching, and the Aquasox hitters had nothing going against the Hawks pitching anyway. And the Aquasox aren't all that bad.

A: They finished a suspended game and played a full other in Cedar Rapids.

Completion of Wednesday's game: Cedar Rapids 15, Wisconsin 14

Nathan Adcock: 2.1 IP, 7 H, (6 R) 2 ER, 2 K, wild pitch
Joe Kantakevich: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 walks, 3 K
Jose Escalona: 1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER (HR), walk, 2 K, wild pitch
Johnny DuRocher: 1.1 IP, 2 walks
Natividad Dilone: 1 IP, walk
Denny Almonte: 4-5, triple, GRAND SLAM, 2 R, 6 RBI (!), K
Juan Diaz: 1-3, R, 2 RBI
Ronald Garth: 3-4, 2 doubles, 2 R
Alex Liddi: 3-5, triple, 2 R, 2 RBI, K
Joe Dunigan: 2-5, double, 2 RBI, K
Maximo Mendez: 2-3, 2 R, 2 walks

For me, there's a bell curve when it comes to offense in baseball. Offense is exciting, but once there's a lot of offense, each further offensive showing diminishes in meaning. Thus I find it hard to hype up any 2 or 3 hit games in a game where it seems like every pitcher was Strike-O-Matic and every hitter was playing indoor t-ball.

That said, holy balls, Denny Almonte. Almonte was a double from the cycle... BEFORE the game was suspended in the 6th. Like Greg Halman, he is one hell of a raw athlete, and if he can refine his pitch selection and recognition, and become accustomed to consistently getting wood on the ball... he's going to be incredible. The M's were panned for picking him, but you see games like this, power displays like this, and you can see why Fontaine and Co gambled on the kid.

Thursday's scheduled game: Wisconsin 5, Cedar Rapids 2
(League: 249/321/369... 3.60 ERA)

Michael Pineda: 8 IP, 4 H, 2 ER (HR), 3 walks, 7 K (9 GS +5, 1.43 ERA, 63 IP, 4 HR, 19/51 BB/K)
Robbie Dominguez: 1 IP, 1 H, K
Edilio Colina: 1-5, double, 2 K (288/358/373)
Maximo Mendez: 2-4, triple, R, RBI, K (256/347/386)
Israel Nuñez: 3-4, double, RBI (206/265/270)

Pineda, back in the rotation following a mandated long rest, pitched very well, but the T-Rats still trailed 2-1 in the 8th before Kernels relievers forgot how to throw strikes, facilitating a 4 run rally with 4 walks to put the T-Rats ahead for good.

A+: Rancho Cucamonga 7, High Desert 6
(League: 268/339/400... 4.45 ERA)

Alfredo Venegas: 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER (HR), 5 K (14 app, 6 GS, 4.13 ERA, 56.2 IP, 4 HR, 17/57 BB/K)
Travis Mortimore: 1 IP, 2 walks, K (welcome!... I suppose... it's like welcoming someone to Hell)
Steven Richard: 1 IP, K (6 app, 7.59 ERA, 10.2 IP, 8/10 BB/K)
Aaron Cotter: 1 IP, 4 H, (3 R) 2 ER (HR), walk, 2 K (32 app, 3.12 ERA, 40.1 IP, 4 HR, 10/35 BB/K)
Steve Uhlmansiek: one out, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 walks (both intentional) (16 app, 3.12 ERA, 17.1 IP, 1 HR, 11/13 BB/K)
Chris Minaker: 3-5, 2 R, RBI (292/325/455)
Jamie McOwen: 4-5, double, 2 RBI (261/322/348)
rest of Mavs lineup: 2-29, 3 walks, 7 K

Often I see players go to an All Star Game, come back and run into trouble, as if there's an All Star Jinx. Aaron Cotter returns and blows a save that ultimately allows the Quakes to win the game, so this game did nothing to quell that notion of mine. That said, it was amazing he even had a game to save, because save for Minaker and McOwen, the offense spent the game playing dead.

AA: Tennessee 11, West Tenn 5
(League: 261/340/395... 4.18 ERA)

Anderson Garcia: 1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, walk, K
Craig James: 3 IP, 3 H, (6 R) 4 ER, 5 walks, K (24 app, 5.40 ERA, 33.1 IP, 3 HR, 19/33 BB/K)
Nelson Payano: 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, walk, 5 K (newly acquired lefty, recently let go by the Braves, 27 app, 3.95 ERA, 43.1 IP, 1 HR, 22/36 BB/K in AA Mississippi)
Nick Hill: 1 IP, K
Shawn Kelley: 1 IP (8 app, 0 ER still, 9.1 IP, 3/10 BB/K)
Johan Limonta: 2-4, 2 doubles, 2 R, K, SB (299/392/483)
Matt Mangini: 2-4, double, 3 RBI, 2 K (239/261/269)
Ronnie Prettyman: pinch RBI double (182/220/333)

Yesterday's sessions of the following projects were epic failures:

- Anderson Garcia's AA tenure.
- Craig James as a long man.

Hopefully, future sessions of these projects will go better.

AAA: Tacoma 9, Salt Lake 4
TAC: 41-38... SLK: 48-31
(League: 274/345/434... 4.71 ERA)

Robert Rohrbaugh: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER (HR), 2 walks, 4 K (15 GS, 5.51 ERA, 85 IP, 7 HR, 27/68 BB/K)
Jon Huber: 1 IP, 2 H, walk, wild pitch (27 app, 6.03 ERA, 34.1 IP, 1 HR, 11/25 BB/K)
Cesar Jimenez: 1.2 IP, K (28 app, 3.65 ERA, 37 IP, 3 HR, 8/45 BB/K)
Jared Baek Bait Wells: 1 IP, K (12 app, 4.63 ERA, 11.2 IP, 7/15 BB/K)
Tug Hulett: 1-4, solo HR, 2 R, walk, K (270/348/442)
Matt Tuiasosopo: 1-5, R, RBI (251/329/383)
Victor Diaz: 1-4, solo HR, 2 RBI, walk, K (302/373/568)
Bryan LaHair: 2-4, R, RBI, walk, 2 K (257/349/460)
WLAD: 2-4, double, 3 run HR, 2 R, walk, 2 K (239/339/565)
Michael Saunders: 1-4, double, walk, 2 K
Charlton Jimerson: 2-4, R, RBI, K (244/256/465... 67:1 K/BB)

The Angels scrubs got beat down by the Rainiers, as Robert Rohrbaugh didn't pitch his best game, but he didn't need to with 3 teammates going deep, including WLAD with a 3 run bomb in the big 4 run go-ahead 5th inning.