Oklahoma City Comets (Triple-A) — W, 12-11 vs Round Rock

This one was chaos. The good kind — if you were rooting for our guys in OKC, anyway. Twelve runs on the board and they needed every single one of them to survive a wild back-and-forth with Round Rock. The final was 12-11, and I doubt anybody’s heart rate was normal by the ninth inning.

Let’s start with Ryan Fitzgerald, who was the biggest bat in the lineup tonight. He went 2-for-5 with a homer, a double, and five RBI. Five. That’s the kind of line that carries a team, and it did. Fitzgerald has quietly been producing all season at third base, and games like this are why he keeps getting run out there. The double showed he can use the whole field, and the homer showed he can turn on something and put it out. Good combination.

Zach Ehrhard was just as locked in at the plate — 3-for-4 with a homer, a walk, and three runs scored. He reached base four times. That’s an on-base night you dream about from your right fielder. Ehrhard continues to make loud contact, and the discipline to take a walk in a game where he was already swinging well says something about his approach.

Jack Suwinski added a homer of his own, going 3-for-4 with a run batted in and two runs scored. Suwinski has major league experience and it shows — he’s seeing the ball well and doing damage when he gets his pitch. James Tibbs III contributed a solo shot as well, finishing 1-for-3 with two walks. I love the patience from Tibbs. Three times on base, and two of those were free passes. That plate discipline matters. Austin Gauthier chipped in 2 RBI and a run scored, going 1-for-4. Not his flashiest night, but he drove in runs when they were needed.

Now — about the pitching. We scored 12 runs and won by one. That tells you enough. Carlos Duran earned a blown save, giving up 2 earned runs in 1.1 innings with a walk. He struck out two, so the stuff was there, but he couldn’t shut the door. It happens, especially in a game this volatile. Garrett McDaniels cleaned things up beautifully — 1.0 inning, one strikeout, no walks, no runs. He picks up the win and moves to 3-1. When you need a guy to come in and just stop the bleeding, McDaniels did exactly that.

Tulsa Drillers (Double-A) — W, 7-2 vs Springfield

This was the cleaner win of the night. Tulsa handled Springfield 7-2, and the story starts on the mound with Payton Martin. Four innings, three strikeouts, one walk, zero earned runs. That’s exactly what you want from a young starter — go out, attack the zone, keep the team in the game, and hand it off. Martin’s command was sharp, and he looked like a guy who trusted his stuff tonight. We’ll keep tracking this one closely.

Roque Gutierrez picked up the win in relief (1-0), going 3.1 innings and allowing 2 earned runs. The four walks are a concern — that’s a lot of free traffic for a reliever logging that many innings. He struck out one and survived the walks well enough, but he’ll need to tighten that up. Still, he kept the lead intact, and the bottom line is a W.

Offensively, Zyhir Hope was the headliner. He went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBI. Four RBI from the right field spot is a statement game. Hope has power, and when he connects, the ball travels. Is he ready to be a consistent middle-of-the-order threat at Double-A? Nights like this suggest he’s heading that direction. Keep an eye on this one.

Kyle Nevin had a solid night as the DH, going 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a hit-by-pitch. Nevin does a nice job putting the bat on the ball and finding ways to contribute. Kendall George reached base and scored twice while also swiping a bag — 1-for-5 isn’t the prettiest line, but the speed and the runs scored show his impact. Yeiner Fernandez went 0-for-2 at the plate but drew two walks and scored twice. Sometimes the most valuable at-bats are the ones where you don’t swing. Sean McLain was similar — 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored. Good plate discipline up and down this lineup tonight.

Great Lakes Loons (High-A) — L, 3-4 vs West Michigan

A tough one-run loss for the Loons. These are the games that sting because you’re right there, and one more swing or one more pitch could flip the result.

Jesus Galiz was the most productive bat in the lineup, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. He accounted for two of the team’s three runs, and that’s exactly the kind of production you want from your catcher. Galiz continues to show he can contribute with the bat, which is valuable at a position where offense is often hard to find.

Mike Sirota collected two hits (2-for-4), though the two strikeouts show he was challenged at times. Logan Wagner also went 2-for-4 with a double, but the two punchouts were there for him as well. Both guys made contact when it mattered but also got fooled. That’s High-A — the pitching is getting better, and the adjustments never stop.

Three runs wasn’t enough tonight. The bats will need to be more consistent to turn these close losses into wins.

Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A) — L, 0-0 vs Inland Empire

Ontario dropped a scoreless result to Inland Empire. Getting shut out is never fun, but we’ll have limited detail on this one beyond the final. The Buzzers will look to bounce back in their next outing.

ACL Dodgers (Rookie) & DSL Dodgers (Rookie)

Neither the ACL Dodgers nor the DSL Dodgers were in action today.