Luke Wortman and Mac Lyons | August 27, 2024
Week 21 of the Minor League Season, the Albuquerque Isotopes, had a mixed series performance against the Sugar Land Skeeters. Despite notable individual performances, the Isotopes won two games and lost four. The Hartford Yard Goats faced the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, securing three wins and four losses in their series. The Spokane Indians had a balanced series against the Hillsboro Hops with three wins and three losses. Meanwhile, the Fresno Grizzlies faced the Stockton Ports and ended with a tied series, each team winning three games.
Colorado Rockies Minor League Recap
Albuquerque Isotopes
Series Record: 3-3 | Season Record: 49-77
Notable Performers
Elehuris Montero: 28 PAs, .286/.464/.619 (1.083 OPS), 6 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 6 BB, 9 K
Greg Jones: 29 PAs, .269/.345/.423 (.768 OPS), 7 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 11 K, 4 SB
Zac Veen: 8 PAs, .333/.429/.833 (1.262 OPS), 2 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Yanquiel Fernandez: 27 PAs, .333/.407/.500 (.907 OPS), 8 H, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K
Geoff Hartlieb: 4.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 1 BB, 5 K
Juan Hillman: 4.1 IP, 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 2 BB, 4 K
Carson Palmquist: 5.1 IP, 1.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 4 BB, 3 K
Peyton Battenfield: 5.0 IP, 1.80 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 2 BB, 2 K
Seth Halvorsen: 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 1 BB, 2 K
Ryan Rolison: 3.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 1 BB, 1 K
Recap
The series against the Sugar Land Skeeters got off to a great start, as the ‘Topes won 7-1. The Hunter duo of Goodman and Stovall each had two hits, while centerfielder Greg Jones added two hits himself. Connor Kaiser added a critical homer in the 6th inning off of starter Janson Junk. Lefty Ty Blach got the start, giving up 1 run in 3.1 innings. Fellow lefty Ryan Rolison got the win, tossing 2 scoreless. Luis Peralta made his debut with the Isotopes, striking out 1 in a scoreless inning.
The Isotopes dropped game two of the series 2-7. The lineup largely struggled, striking out 10 times in the game. Elehuris Montero was one of the lone bright spots for the team, collecting two hits and a home run. Righty Ryan Feltner got the loss, giving up 3 runs in 2.2 innings. Lefty Jaun Hillman provided the bulk of innings in the bullpen, striking out 4 and giving up 2 runs in 4.1 innings.
Despite a late surge by the Skeeters, the Isotopes were able to win Thursday’s game 6-5. Sean Bouchard collected three hits, while Jimmy Herron added two hits and two RBI. Greg Jones added his 12th homer of the season. Lefty Carson Palmquist put together a great start, striking out 3 in 5.1 innings of 1 run ball. Seth Halvorsen got his first save in a ‘Topes uniform, tossing a clean inning.
Once again the squad was able to hold off a late surge by the Skeeters, winning 6-5. The lineup did a great job with plate discipline, walking an impressive 13 times. Greg Jones, Elehuris Montero, and Yanquiel Fernandez each had two hits, with Elehuris adding his 12th homer of the season. Josh Rogers got the win, giving up three runs in 5 innings. Righty Matt Koch got the save.
The Isotopes lineup was largely shut out on Saturday, losing 0-2. The team struck out 16 times and only collected three hits. Right fielder Yanquiel Fernandez collected two hits. Peyton Battenfield put together a great start, tossing 5 innings of 1 run ball but unfortunately got the loss.
While the pitching staff had largely held up this series, Sunday was the exception as the squad lost 4-13. Greg Jones and Yanquiel Fernandez each had two hits. Zac Veen had a monster game in only his 2nd game in a ‘Topes uniform, collecting two hits, three RBI, and one home run. Righty Karl Kauffmann badly struggled, giving up 7 runs in 1.1 innings. John Curtiss put together a great performance in the bullpen, striking out 5 in 2 scoreless innings.
