Only the Drillers, Tourists and DSL Rockies had games yesterday. While the Sky Sox were on their all star break (the AAA all star game will be today), the Nuts, Dust Devils and GJ Rockies were traveling.
Kent Matthes, who only seems to play well on Tuesdays when I do Pebble Reports, had himself a heck of a game. He went 3 for 4, including his 10th and 11th home runs of the season, knocking in four of the six Tulsa runs and scoring a fifth beyond his home runs, involving Matthes directly in all but one of the Drillers' runs. Even with the great night, Matthes is still a hair below the Mendoza line for the year. Ben Paulsen also produced a three hit night, including a triple, knocking in one and scoring twice. Michael Mitchell secured two hits himself, but did not score or bat in any runs. Middle infield prospect Josh Rutledge struck out three times.
Starter Parker Frazier (4-9 with the win) was fantastic off the mound. In seven innings, he allowed just three hits and a walk to seven strikeouts. The shutout continued through two more excellent innings from relievers Will Harris and Josh Sullivan.
Though the Tourists continued a recent pattern of striking out a ton at the plate, the team has been so strong offensively in the plate appearances that this doesn't happen that it almost doesn't matter. Despite ten team strikeouts (at least one from everyone but Harold Riggins), every Tourist reached base, if not by a hit, than by a walk. Riggins was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run batted in. The other three batters at the top of the lineup in Trevor Story, Brian Humphries and William Swanner, also had two hits, and all but Swanner reached on a walk too., though he batted in two runs. He and Story also both doubled in the game. Joey Wong hit his third triple in just a couple of weeks with Asheville, while Taylor Featherston hit his sixth home run of the year.
Even though Tyler Anderson is still considered a "safe pick" from the 2011 draft, there's no denying that the start of his career has been really, really good. There's no other way to put it. Anderson picked up his eighth win of the year (keep in mind that he's only started 12 times this year), going six and a third innings, allowing five hits and a walk with five strikeouts and a 6-1 ground-fly ratio. William Rankin and Russell Brewer pitched well in relief. The Tourists also mimicked the Drillers with a 6-0 shutout, but Jefri Hernandez allowed a run on two hits in the ninth.
It took these two Domnican teams 11 innings to score a run, but thankfully the Rockies were the team to break the cycle, even though they only had four hits in the game compared to the Reds' nine. Two of those hits occurred in the game winning bottom of the 11th. Raimel Tapia singled to lead off the inning, but reached second on a throwing error from Reds' second baseman Geraldo Valor. Jairo Rosario proceeded to single too, but another throwing error from Valor on the heels of his last one, allowed Tapia to score and win the game. Miguel Dilone hit a triple, the only Rockies extra base hit.
Starter Helmis Rodriguez was good, allowing six hits and a walk over 7 innings and striking out four. Manuel Montilla picked up his third win of the year, thjrowing the game's final three innings cleanly.