Dodgers Minor League Roundup: Drillers Roll, Loons Rally, Tower Buzzers Split Twinbill
Ryan Fitzgerald had another big night for AAA OKC, and Christian Romero gave the Comets a GREAT start. Speaking of GREAT starts, Wyatt Crowell turned in a good one as well at Wichita before Evan Shaw came in and slammed the door, and Mike Sirota, who was just promoted yesterday, got 3 hits to lead the charge for the Drillers. Charles Davalan continued his breakout season for Great Lakes with another leadoff homer for the Loons, Ching-Hsien Ko hit a grand slam in the first game of the doubleheader for Ontario, and Easton Shelton had a HUGE day for the Buzzers as well. In fact, he was a triple away from hitting for the cycle in the first game.
AAA Oklahoma City
Alex Freeland has been hot, slashing .417/.481/.958 with three home runs and 11 RBIs over his last five games. James Tibbs III has also been wearing AAA pitching out, hitting .471 with a 1.360 OPS while scoring 11 runs in that span.
Noah Miller made a sweet play up the middle last night and is hitting .391 with three homers over his last five games, and Kiké put on a show defensively at 3rd, although he’s yet to get his stick going the way he’s capable.
Christian Romero turned in a GREAT start, going 5 innings, giving up just 1 run on 5 hits, and he had 7K and just 2 walks. It was especially good considering that he threw 27 pitches in the 1st inning, then walked the leadoff hitter to start the 2nd. He didn’t walk another hitter until the top of the 4th, then he hit the leadoff hitter in the 6th inning, then was taken out after having thrown 96 pitches. The 7Ks were a season high, and it’s been super fun watching this young man grow in just about every way right in front of our eyes.
Chayce McDermott gave the Comets a good relief outing last night, going, giving up no hits, no runs, with 3Ks. McDermott picked up his first save and has gone scoreless in 3 outings in a row. The Dodgers picked him up back in April after he had been DFA’d by the Orioles, and since then, he’s posted an ERA of 3.60 with OKC. 4 Seam averaged 95.7, slider was tagged as the “go to”
Tulsa Drillers Shut Out Wind Surge 6-0
The Tulsa Drillers improved to 24-17 with a 6-0 victory over the Wichita Wind Surge. The combination of Wyatt Crowell, Evan Shaw, and Kelvin Ramirez dominated on the mound, and the offense, led by Mike Sirota, was opportunistic. Austin Chubb is sitting in for Eric Wedge for the week as the manager. Chubb was the manager for the Loons in 2021 and 2022, and has been in a Minor League Coordination role since.
Kendall George had another big night with 2 hits, one being an infield hit, and he also had a stolen base. He now has swiped 22 bases, and has been caught just 3 times. Mike Sirota was the Player of the Game, getting 3 hits, including a two-run double in the seventh to extend the lead to 5-0. Sirota finished with three hits, two doubles, and two RBIs, and continues to flash some serious offensive upside and a very high floor as well.
Wyatt Crowell delivered one of his strongest outings of the season, working 5.2 shutout innings while allowing only two hits and striking out six. Evan Shaw escaped a sixth-inning bases-loaded jam that he inherited from Crowell, then Kelvin Ramirez struck out the side in the ninth to complete the shutout. Tulsa pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts and held Wichita to 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Kendall George’s speed continued to impact the game as he stole two more bases and scored twice, while Hope added two RBIs and Josue De Paula reached base four times.
Loons Rally Past Timber Rattlers 4-3
Great Lakes improved to 26-14 with a gritty 4-3 comeback victory over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at home at Dow Diamond.
Charles Davalan blasted a leadoff home run in the first inning for his seventh homer of the season, and Eduardo Quintero later scored on a Jose Meza RBI single to give Great Lakes an early 2-0 advantage.
The Loons’ bullpen was excellent outside of the sixth inning. Zach Root, the Dodgers #1 pick from last summer, was very good. H struck out six over 3.2 scoreless innings, while Matt Lanzendorfer earned the win with three shutout innings of relief.
Top Offensive Performers
Charles Davalan — 1-for-3, HR, RBI, BB
Jose Meza — 1-for-3, RBI, R
Victor Rodrigues — 2-for-2, BB
Nico Perez — 1-for-3, 3B, 2 SB, R
Eduardo Guerrero — 1-for-3
Pitchers
Zach Root — 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Reynaldo Yean — 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB
Davis Chastain — 1.0 IP, 3 ER
Matt Lanzendorfer — 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 K
Tower Buzzers Split Doubleheader with Inland Empire
The Dodgers’ Single-A affiliates split a doubleheader with the Inland Empire 66ers, winning the opener 7-6 in eight innings before dropping the second game 12-8.
In Game 1, Ontario rallied from a 6-2 deficit with a four-run seventh inning. AJ Soldra had a big double, and Mairo Martinus, Joendry Vargas, and Easton Shelton all delivered RBI hits to tie the game. In the eighth inning, the automatic runner scored on a balk to give Ontario the winning run.
Javier Herrera was a BIG part of the offense with two hits and two walks, and Easton Shelton added two hits and an RBI. Martinus finished with two hits and a key RBI during the comeback rally.
Jose Cabrera stabilized the game out of the bullpen with two innings of relief before Angel Cruz slammed the door in the eighth.
The second game turned into an offensive shootout. Ching-Hsien Ko delivered the biggest swing of the day with a second-inning grand slam, while Easton Shelton continued his HUGE day with a home run later in the game as Ontario built an early 6-1 lead. However, Inland Empire answered with a seven-run third and fourth inning combination to take control and eventually win 12-8.
Ko finished Game 2 with three hits, including his grand slam, and four RBIs, while Shelton went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs.
Pitchers — Game 1
Luis Carias — 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 7 K
Jose Cabrera — 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 K
Angel Cruz — 1.0 IP, SV
Pitchers — Game 2
Brady Smith — 2.2 IP, 4 ER
Jholbran Herder — 0.2 IP, 7 ER
Javier Bartolozzi — 2.2 IP, 1 ER
