The minor league season is three weeks old and there have been some surprises. Admittedly, with the season so young it is not surprising that there are surprises. The pitchers started off with a bit of a head start that is not unusual. The hitters are now starting to hit their stride and put up some numbers.
For example, Andy Pages (pronounced Paw-hayes) with the Loons has struck out 21 times in 63 at-bats but only three times in his last 17 at-bats. After homering for the first time of the season Thursday night, Pages made it back-to-back nights with a two-run pop in the fifth. The Dodgers’ 20-year-old prospect is riding a 13-game on-base streak. Within that span, Pages’ batting average has also moved from .083 to a .222. Other hitters such as third baseman Miguel Vargas and shortstop Leonel Valera have also broken loose. Up to this point outfielder, Ryan Ward had been the Loon’s most consistent hitter.
Who knew that 22-year-old right-hander Jose Martinez would be the Loons most productive pitcher to date. I think AC knew. Admittedly Clayton Beeter and Bobby Miller have been limited by innings but very productive in the innings, four and five respectively. However, in 13.1 innings Martinez has posted a 1.35 ERA and 0.90 WHIP along with 10 strikeouts and two walks.
Martinez was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent out of Caracus Venezuela in 2016. In his minor league career he has posted a 2.95 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP along with 199 strikeouts and 50 walks.
Who knew that right-hander Cameron Gibbons with the Quakes would have 18 strikeouts in eight innings while walking three? If you haven’t heard of Cameron Gibbons it is not a surprise as he a native of Melbourne, Australia, and up until this year has pitched in Australia. He is 25 years old now but has an arm that has not been overworked in his brief professional career. His age is a Darien Nunez type age as Nunez had pitched with the then Low-A Loons as a 25-year-old in 2018. Nunez at that time also had an impressive K/BB ratio which might be expected for both hurlers being a bit old for the league. It will be interesting to see how soon Gibbons heads to High-A ball.
Who knew that right-hander Justin Hagenman would be the high man in innings pitched for a reliever with the Drillers thus far? He is one of those guys that one would think could not make it in professional baseball. That is a Zach McKinstry type who just does not give up or in.
I wrote this back in back in July of 2019.
“My main candidate and a candidate for the riser list is right-hander Justin Hagenman (22) – 23 rd round 2018 – who has been arguably the Loons best relief pitcher this year. He has appeared in 20 games over 45.1 innings pitched and posted a 1.79 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP and a BAA of .178. He has 4 appearances in which he pitched 4 or more innings. His others have ranged from 2 innings to one hitter which he struck out with the bases loaded. In his last 10 games, he has allowed 2 earned runs in 27 innings pitched for a 0.67 ERA and a 0.59 WHIP. He struck out 26 and walked 4.”
Hagenman, now 24, is not a closer type, or at least it seems so, but he is versatile being able to pitch to one hitter or go two or more innings. He has pitched 11.2 innings over six appearances. In an early appearance he gave up four runs but one run in his other 10.1 innings. His WHIP is 0.90 and he has struck out 18 while walking one.
Who knew that right-hander Phil Bickford – picked off waivers by the Dodgers from the Brewers in early May – would be a staple in the OKC Dodgers pen. He gave up three runs in his first two appearances but in his last three appearances over 3.1 innings he has allowed one hit while striking out eight and walking none. One the season with OKC his K/BB ratio is 12/0.
The 25-year-old Bickford was originally selected by the San Francisco Giants in the first round (18th overall) of the 2015 Draft out of the College of Southern Nevada.
Who knew that right-hander Nate Jones, 35, would make an appearance with the Dodgers on Friday, retiring all five batters he faced. He signed a free-agent contract with the Dodgers on May 14 after being designated for assignment by the Braves. With the Braves in 2021 he had given up two earned runs over 7.2 innings pitched until his last Braves appearance on April 29 in which he gave up two earned runs over two innings. His big issue with the Braves was the base-on-balls.
“Jones was once an excellent setup man with the White Sox but has struggled to stay on the field and put up lackluster results when healthy in recent seasons. In parts of eight seasons with the Chisox, he pitched to a 3.12 ERA over 291 1/3 innings. Whether he can ever reclaim that form remains to be seen, but Jones came out of the gates in 2021 with a still-very-healthy 95.8 mph average velocity on his heater.”
