In Dodgers’ minor league games for Saturday, Max Muncy gets three hits, an 18-year-old knocks two out of the park, and without any help from their stable of five-tool outfielders, the Loons went Looney Tunes.
Player of the day
Eighteen-year-old shortstop Emil Morales, the Dodgers’ eighth-ranked prospect (MLB Pipeline), broke into pro ball by winning the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League MVP (2024) with an eye-popping stat line of .342/.478/.691. Morales, who hit 23 home runs in 385 at-bats in the rookie leagues
(combining this year and last), hit his first two home runs in Low-A ball in his sixth game. Morales now has five extra-base hits in his first six games for Rancho Cucamonga.
Bummer of the day:
Just days after the Dodgers traded away two pitching prospects ranked above him, Patrick Copen, now MLB PIpeline’s 19th-best Dodgers prospect, blew a tire. After 14 consecutive starts where he didn’t give up more than two earned runs, and after not giving up more than three earned runs all season (19 starts), Copen couldn’t get out of the first, and was charged with six earned runs, sending his 2025 ERA from a pristine 2.27 to 2.84.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
The Salt Lake Bees (Angels) pushed across three runs against Landon Knack, and it was just enough to defeat the Comets 3-2. Knack struck out 11 batters in six innings, giving up five hits and one walk. The Oklahoma City bullpen finished the game with three perfect innings, but the Comets weren’t able to come back. Freshly acquired Paul Gervase pitched the ninth inning, getting two flyouts and a strikeout. Max Muncy, zero for nine with five strikeouts in his first three rehab games, was much better, going three for three.
Double-A Tulsa
The Midland RockHounds (Athletics) scored seven runs in the first inning, knocking out previously impeccable Copen, and going on to an 11-6 win over the Tulsa Drillers. James Tibbs lll, playing his first game in the Dodgers organization, went one for three with an RBI. Zach Ehrhard, who also came over in the Dustin May trade, had two hits, including an RBI double, and scored two runs.
High-A Great Lakes
Eduardo Quintero didn’t play, Zyhir Hope went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts, Josue De Paula and Mike Sirota are injured, and what was left of the Loons put up 18 runs and 19 hits. Brooks Auger was the beneficiary of all those runs and pitched a clean game for the win, going six innings, giving up two runs on four hits, walking none, while striking out five. Catcher Carlos Rojas had four hits and four RBIs, and Kendall George, who has been providing a lot of spark from the leadoff position, was on base four times with three hits and a walk, after getting on base five times in the previous game.
Low-A Rancho Cucamonga
The Quakes lost their three-run lead in the bottom of the sixth when the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies) scored four runs, leading to a 6-5 loss. Morales hit two home runs in a losing cause, and 2024 third-round draft pick Chase Harlan, also recently promoted from the Rookie league, had three hits.
Saturday scores
- Salt Lake 3, Oklahoma City 2
- Midland 11, Tulsa 6
- Great Lakes 18, Fort Wayne 3
- Fresno 6, Rancho Cucamonga 5
Sunday schedule
- Great Lakes (Maddux Bruns) at Fort Wayne (Luis Gutierrez), 10:05 AM PST
- Tulsa (Roque Gutierrez) at Midland (Gage Jump), 11:00 AM PST
- Salt Lake (Brett Kerry) at Oklahoma City (Kyle Funkhouser), 4:05 PM PST
- Rancho Cucamonga (Marlon Nieves) at Fresno (Marcos Herrera), 5:05 PM PST
More from truebluela.com:
- Dodgers blank the Pirates behind Ross Stripling, trio of homers
- Andrew Toles returns to Triple-A lineup after missing 46 games
- Dodgers 2018 MLB draft tracker
- Caleb Ferguson to join Dodgers for major league debut
- Position players headline Day 2 of the draft for the Dodgers
- Dodgers draft LHP John Rooney in the 3rd round, No. 104 overall