Call-Up Power Rankings
- Willie MacIver: .290 AVG | .916 OPS | 15 HR | 7 SB
- Riley Pint: 2.87 ERA | 1.47 WHIPS | 31.1 IP | 52 K
- Elehuris Montero: .359 AVG | 1.109 OPS | 12 HR | 0 SB
Looking Ahead
This week the Isotopes will face off against the Reno Aces in Albuquerque. The Aces are the affiliate team of the Arizona Diamondbacks and have a 65-60 record this season.
Hartford Yard Goats
Series Record: 3-4 | Season Record: 65-53
Notable Performers
Braxton Fulford: 11 PAs, .364/.364.909 (1.273 OPS), 4 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 K
Adael Amador: 16 PAs, .214/.267/.286 (.553 OPS), 3 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 SB
Juan Guerrero: 19 PAs, .353/.421/.412 (.833 OPS), 6 H, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 SB
Chase Dollander: 5.2 IP, 3.18 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 2 BB, 10 K
Alec Barger: 3.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 1 BB, 6 K
Bryce McGowan: 1.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 1 BB, 5 K
Recap
The series against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats got off to an unusual start, as they played a doubleheader on Tuesday. The squad lost an offensive slugfest, losing 11-12. Sterlin Thompson had an amazing day, collecting 4 hits, 5 RBI, and a home run. The lineup collected 15 hits, but the pitching staff badly struggled.
The 2nd game of the day also went badly, as the squad lost 1-5. Catcher Ronaiker Palma went 3-3, while Adael Amador had two hits and a walk. Lefty Mason Albright struggled in the start, giving up 5 runs in 5.1 innings.
The Yard Goats only collected three hits and one run on Wednesday, but it was enough to get the win thanks to a great Blake Adams start. Trevor Boone delivered the lone in the 5th inning from an RBI double. As stated above, Blake Adams was completely dominant. He tossed 5 scoreless innings striking out 3 and only allowing 2 hits.
The Yard Goats would drop the next game of the series 2-8. The lineup largely struggled as they only collected 4 hits. Third baseman Kyle Datres hit his 2nd homer of the series in the 9th inning. Lefty Mason Green struggled in his first start with the Goats, giving up 7 runs in 1.2 innings. The bullpen put together a great outing the rest of the way, only giving up 1 run in the next 6.1 innings.
Friday’s game would again result in a loss, with the squad losing 2-4. The lineup once again struggled, only collecting 5 hits. Centerfielder Braiden Ward had two hits including a triple. Chase Dollander put together a great start, tossing 5.2 innings of 2-run ball while striking out 10.
The bats came alive on Saturday, as the squad collected 10 hits and won 4-3. Juan Guerrero led the way, collecting three hits and raising his average to .333. Catcher Braxton Fulford had two hits, three RBI, and a home run. Lefty Sean Sullivan got the start, tossing 3 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 3. Collin Baumgartner got the win, striking out 3 in an inning. Zach Agnos got the save, striking out 2 in a scoreless inning.
The Goats closed out the series with a W, winning 5-1. Bladimir Restituyo led the ay collecting two hits. Connor Van Scoyoc got the win, tossing 6 scoreless innings. The bullpen tossed a solid 3 innings of 1 run ball to close out the game.
Call-Up Power Rankings
- Evan Shawver: 2.54 ERA | 1.22 WHIP | 46.0 IP | 44 K
- Collin Baumgartner: 2.30 ERA | 1.28 WHIP | 31.1 IP | 37 K
- Braxton Fulford: .242 AVG | .762 OPS | 10 HR | 7 SB
Looking Ahead
This week the Goats will square off against the Binghampton Rumble Ponies. The Rumble Ponies are the affiliate team of the New York Mets and have a 57-54 record this season.
Spokane Indians
Series Record : 3-3 | Season Record: 71-47
Notable Performers
Cole Carrigg – 22 PA, .250/.318/.500 (0.818), 5 H, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB
GJ Hill – 22 PA, .368/.455/.632 (1.086), 7 H, 6 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 5 SO, 1 SB
Luis Amoroso – SV (3), 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Sam Weatherly – SV (3), 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Braxton Hyde – 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Davison Palermo – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Yujanyer Herrera – 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Series Recap
Once again, the Spokane Indians welcomed some new faces to the team this week as RHP Cade Denton and SS Andy Perez earned the call-up from Single-A Fresno. Saying their farewell to the friendly confines of Avista Stadium was Mason Green, who earned his promotion to Double-A Hartford.