Who knew that Darien Nunez, 28, would leapfrog from Advanced-A in 2019 to AAA in Oklahoma City in 2021. It appears that Duke( not Snider) knew. On the season Nunez has pitched 8.1 innings with no earned runs, one hit, 12 strikeouts, and two walks. Perhaps we had paid too much attention to his age and not enough attention to his production. Perhaps it was the level at which he was playing that caused us to pass over Darien Nunez.
As Mark pointed out he played four years in Cuba before making his way to the United States and losing three playing seasons on that trek. His journey of almost three years took him through Guyana, Haiti and the Dominican Republic to the United States.
“The Dodgers’ very own Darien Núñez, a left-handed pitching prospect for the Oklahoma City Dodgers, has been named Triple-A West Player of the Week award for the week of May 10th-16th after a stretch of two appearances that saw the young pitcher strike out 11 across 6 innings of work. The 28-year-old prospect was signed as an international free agent out of Cuba in 2018 and has put together a total 1.96 ERA across 78 IP (127 Ks) through all levels of the Dodgers MiLB system. In the 2021 season, Núñez has allowed no earned runs across 4 appearances through the 2021 season.”
Who knew?
Who Knew?
Dodgers Minor League Report
Copied Straight From MiLB Website (less work – more detail):
Oklahoma City Dodgers
Albuquerque – 7 OKC Dodgers – 6
Saturday, May 22, 2021 – Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park – Albuquerque, N.M.
Game Summary: The Albuquerque Isotopes and Oklahoma City Dodgers traded offensive blows early in a game played in gusting winds all night long before the Isotopes came away with a 7-6 win Saturday. The Isotopes (4-11) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning before the Dodgers (4-11) responded with five runs of their own in the second inning. After Albuquerque tied the game in the bottom of the second inning, the Dodgers went back in front, 6-5, in the third inning. Greg Bird homered in the fourth inning for Albuquerque and the game stayed tied at 6-6 until the eighth inning, when the Isotopes pushed across the go-ahead run on a bases loaded walk.
Of Note:
-The teams combined for 13 runs, 21 hits and 18 walks while leaving 27 runners on base. There were 32 at-bats with runners in scoring position throughout the night (16 each), and each team used seven pitchers. The Isotopes left the bases loaded four times, and the Dodgers left the bases loaded twice. The game was completed in 3 hours, 44 minutes.
-The Dodgers scored five runs in the second inning for the team’s second-highest scoring inning of the season. Four different players hit a double during the rally: Rangel Ravelo, Andy Burns (RBI), Clayton Daniel (2 RBI) and Omar Estévez (2 RBI). Prior to Saturday, the team had not hit more than three doubles in a game.
-One night after drawing a season-high 11 walks, the Dodgers pitching staff allowed a season-high 11 walks. The OKC offense drew seven walks of their own, but the Dodgers left a season-high 12 runners on base.
-The Dodgers outhit the Isotopes, 11-10, but lost for the first time this season when outhitting their opponent. Ravelo led the way with three hits, and Estévez and Elliot Soto each collected two hits.
-Zach McKinstry came off the bench to play in the second game of his rehab assignment, entering the game in the bottom of the sixth at second base. He went 0-2 at the plate with a groundout and a strikeout.
-Cody Bellinger did not play, as it was a scheduled off day for the former NL MVP during the early stages of his rehab assignment. Bellinger is expected to be back in the lineup tomorrow.
What’s Next: The Dodgers and Isotopes return to action Sunday afternoon beginning at 2:35 p.m. Central time, with pitcher Tony Gonsolin scheduled to start and begin a Major League Rehab Assignment. Live radio coverage of each OKC Dodgers game begins 15 minutes before first pitch on AM 1340 “The Game,” 1340thegame.com and through the free iHeartRadio or MiLB First Pitch apps. All OKC Dodgers games are also available streamed live on MiLB.TV with a subscription.
Tulsa Drillers
The Tulsa Drillers entered Saturday’s game against Wichita with wins in seven of their past eight games. The successful streak disguised recent offensive struggles for the Drillers, and that slump continued on Saturday. Tulsa produced only three hits and fell to the Wind Surge 5-1 at ONEOK Field.
Offensively, the game began promisingly for the Drillers. After starting pitcher Andre Jackson set Wichita down in order in the top of the first inning, Tulsa’s first batter of the game, Jacob Amaya, hit his third home run of the season.
The Wind Surge answered in the top of the second. Mark Contreras singled on the first pitch of the inning, moved to second on a balk by Jackson and scored on a base hit from Jermaine Palacios.
Three singles off Jackson in the fourth inning gave the Wind Surge a second run and a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.
