Luke Wortman and Mac Lyons | June 11, 2024
The Albuquerque Isotopes struggled this week as their lineup faced difficulties in scoring runs. However, their pitching staff performed well, with notable contributions from Tanner Gordon and Noah Davis. Meanwhile, the Hartford Yard Goats showed strong performances, particularly from top prospect Adael Amador who hit three homers before he was called up. The Spokane Indians had a mixed series, highlighted by strong pitching and hitting from players like Chase Dollander and Juan Guerrero. The Fresno Grizzlies had a successful series against the Modesto Nuts, with notable performances from Braylen Wimmer and Sam Weatherly on the mound. The Colorado Rockies are loaded with talent, and each week proves that.
Table of Contents
Albuquerque Isotopes
Series Record: 1-5 | Season Record: 18-45
Notable Performers
Nolan Jones: 26 PAs, .250/.308/.458 (.766 OPS), 6 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 10 K
Julio Carreras: 15 PAs, .308/.400/.385 (.785 OPS), 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 SB
Aaron Schunk: 23 PAs, .300/.391/.450 (.841 OPS), 6 H, 2 BB, 1 K
Drew Romo: 15 PAs, .071/.133/.071 (.204 OPS), 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K
Tanner Gordon: 5.0 IP, 3.60 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 1 BB, 7 K
Noah Davis: 5.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.40 WHIP, 0 BB, 5 K
Juan Hillman: 5.0 IP, 1.80 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 2 BB, 5 K
John Curtiss: 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 1 BB, 2 K
Karl Kauffmann: 7.0 IP, 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 3 BB, 1 K
Recap
Despite their abysmal record, the ‘Topes lineup has been positive, consistently mashing against other teams. Unfortunately, they seemed to hit a rough spot this week as the lineup struggled to get things going. They only scored 2 runs in 4 of their games and were shut out in another. In a twist of ironic fate, the Isotopes pitching was actually pretty good this week. Despite the team’s struggles, players keep getting called up to the Show.
As stated above, the lineup struggled badly this week. Despite having an accomplished lineup and a rehabbing Nolan Jones, the lineup struggled to put together runs. Jones, (who is still reworking his swing), put together a solid week with the team. Infielder Julio Carreras has struggled badly throughout the season, which led to him being DFA’D, but he hit great this week. Fellow infielder Aaron Schunk has continued to make a bunch of contact against the opposition while continuing to showcase a good approach. Young catcher Drew Romo has dominated against the competition, but he has struggled a bit over the past few weeks. It’s clear Romo has a bright future, but he also needs to develop a bit more.
If there was a positive to take away from this week, it was the great pitching from the rotation. Tanner Gordon, Noah Davis, and Karl Kauffmann, and Juan Hillman all had really good starts. It’s clear by the way that he has been pitching that Davis deserves to be pitching in the Show soon. Since coming back from an injury, Tanner Gordon has been a consistent presence in the rotation. Juan Hillman has been a great pickup for the team, and he could be in the Show soon if he keeps his performance up. Unfortunately, the bullpen did not pitch as well as the pitching staff, but they received solid contributions from John Curtiss, Dugan Darnell, and others.
In terms of transactions, the team sent reliever Geoff Hartlieb, first baseman Michael Toglia, and outfielder Greg Jones to the big league club. Toglia has mashed at Albuquerque since he was demoted in April, hitting .277 with 9 home runs. Jones has missed most of the season due to injury and has hit .235 with 2 home runs with the ‘Topes. Hartlieb tossed a 5.61 era in 33.2 innings with the club this season.
Call-Up Power Rankings
- Noah Davis – RHP: 5.64 ERA | 1.52 WHIP | 30.1 IP | 35 K
- Coco Montes – INF: .332 AVG | 7 HR | 35 BB | 5 SB
- Tanner Gordon – RHP: 6.59 ERA | 1.39 WHIP | 13.2 IP | 15 K
Looking Ahead
This week the Isotopes will face off against the El Paso Chihuahuas. El Paso is an affiliate of the San Diego Padres and they have a record of 27-36 this season.
