Triple-A International League: Gwinnett Braves 6, Durham Bulls 5

Big red flag in this game as Chris Archer left after just 1 inning, apparently because of an injury. Have to hope he’ll be OK. Despite terrible pitching behind him (6 runs allowed in 8 innings), the Bulls nearly stole this game. Brandon Allen had a 2-run homer as part of a 3-run first inning for the Bulls, and their lead got to 4-0 before the Braves tied it in the 6th. Cole Figueroa hit a clutch RBI single to give the Bulls a 5-4 lead, but Reid Brignac was also thrown out at home on the play, which proved to be huge when the Braves scored 2 in the 8th to seal their win. Allen had a nice game, going 2 for 4 with the 2-run homer along with a double, while Chris Gimenez went 2 for 5 with and Tim Beckham along with Brignac had nice games, with Beckham going 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an RBI while Brignac went 1 for 3 with 2 walks of his own.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 7, Jackson Generals (SEA) 2

Some interesting things in this game as the Biscuits rolled to an easy win. Kyle Lobstein was great, allowing 2 run on 6 hits in 5.2 innings, striking out 8 while walking 2. He still allowed too many hits and you can’t like his 4-5 groundout to flyout ratio either, but the 8-strikeout performance was impressive. He was followed by Joseph Cruz, working out of the bullpen for the first time this season after a season of struggles in the rotation, and he pitched well, allowing just a hit in 1.1 innings while striking out 3. On offense, Brett Nommensen went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI, Michael Sheridan went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI, Kyeong Kang went 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI, and Ty Morrison went 1 for 2 with a walk, an RBI, and 2 runs scored, stealing his 22nd base of the season. Hak-Ju Lee also notched his 7th triple of the year.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 3, Palm Beach Cardinals 1

Simply the presence of Sam Fuld was enough to spur the Stone Crabs to victory. Albert Suarez tossed a good game for the Stone Crabs, allowing 5 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings, striking out 1 and posting an 8-2 groundout to flyout ratio. In terms of the bats, Fuld didn’t play so well, going 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts, but it’s still great to see him back on the field. Phil Wunderlich had a huge day for Charlotte, going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and all 3 RBI. Mikie Mahtook, playing in his first game since injuring his shoulder running into an outfield wall, went 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored, while Steven Tinoco went 2 for 4.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 4, Lake County Captains (CLE) 2

Ryan Carpenter didn’t allow a hit after the 1st inning and the top of the lineup was dynamic as the Hot Rods came away with a crisp win. Carpenter allowed a first inning since before holding the Captains hitless over the last 5 innings, retiring 15 in a row at one point and 17 of the last 18 batters he faced. The duo of Ryan Brett and Jake Hager at the top of the lineup helped provide him some run support, with both going 2 for 4. Brett drove in 1 and stole his 29th base of the season, while Hager homered, doubled, and scored twice. Drew Vettleson and Juniel Querecuto had the other RBIs for Bowling Green.

Short Season-A New York-Penn League: Auburn Doubledays (WAS) 8, Hudson Valley Renegades 7 (10 innings)

The Renegades battled back in this one to turn a 5-1 deficit after 6 innings into a 7-5 lead, but could not hold and eventually lost in extra-innings. Sean Bierman didn’t have a good start on the surface, 3 runs on 5 hits in just 4.1 innings, but he struck out 4 while walking none and posted an outstanding 8-0 groundout to flyout ratio. The Renegades got offensive production from all over the place, with Justin O’Conner going 2 for 6 with an RBI double and a run scored, Deshun Dixon going 2 for 3 with 2 walks and an RBI, and Leonardo Reginatto going 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Tommy Coyle, Luke Maile, and Ryan Dunn had the other RBIs for Hudson Valley.

Rookie Appalachian League: Danville Braves 6, Princeton Rays 3

The P-Rays saw a 3-0 lead disappear in this frustrating game. Hugo Duarte started for Princeton and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, not striking out or walking a batter and posting a 4-2 groundout to flyout ratio. Kevin Brandt allowed 3 more runs over the next 3 innings for the P-Rays. On offense, Daryl George followed up his 2-homer performance Friday with a 2 for 4 game with a double and an RBI, Alvin Toles went 2 for 5 with a triple and a run scored, and Juan Morillo went 2 for 5 as well with an RBI and a run scored.

Rookie Gulf Coast League: GCL Orioles 3, GCL Rays 1

This game had some promising moments for the GCL Rays, but 4 errors let it slip away. For the first 4 innings of this game, the GCL Rays were faced with a basically impossible task, matching up against longtime big league pitcher Joel Pineiro, and of course Pineiro tossed 4 perfect innings, striking out 5. But 19 year old lefty Oscar Armenta out of Mexico did his best to match him, allowing just a first inning unearned run on 3 hits in 5 innings, striking out 4 while walking none, but it was not enough. Jason Wilson allowed 2 more unearned runs later in the game. Spencer Edwards, the Rays’ 2nd round pick in 2012, made his pro debut, going 0 for 2 and making an error at shortstop as maybe the pressure got to him a little bit. Edwards has plenty of time to get his pro career rolling. Clayton Henning went 1 for 4 with a run scored for the GCL Rays.