The Indians traveled down to Ron Tonkin Field for what is likely to be the last time this season for their final series against the Hillsboro Hops. Spokane managed to get their act together late on Tuesday night with an 11-3 win, but couldn’t keep up the momentum and dropped Wednesday’s game by a score of 4-1. The Indians lost Thursday’s game by a final of 8-2, but rattled off back-to-back wins on Friday and Saturday with 7-2 and 1-0 victories, before narrowly losing by a final of 5-4 in the series finale on Sunday.
Contrary to popular belief, the final score of Tuesday’s series opener does not reflect how the game went for Spokane. Up until the fifth inning, the Indians were down by three runs and were in danger of being on the receiving end of a no-hitter. Spokane starting pitcher Victor Juarez did his best to keep the game close, working through six innings where he allowed just 3 ER off of 7 H while adding just 4 K. EJ Andrews Jr. got the boys on the board with a sac-fly in the fifth inning, but the comeback wouldn’t reach its final form until the eighth inning where the Indians scored five runs thanks to Charlie Condon, Kyle Karros, Jean Perez, and Andy Perez, who ended his High-A debut by going 1-4 with a run and 2 RBI. Spokane tacked on five more runs in the ninth to make it ten unanswered. This time around Dyan Jorge and Jose Cordova joined Condon and Andy Perez in the fun. Condon would end his night 2-5, with 2 R and 3 RBI thanks to a double and a triple, while Andy and Jean Perez were the other two Indians batters to drive in multiple runs as Spokane brought home the 11-3 victory.
Spokane didn’t have nearly as much firepower on Wednesday night as the Indians could only muster up one hit. Connor Staine did his best to quiet the Hops offense and ended his night with a line of 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, and only 3 K, as he picked up his sixth loss of the season. The Hops scored two runs in the first inning and added another pair in the third. The Indians met their match on the mound as Hillsboro starting pitcher Roman Angelo carved through the Spokane lineup for seven innings, giving up no hits and two walks, all while striking out nine. Cade Denton impressed in his debut at High-A. Denton worked through one inning and gave up no hits while earning 2 K. Spokane broke up Hillsboro’s no-hit bid in the ninth inning thanks to GJ Hill’s single. Hill was eventually able to score when Charlie Condon grounded into a double-play, but that was all Spokane had in the tank as they lost 4-1.
The Indians were only able to double up the number of hits they had in Wednesday’s game on Thursday night as they fell again, 8-2. Michael Prosecky struggled early through what would turn out to be just a two-inning outing, allowing 4 ER off of 6 H while still managing to hurl 6 K. Braxton Hyde and Davison Palermo were outstanding in relief, Hyde finished with 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 R, 1 BB, and 3 K, while Palermo struck out all three batters he faced in the sixth inning. GJ Hill got Spokane on the board in the sixth with his tenth home run of the season, followed by another run in the seventh that Cole Carrigg brought home on a bases-loaded walk. The Hops would go on to add four more runs off Bryson Hammer and Felix Ramires through the late frames to take another win.
Spokane players probably wanted to wash away most of their performances over Wednesday and Thursday, and so they came into Friday’s matchup reinvigorated, and nobody seemed to be having an easier night at the plate than Cole Carrigg. Carrigg would end his Friday night 4-5, with 3 R, 4 RBI, and a 2B shy of the cycle. Antonio Senzatela made his second appearance in an Indians uniform and carved the Hops through three frames, giving up 2 H and no walks while striking out four. Jack Mahoney entered the game in the fourth and left before the inning was over after facing just two batters. Nobody is certain whether this move was a preventative measure, or something else entirely. With the game knotted at one apiece, a GJ Hill RBI triple followed by an RBI double from Charlie Condon gave Spokane the lead. Cole Carrigg put the exclamation point on his terrific night with a three-run jack in the ninth inning to make the game 7-2. Sam Weatherly picked up his second save of the season after going 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, with 3 K.
