Luke Wortman & Mac Lyons | May 28, 2024
The Albuquerque Isotopes faced the Salt Lake City Bees, ending with a 2-4 record for the week. While Sean Bouchard and Willie MacIver impressed at the plate, the team struggled with pitching. The Hartford Yard Goats saw standout performances from Adael Amador and Bladimir Restituyo, bouncing back from earlier season struggles. The Spokane Indians split their series against the Eugene Emeralds, showcasing strong performances from their notable performers. Fresno Grizzlies had a 4-2 series record against the Visalia Rawhide, with impressive displays from Andy Perez, Aidan Longwell, and Jason Hinchman. Keep reading for an in depth recap of the Colroado Rockies MiLB Affiliates!
Albuquerque Isotopes
Series Record: 2-4 | Season Record: 16-35
Facing the Salt Lake City Bees for the first time this season, it is clear that this week’s 2-4 record wasn’t what the team hoped for. If there is a silver lining, in 3 of their losses they only lost by 1 run. It is also clear that despite the team’s dismal record, they still have plenty of talent for the big league level. This week saw righthanders Matt Koch, Matt Carasiti, John Curtiss, Josh Rogers, and Sean Bouchard all get called up.
Notable Performers:
Sean Bouchard: 17 PAs, .400/.471/.933 (1.404 OPS), 6 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 K,
Drew Romo: 27 PAs, .192/.222/.250 (.530 OPS), 5 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 5 K
Michael Toglia: 27 PAs, .273/.407/.455 (.862 OPS), 6 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 5 BB, 5 K
Willie MacIver: 12 PAs, .300/.417/1.000 (1.417 OPS), 3 H, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
Trevor Boone: 20 PAs, .300/.300/.500 (.800 OPS), 6 H, 4 RBI, 5 K, 1 SB
Hunter Stovall: 21 PAs, .300/.333/.350 (.683 OPS), 2 RBI, 1 BB,
Stephen Jones: 2.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 2 BB, 6 K
Matt Carasiti: 1.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 1 BB, 3K
Juan Hillman: 1.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 0 BB, 1 K
Austin Kitchen: 2.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 0 BB, 1 K
Peyton Battenfield: 4.2 IP, 3.86 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 2 BB, 5 K
Recap:
After surprisingly being sent down last week, Sean Bouchard did everything in his power to show the Rockies that they made a mistake. In 17 plate appearances, he hit for a ridiculous 1.404 OPS. Bouchard was then subsequently called up. Speaking of a ridiculous OPS, catcher Willie Mac hit for a 1.417 OPS this week. It’s been tough to get playing time due to stud prospect Drew Romo having a fair amount of the reps, but it’s clear that MacIver deserves more playing time. On the downside of things, Drew Romo had his first week of the season where he struggled against the opposition’s pitching, but he still managed to hit 2 home runs. A major contributor to the ‘Topes lineup last season, Trevor Boone started his Isotopes season debut on a tear hitting .300 last week. Infielder Hunter Stovall has continued to make a lot of contact since he was called up earlier this month, but he hasn’t hit for much pop. On the flip side of things, Michael Toglia has previously shown lots of pop but not a ton of contact and plate discipline. Thus, it was encouraging to see him hit for contact while walking (5) as many times as he struck out.
Despite the pitching staff having lots of inconsistency and it’s best performers being called up, there were still some solid pitching performances. The rotation has continued to struggle this season, but they did get solid contributions from Peyton Battenfield and Karl Kaufman. Battenfield has been a major help to the team since being signed earlier this season. Lefty Juan Hillman was signed earlier last week by the team and made a great impression tossing 1.2 scoreless innings. Reliever Matt Carasiti was deservedly called up to Denver after striking out 3 in 1.2 innings. He’s been one of the most consistent performers in the ‘Topes pen but will need to limit the walks to make a solid impact in the show. Lefty reliever Austin Kitchen has bounced back from a rough debut to lower his era to a solid 4.30.
As stated above, there were a lot of transactions this week. Relievers Carasiti, Koch, Rogers, and Curtiss were all called up this week. I specifically want to give a shout-out to Rogers. The lefty had 88 career innings in the big leagues before signing with the Rox for last season. He’s battled and provided solid innings for the Topes for two seasons now. He now gets a chance to play with the Rockies in the show. To help reinforce the team, Trevor Boone was recalled while lefty Juan Hillman was signed. Boone slashed .238/.326/.444 with 4 home runs in ABQ last season. Hillman was a 2nd round pick in 2015 who made it as high as triple-a in 2021.
