Marco Luciano finally got his first hit of the season, and it was a big, big fly to get him on the hit sheet.  In addition, Matt Higgins had a 4-hit night in San Jose, and Tyler Fitzgerald got some big news.

NEWS

One bit of news before we get into the notes.  Tyler Fitzgerald, recently promoted to Triple-A, got a bit of big news, named as the Eastern League Player of the Month for April.

AAA: Sacramento 7, Las Vegas 6

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Sacramento Notes:

  • The River Cats stole a win from Aviators after a very slow start.  Las Vegas had taken a 5-0 lead after the 4th inning, but in the bottom of the 8th, the River Cats had a 5-run inning, highlighted by a pinch-hit Matt Beaty double and a 2-run Heliot Ramos single.  Las Vegas scored one in the top of the 9th, but with the bases loaded and 2 out in the bottom half, Colton Welker hit a walkoff 2-run single for the Sacramento win.
  • Playing third, Colton Welker knocked in four runs with a 2-for-3 day with two walks, including the game winner.  Having played in just 14 games, Welker has a .308/.451/.359 batting line with two doubles, and 11 walks to just five strikeouts.
  • Shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald went 1-for-3 with two walks in his second game at Triple-A.  He’s now 2-for-8 with two walks and two strikeouts at the new level.  
  • Catcher Patrick Bailey was 2-for-5 with two strikeouts.  After three hitless games to start his Triple-A career, he’s slowly brining his average up, and is now 4-for-19 (.211) with six walks to five strikeouts.  
  • Center fielder Heliot Ramos was 1-for-5, while being caught stealing once.  After 16 games at Triple-A, Ramos is batting .279/.343/.410 with two doubles and two home runs.
  • Both of the only River Cats extra-base hits came off of the bat of the 8 spot, with one coming off of Ricardo GenovĂ©s, who was playing first base.  He was 1-for-3 with his second double of the year.  GenovĂ©s is batting .283/.393/.391 with two doubles and a home run, with eight walks to 14 strikeouts.
  • The other double came off the bat of Matt Beaty as a pinch-hitter, getting the RBI double in his only AB.  Beaty has three doubles and two home runs, and is batting .268/.388/.488 after 12 games.
  • In rehab, Darin Ruf played most of the game in his rehab, going 1-for-4 with a walk, being lifted for a pinch-runner in the 9th inning.  After two rehab games, Ruf has gone 1-for-7 (.143) with two walks and three strikeouts.
  • Starting pitcher Drew Strotman had a rough start, giving up three runs in 3.0 innings, on eight hits and a walk, with three strikeouts.  Strotman has a 5.52 ERA after five games, with ten runs, nine earned, on 12 strikeouts to seven walks in 14.2 innings.
  • Reliever Ryan Walker struck out two, walking one, in a hitless inning of work.  Walker has a 1.02 ERA after 11 games, with 18 strikeouts to six walks in 17.2 innings of work.

AA: Altoona 6, Richmond 3

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Richmond Notes:

  • A returning top prospect got his first hit of the season, and it was a big one, but in a losing effort.  Marco Luciano hit a home run to put Richmond’s first run on the board in the 3rd inning, tying the game 1-1.  However, Altoona scored four runs in the 4th inning, to go up 5-1 and eventully win big.
  • Marco Luciano’s first hit of the season, and first in Double-A, was a home run, as he was 1-for-3 with a walk.  After two games, Luciano is 1-for-7 with the home run and two walks, but also five strikeouts.
  • Right fielder Ismael Munguia led the team in hitting, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, with a walk.  Munguia has a 6-game hit streak, going 10-for-24 (.417) four doubles and a home run.
  • Center fielder Luis Matos went 1-for-5 with a steal.  Matos is currently batting .278/.387/.367 after 22 games, with four doubles and one home run, but still has 14 walks to nine strikeouts, with five steals in six attempts.
  • Mason Black had a rough game, giving up a season high four runs in 3.1 innings, off of three hits, three walks, a HBP, and two wild pitches, while striking out two.  Black has a 5.60 ERA now after five games, with 24 strikeouts to six walks in 17.2 innings.
  • Reliever Spencer Bivens made his Double-A debut, giving up two unearned runs on three hits and two walks in 3.2 innings, with three strikeouts.  Bivens had a 3.60 ERA after six relief appearances in Eugene before his promotion, with 20 strikeouts to four walks in 15.0 innings.

High-A: Spokane 9, Eugene 4

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Eugene Notes:

  • A pair of home runs couldn’t stop Eugene from suffering a second straight loss to Spokane.  Luis Toribio and Aeverson Arteaga each had home runs, but they couldn’t outweigh the five errors that helped sink the Ems.
  • Luis Toribio hit his team-leading sixth home run, and led the Ems in hitting, going 2-for-4, but also committing two errors at third base, giving him seven errors on the season.  After 20 games, Toribio is batting .296/.393/.592 with three doubles and six home runs, with 12 walks and 25 strikeouts.
  • Meanwhile, shortstop Aeverson Arteaga hit his second home run of the season, going 1-for-4 with a strikeout, but also had his fifth error of the season.  Arteaga now has a batting line of .226/.313/.393, with six doubles, a triple, and two home runs after 21 games.
  • It was a rough game for starting pitcher Seth Lonsway, who allowed five runs, just one earned, on five hits, a walk, a HBP, and two wild pitches.  The game lowers Lonsways’s ERA to 8.44 (from 9.69).  In 16.0 innings after five games, he has struck out 11 with eight walks.
  • Reliever Hunter Dula had a scoreless inning, allowing just one walk to three strikeouts in 1.1 innings.  Dula has a 2.00 ERA after seven games, with 10 strikeouts to three walks in 9.0 innings.

Low-A: Modesto 12, San Jose 10

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San Jose Notes:

  • A couple of big innings highlighted a thrilling game between Modesto and San Jose.  With the game tied 1-1, Modesto scored eight runs in the 5th inning, followed up by San Jose scoring seven runs in the 6th, making it a 9-8 game headed to the 9th inning.  Modesto scored three runs in the top of the 9th inning, while San Jose scored two in the bottom int he 9th, but fell short as they lost,12-10.
  • Left fielder Matt Higgins led the team in hitting, going 4-for-5 with a sacrifice fly, a double, and a home run in the losing effort.  After 19 games, Higgins has a .321/.400/.487 batting line, with five doubles, one triple and two home runs, with eight walks to 19 strikeouts.
  • Center fielder Carter Howell went 3-for-5 with a walk, and picked up his fourth double    It’s Howell’s third 3-hit game of the season.  Howell has a batting line of .299/.352/.412 with four doubles two triples, and one home run, but has 29 strikeouts to seven walks in 21 games.
  • Right fielder P.J. Hilson went 2-for-5 with two singles in just his second game of the season.  Hilson is 2-for-8 on the year now, with no walks and one strikeout.
  • Shortstop Jose Ramos went 2-for-5 with his 10th double of the year.  Through 22 games, Ramos is batting .250/.343/.393 with 11 doubles to 22 strikeouts, and six steals in as many attempts.
  • Starting pitcher Gerelmi Maldonado gave up one run in 2.2 innings, on two hits, three walks, and two wild pitches with two strikeouts.  It was Maldonado’s third straight game allowing three walks.  On the season, in 15.1 innings, he has 14 walks to 14 strikeouts.
  • Reliever Daniel Blair went 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three.  After seven games, Blair has a 1.86 ERA with eight strikeouts to five walks in 9.2 innings.