In Dodgers minor league play, it was black mirror time, as we had two different 2-1 games that were won when the pitcher threw away a bunt for a game-losing error. And speaking of mirrors, it was Oppo-Taco Wednesday for two highly-rated teenage prodigies, who both connected for the second time in consecutive games.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma City Comets put up six one-run innings, which fell short against the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners), who scored two in the bottom of the tenth to win the game.
All eyes were on Roki Sasaki, who made his second rehab start. The results were mediocre. Sasaki surrendered two runs (one earned), on three hits and three walks in three and one-third innings. He threw 60 pitches, 39 for strikes, and totalled five swing and misses. His fastball was mostly in the 95-97 mph range.
Michael Kopech pitched around two walks and a hit to complete a scoreless inning.
Bobby Miller was brought in with a runner on second and one out, struck out the first batter on four curveballs, then dialed it up to 100.6 mph to end the inning with a groundout.
There was a Kiké Hernandez sighting. Starting at DH and batting second, he contributed a single and a double.
Esteury Ruiz also had two hits, and his two stolen bases brought his total for the Comets to 50.
The Comets tied the game in the top of the ninth, Luken Baker’s sacrifice fly scored Ryan Ward, who had doubled and gone to third on a wild pitch. They then took the lead in the tenth on another sacrifice fly, this time by Noah Miller. But Victor Labrada singled home the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the inning after some kind of kerfuffle that got Comet’s catcher, Chuckie Robinson, thrown out of the game.
Double-A Tulsa
In the regularly scheduled game between the Tulsa Drillers and the NW Arkansas Naturals, five Tulsa pitchers combined for a one-run, five-hit performance that resulted in a 2-1 win when the Drillers pushed across a run in the top of the eighth inning. That run was gifted when a bunt was thrown away by the pitcher for an error that scored the winning run. Earlier in the game, Griffith Lockwood-Powell locked in and powered a home run to left field.
In the second game, a make-up of yesterday’s wash-out, the Naturals won 5-1. Wyatt Crowell, who had a really nice five-game streak where he didn’t give up an earned run, had his second rough start in a row, and has now given up nine runs in his last two starts (seven innings). On offense, the Drillers were limited to four singles.
High-A Great Lakes
Logan Tabeling had one of his better starts, pitching five innings of one-run, two-hit ball, while striking out nine, and getting credit for the 2-1 win over the Quad Cities River Bandits. Brooks Auger piggybacked and completed a four-inning scoreless save. Eduardo Quintero, who hit his first home run in High-A in the previous game, smacked an opposite-field shot for his 16th round-tripper of the season in the first inning.
This game oddly mirrored the 2-1 Tulsa game, as the winning run similarly scored when a bunt was thrown away by the pitcher.
Low-A Rancho Cucamonga
In a battle of identities, Isaac Ayon of the Rancho Cucamonga Comets faced off against Isaac Lyon of the Modesto Nuts (the same-birthday Max Muncys said, “hold my beer”). The stakes were high, as it was agreed that the loser would have to change his first name to Isuuc. That went to Lyon, as Ayon pitched three scoreless innings, and the Quakes won 4-2. Geronimo notched his first win since the late 18th century. Emil Morales hit his second home run in two nights and also drove home a run with a single. Charles Davalan, playing his second minor league game, had a second good overall performance, getting a hit, a walk, two stolen bases, and an outfield assist.
Scores of games played on Wednesday, August 20th:
Tacoma 7, Oklahoma City 6
Tulsa 2, NW Arkansas 1
NW Arkansas 5, Tulsa 1 (makeup of Aug 19th)
Great Lakes 2, Quad Cities 1
Rancho Cucamonga 4, Modesto 2
Up next: games scheduled for Thursday, August 21st
Great Lakes (Maddux Bruns) at Quad Cities (Emmanuel Reyes), 4:30 PM PST
Tulsa (Patrick Copen) at NW Arkansas (Ryan Ramsey), 5:05 PM PST
Modesto (Colton Shaw) at Rancho Cucamonga (Marlon Nieves), 6:30 PM PST
Oklahoma City (Kyle Funkhouser) at Tacoma (TBD), 7:05 PM PST
