Albuquerque Isotopes 

Series Record: 4-2 | Season Record: 26-49

Notable Performers: 

Grant Lavigne: 27 PAs, .300/.481/.750 (1.231 OPS), 6 H, 3 HR, 3 RBI, 7 BB, 4 K, 1 SB

Jimmy Herron: 29 PAs, .222/.276/.444 (.720 OPS), 6 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 SB

Greg Jones: 9 PAs, .444/.444/.778 (1.222 OPS), 4 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K 

Drew Romo: 23 PAs, .238/.261/.476 (.737 OPS), 5 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K

 Coco Montes: 11 PAs, .444/.545/.778 (1.323 OPS), 4 H, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K 

Hunter Stovall: 20 PAs, .412/.474/.588 (1.062 OPS), 7 H, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SB 

Peter Lambert: 4.2 IP, 3.86 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 1 BB, 7 K 

Tanner Gordon: 6.2 IP, 1.35 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 1 BB, 5 K 

Riley Pint: 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 1 BB, 5 K 

Matt Koch: 3.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 0 BB, 4 K 

Recap: 

The series against the OKC Baseball Club got off to a great start, as the ‘Topes won 8-5. The lineup had an offensive barrage going off for 11 hits, with Coco Montes collecting 4 hits and Grant Lavigne slugging two homers. Rehabbing lefty Kyle Freeland put together a solid, 4 inning 2 run start. Reliever Seth Jones collected the win. 

Wednesday almost led to another win, but unfortunately, the Baseball Club walked the game off in the 11th inning to win 5-4. Grant Lavigne hit another home run, going 1-4 with two walks in the contest. Hunter Stovall, Jimmy Herron, and Aaron Schunk each collected two hits. Infielder Julio Carreras collected his 20th stolen base of the season. Veteran Noah Davis scuffled a bit this game, giving up 9 hits in 4.2 innings. Overall, the bullpen put together a solid performance to keep the game close.

Luckily, the Isotopes were able to bounce back the next game, winning 8-5. Righty Karl Kauffmann led the way tossing 5 innings of 2 run ball, but he did walk 5 batters. Reliever Riley Pint struck out 3 batters in 1 inning and John Curtiss collected the save. On the hitting side of things, the lineuo collected 11 hits. Hunter Stovall went 2-3 with 2 walks while outfielder Trevor Boone walked twice and hit a homerun.

However, the ‘Topes winning streak wasn’t done, as they won 4-3. The lineup collected 7 hits, with Aaron Schunk and Willie MacIver collecting two hits apiece. MacIver was especially crucial to the teams success as he hit a home run and collected two RBI’s. Peter Lambert started the game and tossed 4.2 innings of 2 run ball, while striking out 7. The bullpen did a great job, as lefty Stephen Gonsalves collecting the win, and Matt Koch got the save.

The Isotopes continued their winning streak on saturday, winning 3-1. Connor Kaiser and Greg Jones each collected two hits apiece. Jones and Romo each had a home run. Righty Tanner Gordon put together a great start, tossing 6.2 innings while only giving up 1 run. Dugan Darnell, Riley Pint, and John Curtiss combined to toss 2.1 innings of scoreless ball, with Curtiss collecting the save.

Unfortunately, the ‘Topes couldn’t close out the series with a win, as they lost 4-8. Despite the loss, the lineup collected 9 hits. Hunter Stovall and Greg Jones each collected two hits, while Drew Romo collected 3 hits and an RBI. While the pitching staff struggled a bit, lefty Ryan Rolison was finally able to return to the team, tossing a scoreless inning.

Call-Up Power Rankings:
1. Coco Montes – INF: .335 AVG | 9 HR | 37 BB | 5 SB

2. Riley Pint – RHP: 3.38 ERA | 1.56 WHIP | 16.0 IP | 31 K

3. Willie MacIver – C: .292 AVG | 7 HR | 21 BB | 3 SB

Looking Ahead: 

This week the Isotopes will square off against the Salt Lake City Bees. The Bees are the affiliate team of the Los Angeles Angels and have a 32-42 record this season.

