Tulsa Drillers 4, Springfield Cardinals 3
Maybe the trick for Jayson Aquino was to have him face stronger competition. The young lefty had an excellent debut with Tulsa, pitching six innings and giving up two runs while striking out five. Not a jaw-dropping line but very nice to see out of a guy who had his struggles in Modesto and was called up more for necessity than him pushing the issue.
There was also a Will Swanner sighting in this one (a good day for slipping PuRPs). Swanner hit his second home run of an injury-riddled season.
Tyler Massey was the only Driller with multiple hits, going 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored.
Colorado Springs Sky Sox 3, El Paso Chihuahuas 4
Kyle Parker and Cristhian Adames appear to be gearing up for September call ups. Each had two hits in the contest, and Angelys Nina added three more, but the Sky Sox couldn't string them together in a winning combination.
Both Parker and Adames should get extensive looks in September because the production (or lack thereof) out of each player could heavily impact how the Rockies proceed in the offseason. Adames may end up being the utility infielder/Troy Tulowitzki insurance policy this team has so desperately needed.
A middle infielder known mostly for his excellent glove, Adames is hitting .329 in 36 games with the Sky Sox. If he turns out to be better than Charlie Culberson, that is one less depth issue the Rockies need to solve moving into 2015, so the more reps he gets at the MLB level this season, the better.
Tri-City Dust Devils 1, Hillsboro Hops 8
The Hillsboro Hops (can that really be their name?) hopped (dammit) all over the Dust Devils in a thorough 8-1 beatdown.
The Dust Devils recorded only five hits in the game and just one extra-base hit, a double off the bat of Sean Dwyer, while allowing 14 hits and committing four errors. They struck out 14 times and didn't draw a walk. Ugly, forgettable game for those in the Tri-City area.
Grand Junction Rockies 9, Ogden Raptors 1
I attended this game and you can read about a big night from Randy Reyes, Yonathan Daza, and Javier Palacios here.
Is it just me or are these Pebble Reports less fun when Asheville doesn't play?
Tonight's pitchers:
AAA: Jair Jurrjens
AA: Richard Castillo
A+: Ben Alsup
A: Alex Balog
TC: Ryan Castellani
GJ: Harrison Musgrave