Hillsboro and Spokane found themselves in the midst of a stalemate on Saturday night, as neither team could generate much offense. The Indians found themselves in a difficult matchup against Hops starting pitcher Jose Cabrera, who shut down Spokane batters for 8.2 innings where he allowed just one hit, one run, two walks, but struck out 11, a season-high. However, Spokane had a dominant performance of their own on the mound as Yujanyer Herrera worked through seven innings in which the righty gave up just 2 H, 1 BB, while adding 6 K. After Hillsboro hit a double in the first inning, there wasn’t another hit from the Hops until the sixth inning. Cabrera was one inning away from a CG no-hitter, but had his night spoiled by none other than Kyle Karros whose league-leading 32nd double brought home Dyan Jorge for the game-winning run. Bryson Hammer picked up the win, while Luis Amoroso earned his third save of the year.
Spokane took the field on Sunday with hopes of winning their first series in a little over a month. The Indians got run support early thanks in part to a Dyan Jorge sac-fly-RBI and Charlie Condon’s fifth RBI of the series, while Jesus Bugarin stole home in the fifth to give Spokane a 3-0 lead. Alberto Pacheco made his second start for Spokane and eased his way through five frames before allowing the Hops to tie the game in the sixth. The game remained tied until Jesus Bugarin came through once again, this time with an RBI double to give the Indians the lead back. Unfortunately, Hillsboro rallied back immediately against Cade Denton when Gavin Conticello hit a two-run bomb in what would turn out to be the game-winning runs. Bugarin was one of four Spokane players who stole bases on Sunday as Carrigg and Jorge added their 43rd and 31st bags of the season.
What’s Up Next Preview
With the Spokane Indians surrendering the game on Sunday, that makes one whole month since the Indians’ last series win. However, the boys will return home to Avista Stadium to try to end the streak as they take on the Tri-City Dust Devils once again.
Fresno Grizzlies
Series Record : 3-3| Season Record: 62-57
Notable Performers
Blake Wright – 19 PA, .400/.421/.667 (1.088), 6 H, 1 R, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SO, 0 SB
Caleb Hobson – 28 PA, .222/.500/.500 (1.000), 4 H, 7 R, 3 RBI, 7 BB, 2 SO, 4 SB
Kelvin Hidalgo – 28 PA, .269/.286/.308 (0.593), 7 H, 2 R, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 8 SO, 3 SB
Stu Flesland III – 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Ismael Luciano – W (3-0), 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Konner Eaton – SV (1), 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
McCade Brown – L (0-1), 3.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Austin Becker – 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Series Recap
The Grizzlies welcomed RHP Nathan Blasick and SS Kelvin Hidalgo from the ACL Rockies this week just in time for Fresno’s series against the Stockton Ports. Fresno dropped the first game 8-3 but rallied back for a 4-3 win on Wednesday and an 11-5 win on Thursday. Stockton would pick up the 8-4 victory on Friday before Fresno took one back on Saturday by a final of 4-2. The Ports would eventually end the series in a tie after their 12-7 win on Sunday.
The Grizzlies had a much different look to their lineup when they opened up their series against Stockton on Tuesday. McCade Brown started what would turn out to be a bullpen game for Fresno as seven pitchers made appearances for the team. The Ports steamrolled Fresno in the third inning, scoring five runs with two outs as Kannon Handy and Austin Becker both struggled to escape the inning. Fresno answered back with a trio of runs in the sixth inning, two stemming from a Felix Tena single and the other courtesy of a wild pitch from Stockton’s Tom Reisinger. Even as the Grizzlies cut the lead in half, Stockton added two more runs over the seventh and eighth innings to put the game out of hand. Some performances worth noting: Nathan Blasick struggled a bit in his debut, ending with 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, and no strikeouts, while Kelvin Hidalgo added a pair of hits in his own debut, ending his night 2-4 at the plate.