Hartford Yard Goats

Series Record: 4-2 | Season Record: 38-30

Notable Performers:

Yanquiel Fernandez: 21 PAs, .235/.381/.471 (.852 OPS), 4 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K

Ryan Ritter: 22 PAs, .190/.227/.333 (.560 OPS), 4 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 8 K

Sterlin Thompson: 21 PAs, .105/.190/.105 (.295 OPS), 2 H, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 SB

Alec Barger: 3.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 0 BB, 7 K

Connor Van Scoyoc: 6.2 IP, 1.35 ERA, 0.45 WHIP, 0 BB, 6 K

Andrew Quezada: 6.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 0 BB, 4 K

Carson Palmquist: 4.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 2 BB, 3 K

Collin Baumgartner: 3.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0 BB, 4 K

Recap:

Most importantly, the Yard Goats clinched a playoff spot this week by winning the first half! Their path this week to clinching wasn’t all smooth but it was a special week nonetheless as the Yard Goats will be in the Eastern League playoffs for the first time since being rebranded.

The Series against the Harrisburg Senators got off to a bad start on tuesday, losing the game 1-7. The lineup struggled this game, only collecting 4 hits. Shortstop Ryan Ritter got two hits, including a triple. Outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez showcased his improved plate discipline by walking three times this game. While starter Jarrod Cande struggled, Collin Baumgartner and Anderson Bido put together 5 scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts.

Thankfully, the Yard Goats were able to bounce back on Wednesday with a 4-3 win. The lineup collected six hits, with Yanquiel Fernandez and Braxton Fulford each adding two RBI’s. Lefty Carson Palmquist tossed 4 innings while only giving up 1 unerarned run. Alec Barger dominanted, tossing 2 scoreless innings while stirking out 5. Jaden Hill collected the win, while righty Seth Halvorsen got his fifth save of the season.

Thursday led to another win, although the game went to the 11th inning for the Goats to secure the win. Warming Bernabel and Kyle Datres each collected two hits. Braxton Fulford was arguably the MVP of the game, with Fulford’s pinch-hit home run in the 11th inning proved to be the deciding factor in the game. Righty Andrew Quezada put together another quality start, tossing 6 innings of 2 run ball. Reliever Seth Halvorsen collected the win, and Bryce McGowan got the save.

Unfortunately, the winning streak would not continue as the Goats lost the next game 0-3. The lineup struggled to only 5 hits and 12 strikeouts. The high strikeout numbers were a concerning trend for the Goats lineup this week. Lefty Mason Albright gave up three runs in 4.2 innings, while the bullpen combined to toss 3.1 scoreless innings.

The Yard Goats bounced back the next season, winning 3-1. The lineup collected seven hits and were led by Yanquiel Fernandez, whose homer in the 4th inning was a major factor in the win. Righty Connor Van Scoyoc tossed 6.2 innings while only giving up 1 run. Reliever Seth Halvorsen collected his second save of the series, tossing a scorless inning.

The Yard Goats were able to close out the series with a win, winning 3-2. Outfielder Zach Kokoska collected all three of the teams RBI’s on a double in the 1st inning. Righty Jarrod Cande put together a solid, 5 inning 1-run start. Reliever Juan Mejia collected the win.

Call-Up Power Rankings:

1. Andrew Quezada – RHP: 2.96 ERA | 1.20 WHIP |  70.0 IP | 48 K
2. Carson Palmquist – LHP: 2.97 ERA | 1.21 WHIP | 57.2 IP | 77 K
3. Alec Barger – RHP: 2.74 ERA | 1.13 WHIP | 23.0 IP | 30 K

Looking Ahead:

This week the Goats will face off against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The ‘Cats are the affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays and have a 30-38 record this season.

