AAA: Fresno defeated Memphis 6-1

Fresno: 1B Travis Ishikawa: 1 for 3, HR, HBP
Fresno: P Brad Hennessey: 1 for 1, BB
Memphis: RF Brian Barton: 3 for 5, 2 SO
Memphis: CF Jon Jay: 2 for 4, HR, SO

Fresno: RHP Brad Hennessey: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K--2 HR, 1 HB
Fresno: LHP Erick Threets: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Fresno: RHP Keiichi Yabu: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K
Memphis: RHP Mitchell Boggs: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K--1 HR
Memphis: RHP Chris Perez: 0.2 IP, 2 K

Ishikawa connected for his 9th PCL HR in 129 AB and his 17th HR this season in 363 AB.  Hennessey was one of three other Grizzlies to reach base twice, only he did it in just two plate appearances.  With three singles, the Cardinals' Barton raised his AVG to .300 in eight rehab games.  Jay, who broke out with a .306/.379/.457 line in the Texas League this year, homered in his second PCL game.

Hennessey allowed five or more earned runs for the fifth time in his last nine starts, although he had been very good in his last three starts.  All five runs came in the 5th inning, and he finished the game with a 5.12 ERA.  Threets allowed an earned run for the first time in nearly three weeks (over five appearances).  Yabu struck out three of five batters faced in his first rehab appearance.  Boggs, who began the year ranked among the Cardinals top ten prospects and who has spent most of the last two months in the majors, had an effective start.  Perez, who is perhaps the top relief prospect in the minors and made twenty-three major league appearances earlier this year, struck out both batters he faced, stranding three inherited runners, for his 10th save.

AA: Connecticut lost Binghamton 4-3 (10 innings)

Connecticut: 3B Ryan Rohlinger: 3 for 5, PO
Connecticut: LF Eddy Martinez-Esteve: 2 for 4, HR

Connecticut: RHP Daryl Maday: 6.0 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Binghamton: RHP Eddie Kunz: 1.0 IP, 2 K

Rohlinger's three singles accounted for a third of the Defenders' nine hits and raised his own AVG to .299, the third best mark on the team, just barely behind the .301 AVG of EME, the only other Defender with multiple hits, one of which was his 3rd HR of the month and 6th HR of the season.

Maday, who held Sally League hitters below the Mendoza line in 104.2 IP this year, allowed ten hits in his first start in the upper minors but limited the damage to two runs.  In his two appearances as a Defender, he has a BAA of .563 with the bases empty but just a .211 BAA with runners on base.  The Mets' Kunz has been dominant in July, with stats of 5 H, 1 BB, 0 R and 8 K in 11.1 IP.  Plus, he's allowed only a couple fly ball outs (5.50 GO/AO ratio).

A+: San Jose defeated Rancho Cucamonga 6-4

San Jose: 3B Brad Boyer: 2 for 4, SO, SB
San Jose: 1B Andy D'Alessio: 3 for 4, 2B, SO

San Jose: LHP Jesse English: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
San Jose: RHP Taylor Wilding: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Rancho Cucamonga: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 7 K--1 HR

With his second straight multi-hit game, D'Alessio has nearly gotten his second-half AVG above the Mendoza line.  Boyer, the other Giant with multiple hits, remains red-hot in the second half, with an AVG of .368 during that time.

English bounced back from his previous start (7 ER in 3.0 IP) allowing just one run to improve his ERA to 3.09 and W-L record to 11-4.  By contrast, Walden, who has become the Angels' top pitching prospect this season, was roughed up in his third Cal League start.  Was this an old school game?  Both teams used only one reliever, both of whom went 3.1 IP.  Wilding had the unusual line recording a save while allowing 3 ER and notching 7 K.

A-: Augusta defeated Columbus 7-4

Augusta: 2B Juan Ciriaco: 1 for 5, HR, SO
Augusta: DH Thomas Neal: 1 for 3, HR, BB, SO
Augusta: 3B Andrew Davis: 3 for 4, HR, 2B
Augusta: SS Charlie Culberson: 1 for 4, HR, 2 SO, 2 E

Augusta: LHP Scott Barnes: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Augusta: LHP Ryan Paul: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K

The GreenJackets went deep four times--Neal for his 12th HR, Culberson for his 3rd HR, Davis for his 2nd HR and Ciriaco for his 1st HR.  After two more errors, Culberson has a season total of 34 errors, but that is well below the rate at which he started the season.

After three AZL appearances and two NWL appearances, Barnes, the Giants' 8th round selection this year, made his full-season debut, facing just three batters over the minimum in four shutout inning.  Paul picked up his 2nd save.

ssA: Salem-Keizer had its second of three scheduled off-days
(currently leading their division by one game with a 21-21 record)

Volcanoes on NWL leaderboards:
--Hitters:
SLG: Loberg 9th
HR: Ambort 10th, Loberg 10th
3B: Wright 1st, Loberg 1st
2B: Bond 2nd
H: Loberg 5th, Flores 8th
TB: Loberg 3rd
BB: Flores 3rd
SO: Loberg 2nd, Bond 5th, Flores 10th
AB: Loberg 4th, Flores 5th, Lormand 5th
RBI: Loberg 1st
R: Lormand 7th, Bond 7th, Loberg 10th, Flores 10th
SB: Bond 4th, Curry 7th, Lormand 7th
CS: Bond 1st, Wright 5th
--Pitchers:
ERA: Loree 2nd
WHIP: Loree 1st
K: Loree 9th
IP: Loree 4th, Bucardo 9th
R: Bucardo 9th
ER: Bucardo 9th
H: Bucardo 3rd
G: Runzler 9th
L: Bucardo 3rd
Sv: Quirarte 4th

R: Giants defeated Mariners 12-4

Scottsdale: LF Ben Woodbury: 3 for 4, 2B, SF
Scottsdale: 3B Josh Mazzola: 3 for 4, 2 2B, BB, E
Scottsdale: SS Brooks Lindsley: 3 for 5, 3B, 2B, 2 SO, E

Scottsdale: RHP Javier Hernandez: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K--1 HR, 1 HB

Woodbury, Mazzola and Lindsley each had three hits, with five of their collective nine hits going for extra bases, raising their respective AVGs to .360, .316 and .278.

Hernandez allowed just 13 H but 8 BB through his first five starts but has now allowed 14 H but 0 BB in his two starts since.  The 20-year-old's season ERA remains above 5.50.

DSL: Giants defeated Royals 8-5

Dominican: RF Jose De La Cruz: 3 for 4, 2B, CS
Dominican: RHP Bertoni Garcia: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 3 K--1 HB

With three of the Gigantes' six hits, De La Cruz (17.3 y.o.) raised his AVG above .250 and OBP above .300.  In the twelfth appearance of his pro career (one start), Garcia (17.1 y.o.) provided outstanding long relief with five shutout innings that improved his ERA to 1.76.  His BAA of .149 is impressive, but his BB/IP ratio is high, just shy of 0.67.