Friday highlight from the Giants' farm: Edwin Escobar had 1 ER and 10 K in 6.0 IP. Also notable, Lorenzo Mendoza had 1 ER in 7.0 IP, and Brock Bond reached base in all five plate appearances.
AAA: Fresno defeated Salt Lake 8-5
Fresno: 1B Brett Pill: 3 for 4, 3B, 2B, SO
Fresno: DH Brock Bond: 4 for 4, BB
Fresno: SP Matt Yourkin: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K--1 WP, 1 BK
Fresno: RP Heath Hembree: 1.0 IP, 1 K
While every Grizzly had a hit, Bond had four hits and reached base in all five plate appearances. He has hit .360/.448/.440 in 125 AB. Pill had three hits, including his 1st triple and 3rd double. He has 4 XBH in his last four games.
Yourkin has allowed at least 4 ER in each of his last five starts, while averaging less than 3.0 IP per start. His ERA has risen to 8.21. Hembree pitched a perfect 9th inning for his 11th save.
AA: Richmond lost to Portland 4-2
Richmond: 3B Daniel Mayora: 2 for 3, BB, SO, SB
Richmond: SP Justin Fitzgerald: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Richmond: RP Edwin Quirarte: 1.0 IP, 1 K
With a couple singles and a walk, Mayora was the lone Flying Squirrel to reach base twice.
After four straight starts with 3 K, Fitzgerald had 6 K in this start. A relatively high pitch count (103 pitches, 58 strikes) apparently prevented him from pitching six full innings. Quirarte pitched a perfect 9th inning. With no runs nor hits allowed in four appearances this month, his ERA is now below 5.00.
A+: San Jose lost to Modesto 6-4
San Jose: 3B Adam Duvall: 2 for 4, 2B
San Jose: 1B Ricky Oropesa: 2 for 4, 2 SO, E
San Jose: SP Ryan Bradley: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 3 K--1 HR, 2 WP
Duvall and Oropesa each had two hits, raising their respective AVGs to .272 and .247.
Making his fourteenth start, Bradley issued a season-high 6 BB. In his last eight starts, he has a WHIP over 2.00 and a K/IP below 0.50 with 55 H, 27 BB and 18 K in 40.0 IP.
A-: Augusta defeated Greenville 2-1
Augusta: LF Shawn Payne: 3 for 4, SO, SB
Augusta: SP Edwin Escobar: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K--1 HB
Augusta: RP Kyle Vazquez: 1.0 IP, 2 K
With three singles, Payne had the GreenJackets' lone multi-hit line, raising his AVG above .300. He also had his 22nd SB.
Making his eleventh start, Escobar had best start since his first start of the season when he had 6.0 scoreless IP with 2 H, 0 BB and 7 K. In this start, he had a season-high 10 K while allowing just 1 ER. Vazquez pitched a perfect 9th inning for his 3rd save.
ssA: Salem-Keizer defeated Boise 3-2 (12 innings)
Salem-Keizer: LF-RF Kentrell Hill: 2 for 6, CS
Salem-Keizer: DH Michael Mergenthaler: 2 for 5, SO
Salem-Keizer: SP Lorenzo Mendoza: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Hill and Mergenthaler, who both played last year in the AZL, each had two of the Volcanoes' nine hits in the NWL season-opener.
Mendoza, who had a 4.19 ERA in fourteen NWL starts last summer, had an impressive start in his return to the NWL for a season season. There are few starts in short-season ball where a starter pitches at least seven full frames.
DSL: Giants defeated Cubs2 7-0
Dominican: C Miguel Gomez: 3 for 5
Dominican: RP Diomedes Mateo: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 6 K
Gomez (19.5 y.o.) had three hits in his eighth DSL game. Mateo (22.7 y.o.), who played last year for the Pirates in the rookie Gulf Coast League, faced just two batters over the minimum in 4.0 scoreless IP in relief.