- The Pulaski Mariners rallied for 4 runs in the 7th off the Danville Braves, who have allowed the fewest runs per game in the App League (3.79), thanks in part to one of the league's better defenses (with a league leading .640 defensive efficiency rating) and a pitching staff that's 2nd in Ks with 317. The irony: none of the runs were earned. Danville committed three costly errors in that fateful frame.

- Everett's 9-6 loss didn't come against a crappy lineup. The Aquasox's series opponent, the Boise Hawks, lead the Northwest League with a .764 team OPS and a .405 team SLG. While none of their XBH totals lead the league, their 62 doubles, 11 triples and 20 HRs are near the top of the league in each category. 3B Josh Vitters (344/386/508), 1B Ryan Keedy (304/419/402) and 2B Josh Harrison (356/455/495 with 11 steals) do most of the damage.

However, Boise, a Cubs affiliate, does lead the league in one other category: their batters average 20.8 years of age, making them the youngest lineup of hitters in a league whose players' average age is 21 and a few months.

- Dennis Freaking Raben was back in the lineup yesterday... and he's still headed back towards Earth. He went 0 for 4 with a K, and I'm another 0 for 4 night from removing the Freaking tag and just calling him Dennis Raben.

In fact, that Everett scored 6 runs yesterday is amazing given that all 7 of their hits came from the 1-2-3 hitters, Bennett Billingsley, Luis Nuñez and the Human Temp Agency, Kevin Reynolds.

- Charlton Jimerson is gone, but his spirit of extreme hacking lives on in Aquasox infielder Luis Nuñez. Nuñez has 1 walk in 102 ABs, vs 23 Ks.

- Beloit may have the Midwest League's 2nd highest scoring offense, but it was the T-Rats that unloaded in the Snappers home park. The 2nd lowest scoring team in the MWL teed off for 8 runs on the Snappers in an 8-4 win.

- In case we forgot between last year and now, Lancaster's Jethawks have the best offense in the Cal League. The Red Sox's High A affiliate rebounded from a relatively slow start to currently boast the league's highest scoring offense (5.85 runs per game) and best OPS (.819), and the Mavs saw it on full display in yesterday's 13-1 pimpslapping. The Jethawks also lead the league in HRs, batting average, OBP and slugging. Meanwhile, High Desert obviously leads the league in runs allowed and home runs, so add in a struggling Anthony Varvaro and a 20 mph wind blowing towards the LF foul pole, and the conclusion is basically foregone.

- After earning a trip to the All Star Game on the basis of his reliable durability, West Tenn's Ryan Ketchner pitched out of character in yesterday's 6-2 loss to Jacksonville. Ketchner gave up a long ball and 5 runs among 7 hits while walking four batters and failing to finish the 6th inning... though, aside from the obvious wear and tear of a full season, Jacksonville is 2nd in the Southern League with 407 team walks.

- Notable in yesterday's Rainiers win over Tucson was a rehab outing by a young D-Backs prospect named Max Scherzer in the 7th inning. However, Scherzer walked two, gave up a long ball to Prentice Redman, uncorked a wild pitch and left after surrendering two runs and recording only one out.

The true goat for Tucson, however, was a familiar face: Emiliano Fruto. After relieving the rather crappy Esmerling Vasquez with two outs in the 5th inning, Fruto got bombed for four runs in the 6th as WLAD hit a solo shot and Victor Diaz later hit a 3 run bomb, allowing the Rainiers to blow a tied 4-4 ballgame open for an 8-4 lead. The 2 runs off Scherzer in the 7th made it 10-4 Rainiers and essentially iced the game.

It made Scott Shoemaker's meh 5 2/3 inning start, in which he allowed 4 runs, a long ball and only recorded 3 groundouts to 8 flyouts in 82 pitches... seem okay in comparison.

