Dodgers minors: Mike Sirota’s homers lead the way for the Loons

PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 21: Mike Sirota #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers runs to first after hitting a one-run single in the second inning during the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch on Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB P

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What is the story about?

As the Ontario Tower Buzzers dropped below .500 with a one-run loss, the Great Lakes are now winners of two-thirds of their games after securing the victory on both ends of a doubleheader against Peoria.

Player of the day

Right on his first at-bat of a doubleheader, Mike Sirota showed what he was all about with a home run to help the Loons take the 2-1 lead in the first. Although Sirota would reach in all four of his at-bats in what would end up being a 5-3 win, the real show was left for the second part of this doubleheader.

While Sirota’s home run was the only long ball for the Loons in that first game, he and Charles Davalan combined for four home runs in the subsequent 6-3 victory. In one game, the 22-year-old center fielder managed to hit more home runs (3) than he had all year until that point (2).

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Because he had already gone deep once in the first game, he takes the nod over Davalan in this vote. Not that Davalan should be overlooked, with the duo combining for one of the more fearsome top of the orders across High-A ball.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Jackson Ferris overcame his early-season woes to deliver a quality outing, completing five innings of two-run ball. While he left the game without receiving any support from his offense, they’d show up before the evening was done to secure a come-from-behind 3-2 victory.

Ninth-hole hitter Chuckie Robinson got the first RBI with a single in the sixth, and then a couple of innings later, Jack Suwinski took over. The former Pirate went yard to even the score and then drove in the winning run in the ninth with a ground ball fielder’s choice.

Double-A Tulsa

The doubleheader for the Great Lakes Loons wasn’t the only marathon the Dodgers minor league affiliates were involved in, as the Tulsa Drillers played 12 innings of baseball in a frustrating 5-4 defeat at home. Patrick Copen, in particular, will lament a sixth inning that saw two runners score from second and first on a play that involved a throwing error from the third baseman, ending the scoreless outing he had until that point.

The top of the lineup fell silent for the Drillers, with their first four hitters combining to go 1 for 21, including a 0 for 6 from Josue De Paula. The run production was left to the likes of Elijah Hainline and Griffin Lockwood-Powell, each with a long ball of their own.

While the Drillers had enough juice to stave off defeat in the 11th by scoring a couple of runs to even the score at 4-4, they couldn’t answer again in the following frame, ultimately losing 5-4 on a Luis Verdugo sacrifice fly.

High-A Great Lakes

Sirota’s home runs have gotten plenty of attention in the player of the day section as a primary reason for the Loons winning both games against the Chiefs; the difference in quality of defense was also rather important. The Chiefs combined to commit five errors in both games against just one from the Loons.

Trying to preserve the bullpen for the second game of the doubleheader, the Loons went to lefty Jacob Frost after Brooks Auger covered only three innings. Frost pitched very well, securing eight strikeouts in four innings, and earned another win on the season, now moving to a 4-0 record.

Combined across the two games, Davalan and Sirota reached base safely in 12 out of their 16 plate appearances with an outstanding five home runs between them—three for Sirota and two for Davalan.

Class-A Ontario

A 9-3 defeat doesn’t reflect well on the Tower Buzzers, but it was far more gut-wrenching than the final scoreline would suggest. Five of those runs were conceded in the ninth inning as the 6’8 righty Robby Porco struggled with the walks (four of them), letting the Storm hang a crooked number and put this game to bed earlier than expected.

In direct contrast with the struggles of the Tower Buzzers bullpen, Bryan Balzer was magnificent for the Storm, allowing just one baserunner in four scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Two of the Tower Buzzers three runs came in the first inning on an Emil Morales RBI double and a Ching-Hsien Ko sac fly.