San Jose just exploded all over Stockton, as they pounded out 16 home runs in a blowout win.  And that’s not all for the home runs, as both Sacramento and Richmond had players with two home runs in their games.

AAA: Sacramento 7, Reno 3

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Sacramento Notes:

  • A big day for Clint Coulter highlighted a big River Cats win over Reno.  Coulter had a 2-run home run in the 4th and a 2-run home run in the 6th to pace a 7-4 win for the Cats.  That was enough as Sean Hjelle led a strong day for the pitching staff in the mountains. 
  • Clint Coulter tripled his home run total on the season, going from one to three, with his two home runs on a 2-for-5 day.  His only other home run of the season came back on April 7th.  The home runs mean that Coulter’s slugging percentage (.379) is higher than his OBP (373) for the first time since April 30th.  He’s batting .250 on the season.
  • Also getting a round-tripper was David Villar, playing at second base, going 1-for-5 and picking up an error.  In three games since returning to Sacramento, Villar is 2-for-11, both of those hits being home runs, with three walks to three strikeouts.
  • The leading hitter for the Cats was the leadoff hitter, Luis Matos, going 3-for-5 with a triple, his first at either level.  Matos is now 5-for-14 (.357) after three games in Sacramento, with a double and a triple.
  • The team’s last remaining catcher (for now), Ricardo Genovés, was 2-for-4.  He has a 5-game hitting streak, and is 6-for-19 (.316) over that streak with two doubles.
  • Starting pitcher had his roughest game in four back at Sacramento, but that still mean just two runs were allowed in 5.0 innings, in five hits and one walk, with four strikeouts.  Over 15.0 innings, Hjelle has a 1.80 ERA, with nine strikeouts with two walks in 15.0 innings.
  • Reliever Nick Avila went 1.1 innings scoreless, with a hit and a walk with a strikeout.  Avila’s May has been an improvement, with ten strikeouts to five walks in 9.2 innings.  In April, he had just six strikeouts to eight walks in 13.0 innings.
  • Erik Miller allowed just one walk in 2.0 innings, without allowing any hits or getting any strikeouts.  In six games at Sacramento, Miller has a 3.86 ERA with nine strikeouts to four walks in 9.1 innings.  Before his promotion, he had a 0.87 ERA with 15 strikeouts to four walks in 10.1 innings.

AA: Akron 11, Richmond 9

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Richmond Notes:

  • The bullpen faltered for Richmond as they gave up six runs in the final two innings to turn a 7-5 lead into an 11-9 loss.  That overcame a day in which the team had three home runs, including two by Riley Mahan in the final three innings.
  • It was first baseman Riley Mahan’s day, as he was 2-for-5 with two home runs, with a 2-run home run in the 7th and a solo shot in the 9th.  That gives Mahan six home runs on the season, and he’s halfway to his career high 12 that he had across 70 games in 2022 from Low-A to Double-A.
  • Left fielder Carter Aldrete also knocked in three runs, going 2-for-5 with a home run and a double.  With that, through 33 games, Aldrete has six doubles and five home runs, with 12 walks to 30 strikeouts.  Aldrete’s batting line is .267/.338/.448.
  • Right fielder Carter Williams led the team in hits, going 3-for-5 with three singles and two strikeouts.  It’s his first 3-hit game of the season, and raised his batting average from .203 to .234.  
  • Starter Landen Roupp had an effective two innings, not allowing a baserunner and striking out two.  Roupp’s season started late, and in his three starts, he’s gone 2.0 innings each time, with just two hits and two walks allowed to 10 strikeouts.
  • In the piggyback role, Carson Seymour struggled but was victimized by errors, as he allowed five runs, just one earned, on four hits, a walk, and a HBP in 3.2 innings.  Seymour still struck out five.  Seymour has a 3.34 ERA through 29.2 innings, with just 11 of the 17 runs he’s allowed having been earned.
  • Wil Jensen didn’t allow any runs in his 2.0 relief innings, allowing three hits and a walk versus three strikeouts.  Jensen has 25 strikeouts to 13 walks in 23.2 innings this season.