Call-Up Power Rankings:
- Coco Montes – INF – 2024 Season Stats: .356 AVG | 6 HR | 30 BB | 39 K | 4 SB
- Dugan Darnell – RHP – 2024 Season Stats: 3.60 ERA | 1.53 WHIP | 15.0 IP | 14 K |
- Sam Hilliard – OF – 2024 Season Stats: .315 AVG | 11 HR | 31 BB | 50 K | 10 SB
Looking Ahead:
Next week the ‘Topes face off against the Oklahoma City Baseball Club. The team is 28-23 this season.
Hartford Yard Goats
Series Record: 4-4 | Season Record: 22-22
Because of its long season, a good baseball player has to be both physically and mentally strong. As prospects go through the minors, it is very important to see if they can handle adversity and bounce back. Top prospect Adael Amador has really struggled this year, but he broke out in an amazing way this week. It’s fair to say that he handled his slump now.
Notable Performers:
Adael Amador: 38 PAs, .323/.447/.710 (1.157 OPS), 10 H, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 7 BB, 8 K, 3 SB
Bladimir Restituyo: 33 PAs, .345/.424/.586 (1.010 OPS), 10 H, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K, 3 SB
Ryan Ritter: 32 PAs, .357/.438/.500 (.938 OPS), 10 H, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 9 K, 2 SB
Yanquiel Fernandez: 12 PAs, .417/.417/.500 (.917 OPS), 5 H, 4 RBI, 1 K
Sterlin Thompson: 32 PAs, .344/.344/.469 (.813 OPS), 11 H, 3 RBI, 10 K, 1 SB
Braxton Fulford: 20 PAs, .429/.550/.714 (1.264 OPS), 6 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K
Braiden Ward: 30 PAs, .304/.467/.435 (.902 OPS), 7 H, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K
Nic Kent: 28 PAs, .333/.407/.458 (.865 OPS), 8 H, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K
Angel Chvilli: 2.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2.14 WHIP, 2 BB, 7 K
Mason Albright: 7.0 IP, 1.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 3 BB, 4 K
Andrew Quezada: 6.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 1 BB, 1 K
Evan Shawver: 4.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 2 BB, 2 K
Recap:
The Yard Goats faced off against the Portland Sea Dogs this week, and due to previous cancellations, they played 8 games. The Goats played well against a strong Portland team that contains many of the Red Sox’s top prospects. Adael Amador led the way hitting .323 with 4 home runs while continuing to show the plus plate discipline he has displayed all season. Hopefully, this signifies, Amador turning the corner for the better. Bladimir Restituyo hit a ridiculous .345 with 2 home runs, raising his season batting average to .269. Braiden Ward dominated at Spokane earlier this season hitting .340 before being called up. The Washington alum kept up the torrid pace hitting .304 in his debut week with Hartford. Sterlin Thompson and Yanquiel Fernandez both scorched the Sea Dogs pitching staff, combining for 15 hits.
The Yard Goat’s pitching staff has typically been a strong point for the team, but it was not last week. Carson Palmquist uncharacteristically struggled among many others. Regardless, the team still got quality starts from Andrew Quezada and Mason Albright, who combined for 13 innings of 1 run ball. Reliever Angel Chivilli struggled a bit with walks this week, but he struck out every batter he got out. Fellow reliever Evan Shawer has continued to toss well with the Goats.
In terms of transactions, the team added outfielder Braiden Ward and reliever Collin Baumgartner to the team . Baumgartner was an undrafted free agent signing last year out of the University of Kansas. The 25-year-old had a 1.42 era in 19 innings at Fresno. Ward hit .340 with 2 home runs at Spokane this season.
Call-Up Power Rankings:
- Andrew Quezada – RHP – 2024 Season Stats: 2.56 ERA | 1.19 WHIP | 38.2 IP | 27 K
- Carson Palmquist – LHP – 2024 Season Stats: 2.76 ERA | 1.18 WHIP | 45.2 IP | 66 K
- Ryan Ritter – INF – 2024 Season Stats: .279 AVG | 1 HR | 19 BB | 46 K | 9 SB
Looking Ahead:
This week the Yard Goats will face off against the Reading Fightin Phils. The Fighin Phils are the affiliate team of the Phillies and have a 20-25 record this year.
