Two rehab-assignment appearances, big comebacks, extra innings in the California League, and a 10-out save? Sunday was a busy day in the Dodgers minor leagues.
Player of the day
Utility man Ryan Fitzgerald had four hits on Sunday for Triple-A Oklahoma City and drove in three runs, including a two-run single in the decisive sixth inning.
It was the third four-hit game of the season for Fitzgerald, and his sixth game driving
in at least three runs. He started at third base on Sunday, then shifted to left field for the final three innings while Tyler Fitzgerald — no relation, acquired on Wednesday — played the final two innings at the hot corner.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
Seven runs in the sixth inning provided the winning margin for the Comets to beat the Round Rock Express (Rangers). Two of them scored on a home run by outfielder Jack Suwinski, who has nine consecutive games with an extra-base hit, hitting a robust .441/.525/.941 during that stretch.
Brock Stewart pitched in his eighth rehab game over the last three weeks, and sixth game with Oklahoma City. He faced three batters in the sixth inning, with a strikeout, walk, and single allowed.
Christian Romero allowed one run and no walks with four strikeouts over the final 3 1/3 innings to earn a 10-out save.
Double-A Tulsa
The Drillers erased a six-run deficit but lost a close one to the San Antonio Missions (Padres). Evan Shaw pitched a scoreless seventh and got the first two outs of the eighth, but then allowed a single and double for what proved to be the winning run for the Missions.
Though they already scored a run by that point, Tulsa didn’t have a hit until the sixth inning, when Kyle Nevin and Elijah Hainline each hit solo home runs. After trailing 7-1, the Drillers scored three in that sixth inning, then three more in the seventh to tie the game.
Nevin had two of Tulsa’s six hits on Sunday.
Adam Serwinowski had his fifth bad start in six tries this season, needing 72 pitches to get through his three innings. The left-hander allowed six hits, including a home run, plus two walks and even hit a batter. It was a feat to limit the damage against him to only three runs. Serwinowski has a 10.71 ERA thus far with 26 strikeouts and 15 walks in his 21 innings.
High-A Great Lakes
The Loons were blown out by the Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals) in Sunday’s series finale. Peoria had 19 at-bats with runners in scoring position, and five hits in those situations.
Jakob Wright struck out five in his 3 1/3 innings but also got hit around, with five singles and three doubles leading to six runs against him. Aidan Foeller allowed five runs, two of them earned, in his four innings, with six strikeouts.
Class-A Ontario
The Tower Buzzers erased deficits in the eighth and ninth innings of a back-and-forth contest, but lost in 10 innings to the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres).
First baseman Jose Hernandez had two hits, including a a three-run home run in the eighth to give the Tower Buzzers a lead, which was in turn given back with a two-run home run against Robby Porco in the top of the ninth.
Mairo Martinus, playing second base on Sunday, had three hits, stole a base, and scored a pair of runs. His double in the ninth tied the game, scoring Emil Morales, who had two hits and a walk himself.
Jaron Elkins had three hits, including a two-run single that tied the game in the second inning. First baseman Easton Shelton’s two-run home run tied things in the fifth, and catcher Conner O’Neal hit a solo shot in the sixth that gave Ontario its first lead of the game.
Sunday scores
- Oklahoma City 10, Round Rock 3
- San Antonio 8, Tulsa 7
- Peoria 11, Great Lakes 1
- Lake Elsinore 12, Ontario 10 (10 innings)
The week ahead
- Oklahoma City vs. Salt Lake (Angels)
- Tulsa at Arkansas (Mariners)
- Great Lakes at Lake County (Guardians)
- Ontario at Rancho Cucamonga (Angels)