They added to their lead in the sixth against Drillers reliever Hunter Speer. The Wind Surge opened the inning with four straight hits and plated three more runs to increase the margin to 5-1.
After Amaya’s homer, Tulsa did not get another hit until Kody Hoese’s one-out double in the bottom of the seventh. A leadoff single by Michael Busch in the bottom of the ninth accounted for the club’s third and final hit in the game.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
*It was the fourth time in five games this series that Tulsa had been held to five hits or less. In those five games, the Drillers have totaled just 23 hits and are hitting only .158 as a team. In addition, they have struck out at least ten times in four of the games.
*Jackson worked four complete innings and was charged with the first two runs. He gave up four hits and one walk while striking out five. Jackson was charged with the loss, his first decision of the season.
*Wichita starting pitcher Chris Vallimont made his Double-A debut a successful one. The right-hander fell one out short of working five innings and receiving credit for the deserved win. Amaya’s homer was the only hit he surrendered in his 4.2 innings, and he totaled eight strikeouts.
*Hoese’s seventh-inning double was his only hit in the game, but the third baseman twice hit drives that were home run distance, but both curled foul down the left field line.
*Tulsa relievers Justin Bruihl and Nick Robertson combined for 3.1 shutout innings to close out the game.
*The game was the fifth, limited-capacity sellout at ONEOK Field this season.
*The loss dropped the Drillers into third place in the North Division standings of the Double-A Central, just 1½ games behind first place Arkansas.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will wrap up their homestand Sunday afternoon. They will not play at ONEOK Field again until June 8 following a two-week road trip to Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas.
Wichita at Tulsa, Sunday, May 23, 1:05 PM at ONEOK Field. Wichita RHP Austin Schulfer (0-1, 11.00 ERA) versus Tulsa RHP Michael Grove (0-1, 13.50 ERA).
Great Lakes Loons
MIDLAND, Mich. – Now riding a season-best win streak of three games, the Great Lakes Loons (8-9) defeated the Lake County Captains (10-7) by a final score of 12-1. The eleven-run win was the largest margin of victory for Great Lakes this season, on top of 12 runs on 12 hits, also both season-highs. As a team, the Loons finished 6-for-15 with runners in scoring position on the night, plating eight of their 12 runs in the first two innings.
Shortstop Leonel Valera battered the first GL grand slam of the season with two out in the first inning to straightaway center, the 29th in Loons’ franchise history. Valera hit a grand slam in 2019, also coming in a Loons’ uniform. After Ryan January led off the second with his first homerun of the year, Joe Vranesh hit his second homer of the season on a three-run blast. Both Valera and Vranesh finished with a season-high four runs batted in. Vranesh’s OPS now sits at a team-best .939. Vranesh is now 7-for-17 in the Lake County series.
Kevin Malisheski (W, 1-0) struck out two batters in his two innings, surrendering no runs. Left-handed starter Robinson Ortiz abruptly walked off the field with an apparent arm injury with two outs in the fourth, not allowing a run. Great Lakes roughed up the Captains’ Matt Turner (L, 0-2) with eight runs in four innings, responsible for only four. An error continued the bottom of the first, allowing Valera’s grand slam. Great Lakes’ pitchers held Lake County to three hits, finishing 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
Andy Pages doubled twice, en route to a 2-for-3 night, walking once and scoring all three times. 2019 returner Luke Heyer got on the board with a double, his first hit of the season. January followed up his solo shot with a two-out, three-RBI double in the fifth.
After surrendering the first two games of the series to Lake County on Tuesday and Wednesday, Great Lakes puts themselves in a position to take the series with Sunday’s finale. Dodger second-rounder Clayton Beeter (4 IP, 0 ER) is scheduled to make his fifth start of the season for Great Lakes, while Lake County sends a fellow righthander in Mason Hickman (8.2, 3.32 ERA) to the mound.
Kids eat free and run the bases after every game at Dow Diamond this year, presented by Serra Toyota of Saginaw. Sunday is also STEM Day at the ballpark presented by the Midland Center of the Arts, a kids-focused day with science, technology, math and engineering. First pitch of the series finale is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. EDT, with live radio coverage beginning at 12:35 p.m. EDT on ESPN 100.9 FM with the Loons-On Deck Circle, built by Three Rivers.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
he Quakes continued to click at a high level on Saturday night, as they dropped the Storm for a fourth time in five games, defeating Lake Elsinore by a final of 9-3 at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore.