Spokane Indians
Series Record : 3-3 | Season Record: 24-17
Spokane had a rough start to their series, dropping the first game by a score of 12-5 on Tuesday and coming up short on Wednesday with a 8-3 loss. The Indians then powered through the Emeralds pitching and won by a score of 9-3 on Thursday and 9-2 on Friday before losing a close one on Saturday by a final of 3-2. The Spo capped off the series with a dominant 7-2 win, assuring the series split with Eugene.
Notable Performers (Series Stats):
Cole Carrigg – 28 PA, .292/.357/.542 (0.899), 7 H, 6 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 6 SO, 2 SB
Kyle Karros – 27 PA, .308/.333/.385 (0.718), 8 H, 3 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 SB
Jake Snider – 13 PA, .333/.385/.667 (1.051), 4 H, 4 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 4 SO, 2 SB
Robby Martin Jr. – 27 PA, .296/.296/.556 (0.852), 8 H, 6 R, 5 RBI, 0 BB, 8 SO, 0 SB
Sean Sullivan – W (2-1), 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Chase Dollander – W (1-0), 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Blake Adams – L (3-2), 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Carson Skipper – 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Series Recap:
The Spokane Indians found success during last week’s five-win series against Vancouver and looked to keep up the momentum when they traveled down to Oregon to battle the Eugene Emeralds in what was the second series against the Emeralds in the month of May. The Indians lost one offensive star and gained another on Tuesday when Braiden Ward rightfully earned his promotion to the Hartford Yard Goats, however the hole left behind by Ward was filled by Single-A standout Jake Snider when he was also promoted on Tuesday from Fresno.
Victor Juarez had a rough outing against Eugene as the Emeralds jumped on the righty in the second inning, scoring five runs before Juarez was substituted for Caleb Franzen who didn’t fare much better, allowing six runs through 1.2 IP. For Juarez, the five earned runs he allowed were the most he’d given up in a start this season, accounting for his second loss through his last three starts. Offensively, Robby Martin Jr. stayed hot and helped the Indians score all of their runs as he hit a pair of homers, including a three-run bomb in the fourth inning to cut the Emeralds’ lead down to four and solo shot later in the eighth. Robby Martin Jr. capped off the previous series with a home run and added a pair of hits during Wednesday’s loss and Thursday’s victory, while also managing to earn hits through Friday and Saturday to push his hitting streak to eight games, tying the career-best hitting streak he had at the tail-end of the 2023 season with Spokane. Unfortunately for Martin Jr., his hitless game on Sunday snapped the streak.
Spokane didn’t fare much better on Wednesday, and neither did starting pitcher Nick Bush who was making his second scheduled start in his rehab stint with the Indians. Bush let up the same number of hits as he did in his first start against Vancouver (6), but this time he allowed four earned runs, most of the damage stemming from an Alexander Suarez three-run home run in the fourth inning, the last batter Bush would face before being replaced by Brayan Castillo who was then substituted for Mason Green making his first bullpen appearance of the season. Green struggled late in the game and finished with a line of 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, and 6 K after facing 18 batters.
Jake Snider didn’t disappoint in his Spokane debut, in fact, he scored an inside-the-park home run during his very first at-bat at the High-A level. Unfortunately for Snider, it was his only hit of the evening. The Indians also got some run support thanks to Bryant Betancourt’s triple and Robby Martin Jr.’s double, each of who drove in a run in the loss.
Spokane rebounded for a 9-3 victory on Thursday as Sean Sullivan responded to his rough outing against Vancouver by posting a final line of 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, and 8 K, earning his second win of the season. Sullivan’s eight strikeouts raised his K% on the season to a staggering 30.5%, while his BB% still rests at an astonishing 1.8%. The lefty has been stellar for the Indians this season and he allowed the offense to go to work on Thursday as they scored six runs through the first four innings and capped off the game with a Bryant Betancourt three-run bomb, giving him four RBIs on the night.
The Indians took their success on Thursday and repeated the process, hanging another nine runs on the Emeralds. Jesus Bugarin had three hits on Thursday night and had himself another three-hit game on Friday, joining in on the seven-run fourth inning that blew the game open for the Indians. Kyle Karros and Cole Carrigg both had two-RBI nights while Juan Guerrero and Bryant Betancourt added some more run support. Carrigg would mash a solo home run in the ninth inning, his second for the month of May and fourth this season. For those not keeping track at home, three of Carrigg’s four home runs have been solo-shots so far this year, the only multi-run HR being his first of the season against Vancouver.