Hartford Yard Goats
Series Record: 3-3 | Season Record: 30-26
Notable Performers
Braiden Ward: 22 PAs, .444/.545.722 (1.267 OPS), 8 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K, 5 SB
Adael Amador: 21 PAs, .333/.400/.833 (1.233 OPS), 6 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 SB
Yanquiel Fernandez: 22 PAs, .278/.333/.444 (.777 OPS), 5 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K,
Ryan Ritter: 22 PAs, .263/.364/.632 (.996 OPS), 5 H, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 2 SB
Sterlin Thompson: 20 PAs, .105/.150/.105 (.255 OPS), 2 H, 1 BB, 10 K, 1 SB
Mason Albright: 10.2 IP, 3.38 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 3 BB, 6 K
Connor Van Scoyoc: 6.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 0 BB, 2K
Jaden Hill: 3.0 IP, 6.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 1 BB, 5 K
Carson Palmquist: 3.0 IP, 6.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 3 BB, 3 K
Evan Shawyer: 2.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 2 BB, 3 K
Brendan Hardy: 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 0 BB, 2 K
Recap
The Yard Goats faced off against a loaded Somerset Patriots squad and performed admirably; going 3-3 for the week. Obviously, the most famous news from the week was top prospect Adael Amador getting called up to the show. Amador has loads of potential and despite starting the season slowly, he’s been on fire the past few weeks, including hitting 3 homers this week.
Amador wasn’t the only dude who lit up the opposition as outfielder Braiden Ward hit .444 with a home run. Over the past few weeks, Ward has considerably raised his stock since being promoted from Spokane. Infielder Ryan Ritter has also been hitting great through the past few weeks and that continued as he hit .263 with 2 homers. While most of the lineup hit well, it was another week of struggles for Sterlin Thompson. Thompson has been hot and cold over the season. He’s certainly one of the better prospects in this system, but it has been somewhat concerning how he has performed this season.
The pitching staff was carried by Mason Albright, who made two starts and tossed a 3.38 era in 10 innings. Righty Connor Van Scoyoc also delivered a solid 6-inning performance. After a stint on the injured list, lefty Carson Palmquist rejoined the team but struggled in his start failing to command the ball. The bullpen also had several strong performances with Evan Shawver and Brendan Hardy combining to toss 4.1 scoreless innings. Righty Jaden Hill got hit up a bit, but he also struck out 5 in 3 innings of work.
There weren’t many transactions this week, besides the call-up of Amador. In 46 games this season, he hit .194 with 7 home runs. While he did struggle for most of the season, he still showcased good plate discipline walking 33 times and striking out 39 times. If he can hit like he has for the past few weeks, he will perform great in the show.
Call-Up Power Rankings
- Andrew Quezada: 3.10 ERA | 1.22 WHIP | 58.0 IP | 37 K
- Ryan Ritter: .291 AVG | 5 HR | 23 BB | 12 SB
- Carson Palmquist: 2.96 ERA | 1.23 WHIP | 48.2 IP | 69 K
Looking Ahead
This week the Goats will take on the Akron Rubberducks. The Rubberducks are the affiliate team of the Cleveland Guardians and they have a 33-24 record this year. The Rubberducks roster includes Chase DeLauter, the #1 prospect in the Guardians system.
Spokane Indians
Series Record : 3-3 | Season Record: 30-23
Notable Performers (Series Stats)
Kyle Karros – 28 PA, .360/.429/.520 (0.949), 9 H, 3 R, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 6 SO, 0 SB
Juan Guerrero – 27 PA, .360/.407/.640 (1.047), 9 H, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1 SB
Jake Snider – 27 PA, .381/.519/.905 (1.423), 8 H, 8 R, 9 RBI, 4 BB, 7 SO, 0 SB
Sean Sullivan – W (3-2), 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
Chase Dollander – W (2-1), 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
Connor Staine – W (2-3), 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K
Zach Agnos – 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Series Recap
The Spokane Indians returned to action at Avista Stadium for their second series of the season against the Hillsboro Hops. The Hops have proved to be a troublesome team for the Spo to beat this season, as was the case in their series last month where Spokane only managed to win one out of six games. Not much seemed to change through the first two games of the series when the Indians dropped the opener on Tuesday night by a score of 8-6 or Wednesday night when the Hops routed Spokane 11-2, but the Indians won back-to-back games 9-4 on Thursday and 8-1 on Friday behind stellar outings from Sean Sullivan and Chase Dollander. The Indians rallied back to push Saturday night’s game to extra innings, but couldn’t keep the magic alive and fell 9-6. Spokane finished the series with an 8-0 win behind yet another gem from their starting pitcher, as Connor Staine held Hillsboro’s offense in check.
On Tuesday night, Dyan Jorge kept his hitting streak alive by adding two hits, giving Jorge two hits in each of his last four games while he’s managed to get at least a hit in nine out of his last ten games, totaling 15 hits throughout his last 42 at-bats. Jorge added an RBI on Tuesday as well, but the Hops would carry a five-run lead into the eighth inning after getting to starting pitcher Victor Juarez for three runs in the third and a rough outing from Luis Amoroso in which he finished with a line of 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, and 0 K. Jake Snider would cut Hillsboro’s lead down to two after he crushed a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth, but the rally ended there.
