Monday Pebble Report: Fowler finding his stroke in the Springs, more

AAA - Colorado Springs: W 8-3 (27-29)
Dexter Fowler led the Springs' offensive attack by going 4-for-5 with three frozen rope singles and another of the ground ball variety. Three of his four hits came from the right side, but the one hit he got from the left side was line drive to right field that was scorched off the bat. In his final at-bat, he struck out looking (also from the left side) on what looked to be a missed sign and botched hit-and-run attempt, as Paul Phillips was thrown out at second to complete the double play. In addition to Fowler's nice game (which also included two RBI and and run scored), Matt Miller went 3-for-5 with a couple of runs batted in and Travis Metcalf went 2-for-4 with a three run homer off of Angels' prospect Trevor Reckling.

Alan Johnson had another annoyingly effective (from the opposition's standpoint, at least) start for the Sky Sox, as he went seven innings and allowed three runs on seven hits. He did not walk anybody, and he struck out four. He gave up a solo homer to the short-lived former Rockies farmhand Paul McAnulty. Johnson really is nothing special for the most part, but he sure does have a nice changeup and can have flashes of dominance when he keeps the ball down in the zone. With that being said, the Bees made some solid contact off of him and he did get a little bit lucky on some nice defensive plays by the Sky Sox, plus his GO/AO ratio was 1:1. Matt Reynolds looked like his early-season dominant self, pitching two hitless innings of relief in which he struck out three batters and walked just one.

AA - Tulsa: W 4-1 (23-31)
Bronson Sardinha went 3-for-4 with a couple of doubles and his first home run of the year to lead the Drillers. Daniel Mayora also contributed two hits. Charlie Blackmon went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored to raise his average to .136. Brandon Durden was terrific on the hill, as he went eight scoreless innings and allowed just two hits and a walk, while striking out six and maintaining a 10 to 6 GO/AO ratio. Scott Rice gave up a run on a couple of hits and a walk in the ninth inning, but did strike out two.

A-Ball recaps after the jump...

High-A - Modesto: L 16-1 (29-26)
Rob Scahill allowed nine runs on nine hits in five innings, and Stephen Dodson didn't exactly put out the fire, as he allowed seven runs on six hits and a walk, and only retired two batters. Jonnathan Aristil allowed a couple of Dodson's baserunners to score, but he did a good job of "limiting the damage," as he struck out four in three innings despite allowing two hits and two walks. There wasn't much going offfensively for the Nuts, though James Cesario had a couple of hits and Thomas Field hit his seventh home run of the season. Tim Wheeler went 0-for-4, and Jordan Pacheco was 0-for-2 with a walk.

A - Asheville: L 5-1 in 10 innings; W 8-2 in 7 innings (24-32)
In Game 1 of the doubleheader, Wes Musick started for the Tourists and did very well through 6.1 innings, allowing just a run on three hits and three walks while punching out seven. However, Alan DeRatt allowed the wheels to fall off in his final inning of relief. He gave up a walk and a bunt single to start the inning, then induced a double play to get his team within an out of escaping the inning with no damage. However, he proceeded to allow two straight singles and a three-run homer, which put the game away for West Virginia. Avery Barnes and Joseph Sanders each had two hits in Game 1, while Nolan Arenado went 1-for-5 with a double.

In Game 2, Daniel Perkins allowed a couple of runs to cross the plate in the first inning before settling down a bit over the next three. However, he didn't stay in the game long enough to get the win. Instead, Chad Rose earned it by throwing two scoreless innings in which he struck out two batters. Sheng-An Kuo pitched a scoreless seventh and notched a K, as well. Five different Asheville batters registered multi-hit games. Nolan Arenado was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, Avery Barnes was 2-for-4 with a couple of singles, and Joseph Sanders, Jared Clark, and Dallas Tarleton each went 2-for-3 with a home run. Sanders' and Tarleton's were each of the two-run variety, while Clark's brought three runs home.