Farmers Only Weekend Harvest

Louisville had a rough weekend, losing all 3 of their games.  The Bats saw a late innings comeback fall just short on Friday, as they lost to the Paw Sawx 7-6.  Trailing 7-2 entering the 8th, the Bats put up a 4 spot thanks to a pair of dingers from Denis Phipps (2-4) and Neftali Soto (2-4), but ultimately fell short.  Daniel Corcino had a very Daniel Corcino start, striking out 8 in 5 innings, but allowed 7 runs (2 unearned) on 5 hits and 5 walks.  Louisville lost on Saturday, falling 7-3 to Rochester.   Yohan Pino got corked, allowing 5 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks, while fanning 3.  Cool Papa Billy pilfered his 71st base on a 1-5 night, and Hank Rod went 2-4 with a double.  He's been slashing a cool .352/.402/.381 in 29 games since the All Star break.  The Bats fell 1-0 in a Titanic struggle on Sunday.  Pedro Villarreal moved back to the starting rotation, hurling 3 innings of 1-run ball, striking out 3 with a pair of walks.  Billy Hamilton had 1 of the 5 Bats' hits, going 1-4 with a CS.  Up Next:  Chad Rogers (4-4, 4.38 ERA) takes on the Red Wings at 7.

Pensacola split their two games in a rain shortened weekend.  Robert Stephenson made his AA debut on Friday, but the Wahoos ended up on the losing side of a 5-1 score.  Bobby Steve looked sharp, allowing only 2 hits in 6 innings, striking out 5 and walking 3, while getting tagged for 2 earned runs.  Unfortunately, the offense.  Despite getting 9 hits, the 'Hoos only managed to scratch out 1 run.  Moose Mattair drove in the only Pensacola run, going 3-4 with 3 singles.  Saturday's game against the Jr. Braves got banged due to rain.  They'll play a double header tonight.  The Wahoos won on Sunday, beating the Huntsville Stars 4-1.  It seems Carlos Contreras' strikeout pitch didn't make it on the plane to Pensacola, but he's still getting the job done.  He gave up just 1 run in six 6-hit innings, with 2 K and 2 BB.  The mighty Mike Costanzo went 2-3 with 2 walks and a honker, while Yorman Rodriguez went 1-2 with 3 (!!!) walks.  Up Next:  Jon Moscot (1-1, 6.60 ERA) gets the ball in game one of the double header.

Bakersfield got shelled by the Modesto Nuts, dropping 3 over the weekend.  Friday saw the Blaze lose 6-3.  Jake Johnson strummed out 5 mediocre innings, allowing 6 runs (1 unearned), striking out 4 and walking 2.  Juan Silverio (1-4) and Steve Selsky (1-3) each had a double and an RBI.  Saturday wasn't much better, as Bakersfield lost 3-1.  Junior Arias, who's been a pleasant surprise this year, went 2-4 with 2 doubles, driving in the only Bako run.  Fabian Williamson went 7 full, giving up just 1 run on 4 hits, while striking out 5 and walking 1.  The Nuts completed the sweep, beating Bakersfield 4-1 on Sunday.  Juan Duran (1-4) drove in the only Blaze run on a double, and Kyle Waldrop went 2-3 with a triple.  James Allen got tagged with the loss, giving up 3 runs in 5 innings, on 4 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 2.  Up Next: OFF DAY

Dayton took 2 of 3 over the weekend, but it was a Pyrrhic victory, as the Dragons lost a pair of players to injury.  The Dragons put a licking on the Loons on Friday, winning 8-3.  Amir Garrett picked up his first win with Dayton, tossing 5.2 innings of 2-run ball, giving up 5 hits and a walk with no strikeouts.  Tanner Rahier drove in 3 runs, going 2-3 with a walk, and Jeff "Enjoy Every" Gelalich went 2-3 with a double.  Saturday was a rough one for the Dragons, as they saw both Drew Cisco (back spasms) and Jesse Winker (foot sprain) leave the game with injuries, and they lost 3-2.  Uncle Jesse is expected to hit the DL, which will probably spell the end of his excellent sophomore season.  Dayton managed only 5 hits, and Seth Mejias-Brean (2-4, RBI) was the only Dragon to have a multi-hit game.  Dayton won 4-2 over the Whitecaps on Sunday.  Daniel Pigott went 1-4 with a solo wanger, which would end up being the only XBH the Dragons would manage.  Sal Romano shut out West Michigan through 5.2 2-hit innings, but saw his pitch count elevate due to 4 walks.  Up Next:  Ismael Guillon (5-7, 5.40 ERA) looks to harpoon the White Caps at 7.

Billings outscored their opponents 28-9 over the weekend, winning all three games.  The Mustangs put a hurting on the Idaho Falls Chukars Friday, winning 9-6.  Carlos "Dirty" Sanchez drove in 3, going 2-4 with a dinger, and Robert Ramirez went 2-4 with a triple.  The pitching wasn't great, but when you score 9 runs, it doesn't really have to be.  Carlos Sanchez had another big night on Saturday, honking a 3-run wanger and a double on a 3-5 effort, as Billings bested Ogden 10-2.  Adam Matthews went 2-4 with a grand slam, while Junior Morillo and Layne Somsen tag teamed the Raptors, combining for 8 strikeouts with no walks and 2 earned runs.  The Mustangs secured the weekend sweep on Sunday, by blowing out the Raptors 9-1.  Weezy's boy, Aristides Aquino got called up from Arizona, going 1-5 with 2 runs scored and Adam Matthews was perfect, going 4-4 with a walk, 2 doubles, a dong shot, and 3 RBI.  Jose Ortiz drove in a pair of runs, going 3-4 with a two bagger.  Ben Lively is still being treated with kid gloves, averaging just over 3 innings pitched in 11 starts, but the results are solid: 0.79 ERA, 11.38 K/9, 1.00 BB/9 in 34 innings.  He was perfect through the first 3 innings with 5 strikouts.  Up Next:  Pedro Diaz (2-7, 4.95 ERA) faces the Raptors at 9.

The AZL Reds went 0-fer on the weekend, losing all three games.  Bad defense sunk the Lil' Reds on Friday, as they committed 4 errors and lost 5-2.  Tyler Mahle got the start, tossing 5 innings of 2-hit ball, giving up 1 unearned run, with 3 strikeouts and a walk.  Five of the Reds 8 hits were doubles, but they left 9 on base.  Oh, and the center fielder for the Royals is named Amalani Fukofuka, which is pretty cool.  The Reds bested their error total on Saturday, committing 5 in a 9-7 loss to the Bear Fetuses.  Aristides Aquino went 2-5 with a double in his final AZL game, while Logan Uxa drove in 3, going 2-3 with a double and a pair of walks.  The Baby Reds fell 7-4 to the Baby Dads on Sunday.  Jeremy Kivel tossed 3.1 innings of 4-hit, 2-run ball, striking out 5 and walking 3.  Up Next: OFF DAY