Oklahoma City Comets (Triple-A) — W, 6-1 vs Sugar Land

Ryan Fitzgerald had himself a night. The third baseman went 2-for-3 with two home runs, a walk, and two RBI in a comfortable 6-1 win over Sugar Land. That’s the kind of game that makes you sit up — two homers in three at-bats from a guy who’s been putting in the work at the hot corner. He scored both times he reached on the longball and showed good plate discipline with the walk mixed in. When a guy is squaring up pitches like that, you just let the results talk.

Tyler Fitzgerald added a homer of his own, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, though he did strike out twice. James Tibbs III only needed one at-bat to make an impact — a two-run homer in his lone plate appearance. That’s efficiency. Austin Gauthier went 0-for-2 at the plate but drew two walks, so he was on base plenty and doing his part at the top of the lineup.

On the mound, Logan Allen gave us exactly what we needed: five innings, four strikeouts, one earned run, and just one walk. That’s a quality outing that keeps the bullpen fresh. Carlos Duran was dominant in relief, picking up the win (2-0) with two scoreless innings, striking out three without issuing a walk. Duran has been quietly effective every time out. Keep an eye on this one.

Tulsa Drillers (Double-A) — W, 4-3 & W, 2-0 vs Northwest Arkansas

Tulsa swept the doubleheader, and Griffin Lockwood-Powell was the story in Game 1. The catcher went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, and three RBI. That’s about as complete a game as you can have at the plate from a backstop. Catchers who can do that are rare and valuable, and Lockwood-Powell is showing he can be a legitimate offensive weapon at the Double-A level. This was a 4-3 final, so his bat was essentially the difference.

Elijah Hainline added a solo homer and went 1-for-4, while Zyhir Hope had a nice 2-for-4 day in right and scored a run. Joe Vetrano chipped in with a double and a stolen base — he’s been showing some versatility in his game lately. On the mound, Payton Martin went five innings with four punchouts, though he did surrender all three earned runs. Not his sharpest, but he gave the team length. Christian Suarez locked it down with two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win (3-3), striking out two.

Game 2 was a pitching-driven 2-0 shutout, and we love to see that. Carson Hobbs picked up the win (2-0) with two clean innings — no strikeouts, no walks, no runs. Just getting outs. Kelvin Ramirez nailed it down with a two-inning save (his third), striking out two without a walk. That’s four innings of shutout ball from the bullpen in a game where the offense didn’t need to do much.

Hainline was the offensive catalyst again in the nightcap, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base. He showed up in both games — the kind of consistency you want to see from a prospect at this level. Mike Sirota also went 2-for-3 in Game 2. A quiet, efficient day at the plate.

Great Lakes Loons (High-A) — W, 7-3 vs Dayton

This was a balanced offensive effort from our guys in Great Lakes, and it started at the top. Eduardo Quintero set the tone out of the leadoff spot, going 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI, a run scored, and two stolen bases. That’s a five-time-on-base day with two steals. When your center fielder is creating that kind of havoc on the basepaths and getting on at that clip, good things follow.

Emil Morales drove in three runs on a 1-for-5 night that included a double. The average wasn’t there, but the damage was — three RBI is three RBI. Jose Meza provided some pop with a solo homer (1-for-4), and Nico Perez went 2-for-4 with a run and a stolen base. Jose Izarra scored twice despite going just 1-for-3, adding a stolen base and getting hit by a pitch. Jose D. Hernandez didn’t record a hit in two at-bats but drew two walks and drove in a run — productive outs and free passes still move the needle.

On the mound, Christian Zazueta went 4.1 innings with two strikeouts and no walks, though he gave up three earned runs. He was around the zone but got hit a bit. The real story was Alex Makarewich, who came on in relief and was dominant — 1.2 innings, four strikeouts, no walks, no runs. Makarewich earned the win (3-0) and has been lights-out in his relief role. That strikeout rate in a short outing is exactly what you want from a high-leverage arm in development.

Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A) — L, 11-14 vs Visalia

Ontario scored 11 runs and still lost. That tells you everything you need to know about how the pitching went. This was a slugfest that got away from our guys, but let’s give credit where it’s due on the offensive side — the lineup showed fight throughout.

Jaron Elkins had the most eye-catching line: 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, a walk, a hit-by-pitch, a stolen base, and three runs scored. He reached base three times and scored every time he got on. That’s impressive even in a loss. Ching-Hsien Ko went 1-for-4 but drove in two, drew two walks, stole a base, and scored twice. The plate discipline from Ko has been something to watch — four times on base in a game where the lineup needed every bit of it.

Landyn Vidourek contributed a double, two RBI, two walks, and a stolen base (1-for-3). Kellon Lindsey doubled, walked, scored, and swiped a bag in limited action (1-for-1). Joendry Vargas went 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and a run. Easton Shelton was 1-for-4 with two walks and a run, though he struck out twice.

The pitching, though — that’s where this game went sideways. Mason Estrada allowed five earned runs in 4.1 innings with two walks and just two strikeouts. He never really had command. Jecsua Liborius took the loss (1-2) and the blown save (his second), giving up two earned runs in 2.1 innings. He did strike out three, but the damage was done. When you give up 14 runs, it doesn’t matter how much offense you generate. These are developmental growing pains, and the staff will need to bounce back.

ACL Dodgers (Rookie) — L, 3-6 vs ACL White Sox

A tough one for the ACL club, but Aidan West did his best to keep things interesting. The DH went 1-for-2 with a three-run homer, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. Three RBI on one swing is a nice day no matter the level. That’s the kind of impact at-bat that stands out even in a loss.

Daniel Mielcarek made things happen on the basepaths, going 1-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch and two stolen bases. Speed and aggression at this level are good signs — it shows he’s willing to create pressure on the defense. The rest of the lineup was quiet, and the pitching staff couldn’t contain the White Sox bats. Not a lot more to pull from this one, but West’s power and Mielcarek’s speed are worth tracking as the Arizona Complex League season rolls on.