Chase Dollander picked up his first career win at the High-A level, which was surprising given the dominant season he’s had so far. Dollander finished the game with 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, and 5 K. Friday was Dollander’s third game in a row in which the righty has given up five or more hits. Across all three of those starts, Dollander has allowed at least two runs. A little adversity is to be expected in Dollander’s first professional season, but even he makes the adversity seem simple as he’s still without a registered loss on the year through seven starts.
Spokane’s offense didn’t have as much success on Saturday night as their comeback came up one run short in the ninth inning. Blake Adams made his seventh start of the season and settled in after a two-run first inning, going on to throw through seven innings, allowing only five hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts. The Indians were aggressive on the basepath as Cole Carrigg stole his 18th bag of the season followed by Jake Snider who stole a base for the second straight game at the High-A level, but unfortunately the team would strand six men on base. Juan Guerrero and Jesus Bugarin drove in Spokane’s only runs. Dyan Jorge’s struggles at the plate continued to show as he struck out three times in four at-bats. Although Jorge had six hits through 21 at-bats in the series against Eugene, the infielder also struck out 11 times, tying Robby Martin Jr. for the team lead in strikeouts with 39.
The Indians ended the series on a high-note, going up early after a five-run second inning and keeping control thanks to some superb work from the bullpen that is still without closer Zach Agnos. Connor Staine only allowed three hits, two earned runs, three walks, and fanned five through his six innings of work. The bullpen would enter and pitch a shutout, ending strong thanks to Carson Skipper’s continued dominance. In one inning, he struck out all three batters he faced. Skipper has only allowed one run in 18 innings of work this season and the lefty raises his strikeout total on the season to 24. Even in the midst of Agnos’ absence, Indians fans are in good hands with Carson Skipper assuming the closing duties.
On offense, Cole Carrigg, Kyle Karros, and Jake Snider all had doubles in the game as well as at least one RBI. For Snider, his first four games with Spokane were impressive and he finished the series with four hits in 12 AB along with three RBI and two SB. The Indians are starting to put all the pieces together and managed to split the series with Eugene.
What’s Up Next Preview:
The Indians are back at Avista Stadium to take on the Everett AquaSox. Spokane split their only series against Everett earlier this season, but the teams now sit on opposite ends of the Northwest League’s standings as Spokane’s success has pushed them to first in the league, while Everett’s struggles and 20-24 record find Seattle’s Single-A affiliate in last place.
Fresno Grizzlies
Series Record : 4-2 | Season Record: 26-18
Notable Performers (Series Stats):
Andy Perez – 25 PA, .333/.360/.417 (0.777), 8 H, 2 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 SB
Aidan Longwell – 21 PA, .400/.409/.400 (0.809), 8 H, 1 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 SB
Jason Hinchman – 21 PA, .278/.381/.500 (0.881), 5 H, 3 R, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 5 SO, 2 SB
Bryan Perez – 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
Austin Emener – 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
Welinton Herrera – 2 W (5-1), 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Series Recap:
Much like Spokane, Fresno found their groove again during their series last week against Stockton. The Grizzlies also saw some familiar faces earn their promotions and gained some new additions as well. RHP Collin Baumgartner was promoted to Hartford, and you already know that Jake Snider was brought up to Spokane. In return, RHP Cade Denton was assigned to Fresno from the ACL Rockies. Just like Spokane, Fresno dropped the first game of their series against the Visalia Rawhide by a score of 7-1 but were able to rebound for the win on Wednesday, a 6-5 walk-off victory where Braylen Wimmer played the hero. The Grizzlies would get a 3-2 walk-off win again on Thursday but drop Friday’s game by a score of 6-3, before winning 6-3 on Saturday and getting yet another walk-off victory on Sunday, a 10-9 win to end the series.
The Rawhide jump started the series on Tuesday night with a 7-1 win. Visalia scored runs off of Fresno starting pitcher Alberto Pacheco through the first three innings as Pacheco would go on to finish with a line of 4.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, and 6 K. Tuesday was not the night for Fresno, as the offense was held to just five hits and Braylen Wimmer drove in the team’s lone run on a sac fly in the first inning.
