Mariners Minor League Game Action Recap for July 18
On the field: triples! We love 'em!
Off the field:
- Jesus Montero returns to Tacoma after rehab assignment in Arizona where he hit .267/.351/.304 in eight games.
- Franklin Gutierrez joins Tacoma for his umphteenbazillionth rehab assignment.
- Stephen Pryor also joins Tacoma for a rehab assignment after one outing for Everett.
AAA -- Fresno 8, Tacoma 7 -- Box
Montero went right into the starting lineup at DH, and another Opening Day Mariner was on the mound: Brandon Maurer (Talk40 #9), who continued his OK-but-not-quite-impressive Tacoma outings. His line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.
Abraham Almonte (26intheMix) contributed to the Triple-Fest in the first at-bat of the game, and it was swiftly followed by one from Montero (it would be his only hit in five trips) as part of a three-run 1st.
Later in the game, brief unlikely-Mariner Brandon Bantz got yet another triple, plus two singles.
But the early lead slipped away, and the Grizzlies got the clinching run in the 8th.
AA -- Jackson 8, Mississippi 3 -- Box
More triples!
One from our Taylor Made! new Mariners Prospect Talk icon Chris Taylor (Talk40 #28), who also had three singles and a steal. It was Taylor's ninth triple of the year and his 38th extra-base hit and his 26th steal.
But there's more!
James Jones (Watch List), just returned from the Southern League All-Star Game, got one too. It was his ninth of the year as well, and he and Taylor are tied for the organizational lead in that category.
And last year's triple machine -- Leon Landry (Talk40 #18) -- got one too, but just his second. Landry's my biggest disappointment of the year maybe.
All those triples helped support Anthony Fernandez (Talk40 #23), who's been coming around after a poor start: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.
April/May ERA: 6.83
June/July ERA: 2.84
That's good to see.
High-A -- High Desert 9, Lake Elsinore 3 -- Box
No triples here, but maybe the bust-out long-awaited by the Kivle-fans.
After two home runs Wednesday, Patrick Kivlehan (Talk40 #33) went Grand Salami Time! on Thursday, as part of a seven-run 1st inning. He now has seven homers on the year, and his July ISO is up to .175, closer to what we need to see from him.
The burst of offense allowed Matt Anderson to cruise (5.0 IP, 2 ER).
Low-A -- Lansing 8, Clinton 2 -- Box
One day after Victor Sanchez (Talk40 #12) dealt a no-hitter on the Lugnuts, Rigoberto Garcia allowed six earned runs in 5.0 IP. But he also had six strikeouts and no walks.
Janelfry Zorrilla had a double, a single and a walk.
Rookie -- Pulaski 10, Johnson City 3 -- Box
Maybe not quite the dominance we've come to expect from the new version of Edwin Diaz (Talk40 #36), but plenty good nevertheless: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.
And no triples here either, but also a perhaps a long-awaited bust-out game for Joe DeCarlo (Talk40 #22): 3-for-5, double, HR. It was DeCarlo's fourth homer and his OPS is up to .833. He's striking out way too much, but he's also showing some promise.
Jeffrey Zimmerman continues to make an impression, getting two doubles to raise his SLG to .509.
AZL Rookie -- Mariners 4, Dodgers 3 -- Box
The youthful M's won with only one extra-base hit, which was delivered by Canadian teen Lachlan Fontaine, he of the SSI-friendly but not-famous dad. Fontaine is 5-for-11 with three walks in his first four games.
Looking Ahead
Fresno is the next stop on the Taijuan Walker (Talk40 #2) destruction-of-AAA-baseball tour. He'll face former Mariner Yusmeiro Petit, according to the schedule.