In Dodgers minor league games played on Tuesday, August 26th, we have another look at Roki Sasaki, a rocket ride to planet Davalan, and a walk-off home run in the tenth inning at Double-A.
Players of the day:
The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes lost an exciting game in extra innings to the Lake Elsinore Storm, but the story was the same guy who has been the story in all five games he has played, Charles Davalan. Davalan had four hits for his third consecutive game, including three doubles, the game-tying hit in the ninth
inning (again), and throw in another outfield assist (his second), for bonus fun. If anyone has ever had this good a five-game start to their professional baseball career, I’d be interested to see it.
Teen phenom Emil Morales added three hits and a walk, and if it wasn’t for Davalan, he’d be the player everyone was talking about. In 17 August games, Morales’ batting line is .400/.476/.700, with 11 extra-base hits and 19 RBIs for the two years-younger-than-league-average shortstop.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
Roki Sasaki had a mixed performance in his third rehab start at Oklahoma City, but appeared to make some progress, throwing 75 pitches (47 strikes), lasting three and two-thirds innings, and surrendering three runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out four. He averaged 96.4 mph on his four-seamer, topping out at 98.8. The Comets’ offense couldn’t do much with seven hits and eight walks, managing to plate only two runs, and losing the game to the Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals), 4-2. Leadoff hitter Esteury Ruiz was on base four times with three hits and a walk, and Hyeseong Kim drove him home with a sacrifice fly after he tripled to lead off the first. Kim went one for three on the game as he awaits his call-up to help the Dodgers on their stretch run to the postseason.
Double-A Tulsa
The Tulsa Drillers gave the Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros) a lethal dose of Vitamin C, as Chris Campos, Wyatt Crowell, and Jeisson Cabrera combined to pitch ten innings of one-run ball, and Griffin Lockwood-Powell homered in the bottom of the tenth inning for the game winner, in a 3-1 Drillers victory.
High-A Great Lakes
The Great Lakes Loons lost to the West Michigan Whitecaps (Tigers) 2-1, unable to muster much offense, despite their speed freak leadoff hitter, Kendall George, reaching base four times with three hits and a walk. Zyhir Hope drove him home for their only run with a single in the sixth inning, which temporarily tied the game 1-1. Josue De Paula went 0 for 4, and is 0 for 18 in August, after going 7 for 33 in July, and 10 for 70 going back to June 25th.
Low-A Rancho Cucamonga
This game was a tense thriller, with the Quakes scoring two runs in the eighth inning and one in the ninth to send it into extra innings, but the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) prevailed 6-5 in ten innings. Along the way, all three Quakes outfielders threw runners out on the basepaths, including two at home. The Quakes also had a runner thrown out at home in the ninth inning to save the game for the Storm. Later in the inning, Landyn Vidourek struck out with the bases loaded to end a Quakes threat. The Quakes also had a chance in the tenth inning, with runners on first and third and one out, but Jose Meza was caught with his pants down by Storm catcher Madonna, who picked him off. In the bottom of the inning, the winning run scored for the Storm on a throwing error by Quakes second baseman Niko Perez.
Scores of games played on Tuesday, August 26th:
West Michigan 2, Great Lakes 1
Lake Elsinore 6, Rancho Cucamonga 5
Games scheduled for Wednesday, August 27th
West Michigan (Rayner Castillo) at Great Lakes (Logan Tabeling), 4:05 PM PST
Corpus Christi (Trey Dombroski) at Tulsa (Patrick Copen), 5:00 PM PST
Memphis (Ian Bedell) at Oklahoma City (Matt Sauer), 5:05 PM PST
Rancho Cucamonga (Marlon Nieves) at Lake Elsinore (Kash Mayfield), 6:05 PM PST