Spokane Indians 

Series Record: 5-2  | Season Record: 41-26

Notable Performers (Series Stats):

Glenallen Hill Jr. – 21 PA, .450/.476/.850 (1.326), 9 H, 4 R, 3 RBI, 7 SO, 1 BB, 0 SB   

Kyle Karros – 23 PA, .381/.409/.429 (0.838), 8 H, 3 R, 4 RBI, 3 SO, 1 BB, 0 SB

Juan Guerrero – 23 PA, .300/.391/.500 (0.891), 6 H, 5 R, 3 RBI, 3 SO, 2 BB, 2 SB

Jack Blomgren – 23 PA, .350/.435/.700 (1.135), 7 H, 4 R, 4 RBI, 5 SO, 2 BB, 4 SB

Chase Dollander – W (3-1), 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Blake Adams – W (5-2), 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Connor Staine W (3-3), 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

Zach Agnos – SV (10), 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Series Recap:

Spokane welcomed Eugene to town for their third series of the season against the Emeralds. While the Indians were still riding high after being crowned first-half champions of the Northwest League, they dropped the first game of the series on Tuesday 7-2 but took the first game of Wednesday’s double-header by a final of 3-2 before dropping the second game by a score of 9-1. From there, the Indians dominated throughout the rest of the series, winning four straight games by scores of 9-3, 7-3, 7-0, and 3-0.

Tuesday night started out alright for Spokane as they cruised to an early 2-0 lead behind an RBI-single from Kyle Karros and a solo home run from Jose Cordova. Victor Juarez put together yet another quality start on the mound, and while he did give up one ER on eight hits, the righty still finished with six strikeouts through six innings. However, Spokane’s lead vanished quickly as Davison Palermo and Braiden Carmichael had rough outings for the bullpen, where Palermo let up three runs on a three-bomb in the eighth and Palermo walked in a run and allowed another to score on a sac-fly in the ninth, leading to Spokane to lose the first game of the second half of the season.

The Indians looked to rebound on a full day of baseball Wednesday, sneaking out a win in the shortened game behind solid outings from Mason Green, who finished with five K and only gave up two hits through five frames, and a strong finish from Zach Agnos and Carson Skipper who made his fourth save of the season en route to the 3-2 win. Clearly, Spokane didn’t need a lot of run support behind the efforts of their pitching staff, as Jose Cordova had the team’s only RBI, while the other two runs were scored on a double play and a passed ball in the fifth inning.

Whatever magic Spokane had for the first game of their double-header vanished during the second game as the Indians were thumped 9-1. Braxton Hyde’s second consecutive spot start due to the double-header didn’t go as planned and the righty lasted just three innings, allowing eight hits and eight runs while only serving up two strikeouts. The Emeralds had a 5-0 lead after the first but Kyle Karros drove in the team’s only run as Dyan Jorge used his speed to score. But for Spokane, the offense stopped there as they were stifled for the rest of the game, collecting only five total hits while striking out 11 times. 

Whatever problems Spokane had through their first three games of the series was quickly forgotten starting Thursday night when they pounced on the Emeralds for nine total runs. Glenallen Hill Jr. made quite the impression during his debut with the Indians, securing two hits and one RBI in his first two at-bats to open the scoring. The game was close up until the seventh inning when Spokane rattled off five runs thanks to Bryant Betancourt, Jose Cordova, and Jesus Bugarin, while Kyle Karros added a run in the eighth to cap off his three-hit night. Sean Sullivan wasn’t able to replicate the absolute domination that fans have come to expect in nearly every start from the first-year left-hander, but Sullivan managed the game well through five innings, allowing only 4 H, 2 Er, 1 BB, and 4 K. Sergio Sanchez picked up the win for the Indians and through his two innings of work, allowed only 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, and 4 K. 

A Chase Dollander start is always a perfect excuse for fireworks, and on a clear night at Avista Stadium, Dollander and the Indians offense gave fans plenty of excitement as the Rox top prospect worked through six innings, allowing 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, all while fanning six. The Indians defense held the Emeralds in check for most of the game, but most of Eugene’s damage was caused by a two-run home run Dollander gave up in the sixth, which turned out to be the last hit the righty would give up on the evening and his first long ball surrendered since May 9th. Zach Agnos took over for Dollander and worked through two innings, striking out four of the six batters he faced. Spokane had the patience and speed for most of the night as they got the scoring started in the fourth when Jack Blomgren drove in two runs on a triple, followed immediately by another triple by Jose Cordova. Blomgren would finish the night 2-4 with three RBI while Bryant Betancourt would add a run of insurance on the way to his 3-4 night at the dish. Glenallen Hill Jr. added his first home run with Spokane, a scorching shot to left center field, while EJ Andrews Jr. secured his first RBI with the Indians thanks to a sac-bunt. 

