Minor League Player of the Day – Dee Gordon (AAA) - 1 for 2, 4 Walks, 1 SB. Tough decision here since nobody really jumped out at me, but Gordon won the award after reaching base 5 times on Thursday. Dee now has 14 walks against 17 strikeouts on the season, and his on base percentage is approaching .400.

AAA – The Redbirds (Cardinals) scored 3 early runs and that was a hole that the Isotopes were never able to dig out of in their 8 to 4 loss. Sean White was the starter in this one and after allowing the 3 runs in the first, he went on to give up 3 more in the 5th which really put game out of reach. Geison Aguasviva didn't help by permitting a pair of runs to score in relief, but Red Patterson had a strong outing with two hitless innings. At the dish Dee Gordon reached base 5 times via 4 walks and a single, and he also stole his league leading 13th base of the year. Rusty Ryal went 3 for 5 with a RBI, and Scott Van Slyke's double was one of just two extra base hits in the game for Albuquerque.

AA – Chris Reed got roughed up on Thursday in Chattanooga's 6 - 2 loss to the Barons (White Sox). Reed allowed 9 hits, 2 walks, and 6 runs over 4.2 innings of work, and to make matters worse he only struck out 1. A trio of relievers threw well out of the bullpen, but by that time the Lookouts were too far behind to mount a comeback. One bright spot on the offense was Yasiel Puig's 5th homer of the year, a solo shot that he hit to left field. Joc Pederson singled to extend his new hitting streak to 5 games, while C.J. Retherford went 2 for 3 with a triple and a walk.

HiA – The Quakes scored 6 early runs and then held on for a 6 - 5 win over Stockton (A's). Angelo Songco got things started in the 1st with a RBI double, then Noel Cuevas singled home a pair. Scott Schebler followed with a 2-run homer to give Rancho their early 5 run lead. While he didn't drive in any runs, Darnell Sweeney also had a nice game as he went 3 for 5 with a finished a homer shy of the cycle. On the mound Duke von Schamann did enough to record the win as he allowed 7 hits and 4 runs over 5 innings. From there his bullpen held the lead, starting with Juan Noriega and Owen Jones who combined to strike out 5 over two perfect frames. Michael Thomas allowed a rare run in the 8th, but Pedro Baez nailed down his first career save despite allowed a couple of hits and hitting a batter in the 9th.

LoA – The Snappers (A's) evened their series with the Loons as Beloit shutout Great Lakes 4 to 0. Ralston Cash had a rocky outing as he walked 4 and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits over 5.1 innings. The good news is that he continued his strong strikeout rate as he punched out 6. Jake Hermsen tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in relief while Scott Griggs struck out all 3 batters he faced. Even if the pitching staff had thrown a shutout it wouldn't have mattered as the Loons offense couldn't get anything going. Dashenko Ricardo had the only notable game as he went 3 for 4 with a double, and the rest of the team managed just two singles. James Baldwin had one of those hits and stole a base as well, but also struck out twice and has K'ed in almost 50% of his at bats.

Coming up – James Campbell will make his first start of the season for the Quakes and Andres Santiago will throw for the Lookouts. Matt Palmer gets the call for Albuquerque while the Loons pitcher is TBD.

Minor League Transactions – AAA: Aaron Laffey was added to the Albuquerque roster while reliever Steve Smith was taken off. LoA: Joel Lima has joined the Loons while catcher Jose Capellan was sent back to extended spring training.

Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)

Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)

Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)

Minor League Central - Daily Dodger Recap