High-A: Hillsboro 5, Eugene 3 (10 Innings)

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Eugene Notes:

  • Eugene lost a back-and-forth affair with the Hops in extras.  Eugene jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the first on a sacrifice fly, but Hillsboro tied it up in the second.  The Hops then scored two runs in the 4th to take a 3-1 lead.  In the 6th inning, Eugene tied it up on an Arteaga RBI double and a run coming in with a wild pitch.  It stayed tied until the 10th, when a 2-run single gave Hillsboro the lead and eventual win.
  • Left fielder Jared Dupere was 2-for-4 with his seventh double and a walk.  Dupere now has seven doubles to four home runs in 32 games, but has just 11 walks to 59 strikeouts.
  • Catcher Adrian Sugastey was also 2-for-4 with a walk, with a pair of singles and a strikeout.  Sugastey now has a 6-game hitting streak, and four straight multi-hit games.  He’s 11-for-25 (.440) with three doubles and a home run over that streak, with his batting average having jumped up from .250 to .297 over the span.
  • Shortstop Aeverson Arteaga, going 1-for-5 with a walk and a double, his ninth of the season.  He now has nine doubles, two triples, and two home runs in 33 games, with a .194/.288/.336 batting line.
  • Center fielder Grant McCray was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, but had three walks, leading to two stolen bases.  McCray has a .207 batting average with 18 walks to 56 strikeouts, and 15 steals on 18 attempts.
  • Ty Weber returned from a stint in Sacramento, and went 3.1 innings, scoring three runs on five hits, no walks, and a HBP, with two strikeouts.  Weber now has a 5.87 ERA in seven games at High-A.  Weber made two appearances in Sacramento, where he had a 1.80 ERA over five games.
  • Reliever José Cruz struck out four while walking one in 1.2 innings.  Cruz now has 17 strikeouts to six walks in 12.1 innings, with just six hits allowed.
  • And I love defense, but the best catch of the night might’ve been by the Eugene ballgirl, catching an errant bat as it deflected off the protective netting.

Low-A: San Jose 14, Stockton 4

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San Jose Notes:

  • Well, this was an absolute blowout, with San Jose hitting six home runs in the first four innings and absolutely blowing the Ports out of the water.  They were up 9-0 after two innings, and were up 13-0 before Stockton finally got on the board with four runs in the 5th.
  • Matt Higgins was the leader of this game, going 4-for-6 with a pair of home runs, giving him five on the season.  The undrafted free agent now has a batting line of .315/.399/.500 with six doubles, a triple, and five home runs.
  • P.J. Hilson was 3-for-4 with his second home run of the season and a walk.  It’s the first 3-hit game for Hilson this season in 11 games, as he’s 10-for-38 (.263), with his two home runs being his only extra-base hits so far this season.
  • Thomas Gavello hit his seventh home run of the season, going 1-for-4 with a walk.  Gavello’s batting average slipped under .300 with this game, but his batting line is still .299/457/.598.
  • Jose Ramos hit his first home run of the season, on a 1-for-5 day.  Ramos is batting just .219 on the season, but has ten doubles, two triples, and one home run in 34 games.  
  • As catcher, Zach Morgan hit his second home run of the year, going 3-for-4 with a walk.  Through 23 games, Morgan has a batting line of .221/.392/.351 with four doubles and two home runs, and 23 walks to 17 strikeouts.
  • While Carter Howell missed out on the home run trend, he was 3-for-6 with two doubles and a triple.  Howell now has seven doubles, three triples, and one home run with a batting line of .317/.394/.430 through 32 games this season.
  • Starter Hayden Birdsong gave the team four shutout innings, striking out six, with a hit, two walks, and a HBP allowed.  The 6th round pick has a 1.65 ERA through eight games, with 45 strikeouts to 14 walks in 27.1 innings.
  • Reliever Dylan Cumming went 2.1 shutout innings, allowing four hits and one HBP, with no walks and three strikeouts.  Cumming has allowed 27 hits in 22.2 innings, for a .318 average allowed, but still has just a 2.78 ERA with eight walks to 21 strikeouts.
  • Luis Moreno also went 2.1 shutout innings, allowing three hits and one walk, while striking out five.  That’s two games without allowing a run for Moreno after his late start, and now has seven strikeouts to one walk in 4.2 innings.