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AAA Colorado Springs: L 10-2 (54-47, 2nd, 2 GB)
Michael Solbach allowed a grand slam to Michael Taylor in the second inning, giving Sacramento a 9-0 lead it wouldn't relinquish. Three of the four runs scored on the play were charged to Cory Riordan, who allowed eight runs on five hits and four walks in 1 1/3 innings. Solbach wasn't bad other than the homer, striking out six in three innings of work.
Jeff Francis made an appearance in relief, allowing two hits and a walk while notching a pair of strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings. Hisanori Takahashi also did a nice job in mop-up duty, striking out four in two scoreless frames while surrendering just two hits.
Charlie Culberson led the Sky Sox with three hits, including a double, and Ryan Wheeler chipped in two hits with a double of his own. Everyone in the Sky Sox lineup had at least one hit with the exception of Xavier Nady and Jose Gonzalez.
AA Tulsa: L 3-2 (13-18 2nd half, 4th, 5 GB)
The Drillers picked up 12 hits but only scored twice due to their 2-for-12 performance with runners in scoring position. Kyle Parker homered -- his 17th of the season -- in the fourth and Tyler Kuhn had an RBI single later that inning, but that was it for Tulsa, even though five of its players, including the middle infield combination of Angelys Nina and Cristhian Adames, had two hits.
Tim Gustafson allowed just one run -- on a solo homer -- in six innings of work. He struck out five and did not walk a batter. Joe Gardner pitched admirably in two innings of work, but also gave up a solo shot and was tagged with a blown save. He struck out two while allowing a run on four hits.
High-A Modesto: L 9-2 (17-15 2nd half, 2nd, 2 GB)
Eddie Butler was done in by poor defense and a couple of wild pitches in an otherwise effective outing. He went his standard five innings and allowed four runs -- none earned -- on four hits while striking out six and walking two. Butler lowered his ERA to 2.59.
Niko Gallego hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to provide Modesto's only runs. David Kandilas went 2-for-4 in the loss.
A Asheville: W 7-5 (13-16 2nd half, 6th, 7 GB)
The Tourists picked up their fourth road win of the second half thanks to Rosell Herrera's two-out, two-run double in the top of the 11th inning. Herrera went 2-for-5 with a walk and raised his average to .360.
Matt Wessinger, Tom Murphy and Derek Jones joined Herrera with two hits apiece. Jones hit his 13th home run of the year in the seventh inning.
The Asheville bullpen combined for 4 1/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball. Rayan Gonzalez was the best of the bunch, striking out three in two innings.
Short-Season A Tri-City: W 2-1 (19-19, 4th, 4 GB)
The Dust Devils finished the first half of the Northwest League season on a strong note thanks to a terrific performance by the pitching staff, led by the rehabbing Tyler Anderson. The Rockies' 2011 first-round pick tossed five innings of one-hit ball, surrendering an unearned run while striking out four batters and walking none. Jonathan Vargas, Jerad McCrummen and Trent Daniel followed with four innings of scoreless relief.
Chris O'Dowd and Michael Benjamin had back-to-back run-scoring hits in the bottom of the third inning to give Tri-City all the runs it would need despite the club totaling just five hits in the game.
Rookie Grand Junction: W 4-3 (20-11, 1st)
Jordan Patterson and Jose Briceno hit back-to-back home runs off of Great Falls pitcher Jose Brito in the top of the ninth inning to rally from a 3-2 deficit. Jacob Newberry closed out the game for the Rockies with a 1-2-3 ninth that included a couple of K's.
Zach Jemiola turned in another solid start, allowing a run on five hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out four.
Briceno and Correlle Prime had two hits apiece to pace GJ's offense. Rockies leadoff hitter Raimel Tapia had a hit in three at-bats to help keep his quest for .400 alive. He's hitting .402.
Rookie DSL Rockies: W 3-0 (22-20, t-4th, 9 GB)
19-year-old catcher Hamlet Marte hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to give the Rockies some insurance, although they wouldn't need it. Starter Javier Palacios tossed seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits while notching six strikeouts.
Every player in the Rockies' lineup with the exception of Denzel Richardson had a hit.
Marte is hitting .317 with three homers and 19 RBI in a run-suppressing environment. He's a little old for the DSL, but it'll be interesting to see how he performs if given the shot to take his game to the states next year.