- Shawn Garrett got another start in LF, as Michael Saunders took the day off. That the team is finding time for Garrett indicates they're not done with him yet. It looks like the OF will be rotated between the foursome of WLAD, Garrett, Prentice Redman and Saunders, with the DH-quality glove of Victor Diaz seeing occasional time at the corners but seeing most of his starts at DH.

Also, between Tuglett starting regularly at short and Luis Valbuena holding down 2B (despite his initial AAA struggles), it looks like Oswaldo Navarro's days as a Rainiers full-timer are about over. nevermind, Oswaldo played today, and he'll likely get more PT. Also, he played in the AAA All Star Game, apparently. What.

Let's check out stats!

VENEZUELA~! The VSLMs and the VSL always take Sunday off.

Dominican: DSL AthleticsUno 10, DSL Mariners 6
DSLMs: 27-13... DSLA1s: 19-12
(League: 236/338/319... 3.72 ERA)

Felix Bautista: 5.1 IP, 7 H, (6 R) 2 ER, 6 K, wild pitch (13 app, 4 GS, 1.94 ERA, 51 IP, 2 HR, 9/57 BB/K)
Anthony Fernandez: 2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 walks (11 app, 5 GS, 4.30 ERA, 37.2 IP, 19/32 BB/K)
Jose Perdomo: two outs (12 app, 6 GS, 4.38 ERA, 37 IP, 1 HR, 5/23 BB/K)
Marbin Beltre: 2-4, 3 R, walk, SB #12 (283/417/311)
Efrain Nuñez: 2-5, 2 R, 2 K, SB (297/403/525)
Ameilis Carvajal: 1-4, R, 2 RBI (242/392/374)
Mario Flores: 2-3, RBI, 2 walks, K (316/457/500)
Rudy van Heydoorn: 1-5, 2 RBI, SB (211/423/333)
Augusto Marte: 1-4, RBI, walk (130/272/247)

Rk-AZ: Rain postponed the AZLMs game with the AZL Angels.

Rk+: Pulaski 5, Danville 2
PMs: 22-10... DAN: 18-15
(League: 262/333/392... 4.24 ERA)

Kyle Haas: 6 IP, 2 H, 2 walks, 6 K, hit batter (7 GS, 7.83 ERA, 23 IP, 1 HR, 18/22 BB/K)
Philip Roy: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 K, wild pitch (10 app, 1.96 ERA, 18.1 IP, 5/19 BB/K)
Blake Nation: 1 IP, walk, K (9 app, 3.38 ERA, 13.1 IP, 1 HR, 5/15 BB/K)
Mario Martinez: 2-5, RBI, K (353/388/504)
Juan Fuentes: 3-5, RBI, K (460/505/609)
Jose Rivero: 2-4, double, R, walk, K, SB (311/390/456)
Guy Welsh: 2-5, double, R, RBI (379/449/500)

A-: Boise 9, Everett 6
EVE: 15-18... BOI: 20-13
(League: 257/346/368... 4.25 ERA)

Walter Suriel: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 walks, 2 K (7 GS, 6.00 ERA, 39 IP, 7 HR, 17/35 BB/K)
Robbie Dominguez: one out, 1 H, 3 ER, 2 walks (7 app, 9.53 ERA, 11.1 IP, 1 HR, 8/10 BB/K)
Erik Averill: no outs recorded, 1 H, walk
Eddy Fernandez: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, walk (12 app, 5.40 ERA, 16.2 IP, 2 HR, 6/19 BB/K)
Philip Hann: 1 IP, 2 H, (2 R) 1 ER (HR), (intentional) walk, K (10 app, 6.39 ERA, 12.2 IP, 1 HR, 7/12 BB/K)
Bennett Billingsley: 2-5, 2 R, K (278/341/443)
Luis Nuñez: 3-4, double, 2 R, 2 RBI (343/346/422)
Kevin Reynolds: 2-4, double, 2 R (365/416/487)

A: Wisconsin 8, Beloit 4
WIS: 7-23... BEL: 17-13
(League: 252/323/373... 3.69 ERA)

