Nuts bust out for 11 runs as Colorado Rockies affiliates go 2-2 on the day

Colorado Rockies Affiliates Recap for Thursday, April 23, 2015.
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (9-6)

Tacoma 3, Albuquerque 0
W: Montgomery, M (1-1, 3.68); L: Rusin (1-1, 6.75); SV: Lowe, M (1)

It was a bad night at the plate for Albuquerque, as batters managed just three hits while striking out nine times. The Isotopes ran into a buzzsaw that was former top prospect Michael Montgomery, once the #19 prospect on the Baseball America top 100. Montgomery gave up a single hit, a double to Brandon Barnes, over his six innings of work. The two relievers who followed, Joe Saunders and Mark Lowe, have over 500 MLB appearances, so perhaps unsuprisingly the Topes didn't do much better against them. Chris Rusin combined with Tommy Kahnle to give up three runs over eight innings, which normally in the PCL is enough to keep a team in the game, but in this one it wasn't nearly enough.

Double-A: New Britain Rock Cats (9-6)

New Britain 6, Richmond 2
W: Flande (3-0, 2.41); L: Snodgrass (1-2, 6.08); SV: Ybarra (2)

The Rock Cats backed up a strong performance by Yohan Flande, with multi-hit performances from Mike Tauchman, Noel Cuevas, Jayson Langfels and David Dahl. Tauchman ended the day a home run short of the cycle. Flande went seven innings and didn't allow a run, striking out six against just one walk. Dahl is adjusting to Double-A pitching and had a stretch where he struck out 10 times and walked once, so it's nice to see him with a multi-hit night; it was just his second in his last ten games.

Class A Advanced: Modesto Nuts (6-9)

Modesto 11, Lancaster 5
W: Musgrave (2-1, 3.14); L: Sims (0-3, 14.29); SV: Estevez, C (2)

If you don't have an MiLB.tv subscription, let me tell you the Modesto offense is worth the price of admission by itself, and boy were they on display in this one. Modesto pounded out 14 hits, walked seven times, hit four doubles and four home runs on the way to more than doubling up Lancaster. Top PuRPs Raimel Tapia and Ryan McMahon only went a combined 2-7, but also drew four walks. The stars on this one were catcher Troy Stein, who hit a home run, PuRP Jordan Patterson, who also hit a home run, and Wilfredo Rodriguez, who had a multi-hit game. If those three were the stars, then the super star was second baseman Michael Benjamin, who knocked out four hits, including two home runs and a double, in six plate appearances. Benjamin now has a .290/.333/.484 line on the season. A few more performances like this one and Benjamin could find himself climbing the PuRP list himself.

Class A: Asheville Tourists (6-8)

Greenville 5, Asheville 4

W: Shepherd (2-0, 1.23); L: Michalec (0-1, 0.00)

Greenville's Derek Miller's walkoff single ended this one. Up until yesterday, Josh Michalec hadn't allowed an earned run in six games, but he gave up two runs and collected the loss in this one. Drew Weeks had a nice game, going 2-4 with a stolen base, and Forrest Wall continues to to stand apart as his 2-4 day brought his season line to .316/.409/.553. To draw big comparisons, think of Wall as Chase Utley with speed or Brandon Phillips with patience. That is the pie in the sky projection for Wall.

Friday's probables

Triple-A Albuquerque: TBD

Double-A New Britain: Matt Flemer

High-A Modesto: Grahamm Wiest

Single-A Asheville: Game 1: Ryan Castellani

Game 2: Logan Sawyer