For the second day in a row, Eugene hit a grand slam, this one from Aeverson Arteaga, although this time it wasn’t enough to get a win.  And in Sacramento, one of the more unique reasons to end a game early.

AAA: Reno 10, Sacramento 5 (6 Innings)

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Sacramento Notes:

  • A Sacramento comeback attempt was blunted into a blowout, but this game might be more notable for how it ended.  Down 6-3 going into the 6th inning, Sacramento got to within a run with a 2-run home run by Matt Beaty, but Reno responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning.  And after that, it wasn’t just Reno showering the Cats with runs, but it actually began to hail (pretty heavily), ending up with the game suspended and then ended early.
  • Matt Beaty’s home run was his fourth of the season, as he went 2-for-3.  That gives Beaty two of his four home runs in the altitude of Reno.  Before this series, he hadn’t had a home run since April 27th.  Beaty is 5-for-12 (.417) in his last three games.
  • Infielder Isan Díaz finally made his return after missing the start of the season with an undisclosed injury, and it was a big return.  Díaz was 2-for-3 in his first game back with a home run.  Hopefully, he can get back to the player who hit 23 home runs in 83 games for Sacramento in 2022.
  • Luis Matos was also 2-for-3, and had a double, his second in Sacramento.  That gives Matos nine doubles on the year in total between Double-A and Triple-A, along with two triples (all in Triple-A) and three home runs (all in Double-A).  He’s batting .409/.435/.682 in five games at Sacramento.
  • Reliever Joey Marciano got the Opener role, and he struggled a bit, allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings.  It’s been a rough season for Marciano, as he now has a 7.52 ERA after 15 games, with 24 strikeouts to 23 walks in 20.1 innings.
  • Nick Swiney had some struggles in relief, though he didn’t help himself, and neither did his bullpen mate.  He allowed three runs, one earned, hurt by an errant throw on a sacrifice bunt. After a double knocked in two runs, Swiney later got some help with a double play by Shane Matheny in left, nailing a runner trying to go to third.  But after being lifted, reliever Jorge Guzman gave up a home run immediately, putting another run on Swiney’s record.  Swiney has a 4.76 ERA after three games in Sacramento.

AA: Richmond 5, Akron 3

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Richmond Notes:

  • Richmond prevailed with an 8th inning rally.  After losing the lead in the top of the 8th on an error, the Squirrels went nearly back-to-back-to-back with home runs in the bottom of the 8th, with Marco Luciano, Carter Aldrete, and Andy Thomas each hitting solo shots to give Richmond a 5-3 win.  (There was one out between Luciano and Aldrete’s, so it wasn’t quite three in a row.)
  • Shortstop Marco Luciano went 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, and also got his first steal.  It was rarer for Luciano to get that single, as it’s just his second of the season.  He’s 9-for-51 (.176) but has three doubles and four home runs.  Luciano had no steals at all in 2022.  In his career over parts of four seasons, he has 16 steals out of 27 attempts.
  • Carter Aldrete hit his sixth home run of the season, going 1-for-4.  It’s Aldrete’s third home run in the last five games.  On the year, he’s batting .266/.333/.468 after 35 games, with seven doubles and six home runs.
  • Andy Thomas was DH, going 2-for-4 with his third round tripper of the season.  Thomas has been bouncing on either side of the Mendoza Line, and this game got him over it, now at .204.  He’s got 22 walks to 34 strikeouts in 32 games, leading to a .344 on-base percentage.
  • Starter Mason Black gave up two runs in 4.0 innings, on three hits and a walk, with five strikeouts.  He’s got a 4.60 ERA with 39 strikeouts to 10 walks in 29.1 innings.
  • Reliever Randy Rodriguez gave up an unearned run without giving up a hit, but he did walk four while striking out five.  Rodriguez has 31 strikeouts to 16 walks in 22.2 innings.
  • Raymond Burgos cleaned things up, going 1.1 scoreless innings, with one hit and two walks allowed, with a pair of strikeouts.  After 13 games, Burgos has a 0.96 ERA with a .209 batting average allowed.  He has 17 strikeouts to 10 walks in 18.2 innings.

High-A: Hillsboro 6, Eugene 5

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Eugene Notes:

  • A grand slam was not enough for Eugene in this one.  Aeverson Arteaga hit the slam in the 6th inning, tying the game at 4, and would take the lead in the 8th with a single run.  But the Emeralds gave up a 2-run home run in the 9th to lose the game.
  • Aeverson Arteaga had a great game, going 1-for-2 with two walks and a grand slam for his fourth home run of the year.  It was Eugene’s second grand slam in as many days (McCray had one yesterday), and Arteaga’s second straight game with a home run.  He has a batting line of .206/.302/.383.
  • Grant McCray may not have had a home run, but he went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, but also was caught stealing once.  McCray now has seven home runs, two triples, and five doubles after 36 games in Eugene.
  • Starter Seth Lonsway gave up four runs, three earned, in 4.0 innings, with three hits and two walks, with a strikeout.  Lonsway has a 6.11 ERA after eight games, with 23 strikeouts to 14 walks in 28.0 innings.
  • Reliever Brett Standlee went a scoreless inning, allowing just one walk and not striking out anyone.  He has 22 strikeouts to four walks in 17.2 innings.

Low-A: Stockton 12, San Jose 10 (12 Innings)

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San Jose Notes:

  • San Jose lost an extra-innings shootout with Stockton.  San Jose had three home runs to Stockton having just two, but one of Stockton’s was a 12th-inning, walkoff 3-run home run that sent San Jose home.
  • Carter Howell led the team in hitting in multiple ways, as the leadoff hitter led off the game with a home run, and had more hits than anyone else on the team, going 4-for-7 with two strikeouts, and also stole a base.  It was Howell’s second homer this year.  Howell is batting .329/.399/.452 with seven doubles, three triples, and two home runs, with 17 walks to 38 strikeouts in 34 games.
  • First baseman Andrew Kachel went 3-for-5 with a walk, a strikeout, and his second home run of the season.  Kachel now has 12 doubles to two home runs in 28 games, for a batting line of .303/.387/.468.
  • Left fielder Matt Higgins went 2-for-5 with his own home run, and two walks.  That’s six home runs for Higgins, to go with eight doubes and a triple.  Higgins has a great batting line of .313/.404/.522.
  • Starting pitcher Gerelmi Maldonado struck out a season-high six in 4.0 innings, but gave up three runs on three hits and no walks, with a home run as one of those hits.  Maldonado has a 5.63 ERA after eight games, with 26 strikeouts to 22 walks in 24.0 innings.
  • Reliever William Kempner struck out one in an inning without allowing a baserunner.  It chipped his ERA down to 4.50, and he has 23 strike outs to 13 walks in 22.0 innings.

I’ll be leaving in the morning for Eugene, Oregon, to check out a series of the Emeralds.  I look forward to bringing you all some photos and more in-depth opinions this week.