Triple-A International League: Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 11, Durham Bulls 1

Shane Dyer has to have his best command for every game. When he doesn’t, he gets killed. On Saturday he allowed 6 runs on 10 hits in just 3.2 innings, striking out 1 while walking 2. He actually managed a 5-2 groundout to flyout ratio, but boy was he hittable. Jacob Turner, the Tigers top prospect, wasn’t dominant at all either, but he battled to go 6.2 innings allowing just 1 run on 8 hits, striking out 2 while walking 2. The Bulls went just 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position in the game. On offense, Jeff Salazar, Matt Mangini, and Cole Figueroa each went 2 for 4, with Mangini doubling and scoring and Figueroa doubling and driving him in, and Reid Brignac went 1 for 3 with a hit AND a walk in the same game. Imagine that.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 6, St. Lucie Mets 4

Luke Bailey is back. Bailey missed from mid-April to early June from injury, but he improved to 3 for 10 since coming back on Saturday night, going 1 for 4 with his first home run of the season, a 2-run shot, and that would be the difference in the Stone Crabs’ 6-4 win over the St. Lucie Mets. Braulio Lara turned in a halfway-decent outing for Charlotte, going 5.2 innings allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, and striking out just 1 but allowing just 1 run, and other than Bailey, Phil Wunderlich was a player with a big offensive day going 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. But there was one alarming thing in this game: Derek Dietrich exited after going 1 for 1 in this game. He better not be hurt now.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 8, Dayton Dragons (CIN) 1

Always nice when you have a game that everything clicks. Felipe Rivero was great in this one, going 6 innings allowing just 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 4 while walking 2. He also forced a 9-1 groundout to flyout ratio. Andrew Bellatti closed out the game with 3 no-hit innings in the blow out. The 8 runs came from a lineup where 8 players got hits, everyone got on base at least once, and 6 different players had RBI. No one actually homered in this game for either team. Drew Vettleson went 2 for 6 with a triple, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Cameron Seitzer went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI. Juniel Querecuto also went 3 for 5, driving in one, scoring one, and stealing a base. It was an outstanding day for the Hot Rods and a game they’ll aspire to moving forward.

Triple-A International League: Indianapolis Indians (PIT) 4, Durham Bulls 0

Matt Torra, who we’ll talk about more later today at RCG, had a halfway-decent start, going 5.1 innings allowing 3 runs on 8 hits, striking out 4 while walking 1. But he got absolutely no run support as the Bulls were 4-hit by ex-big leaguer Rick VandenHurk and a couple of relievers. Stephen Vogt had a hit and improbably stole a base, so that’s nice. Not much else in this game was.

Double-A Southern League: Game 1: Montgomery Biscuits 7, Mississippi Braves 3 (7 innings)

Oh, Jake Thompson. Even when the results are good, he still drives you insane. Thompson allowing 3 runs, 2 earned, on just 5 hits in 6 innings, but he both struck out and walked 3 and his groundout to flyout ratio was a bad 5-6. The unearned run was a result of his own throwing error. Ughhh. On offense, though, the Biscuits got some great performances without disclaimers. Hak-Ju Lee went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored. Ty Morrison went 2 for 4 with a double and a stolen base, his impressive 17th of the season between High-A and Double-A. Omar Luna went 1 for 2 with a solo homer, his first since 2010, 2 walks, 3 runs scored, and his 15th steal of the season. Ryan Garko went 2 for 4 with an RBI. After hitting .296 in 14 games at Montgomery, Garko could head to Triple-A to be ready for a big league call-up in case the Rays’ major leaguers continue to made out of paper mache.

Game 2: Mississippi Braves 3, Montgomery Biscuits 2 (7 innings)

The Biscuits could only come away with a doubleheader split after running into Braves 2011 first rounder Sean Gilmartin, who tossed a 7 inning complete game, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits, striking out 7 while walking 2. Merrill Kelly wasn’t exactly sharp in his spot-start for the Biscuits, allowing 3 runs in 4 innings. Luna finished off his impressive day with a 2 for 4 nightcap with an RBI. Chris Sheridan went 1 for 3 with the other RBI for the Biscuits.

High-A Florida State League: Jupiter Hammerheads (MIA) 11, Charlotte Stone Crabs 3

What the heck happened here? The Stone Crabs had a 3-1 lead after 5 innings thanks to a nice outing from Enny Romero, but Romero allowed a run in the 6th before giving way to Eliazer Suero. That did not go well. Suero recorded just 2 outs, the final out of the 5th and the first out of the 6th, and he allowed 9 runs, all earned, in the process. His ERA was 121.50. No, that’s not a typo. Romero was solid, going 5.2 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, striking out 3 while walking 1 and posting a 10-3 groundout to flyout ratio. He was fine. Suero was not. In his first rehab game, Desmond Jennings went 1 for 3 with a double and a run scored, Kevin Kiermaier went 2 for 3, and Philip Wunderlich went 1 for 4 with a solo homer, his second in as many games and 4th in the last 6 games. Derek Dietrich went 1 for 4 with a triple and an RBI. That triple is his 6th of the season already, especially impressive because Dietrich is not known for his speed. Dietrich continues to hit for outstanding power as his line thus far in 2012 is .262/.341/.471, a .209 ISO. He has 12 doubles, the 6 triples, and 5 homers.