Columbus Clippers 6, Louisville Bats 4

Box Score · Clippers navigate to 53-33

Not too long ago, any baseball game in which teams blasted five home runs would have been called a slugfest. Now, even calling it an “offensive outpouring” feels like too strong of a label.

For Erik Haase, though, every day is a slugfest now. The catcher launched his 22nd and 23rd dingers of the season to lead the Clippers with three RBIs. Brandon Barnes added another in a three-run sixth that gave the Clippers the cushion they needed to survive a late rally.

Shao-Ching Chiang lobbed 5.2 innings, allowing eight hits and two bombs but also striking out seven. Neil Ramirez earned a hold with 1.1 innings of shutout relief, while James Hoyt pitched a perfect eighth.

Akron RubberDucks 5, Binghamton Rumble Ponies 0

Box Score · RubberDucks float to 41-46

The first four of the RubberDucks order went 7-21 with two walks while providing all five runs and RBIs in the matchup last night. Trenton Brooks earns the callout for his performance in cleanup duties; he hit his first triple and second home run, bumping his SLG to a respectable .431 in fifteen games since earning promotion from Lynchburg.

Adam Scott anchored the shutout on the mound with 6 IP, allowing five hits and one walk against seven strikeouts. Since his promotion from Lynchburg, he has 24.1 innings under his belt, with a 2.22 ERA and 24 SOs. The walks that hindered his effectiveness at High-A now seem to be under control, too; he’s walking 1.48 per nine, down from 3.14.

Lynchburg Hillcats 4, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 3

Box Score · Hillcats claw to 42-41

Despite omitting four errors that led to two runs, the Hillcats managed to wriggle their way to a walk-off victory against the Pelicans.

Will Benson singled home Oscar Gonzalez to cap a two-run ninth and send everyone home. It was anything but typical up to that point. The inning started when Wilbis Santiago flew out, Steven Kwan singled, and Tyler Friis popped out. Gonzalez then singled his way aboard, paving the way for a pitching change. Jesus Camargo came out for the Pelicans and hit the next two batters, tying the game. That’s when Benson came up and took the first pitch to right field to end it.

The Hillcats pitched a fine game, too. Cody Morris went 5 innings, striking out six and allowing one run on four hits. Evan Mitchell piggybacked the rest of the way and while he technically “blew” a save he got the winning decision. He allowed only one earned run in four innings of work.

Mahoning Valley Scrappers 6, State College Spikes 13

Box Score · Scrappers melt to 11-10

Carlos Vargas did not have a very good baseball game.

In 2.1 innings the 19-year-old allowed ten hits and a walk, adding up to nine runs. If you’re looking for positives, I suppose I can point out that he kept the ball in the yard. I’m not sure how much solace that should provide given that he allowed five doubles and a triple, though.

Jose Oca pitched, uh, better, but still have up three in 3.1 IP. Maiker Manzanillo and Jerson Ramirez leveled things out finally and pitched the game to completion. That’s not quite the kind of phrase you want to write in a recap, but there is some relief in a game like this one finally coming to an end, you know?

The Scrappers did fine at the plate, with eight different players logging a hit and three reaching base safely twice. George Valera and Korey Holland each drove in two runs.

Holland has one of the more interesting slashlines I’ve come across in recent memory: .220/.361/.271. The young outfielder may suffer from a launch angle disorder, as he hits three times as many outs on the ground as he does in the air. Still: .361 OBP.

AZL Indians Red 4, AZL Cubs2 8

Box Score · Red 4-shotted to 7-8

Danny Salazar’s latest rehab start didn’t go quite as well as we might have hoped despite a hot start:

Danny Salazar just had an immaculate inning in the first. This isn't particularly fair. https://t.co/8jdqOqtT6V — BRB Joe (@BurningRiverBB) July 6, 2019

He hit a batter and allowed a scorched single to center in the second, but held the opponents scoreless. In the third, however, he coughed up two doubles and a home run on a breaking ball, exiting the game in the aftermath.

At the plate, Joe Naranjo and Cesar Idrogo logged a pair of hits each, with Naranjo coming around to score both times. CF Marlin Made drove in three runs.

Yainer Diaz did not play, though this appears to have been a rest day rather than an indication that he’s getting promoted.

AZL Indians Blue 10, AZL Rangers 5

Box Score · Blue flag-juggles to 10-5

Speaking of players that probably need to get promoted: Julian Escobedo led off for the Blues last night and went 2-5 with two RBIs. He’s now hitting an absurd .432/.543/.649 for the season. That’s not too shabby for the 17th round draft pick.

Not to be outdone, Aaron Bracho homered, tripled, and walked twice. Jose Tena also logged a couple of hits, as did Max Moroff in a rehab start.

Luis D. Garcia pitched five innings of three hit ball, though two of those hits happened to be dingers. He allowed three runs, while his followers Randy Labaut and Wilton Sanchez pitched the final four innings on two hits and two runs.

DSL Indians 10, DSL Red Sox2 8

Box Score · Indians improve to 15-15

Hits galore in this game that ended in the bottom of the ninth with two out and the home team trailing. I’ve tried to find information as to why this happened, but I cannot. There was a 37-minute delay to the start of the game. Maybe they needed to get a certain number of games in and so they called it with one out left? I don’t know. Can anyone please track this down?

Anyway, quick hits from this game:

Angel Martinez led the way with three singles. Dayan Frias and Skeiling Rodriguez added two singles of their own.

The Indians logged no extra base hits in this game. Just eleven singles and nine walks.

Tomas Reyes pitched for three innings, earning three of the four allowed runs on six hits. It took five pitchers to go the rest of the way.

DSL Indians/Brewers 1, DSL Cubs2 2

Box Score · Indians fall to 9-21

The heart of the Indians/Brewers order did it’s job, powered by Indians’ prospects Junior Sanquintin and Henyer Gomez, each of whom notched two hits. Gomez also stole his sixth base.

Yeury Gervacio pitched a fantastic game, going six innings while allowing a single hit and no walks while striking out four. The run wasn’t really even his fault; Miguel Fabrizio singled and then advanced on a wild pitch, then came around to score after Vitor Watanabe made a throwing error while trying to nab Fabrizio tagging.

If the lefty can put together a few more starts like this one—his WHIP already sits at 1.05 this season—he might find himself promoted.