AA Tulsa - W 5-0 (22-29, 4th, 4.5 GB)
There is no way Thomas Andrew Pomeranz was going to be able to validate the Ubaldo Jimenez trade in his Rockies debut last night. It was just one start after all, and at AA at that. But don't tell Drew that - if he tried to be perfect, he did an awfully good job of doing just that in turning in his best start of his professional career last night, the first day he was officially a member of the Rockies. The lefty retired the first 19 batters he faced, went a career-high 7.0 innings while allowing a career low two baserunners. Back to back singles in the seventh inning were the only blemishes, as Pomeranz pounded the strike zone with a 90-93 mph (55 pitches), his famous curve (17 pitches) and change-up (7 pitches). For the night, he threw 78 pitches, and just 23 balls, most of which came in his last two innings. He wasn't perfect and his defense helped, but he certainly made a statement.
#19 PuRP Ben Paulsen (2009, 3rd round) doubled and drove in two, #18 PuRP Hector Gomez (2006, DR) fell a single shy of the cycle and #10 PuRP Tim Wheeler (2009, 1st round) doubled and singled as the Drillers built an early 4-0 lead, which allowed Pomeranz to settle in. #20 PuRP Casey Weathers (2007, 1st round) retured six of the seven men he faced to bring home the shutout.
AAA Colorado Springs - L 4-5 (56-69, 4th, 12.0 GB)
Jorge Cantu (2011, MiLB FA) hit a 3-run home run in the first inning to give the Sky Sox an early three run lead, but Billy Buckner (2011, MiLB FA) gave it all back, allowing five runs on three home runs in five innings. Matt Pagnozzi (2011, MiLB FA) tripled and scored on a Willy Taveras (2011, MiLB FA) single in the seventh for the only other run of the game.
Jorge Cantu (2011, MiLB FA) hit a 3-run home run in the first inning to give the Sky Sox an early three run lead, but Billy Buckner (2011, MiLB FA) gave it all back, allowing five runs on three home runs in five innings. Matt Pagnozzi (2011, MiLB FA) tripled and scored on a Willy Taveras (2011, MiLB FA) single in the seventh for the only other run of the game.
High-A Modesto - W 7-3 (31-21, 1st)
#5 PuRP Nolan Arenado (2009, 2nd round) just keeps on driving in the runs. A day after being the first pro baseballer to reach triple digits in RBIs, the third baseman drove in three more. He plated the first run of the game with a groundout in the first, then hit a two-out two-run home run in the sixth inning, a home run that would have driven in three had Delta Cleary Jr. (2008, 37th round) not been picked off second base during Arenado's at-bat. Arenado now has four home runs and three strikeouts in August. Kiel Roling (2008, 6th round) also hit a two run bomb and tossed out his second triple of the season. Parker Frazier (2007, 8th round) was pitching well, but he allowed five of the last six men he faced in the fifth to reach base before departing for the night.
Low-A Asheville - W 5-1 (28-24, 4th, 4.5 GB)
The first six batters in the line-up singled six times in their first six sixth-inning at-bats to put up a 4-run inning to carry the Tourists to a victory over the Savannah Sand Gnats. Brett Tanos (2010, 10th round) had three hits and #12 PuRP Rafael Ortega (2009, VZ), who Kevin Goldstein and Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus agreed is the Rockies best CF prospect in their podcast yesterday, had two hits. Nicholas Schnaitmann (2008, 22nd round) continued his complete retransformation in Asheville with seven strong innings, scattering six hits while allowing just one run.
Short Season-A Tri-City - L 6-7 (13-9, 1st)
The Dust Devils capitalized on several Boise Hawks errors early and used a two-run home run from Jayson Langfels (2010, 16th round) to build a seemingly insurmountable early five run lead. Ben Alsup (2011, 18th round) allowed three runs on seven hits while failing to get out of the fourth inning, and Jeremiah Sammy (2009, undrafted) allowed a run in 0.1 IP while retiring just one of the five men he faced in his Tri City pitching debut, three on walks. Kenneth Roberts (2010, 25th round) allowed a single and a walk-off double in the ninth inning for the loss.
Rookie Casper - L 1-5 (10-7, t-1st)
Rosell Herrera (2009, DR) singled home Trevor Story (2011, sandwich), who had been hit by a pitch, in the third inning for the Ghosts' only run. Herrera added a triple, and Julian Yan (2009, DR) tripled and singled for a Casper offense that struck out 11 times collectively on the night. Benjamin Hughes (2011, 10th round) allowed five runs (four earned) with two home runs for the loss.
DSL Rockies - L 0-7 (42-26, 3rd, 3.0 GB)
Angel Lezama allowed four runs (one earned) in 4.2 IP for the loss. The Rockies managed just three hits on the night, a pinch-hit double by Hamlet Marte and singles by 8- and 9-hole hitters Yonathan Daza and Wilson Soriano.