Glenallen Hill Jr. was showing no signs of slowing down after his promotion and hot start with his new team, and the outfielder continued to impress on Saturday night when he opened the scoring by hitting an inside-the-park home run. It was all Indians from there as Juan Guerrero and Kyle Karros were both seeing double, finishing 2-4 with 2 RBI, both of which also added solo home runs in the seventh inning. German Márquez made another pit-stop on his rehab assignment and worked through four innings, surrendering only one hit, no runs, two walks, and three strikeouts. After Márquez, Blake Adams took over and was in full control on the way to his fifth win of the season. Adams finished with a line of 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, and 6 K. The Indians held the Emeralds to just six total hits on the way to their 7-0 shutout victory, Spokane’s fourth shutout win so far in the month of June.

Spokane continued their strategy of stout defense and stellar pitching as they won another shutout victory on Sunday, a 3-0 final. Connor Staine worked through six innings allowing just four hits, no runs, one walk, while adding seven strikeouts, elevating Staine to 24 SO through the month of June so far, which is tied with Chase Dollander for second-best among Spokane’s starting pitchers and two SO behind Blake Adams for the lead (26). Dyan Jorge started the scoring in the third inning, driving in his first two runs of the series with his sixth double of the year. The only other runs in the game came courtesy of another triple from Jack Blomgren, but offensively, Glenallen Hill Jr. finished the night 3-4 with two 2B giving him a hit in every single game he has appeared in for the Indians and nine hits through his first 20 AB with his new team. To close the game, Zach Agnos picked up his tenth save of the season, giving the Indians their first series victory over Eugene this season. 

What’s Up Next Preview: 

The Spokane Indians will head back over to Everett to take on the AquaSox in another six-game series against the High-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. So far this year, Spokane and Everett are a combined 6-6 against each other. 

Fresno Grizzlies 

Series Record : 4-2 | Season Record: 40-28

Notable Performers (Series Stats):

Brad Cumbest – 19 PA, .167/.250/.444 (0.694), 3 H, 2 R, 3 RBI, 9 SO, 2 BB, 0 SB

Braylen Wimmer – 23 PA, .500/.565/.850 (1.415), 10 H, 4 R, 7 RBI, 3 SO, 2 BB, 3 SB

Felix Tena – 28 PA, .296/.321/.444 (0.766), 8 H, 4 R, 2 RBI, 6 SO, 0 BB, 0 SB

Fadriel Cruz – 16 PA, .500/.625/.500 (1.125), 6 H, 4 R, 2 RBI, 3 SO, 4 BB, 1 SB

Welinton Herrera – 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

Austin Emener – W (1-4), 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Jack Mahoney – W (4-4), CG, 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Isaiah Coupet – 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Series Recap:

The Grizzlies welcomed the Stockton sports back into town for their third meeting of the season, but the Ports surprised Fresno in the first game of the series with a late-inning rally to steal the game by a final of 4-3. Fresno responded on Wednesday and earned a hard-fought victory for a platoon game for the pitching staff, holding the Ports to only one run in the 3-1 win. The Grizzlies doubled up the Ports on Thursday with a 10-1 victory and then shut out Stockton on Friday night thanks to a complete game from starting pitcher Jack Mahoney. Fresno stole Saturday night’s game in the eleventh inning by a final of 4-3, but dropped the final game of the series on Sunday 11-7.   

Glenallen Hill Jr. played what is most likely his last game for the Grizzlies on Tuesday as he and EJ Andrews Jr. were both promoted to High-A Spokane on Wednesday. But both players were responsible for Fresno’s first three runs as Hill Jr. knocked in a run in the first inning before Andrews Jr. cranked a two-run double in the third. The game remained quiet as Alberto Pacheco tossed five solid innings registering five K but gave up only five hits and one ER. Things fell apart late for the Grizz. The Ports got to Bryson Hammer for three runs, which were the highest number of runs Hammer has allowed in an appearance this season, and stole the lead. Welinton Herrera collected three K and gave up only one hit in the ninth, but Fresno’s offense couldn’t find the right stuff to rally.

