Jesus Tillero, Sterling Patick shine on mound in Dodgers minors

West Covina, CA - April 12: Starting pitcher Sterling Patick #9 of South Hills throws to the plate against Walnut in the third inning of a prep baseball game at South Hills High School in West Covina on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Gett

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After a low-scoring first game in High-A, the other three Dodgers affiliates all engaged in high-scoring affairs on the first day of all four affiliates playing in 2026.

Players of the day

For a second straight night, a Dodgers affiliate got a strong opening day start from a player drafted on the third day in 2023. One day after 17th-rounder Luke Fox shined for Double-A Tulsa, 18th-rounder Sterling Patick struck out seven in five scoreless frames for High-A Great Lakes.

Patick allowed lone singles in the first and fourth

innings and walked nobody. Fort Wayne did not put a runner in scoring position off the left-hander until a two-out double in the fifth inning, but Patick got out of his only real jam with a lineout to right field to end his night. He turns 21 in June.

Jesus Tillero didn’t start, but he struck out eight in five scoreless innings, allowing only two singles in Class-A Ontario’s blowout win. An international signing out of Venezuela in 2023, the right-hander did well in his first taste of Class-A last year, posting a 3.09 ERA with Rancho Cucamonga, but with a 12.9-percent walk rate. On Friday night he walked nobody and retired 15 of his 17 batters faced. Tillero doesn’t turn 20 until May.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Comets scored seven runs in the first two innings, and it held up to beat the Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics).

Zach Ehrhard had a two-run triple. Ryan Ward had a two-run single in a three-RBI night, and scored two runs. Hyeseong Kim and Ryan Fitzgerald batted first and second, and each one reached base twice and scored two runs.

Ryder was the first of the Ryan brothers to start for the Comets this weekend, and struck out five in his five innings, allowing one run in the first inning and nothing else.

Double-A Tulsa

Drillers pitchers walked a whopping 15 batters and fell behind early in a loss to the San Antonio Missions (Padres).

Adam Serwinowski was wild in his season debut with six walks, including two of them to open the second inning before a double and home run. In all, the left-hander allowed five runs in his 3 2/3 innings, with three strikeouts.

Maddux Bruns made the first relief appearance of his professional career. The Dodgers’ first-round pick from 2021 started his first 77 minor league games before Friday, when he struck out four in his first two innings scoreless but, keeping with the theme of the night for Drillers pitchers, also walked three, then allowed three hits and three runs in his third inning of work, recording just one out.

Nick Nastrini reached the majors with the Chicago White Sox in 2024 but it’s in question whether he ever makes it back. The 26-year-old right-hander followed Bruns in the seventh inning on Friday and walked all three batters he faced, throwing just one strike. The former fourth-round pick of the Dodgers in 2021 who was sent to Chicago in the Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly trade in 2023, Nastrini last season in Triple-A walked more than he struck out, including 18 walks and 10 strikeouts in his final nine innings in Charlotte and then Jacksonville before re-joining the Dodgers last July on waivers. Nastrini last year with Oklahoma City walked seven of his 10 batters faced and threw three wild pitches.

Kendall George had three infield singles and stole second base after all three hits. Josue De Paula walked three times, singled home a run, and for the second straight night stole a base. Zyhir Hope doubled.

First baseman Joe Vetrano had two hits for Tulsa, including the Drillers’ first home run of the season, a three-run shot in the eighth inning. Once trailing 11-2, Tulsa scored three runs in the seventh, three more in the eighth, and had the tying runs on base in the ninth to make the final score closer.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons exchanged runs with the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres) in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, with Great Lakes riding the odd innings to a 2-1 victory.

First baseman Cameron Decker hit a solo home run for the Loons’ first run of the season.

Third baseman Logan Wagner led off the seventh with a double, then after an infield single and hit by pitch, catcher Victor Rodrigues walked for the game-winning RBI.

Jacob Frost had a wild ride in his professional debut, with the 2025 10th-round draft pick walking three and allowing a run in his two innings, with his two strikeouts. By the timing of the runs scored, Frost earned the win. Logan Tabeling retired six of his seven batters faced with two strikeouts, closing out the game with a two-inning save.

Class-A Ontario

The Tower Buzzers put up crooked numbers in five different innings in a rout of the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres).

Shortstop Emil Morales had four singles, with three runs scored and three RBI, and also stole a base. Leadoff man Jaron Elkins walked twice, singled, stole two bases, and scored four runs. Joendry Vargas was the designated hitter on Friday and hit an RBI double to go with two walks.

Ontario batters provided a lesson in patience early in facing Kruz Schoolcraft, the San Diego Padres’ first-round draft pick last year making his professional debut. The left-hander retired only three of his 11 batters faced, and was pulled after walking three batters and allowing a single to open the second inning. In all, four Tower Buzzers walked against Schoolcraft and plated six runs against him.

Cam Leiter, drafted by the Dodgers in the second round last year out of Florida State, had a strong professional debut by retiring nine of 10 batters faced with three strikeouts in three scoreless innings. It was the first game for Leiter in two years and a week, as shoulder surgery wiped out his 2025 season.

Matt Lanzendorfer, a 15th-round draft pick last year out of Virginia, retired all three batters he faced in the ninth inning to close out the win in his professional debut.