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It was a day of close games for Rockies affiliates, with all but one game being decided by three runs or less -- and three games by just one run.
AAA: Colorado Springs 8, Salt Lake City 7
The Sky Sox (49-48, 9 GB) jumped out to a 6-0 lead in this one behind a 15 hit performance by the offense, then they held on as their opponents rallied for 7 runs over the 6th and 7th. Matt McBride had 4 of those hits (all singles), bringing his season line up to .351/.385/.542, while Tommy Field, Brendan Harris, and PuRP 15 Charlie Blackmon each had multi-hit games.
PuRP 11 Edwar Cabrera got the win (3-0), pitching 6 innings and allowing 3 unearned runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, punching out 9 in the process. Newly promoted Coty Woods got his 2nd save in AAA with a scoreless 9th.
Scoring occurred in only 3 half innings in this one, as Springfield took the early 2-0 lead in the first, while Tulsa rallied for 2 in the 6th to tie it, and finally the St. Louis affiliate pushed across a run in the 9th for the win. PuRP 25 Kent Matthes (15) and Lars Davis (3) hit solo homers to provide Tulsa's offense on the night.
The Drillers (12-14 2nd half, 5.5 GB) got a good pitching performance from Tyler Chatwood, who lasted 7 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and got 5 strikeouts. Unfortunately, PuRP 22 Joe Gardner was saddled with the loss (4-7) after giving up a solo homer in the 9th.
High A: Modesto 4, Visalia 1
The Nuts (17-11 2nd half, 1st place) jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead and coasted to a win. Modesto got multi-hit nights from Delta Cleary Jr and Helder Velazquez, as well as RBI doubles from PuRP 10 Kyle Parker, Jared Clark, and Brett Tanos. Kennil Gomez was sharp on the mound, going 6.2 IP with 1 run on 5 hits and 4 strikeouts.
Low A: Greensboro 6, Asheville 5
Asheville had a 3-0 lead that turned into a 6-3 deficit, and they were unable to finish the comeback. The Tourists (15-12 2nd half, T-1st) got exactly 1 hit from 8 of their 9 hitters in the game. Jordan Ribera provided the big hit with a 2 run shot (3) in the 2nd. Dan Winkler took the loss with 5 runs on 7 hits allowed in 5 innings.
Short season ball beneath the fold.
Short-Season: Tri-City 7, Salem Keizer 5The Dust Devils (15-19, 5 GB) got multi-hit nights from PuRP 15 Rosell Herrera, Francisco Sosa, and Patrick Hutcheson, but it was a grand slam by Miguel de Leon (2) that provided the big blow in this one. Since his demotion to Tri-City, Herrera has produced a decent .286/.326/.405 line. Benjamin Hughes allowed 4 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits through 5 innings to pick up the win (2-3).
Rookie: Grand Junction 3, Missoula 1
6th round pick Matt Carasiti threw 7 innings of 3 hit shutout ball to pace Grand Junction in this one. The GJ Rockies (15-15, 2 GB) also got a multi-hit night from Ben Waldrip (half the total hit output for the Rockies), who hit a solo homer (6) in the game.
Dominican Summer League: DSL Rockies 9, DSL Padres 0
In the only game decided by more than 3 runs, PuRP 27 Jayson Aquino continued his dominance of the DSL. He threw 7 more shutout innings, allowing only 3 hits and punching out 7 to run his record to 6-0 and lower his ERA down to 0.90. Offensively, the DSL Rockies (23-17, 1 GB) got a 3 hit night from Marcos Derkes and 2 hit outings from Wilkyns Jimenez and Johnathan Roble.
At this point, it's just mystifying why Aquino isn't stateside. This is his career DSL line, over 3 seasons: 18-5, 1.11 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 208 K to 38 BB over 211.1 IP. Oh, and he did that from age 17 through 19. This dude needs a promotion.