Entering 2018 Peter Lambert was one of the most intriguing pitching prospects in the Rockies system. He took a big leap up to no. 4 on our PuRPs list after cutting down his walk rate and upping his strikeout rate in 2017—even while pitching in the crucible that is The Hangar in the California League. But the jump to Double-A can be a whole different animal for any young pitcher, so nobody would’ve been surprised had Lambert been exposed as three small children stacked on top of one another in a trench coat.
He hasn’t disappointed. Save for a short start in his second outing of the year, Lambert has taken the challenge of the Eastern League in stride. On Wednesday he went seven strong innings against the Harrisburg Senators, allowing two runs on six hits with zero walks and eight strikeouts. That bumped his strikeout rate up to 7.8 K/9 and cut his strikeout rate to 1.6 BB/9, which closely resembles his 8.3 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 from 2017.
Peter Lambert turned 21 just a couple of weeks ago, so unless he starts really mowing down Eastern League hitters expect him to stick around in Double-A through the end of the season. After that, he might not be far from taking the mound at Coors Field.
There was a lot of offense on the farm on Wednesday. Triple-ABQ defeated Tacoma 12-3, though with only one home run from Derrik Gibson. At High-A, Lancaster scored 11 runs in the final two frames to turn a tight game into a laugher, 16-6.
★ ★ ★
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 12, Tacoma Rainers 3
Raimel Tapia: DNP
Ryan McMahon (no. 2 PuRP): 0-for-5, R, BB
Tom Murphy (no. 11 PuRP): DNP
Jordan Patterson (no. 14 PuRP): 4-for-4, 3 R, 2B, BB
Mike Tauchman (no. 22 PuRP): 4-for-5, 3 R, 2B, 3B, RBI
David Holmberg: T IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 2 K
★ ★ ★
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 3, Harrisburg Senators 2
Brendan Rodgers (no. 1 PuRP): 0-for-4
Peter Lambert (no. 4 PuRP): 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Garrett Hampson (no. 9 PuRP): 1-for-4
Sam Hilliard (no. 17 PuRP): 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B
Yonathan Daza (no. 19 PuRP): 0-for-4
★ ★ ★
High-A: Lancaster JetHawks 16, Stockton Ports 6
Colton Welker (no. 5 PuRP): 2-for-6, R, 2B, 3 RBI
Tyler Nevin (no. 12 PuRP): 0-for-3
Forrest Wall (no. 16 PuRP): 2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI
Willie Abreu (no. 26 PuRP): 2-for-3, R, BB
Vince Fernandez (no. 28 PuRP): 2-for-5, 3 R
Manuel Melendez: 2-for-3, R, HR, 4 RBI
Matt Dennis: 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R/ER, 3 BB, 3 K
★ ★ ★
Low-A: Asheville Tourists 0, Charleston RiverDogs 4
Ryan Vilade (no. 7 PuRP): 1-for-3, 2B
Chad Spanberger (no. 29 PuRP): 0-for-3
Shael Mendoza: 1-for-4 (only other hit on the day)
Nick Kennedy: 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R/ER, 0 BB, 5 K
★ ★ ★
Thursday Probables
Triple-A Albuquerque: Brad Olberholzter @ Tacoma Rainers (SEA), 8:05 pm MT
Double-A Hartford: Parker French vs. Portland Sea Dogs (BOS), 5:05 pm MT
High-A Lancaster: Logan Longwith @ Stockton Ports (OAK), 12:10 pm MT
Low-A Asheville: Garrett Schilling @ Charleston RiverDogs (NYY), 5:05 pm MT