Oklahoma City Comets (Triple-A) — Loss, 2-6 vs Round Rock

Ryan Ward did everything he could to keep this one interesting, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a homer and two doubles. That’s about as locked-in as you’ll see from a hitter on any given night. Ward has been working to establish himself at the Triple-A level, and nights like this are exactly what we want to see — hard contact, using the whole field, no wasted at-bats. The problem? Nobody else showed up offensively. Ward drove in one and scored one, and that was essentially the extent of the OKC attack.

Noah Miller had a solid night in his own right, going 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. Miller continues to do the little things right — getting on base, putting good swings on pitches. Two hits and a walk from your shortstop is a quiet but productive line.

On the mound, Cole Irvin took the loss to fall to 0-2, but his line doesn’t tell a losing pitcher’s story: 5.1 innings, zero earned runs, two strikeouts, no walks. That’s a quality veteran outing. The bullpen gave this one away after Irvin departed. It’s a frustrating result when your starter does his job and your best hitter goes 4-for-4 and you still lose by four. That’s baseball sometimes.

Tulsa Drillers (Double-A) — Win, 10-4 vs Springfield

Josue De Paula had one of those games you circle on the calendar. Four-for-five with a homer and five RBI. Five. That’s a line that jumps off the page at any level, and at Double-A it’s the kind of breakout performance that gets noticed. De Paula was the DH tonight and he made it count on every trip to the plate. Is this the start of something, or was it just one of those nights? We’ll be watching closely.

Elijah Hainline was nearly as impressive, going 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, and an RBI while scoring twice. Hainline has real tools and he showed them all tonight — power to the pull side, gap-to-gap ability, and he was running the bases aggressively. Kendall George added two hits, two RBI, a stolen base, and three runs scored from the leadoff spot. George drew a walk as well, though the two strikeouts are worth noting. He’s still learning to manage the zone, but his speed and instincts on the bases are undeniable.

Griffin Lockwood-Powell went 2-for-4 with a walk behind the plate. Not a flashy line, but getting on base three times from your catcher is solid production. On the other end, Sean McLain went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts — he did reach on a hit-by-pitch and swiped a bag, so he contributed on the bases, but three punchouts in four at-bats is a rough night. Kole Myers also went hitless in three at-bats with two strikeouts, though his two walks and two runs scored kept him involved. Joe Vetrano was 0-for-3 but drew two walks, so he’s seeing the ball even when the hits aren’t falling.

The pitching was a mixed bag. Luke Fox got the start and lasted four innings, allowing four earned runs with three walks and five strikeouts. The stuff was there — five K’s in four frames shows he can miss bats — but the walks hurt him. He never really settled in. Nick Robertson picked up the win with a clean inning of relief: one strikeout, no walks, no runs. Robertson getting back on track in a lower-leverage spot is a positive development for our bullpen depth.

Great Lakes Loons (High-A) — Loss, 2-5 vs West Michigan

Not much to feel great about offensively here. The Loons managed just five hits and two runs in this one. Jesus Galiz was the one bright spot with the bat, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. He accounted for both of Great Lakes’ runs, and at a position where offensive production is always at a premium, that’s encouraging from the catcher spot.

Jose Meza went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored. Meza has been showing some versatility — putting the ball in play, using his legs — and that’s a good sign for his development at first base. Nico Perez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run, and a stolen base. The on-base ability is there with Perez, and adding the speed element makes him a more well-rounded player. Still, two runs aren’t going to win many games. The Loons need more from the middle of the lineup in games like this.

Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A) — Loss, 10-11 vs Inland Empire

This one had everything — except a win. Ontario put up ten runs and still lost. In a game like this, you’re looking at a pitching staff that couldn’t hold any lead, and that’s frustrating when the offense does its job this emphatically.

Jaron Elkins was electric. Two-for-three with a homer, a double, a walk, three stolen bases, and three runs scored. That’s a five-tool stat line right there (and this is a name to remember). The power-speed combination is real, and Elkins is showing it game after game. Three steals in one night is rare at any level. Keep an eye on this one.

Chase Harlan had an equally impressive night at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a homer, two walks, three RBI, and two runs scored. He reached base in all five plate appearances. That’s perfect. You can’t ask for more from a hitter on a given night. Brendan Tunink also had a nice game, going 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI — steady, professional at-bats from the DH spot.

Joendry Vargas went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, two RBI, a stolen base, and two runs scored. The hit total doesn’t jump out, but he was productive in every other way. Emil Morales had a tougher time at the plate, going 1-for-4 with three strikeouts, though his double drove in a run and he was hit by a pitch. The strikeout rate is something to watch with Morales as he develops. When you score ten and lose by one, though, the conversation has to be about the pitching. Ontario’s staff allowed eleven runs, and that erased a huge offensive effort.

ACL Dodgers (Rookie)

No game played today.

DSL Dodgers (Rookie)

No game played today.