Jorbit Vivas and Sauryn Lao each had two hits and combined for three RBIs, while Jacob Cantleberry and a slew of Rancho relievers held the Storm to just one hit over the final five innings of Saturday’s game.
Cantleberry (3-0) allowed just one hit over 2.2 innings in earning the win in relief.
Tied at 3-3 in the fifth, the Quakes exploded for four runs against Storm reliever Miguel Rondon (1-1). Alex De Jesus had the go-ahead hit, an RBI double, putting Rancho up 4-3. Vivas followed with his second run-scoring hit of the night, singling home De Jesus to make it 5-3. Three batters later, Eddys Leonard recorded the back-breaker, a two-run single to make it 7-3.
Rancho added two more in the seventh, as Marco Hernandez singled home a run while another scored on an error, giving the Quakes a commanding 9-3 advantage.
With the win, the Quakes (8-8) are back to .500 and take over first place in the South Division from the Storm (8-9), who have lost nine of their last 12, after starting the year with five straight wins.
Sunday’s series-finale begins at 4:05pm and features Quakes’ right-hander Robbie Peto (0-1) taking on Storm lefty Noel Vela (0-1).
The game can be heard live on Sunda afternoon, with the pregame show starting at 6:20pm with Mike Lindskog. To listen live, visit our website at rcquakes.com and click the Listen Live button, open the iheart radio app and find the RC Quakes Radio channel or on the tune-in radio app, by searching keyword Quakes. Have Amazon Alexa or a Google Home, you can use voice command to get the Quakes too, by enabling the Alexa and Google Skills for both iHeart Radio and Tune-In Radio.
Next Tuesday, the Quakes return to LoanMart Field, as they host the Stockton Ports in the opening game of a six-game home stand. First pitch is set for 6:30pm and limited tickets are available for at rcquakes.com. We hope to see you at LoanMart Field very soon!
Discussion (28)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I will not watch Houston. Fuck all of them forever.
Uceta had a bad day in a mop up game. Big freaking deal. I didn’t see it because I lost interest because I knew that the game was in the bag. I predicted a blowout against a Journeyman pitcher that was throwing way over his head. The Dodgers are sharks and they smelled chum in the water early.
There’s absolutely nothing to be upset about a big time ass beating sweep of our biggest rivals, from two games behind to one ahead, in their own yard while playing with our split squad lineup.
Today is a great day to be a Dodgers fan.
A well deserved day off tomorrow before we play the cheaters and then San Francisco again, at home this time. Belli and McKinstry both had hits today. I sure hope they’re ready for prime time this weekend.
Anyone know anything about Jesus Vargas?
Saw this nice tidbit about Urias:
He is the 6th-youngest Dodger on the 40-man roster and 5th-longest-tenured member of the organization
Bottom Line: 3 game SWEEP of the SF Gnats. As the great one used to say ” HOW SWEET IT IS”!!!!!!!!!!!! We knocked them out of 1st, I don’t think they will be back.
You folks are a riot. You’re the same ones who were ready to throw Peters to the wolves three days ago. Then he has a couple of decent games and someone gets upset that he wasn’t in the original lineup against a right hander.
Now you’re having a problem with Uceta and Santana. Next time out one of them has a good inning and you’ll be ready to drive them personally to Cooperstown.
Why don’t you just celebrate the fact that we’re 11-1 with half our roster on the IL. And be glad you aren’t a Giants fan. By the time this is over they’ll finish 10 games out of first.
Tony Gonsolin looked great in his first rehab assignment today, tossing three scoreless innings while allowing just one hit, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). He’ll start again in another five days in the hopes of soon joining the Dodgers’ rotation. Though Gonsolin started the season in the bullpen, Dustin May’s injury has opened up a rotation spot.
Are you watching g the same Dennis Santana everyone else is?
Dude is a hot mess, two of his outs were balls hit in excess of 106 MPH. No Bueno!
If I never see Uceta and Santana pitch in a big league game I’ll be a very happy fan. Convince me I should think otherwise.
We keep trotting these minor leaguers out there and an 11 run lead is not safe. The bullpen is very shaky. With doc at the helm it is worse!!
Belli hit a bomb today!
I think I’ve seen enough of Uceta for this year
Julio ran outta’ gas!
Uceta needs to learn how to pitch!
It’s 1-1 in bottom of 6th up in Seattle. Lets go Seattle!
Will Roberts let Julio close out the no hitter?!!!!
Gavin Lux: I hereby anoint you the Dodger shortstop of the future.
