The Colorado Rockies’ farm system had a day of mixed results on Thursday, going 2-2 overall and getting great performances from some PuRPs while others struggled. One player who certainly did not struggle was No. 11 PuRP Tom Murphy. The 27-year-old righty went 3-for-4 with a pair of homers—his seventh and eighth of the season—in helping the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes to a 7-4 victory. The big day improved his triple slash line on the season to an impressive .298/.368/.615 as he continues to push for a Major League roster spot.
As of right now, the Rockies’ current catching duo of Chris Iannetta and Tony Wolters have struggled to the tune of a .187/.304/.299 slash line, a 56 wRC+ that’s just 25th in the league. You may have heard this as well, but there’s also a rather difficult situation at first base right now, as Rockies’ first baseman have hit an astonishing .160/.231/.283 on the year, by far the worst in the league. Murphy hasn’t played any first base in his career, but neither had guys like Ian Desmond, Gerardo Parra, and Pat Valaika before the Rockies put them there. At this point, it’s something the club should at least be considering in an effort to jump start the offense.
★ ★ ★
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 7, Reno Aces 4
Raimel Tapia: 0-for-5, K
Antonio Senzatela: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
Tom Murphy (no. 11 PuRP): 3-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Jordan Patterson (no. 14 PuRP): 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Mike Tauchman (no. 22 PuRP): 0-for-4, RBI
Josh Fuentes: 4-for-5, 2B, 3B
★ ★ ★
Double-A: Bowie Baysox 7, Hartford Yard Goats 6
Brendan Rodgers (no. 1 PuRP): 1-for-5, K
Ryan Castellani (no. 6 PuRP): 6 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, BB, K
Garrett Hampson (no. 9 PuRP): 2-for-3, 2 BB
Brian Mundell (no. 13 PuRP): 1-for-3, BB
Yonathan Daza (no. 19 PuRP): 1-for-5, RBI
Dom Nuñez (no. 21 PuRP): 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
Wes Rogers (HM PuRP): 0-for-4, 2 K
★ ★ ★
High-A: Inland Empire 66ers 4, Lancaster LetHawks 2
Colton Welker (no. 5 PuRP): 0-for-4, 2 K
Forrest Wall (no. 16 PuRP): 1-for-5, K, CS
Willie Abreu (no. 26 PuRP): 1-for-4, 3B, 2 K
Roberto Ramos: 2-for-4, HR, RBI
Brandon Gold: 4 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, BB, 2 K
★ ★ ★
Low-A: Asheville Tourists 9, Greensboro Grasshoppers 3
Ryan Vilade (no. 7 PuRP): 1-for-3, 3 RBI, K
Will Gaddis (no. 23 PuRP): 7 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 7 K
Chad Spanberger (no. 29 PuRP): 0-for-3, 2 K
Sean Bouchard (ninth round, 2017): 2-for-4, RBI, K
★ ★ ★
Friday Probables
Triple-A Albuquerque: Jeff Hoffman (1-3, 6.04 ERA) @ Reno, 7:35 PM MT
Double-A Hartford: Jesus Tinoco (HM PuRP; 4-2, 4.68 ERA) @ Bowie, 5:05 PM MT
High-A Lancaster: Rico Garcia (4-2, 3.56 ERA) @ San Jose, 8:00 PM MT
Low-A Asheville: Antonio Santos (0-4, 4.67 ERA) vs. Greensboro, 5:05 PM MT