Fresno commanded most of Wednesday’s game behind a stellar performance on the mound from Bryan Perez who was coming off of his previous 12-strikeout start against Stockton. Perez finished with 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, and 8 K. Perez now holds a 28.6 K% and a 8 BB%, commanding numbers for the righty’s first year at the Single-A level. While Perez dominated on the mound, Fresno jumped out to an early lead thanks to Aidan Longwell and EJ Andrews. The Grizzlies allowed only one run through eight innings before an error-plagued ninth inning and a rough night for Bryson Hammer saw Fresno’s five-run lead quickly evaporate. Welinton Herrera entered the tenth inning and struck out three of the four batters he faced, earning the win before Braylen Wimmer went on to play hero in the second half of the inning when an error by Visalia pitcher Yordin Chalas gave the Grizzlies the walk-off victory.
Fresno then repeated the walk-off victory on Thursday, a game that resembled Wednesday’s win in many ways. The Grizzlies once again were the recipients of another superb start from their starting pitcher. Austin Emener had 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, and 8 K. Emener’s performance allowed Fresno to take the lead late in the game thanks to Aidan Longwell and EJ Andrews Jr. once again. But Aidan Longwell wouldn’t be done on the night. When Sam Weatherly gave up Fresno’s two-run lead in the top of the ninth, Longwell drove in Caleb Hobson for the team’s second consecutive walk-off victory. While Aidan Longwell’s had a great season so far, with Jake Snider earning his promotion to Spokane, Longwell stepped up over the course of the team’s series against Visalia, driving in four runs through the first four games of the series before capping off Sunday by going 3-3 with another RBI raising his BA at a team-leading .308.
Fresno couldn’t keep the magic alive on Friday night and lost by a final score of 6-3 even though the Grizzlies held the Rawhide to just one run through five innings. Starting pitcher Jack Mahoney certainly didn’t have his best stuff on Friday, but was lucky enough to be the recipient of eight groundouts and four flyouts while allowing eight hits and only one run with three strikeouts until the Rawhide broke through during their four-run sixth inning. Fresno added some runs courtesy of Felix Tena’s two-RBI game and another Aidan Longwell RBI, but there was no walk-off for a third night in a row, which certainly would’ve been a record for Fresno.
Call it luck or call it Visalia’s continued struggles at the plate, but Fresno returned to the win column on Saturday night when Isaian Coupet picked up his fourth win of the season as the Grizzlies won by a final score of 6-3. Coupet didn’t nearly have as many strikeouts as Fresno fans have come to expect from the lefty, but he finished with a line of 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, and 4 K through 6.0 IP. Welinton Herrera, Cade Denton, and Bryson Hammer all helped secure the victory for the Grizzlies from the bullpen. Offensively, Fresno relied heavily on Andy Perez who had a dominant night at the plate, finishing 4-4, with 2 R, 2 2B, and 4 RBI, pushing him into the team lead in RBIs with 26 on the season, nearly half of the total RBIs he hit during the 2023 season (53) in only 301 less at-bats, which is pretty good, right?
Fresno wasn’t finished entering Sunday and neither was the team’s tendency for the dramatics as they completed the comeback in a back-and-forth game, eventually winning in a walk-off thanks to a Jason Hinchman two-run home run. The win was Fresno’s third walk-off victory of the series and their second consecutive series-ending walk-off victory at Chukchansi Park.
Grizzlies starting pitcher Jace Kaminska had nine strikeouts over 5.1 IP and was only credited with three earned runs. Fresno had a 6-1 lead at one point in this game, but struggled in the seventh inning when righty Brady Hill gave up four runs that would give Visalia the lead until Jake Madden and Welinton Herrera entered the game, stifling the Rawhide offense. Herrera would pick up credit for the win, his second of the series where he only allowed one hit through three innings of work with one walk and four strikeouts. Herrera has been the pillar of Fresno’s bullpen and has not allowed a single run since April 10th, that’s 19 straight innings without being credited with a run and over that span he’s only allowed seven total hits. Amazing stuff from Herrera who may be promoted soon with the way he’s pitching.
Glenallen Hill Jr., Aidan Longwell, and Andy Perez all had three-hit afternoons en route to the victory, while Jason Hinchman’s towering two-run blast into left center field finished the second part of the comeback, capping off what was an incredibly captivating series against the Rawhide.
What’s Up Next Preview:
The Grizzlies have a quick turnaround and will be in San Jose on Monday, May 27th, to play the Giants. Fresno has a record of 5-4 against San Jose and looks to keep their momentum going into the next series against an opponent that boasts the same 26-18 record on the season.
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