So you’re walking Peter’s to get to Julio. Thank you!
Dear Giants, you ain’t playing the Reds today .
DODGERS RECALL RHP PHIL BICKFORD
JIMMY NELSON PLACED ON IL
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled right-handed pitcher Phil Bickford from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed right-handed pitcher Jimmy Nelson on the 10-day injured list with right forearm inflammation, retroactive May 21.
Bickford, 25, was claimed by the Dodgers on May 3 and has appeared in five games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, posting a 1-0 record with a 5.40 ERA (3 ER/5.0 IP) and 12 strikeouts. He has appeared in two Major League games in his career, allowing six runs on six hits in 2.0 innings with the Brewers (2020-21). The right-hander was originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round (18th overall) of the 2015 First Year Player Draft out of the College of Southern Nevada. The former Oaks Christian High School standout has posted an 12-8 record with a 3.03 ERA (78 ER/231.2 IP) and 289 strikeouts in six minor league seasons.
Nelson, 31, has appeared in 16 games for the Dodgers, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.41 ERA (5 ER/18.2 IP) and 30 strikeouts. He made his lone start of the season for the Dodgers on May 16, going 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball against the Marlins and has not allowed a run in his last seven appearances (9.1 IP). He is in his seventh Major League season and is a combined 34-47 with a 4.17 ERA (302 ER/652.0 IP) in 135 games (108 starts).
Who knows how long that shoulder has been bothering Mookie. Nothing a little surgery couldn’t cure.
Nelson’s problem is forearm inflammation. When someone goes on the IL with a forearm problem that usually is not a good sign. Oh well, we have Bickford and Jones.
Dodgerram got his wish. Peters replaces Mookie in the lineup.
Uceta – Long man, Price – Long man, Santana – Long man. I’m wondering if Nelson is a phantom IL stint to build up as a Starter to prepare for the next unfortunate event.
Mookie has a sore shoulder so he sits.
Nelson to IL.
Peters Out of the lineup. I Do Not get Roberts . Sorry, but IMHO he just has No feel for the Game and Human Psyche.
Go Dodgers!
It’s a beautiful day after taking the first two in their yard and Julio on the hill going for the sweep! The lineup looks pretty normal, no real headscratchers going up against an unremarkable journeyman who’s off to a hot start. Mediocre righties often serve as chum to the sharks in the Dodgers lineup. Hopefully scoring will be early and often. A nice blowout would be the cherry on top.
Things are starting to get back to normal. Belli, Zmack and Graterol are all close to coming back. Doc’s update on The Cat Man, was somewhat puzzling saying he’s going to throw two innings then go on an every five day schedule. I thought he was further along. Just wishful thinking and optimism? I’m dreading more bullpen games. They’re like Russian Roulette. Sure, you come out on top most of the time. But, the time that you don’t is disastrous.
Planning on returning the Tux to the rental place around an hour before game time so I can listen to the pregame show unimpeded by house guests and their many distractions. Life returns to normal after the weekend and we’re just a week away from the unofficial start of summer and the second best of the 3 big summer holidays!
I feel like a weight is lifted and I can breathe a sigh of relief. The wedding is done and the Dodgers are just about to fly back to their perch on top of the NL West.
Brooms today!
Welcome back DC. Love those detailed minor league updates. Who do you see most likely making the jump to the big club in 2022? How do the Giants feel after yesterday? No Seager, no Belli, no Betts, no Pollock and no Smith. No problem!
Nice to hear from you DC. I love the MiLB reports.
* Hey STB, good call on Peters. Does this mean since Mark is off the hook, you’re buying the beer?
* Sweet turn started by JT bottom 4. Muncy is not that bad at 2nd. Did I just disrespect him before or has he gotten that much better defensively? He’s a + defender at 1st now and fine at 2nd.
* This rotation is so fun when clicking. Striker did an awesome job getting out of the 7th. Still at 97 mph at 100 pitches. His only extended inning.
* That was the best balls and strikes game I’ve seen this year. Plate umpire Ramon De Jesus was outstanding.
* Tell me my eyes didn’t deceive me. My god, did I see a safety squeeze to score an insurance run? What brought that on?
Where is cartaya, Diaz, Rodriguez, galiz?
Long time no hear DC! It’s nice to get some minor league updates. Thanks for all the great info!
DC…..just curious… What is the difference in skill level between High A (Great Lakes) and Low A (Rancho Cucamonga) and do you know why the two were switched this year?