Spokane didn’t fare much better on Wednesday night when Hillsboro poured on the runs. Starting pitcher Mason Green was chased in the fifth inning and allowed five earned runs, the highest total he’s allowed in a start so far this season en route to the 11-2 loss. Offensively, Spokane left-fielder Juan Guerrero finished 3-4 with all three hits being doubles. Guerrero would follow up his big night at the plate on Wednesday by going 4-5 and adding another double and an RBI in Thursday’s 9-4 victory, while Kyle Karros led the way with three hits and three RBI. Jake Snider would kick off Thursday’s game with another home run, his second in three games.
Sean Sullivan was stellar once again for Spokane in his start on Thursday, allowing only four hits and three runs through six innings of work, but still managed to strike out eight Hillsboro batters and walked only one, making that his fifth walk of the season. Sullivan picked up his third win after the Indians battled back from a two-run deficit with a six-run sixth inning thanks to some run support from Jesus Bugarin, Jean Perez, Kyle Karros, and Juan Guerrero. Karros would also drive in two more runs in the eighth inning to push the final to 9-4.
As is typically the case for the Indians, Chase Dollander followed Sean Sullivan by throwing a gem of his own on Friday night, leading Spokane to a 8-1 win where the righty finished with a line of 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, and 8 K. Dollander’s seven innings of dominance were the most innings he’s thrown this season and his highest pitch total as well, breaking into triple digits with 103. Spokane pitching coach Blaine Beatty has high confidence in the first-year pro and may even be giving Dollander a longer leash, even after his early struggles in the previous week’s game, his pitch total is averaging out to 97.6 over the span of his last three starts.
On the other side of the ball, third baseman Kyle Karros opened up the scoring in the first inning when he sent a towering shot out towards center field on the way to a 3-4 night at the plate, giving him two consecutive multi-hit games for the fifth time this season. A three-run third inning opened up the Indians’ lead even further. Jack Blomgren made his first appearance on his rehab assignment and drove in two runs on two sac-flys, while Cole Carrigg added a solo home run to push the score to 8-1. Zach Agnos also made his return for Spokane and picked up right where he left off after the elbow injury he sustained four weeks ago, striking out two through one inning of work.
Starting pitcher Blake Adams struggled early in Saturday’s game, allowing the first four batters to reach and giving up four runs on four hits in the first inning before settling down, allowing only five more hits and one more run for the rest of the five innings he spent on the mound. Spokane’s offense was dormant until the bottom of the ninth when Jake Snider came through in the clutch with a grand slam to knot the game at five. Snider’s bases-clearing moonshot was his only hit of the evening but brought Avista Stadium back to life. Since Snider’s promotion to High-A and his placement in the designated hitter position, Snider has four total home runs, three of which came in this series alone. However, the magic for the Indians stopped there as Carson Skipper allowed four hits and three runs in the tenth inning, but still managed to strike out two of the seven batters he faced.
The Indians capped off an excellent weekend from the mound on Sunday when Connor Staine dominated through seven innings, striking out a season-high nine batters while allowing just two hits on the way to a 6-0 shutout victory. Staine rebounded from his tough outing last week against Everett where he allowed six runs on seven hits and exited early in the third inning. The Spokane offense took over Sunday’s game in the fifth inning thanks to another grand slam, this time off the bat of Robby Martin Jr. who had been having a quiet series against the Hops, driving in only one run across 14 at-bats before the final game of the series. Kyle Karros pushed the Indians’ lead to eight in the eighth inning off of a double that scored Cole Carrigg who had himself a day at the plate, finishing 3-5. Karros’ two RBI gave him seven total this series, one short of the eight he had in the second series of the season against Tri-City.
What’s Up Next Preview
Spokane has split their last three series and will head back across the border to take on the Vancouver Canadians once again, which will mark the third series against Vancouver this season. So far, the Indians boast a 7-2 record against Vancouver but will have plenty of baseball ahead as they are set to play seven games, one of which is a makeup from the series that was rained out in late April.
