AAA Colorado Springs - L 4-3 (20-22)
After being out for over a month, Michael Cuddyer made a rehab start for the Sky Sox with the intent of shaking off some rust. His first plate appearance gave him little to work with as he walked on four pitches. His next at bat saw the righthander smoke a ball to left field, which was run down by Marlins prospect Mark Canha at the warning track. The veteran Cuddyer was replaced after the third inning by 26-year-old Ben Paulsen.
The Sky Sox jumped out to an lead early thanks to a RBI double by Dustin Garneau who later came around to score on a Paul Janish single to center. The catcher is posting an impressive .929 OPS since being promoted to the Triple-A club six games ago. Right fielder Kyle Parker threatened in the fifth inning with an opposite field double, but he was left stranded at third base. It was Parker's 15th double of the season, good enough for second place in the Pacific Coast League.
Former Phillies and Braves pitching prospect Yohan Flande made a quality start, lasting 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs on four hits and with four strikeouts. After giving up two runs in the seventh, Flande gave way to Rob Scahill to close out the inning. Unfortunately the barn door was left open when Scahill served up back-to-back-to-back doubles with two outs to earn a blown save and the loss in his stats column.
AA Tulsa - W 6-5 (23-20)
Shortstop Cristhian Adames led the Drillers to an early 1-0 lead after doubling in the first inning and eventually scoring on a Ryan Casteel sacrifice fly. The switch-hitting Adames nearly added another run in the third, when he launched an intended home run which was robbed at the fence by Royals prospect Jorge Bonifacio -- ranked No. 99 overall by Baseball Prospectus.
Spot starter Carlos Hernandez led a pitchers duel in Tulsa which lasted until the eighth inning when both teams finally opened the scoring vault. The former A's prospect allowed just one hit in five shutout innings, while striking out three and walking one.
The Naturals reclaimed the lead in the eighth after scoring three runs off of reliever Kraig Sitton. The Drillers came roaring back in the bottom half of the inning when a Ryan Casteel single plated two runs, followed by a Brian Humphries double that scored two more. Scott Oberg came on in the ninth and allowed a run before finally slamming the door to earn his ninth save of the season.
High-A Modesto - L 4-2 (11-33)
Trevor Story led the Nuts with a 2-for-4 night including a triple and a run scored to improve his average to .331 on the season. The right-handed Story was part of a two-out rally in the third inning, his triple to right field placed the Texas native in perfect position for Sean Dwyer to double him in. Story's six triples on the year ties him for first place in the California League with Astros prospect Teoscar Hernandez.
The Nuts threatened to break through the entire game, placing men in scoring position in eight separate innings, but ultimately went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Starter Andrew Brown pitched well enough to win, allowing just three earned runs, while striking out six in five innings. He was just outmatched by Zac Eflin, the Padres first round draft pick from 2012. Eflin limited the Nuts to just two earned runs while striking out seven in 5.1 innings.
Low-A Asheville - W 3-1 (24-18)
Led by the Rockies seventh round pick from the 2013 draft, Konner Wade pitched seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out five to earn his third win of the season. Wade was coming off a horrible start on May 13th, where he gave up seven runs in 1.2 innings, but things went differently on Sunday as the righthander shutdown the hitters of the Red Sox affiliate.
The Tourists took the lead in the fourth inning thanks to back-to-back-to-back doubles by Wilfred Rodriguez, Ryan McMahon and Correlle Prime. A Raimel Tapia sac fly plated Prime, but the inning closed out quickly after back-to-back strikeouts by Alec Mehrten and Max White. Designated hitter Wilfredo Rodriguez saw his season average balloon to .395 with a three hit effort in Sunday's game.
Monday's Probables
COL: Bergman (3-2, 3.75)
TUL: Butler (2-4, 2.98)
MOD: Flemer (3-4, 5.88)
ASH: Jiminian (5-2, 3.09)