With EJ Andrews Jr. and Glenallen Hill Jr. promoted, Fresno needed some fresh faces to show up for Wednesday’s game. While Wednesday wasn’t a high-scoring affair, the Grizzlies were helped by Felix Tena’s two-hit night which included his third triple of the season, and Brad Cumbest- who was promoted from the ACL on Tuesday- who picked up his first hit at the Single-A level, which just so happened to be a triple. Nick Gile added the game’s first run on a sac-fly while Fresno’s other two runs came courtesy of a wild pitch by Stockton’s Derek Corro which brought home Fadriel Cruz and Caleb Hobson. On the bump, Brady Holl picked up three K through 1.1 IP and Sam Weatherly added his fifth save of the season, working through the final two innings. 

Fresno wasted no time getting on the board Thursday night, ripping off three runs in the first inning thanks to Felix Tena, who drove in a run on the way to his 3-5 night, and Brad Cumbest, who followed up his debut on Wednesday with his first home run at the Single-A level, a two-run bomb. And if you want a little history on Cumbest, he was the Rockies 9th Round draft pick in 2022 out of Mississippi State who missed all of 2023 due to injury, but even more interesting is that Cumbest was a two-sport athlete and apart of Mike Leach’s offense as a wide receiver at Mississippi State up until 2020. Fresno went on to complete the touchdown and the two-point conversion by the third inning. On the mound, Austin Emener finally got the run support he’d been looking for and was able to pick up his first win at the minor-league level. Emener gave up only six hits, one run, two walks, but sent six Stockton batters packing. 

The Grizzlies continued their dominance from the mound on Friday night thanks to Jack Mahoney who pitched a complete game shutout, the first of his career. Mahoney is just the second pitcher to throw a complete game in the MiLB this season, the only other pitcher to do so being Sean Sullivan of Spokane. Mahoney earned the win, gave up just two hits, and struck out four. The Grizzlies offense was led by two particularly impressive performances from Andy Perez and Braylen Wimmer. Perez finished 2-3 with four RBI while Wimmer went 2-4 with three RBI. For Mahoney and the rest of the Grizzlies, Friday night was a game to remember. 

Saturday night was a much different story than the previous three games as Fresno and Stockton went the distance into the eleventh inning to decide who’d walk away victorious. No runs were scored until the eighth inning, but that tends to be the case for opposing teams when Isaiah Coupet is on the mound. Coupet hurled five innings for the second consecutive start and also struck out eight batters, the same as he did in his last start as well. Coupet was helped by a outstanding night from the Fresno bullpen, which saw Cade Denton earn 3 K through his two innings, while Welinton Herrera struck out five, even though Stockton got to him for two runs in the ninth inning. Nick Gile opened up the scoring for the Grizzlies, and Jason Hinchman’s double helped Fresno stay alive as they went into extras. Both teams traded runs in the tenth to push the game to 3-3, but in the eleventh inning it was Brad Cumbest who would bring home Andy Perez, Cumbest’s first walk-off hit with his new team in what turned out to be an outstanding debut series for Cumbest. 

And if Saturday night was a different story, then of course Sunday was too as the Ports finally broke through the Grizzlies pitching to score 11 runs. Jace Kaminska sat six of the first seven batter he faced before a tough third inning saw him let up four runs, including a three-run home run off the bat of Stockton’s T.J. Schofield-Sam. Kaminska would settle through the fourth but let up two more runs in the fifth. The Fresno offense stayed quiet after Braylen Wimmer’s two-run home run in the first inning, adding only one run between the first and eighth. Wimmer would go on to finish the game 3-4 with four RBI after he hit his second two-run home run of the game in the eighth inning. The Ports got after Fresno pitcher Wuardo Ferenandez who joined the Grizzlies from the ACL and has allowed six runs off of four hits through only 2.2 IP, a tough return to the California League for Fernandez. Andy Perez and Jason Hinchman would add some runs in the ninth, but it was too little too late for Fresno, as they dropped the series finale. 

What’s Up Next Preview:

The Grizzlies will head back out on the road to San Jose to take on the Giants for their third series of the year against San Francisco’s Single-A affiliate.