In Dodgers minor league action, the affiliates split their games, with two wins and two losses.
Ronan Kopp struck out three in his scoreless inning of relief for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Kopp, who went from May 20th to July 9th without giving up an earned run (16 games, 21 innings), has been scored on in three games out of nine appearances since being promoted to Triple-A.
Returning 2021 draft pick Nick Nastrini, who was traded away in the Lance Lynn acquisition a couple of years ago, and recently claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins, was brought in by the Comets with one out and no one on in the third inning, and proceeded to walk all four batters he faced, (with a couple of wild pitches thrown in), triggering a seven-run bleed.
Zyhir Hope went 0 for 2 for Great Lakes on Thursday and is 0 for August, striking out nine times in 20 at-bats.
An early 4-2 Oklahoma City Comets lead blew up quickly when the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres) broke out for a seven-run third inning. Four straight walks by Nastrini set the table for Chihuahuas Rodolfo Duran, who hit a game-turning grand slam, the biggest hit in an 11-5 Chihuahuas victory. Down big in the latter innings, the Comets got a perfect inning from Bobby Miller, who now has four straight scoreless, hitless innings in a row, and may be showing early signs that relief pitching may be his best role.
Chris Campos pitched a game for the compost heap, yielding six runs on eight hits in three innings, while the Tulsa Drillers could only muster up a solo run on six singles, as the Corpus Christi Hooks met little resistance in a 7-1 win.
The Great Lakes Loons used a six-run fifth inning to defeat the Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics) 7-6. The big hit was a bases-clearing three-run double by Loons third baseman Jake Gelof. Logan Wagner added a solo home run, his 13th. Payton Martin got credit with the win, pitching five and two-thirds innings, and giving up four runs on six hits.
The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes scored a run in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie, and held on to win 3-2 over the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres). A wild streak by Storm relief pitcher Yovannki Pascual essentially gifted the game to the Quakes. After the first two Quakes batters in the eighth inning struck out, Victor Rodrigues singled, the next two hitters walked, and a hit-by-pitch by Igor Gil plated the winning run.
Sterling Patick started for the Quakes and pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits, while striking out seven.