Jake Wild: 6 IP, 2 H, (1 R) 0 ER, 3 walks, 4 K, hit batter (23 app, 8 GS, 4.05 ERA, 66.2 IP, 4 HR, 22/64 BB/K)
Ryan Moorer: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 walks (31 app, 3.95 ERA, 41 IP, 2 HR, 17/28 BB/K)
Jose Escalona: 1.1 IP, 2 H, walk, K (24 app, 5.46 ERA, 28 IP, 5 HR, 17/29 BB/K)
Edilio Colina: 3-5, 3 R, RBI (283/343/379)
Alex Liddi: 2-5, double, 3 R, 2 RBI, K, SB #13 (233/296/344)
Joe Dunigan: 3-5, 2 RBI, K (220/282/383)

A+: Lancaster 13, High Desert 1
Mavs: 11-19... Jethawks: 17-12
(League: 272/342/410... 4.54 ERA)

Anthony Varvaro: 4 IP, 10 H, 7 ER (4 HR), 5 K, wild pitch, hit batter (19 GS +2, 6.60 ERA, 90 IP, 17 HR, 65/88 BB/K)
Steve Uhlmansiek: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, walk, 3 K (25 app, 4.25 ERA, 29.2 IP, 3 HR, 16/25 BB/K)
Julio Santiago: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER (HR), 5 walks (30 app, 6.23 ERA, 43.1 IP, 3 HR, 32/34 BB/K)
Michael Wagner: 1.1 IP, K (37 app, 4.82 ERA, 46.2 IP, 1 HR, 16/38 BB/K)
Carlos Triunfel: 2-4, double (253/306/341)
Gavin Dickey: 3-3, double, R
Korey Feiner: 1-3, double, RBI, K (267/353/300)

AA: Jacksonville 6, West Tenn 2
WTN: 11-19... JAX: 13-17
(League: 262/340/395... 4.17 ERA)

Ryan Ketchner: 5.2 IP, 7 H, (5 R) 4 ER (HR), 4 walks, K (19 GS +1, 4.33 ERA, 108 IP, 9 HR, 35/65 BB/K)
Craig James: 2.1 IP, 2 H, K (28 app, 6.23 ERA, 39 IP, 3 HR, 22/38 BB/K)
Marwin Vega: 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER (34 app, 5.54 ERA, 50.1 IP, 3 HR, 34/33 BB/K)
Brent Johnson: 2-4, double, R, walk (321/404/465)
Mike Wilson: 2-3, walk, K (283/380/552)
Adam Moore: 3-4, double, RBI (314/383/489)

AAA: Tacoma 10, Tucson 6
TAC: 50-51... TUC: 41-61
(League: 275/346/439... 4.77 ERA)

Scott Shoemaker: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER (HR), walk, 4 K, hit batter (24 app, 4 GS, 5.56 ERA, 55 IP, 9 HR, 22/37 BB/K)
Jason Kershner: 1.1 IP, 2 H, K
Jared Baek Bait Wells: 2 IP, 4 H, (2 R) 1 ER (HR), 2 K (39 app, 5.36 ERA, 42 IP, 2 HR, 21/39 BB/K)
Tug Hulett: 0-3, sac fly RBI (302/380/507)
Matt Tuiasosopo: 1-4, double, R, walk, 2 K (266/355/408)
WLAD: 2-3, solo HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 walks (260/362/584)
Victor Diaz: 1-3, 3 run HR, some other RBI, 2 walks, 2 K (282/366/509)
Craig Wilson: 0-2, 3 walks, K
Prentice Redman: 1-3, solo HR, sac fly RBI, walk (318/371/576)
Shawn Garrett: 2-5, R, 2 K (286/318/419)
Rob Johnson: 2-4, solo HR, 2 R, walk, K (286/355/439)
Luis Valbuena: 1-3, double, R, walk (194/299/254)