Fresno Grizzlies
Series Record: 4-2 | Season Record: 33-23
Notable Performers (Series Stats)
Glenallen Hill Jr. – 25 PA, .250/.333/.400 (0.733), 5 H, 5 R, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 6 SO, 1 SB
Braylen Wimmer – 23 PA, .400/.458/.700 (1.158), 8 H, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1 SB
Felix Tena – 28 PA, .250/.345/.333 (0.678), 6 H, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0 SB
Alberto Pacheco – W (3-2), 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
Jack Mahoney – 5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
Welinton Herrera – 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Isaiah Coupet – 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Sam Weatherly – W (3-1), SV (4), 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Jace Kaminska – 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
Series Recap
The Fresno Grizzlies traveled out to John Thurman Field to take on the California League-leading Modesto Nuts. On Tuesday night, Fresno’s pitching cracked the Nuts offense, shutting them out for a 3-0 Fresno victory. Wednesday night was a different story as the Nuts broke through Fresno’s pitching staff for a 9-2 win and followed this up by stealing Thursday’s game from the Grizzlies by a score of 3-2, before Fresno stole one of their own on Friday, winning in extras by a score of 6-5. From there, it was Fresno’s series as the Grizzlies took Saturday night’s game 6-4 and hung on to win 11-6 in extras on Sunday.
Alberto Pacheco, Welinton Herrera, and Sam Weatherly dominated on Tuesday night, combining for the shutout win against the Nuts. Modesto has only been shutout in three games this season, two of which have come courtesy of the Fresno Grizzlies. Pacheco picked up the win after going 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, and 4 K, while Herrera went 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, and 2 K. Sam Weatherly earned the save, closing out the game and striking out two of the four batters he faced. Offensively, Fresno scored all of their runs in the second inning thanks to the hot bat of Glenallen Hill Jr. who knocked in two runs, along with Caleb Hobson who added another.
Fresno crept out to an early two-run lead on Wednesday but didn’t it last for long as Modesto quickly got to Grizzlies starting pitcher Bryan Perez. The righty struggled with his command through 3.2 IP where he only allowed four hits and three runs but issued five walks while still managing to fan five batters. The Nuts scored nine straight runs after Braylen Wimmer and Andy Perez added Fresno’s second-inning two-out RBIs. Wimmer would go on to finish the game 3-4, comprising three of Fresno’s five total hits in the game.
Fresno slashed open an early two-run lead on Thursday before there was even an out in the game thanks to Glenallen Hill Jr.’s two-run shot, his sixth home run of the year and fifth in the past ten games. However, Fresno and starting pitcher Austin Emener’s lead would vanish by the fourth inning en route to Emener’s third loss of the season. For Emener, the silver lining happens to be that his two earned runs were the lowest out of all three credited losses this year as the lefty continues his wait for his first win in the minor leagues.
The Grizzlies had a wild Friday night and walked away with a win as starting pitcher Jack Mahoney fanned eight through five innings of work, only allowing three runs during that time. Felix Tena drove in two runs and pushed Fresno to a two-run lead in the seventh before the Nuts rallied back to tie the game. Welinton Herrera entered the game in the ninth and corralled Modesto, striking out four batters through two total innings after Glenallen Hill Jr.’s sac-fly in the tenth brought in the winning run.
Righty McCade Brown made his return to the mound for the Grizzlies on Saturday and finished with a line of 3.0 IP 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. Grizzlies fans should remember Brown as he spent the 2022 season with Fresno, starting 18 games where he went 4-4 with an ERA of 5.22 all while touting a 31 K% and a 6 BB%. Brown underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2023 and missed the entire season. He made five appearances in the Cactus League for the Rockies at the start of the season, so Brown returning to the mound for Fresno should have plenty of people excited. After Brown’s return, Isaiah Coupet took the mound and struck out seven through four innings of work while allowing only two runs.
Braylen Wimmer led the Grizzlies offense and finished the night by going 4-5 with two RBI. Fresno wasn’t finished with the theatrics and took Saturday night’s game to extras after Darius Perry’s sac-fly in the ninth tied the game at four. Hill Jr. and Perry would both bring in runs in the tenth, while Sam Weatherly’s dominance across the eighth and ninth innings where he would strike out three batters and allow only one hit was followed by Bryson Hammer’s lights out tenth inning to secure the win.
The Grizzlies found themselves up early on Sunday as they looked to close out the series against Modesto. Fresno was helped by a four-run fourth inning where Andy Perez drove in two runs on the way to his 3-4 day at the plate. Starting pitcher Jace Kaminska didn’t give Modesto much to work with as he fanned 10 batters through his six innings of work. 10 strikeouts are the most Kaminska has thrown in a single game so far this season, surpassing the nine he had against Visalia on May 26th. Brady Hill and the Grizzlies bullpen let the Nuts back into the game and pushed the game to extras where Caleb Hobson, Hills Jr. and Wimmer would all bring in runs in what was a five-run tenth inning to seal the series win.
What’s Up Next Preview
The Fresno Grizzlies will face off against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes for the first time this season and begin a two-series, 12-game homestand at Chukchansi Park after being on the road for the past two series. During 2023, the Grizzlies finished with a 7-5 record against the Quakes, the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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