Where Tuesday night seemed to be a game in which Fresno manager Steve Soliz wanted to see all the pieces that he now has on his roster, Wednesday felt more grounded for Fresno, thanks especially to another high-quality start from Stu Flesland III. Flesland III locked up the Ports through five innings, giving up just 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, and added 5 K. Caleb Hobson broke the deadlock in the fifth inning with an RBI-double. Still, Grizzlies pitcher Hunter Mann surrendered the lead when he gave up three runs on four hits and was unable to escape the inning. Brad Cumbest tied the game in the eighth inning when he drove in a pair of runs with two outs in the inning. As the game went into extras, Tevin Tucker played the hero when he brought home the ghost-runner Felix Tena on the fourth pitch of the at-bat. Fidel Ulloa navigated the extra inning for Fresno and didn’t allow a hit, adding a pick off to shut down any chance Stockton had. Ulloa picked up his first win at the Single-A level.
The Grizzlies started early on Thursday and didn’t let up en route to an 11-5 victory. Fresno got some help from their latest addition, Blake Wright, a fourth-round pick out of Clemson from this year’s draft. Wright found success during his first professional at-bat, crushing a double to right field that brought home Braylen Wimmer, before a single during his second at-bat brought home another two runs as part of the six runs the Grizzlies scored through the first two innings. On the mound, Ismael Luciano took care of business finishing with 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, and 5 K. As for the rest of the Grizzlies, Caleb Hobson, Kelvin Hidalgo, and Brad Cumbest all ended the night with 2 RBI, while Hobson also added 3 R and 2 SB. Yanzel Correa struggled a bit in the later innings as he gave up 3 R, but Fresno still cruised to their second win in a row.
Although Stockton eventually returned with a vengeance on Friday night, the Grizzlies opened up the scoring once again as both Blake Wright and Kelvin Hidalgo added RBIs in the first inning to give Fresno an early 2-0 lead. The Ports responded and stung starting pitcher Bryan Mena as they piled up the runs between the fourth and fifth innings, giving them a 7-2 lead, and ending Mena’s night with 4.2 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, and just 4 K. Braylen Wimmer drove in two runs in the ninth inning, but the rally ended there as the Grizzlies couldn’t muster up any more offense. Only four Fresno batters were credited with hits in the game, while Austin Becker had a notable appearance out of the pen, striking out three and allowing no hits through two innings.
The Grizzlies washed away a painful game on Friday night and rebounded Saturday for another win. Darius Perry’s fourth home run of the season gave Fresno the lead, and was followed by their three-run third inning thanks to Felix Tena, Perry once again, and yet another RBI from Blake Wright. On the mound for the Grizzlies, Bryan Perez picked up his fifth win of the season after giving up just 5 H, 2 R, and 2 ER through five innings. All but two batters in the Fresno lineup had hits in the game, while Felix Tena and Darius Perry were the only two batters with multi-hit evenings.
Fresno started the series finale on Sunday off hot with a five-run first inning. Robert Calaz returned to the Grizzlies lineup and immediately impacted with a two-run RBI double, followed by RBIs from Blake Wright and Felix Tena. McCade Brown was dominant through his two innings of work as he started what would turn out to be a bullpen game for Fresno. After Brown, Kannon Handy surrendered the team’s five-run lead as he’d go on to finish his night with 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, and 3 K through just two frames. The Ports extended their lead to 8-5 by the seventh inning before Aidan Longwell’s solo blast got Fresno within striking distance, but Fresno’s Yanzel Correa gave up four more runs in the eighth to put the game firmly out of reach for the Grizzlies.
What’s Up Next Preview
After yet another series tie, Fresno’s record drops to 62-57 on the year. The Grizzlies have their work cut out for them if they want to make the playoffs, and the team is set to take on the Visalia Rawhide once again for the upcoming series. Fresno received a much-needed boost from the latest Grizzly cubs to make their debuts, and they’ll need to replicate those performances if they want to make it to the Postseason. Anything is possible in the California League.
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