Tulsa Drillers (Double-A) — W, 10-3 vs Wichita

This was Josue De Paula‘s night, and it wasn’t particularly close. The right fielder went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, and four RBI. He also scored four times. When a guy touches every base that many times in a single game, you don’t need to dress it up — he was the best hitter on the field and it showed from the first at-bat to the last. De Paula has serious bat speed and the power is becoming more and more consistent. Keep an eye on this one.

But De Paula wasn’t working alone. Jake Gelof smacked three doubles in five at-bats with two RBI, which is exactly the kind of extra-base-hit barrage we want to see from a third baseman trying to force his way up the ladder. Three doubles in one game tells you he was squaring balls up and driving them into gaps all night. Mike Sirota added a homer, a walk, and two RBI out of center field, while Taylor Young chipped in a double and an RBI from the DH spot. Sean McLain went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and scored twice — doing the little things that don’t always show up in highlights but absolutely show up in a 10-run outburst.

On the mound, Christian Zazueta was sharp. Four innings, eight strikeouts, one walk, one earned run. That’s a dominant strikeout rate and he was clearly attacking hitters with confidence. Wyatt Crowell picked up the win (6-4), going the final four innings and giving up two earned with two strikeouts. Not quite as clean as Zazueta’s work, but he ate innings and kept things under control while the offense did its thing. Solid complementary outing.

Oklahoma City Comets (Triple-A) — L, 3-4 vs Sugar Land

A one-run loss to Sugar Land. Not a lot to dissect offensively — this was a quiet night for our guys in OKC. Jack Suwinski was the standout, going 3-for-4 with a double, though he did strike out once. Three hits in four trips is encouraging from Suwinski, who continues to make consistent contact at the Triple-A level. The issue was that nobody else really got much going. When your best offensive line belongs to one player and you still lose by a run, it usually means the middle of the lineup didn’t come through in key spots. Sometimes that’s just baseball.

Great Lakes Loons (High-A) — W, 8-7 vs Fort Wayne

An 8-7 win is never clean, but we’ll take it. The story here is Samuel Munoz, who went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBI out of right field. That’s the kind of damage you need from a corner outfielder, and Munoz delivered when it counted. Chase Harlan also drove in three runs on a 2-for-4 night with a walk — a quality at-bat day for the third baseman who showed good plate discipline alongside the production.

What I found interesting was the patience up and down the lineup. Logan Wagner went 0-for-3 but drew two walks and scored twice. Eduardo Guerrero also went hitless but took two walks and scored two runs. Charles Davalan drew two walks, stole a base, and scored a run despite just one hit. That’s three guys with empty batting lines who all contributed to an eight-run game because they understood the strike zone and got on base. That matters for development — these guys aren’t just swinging for results, they’re working at-bats.

On the pitching side, Aidan Foeller picked up the win (3-0) but gave up four earned in five innings. The three strikeouts and two walks are fine, but four earned runs in a game you win 8-7 means the bullpen had work to do. Dilan Figueredo slammed the door with a scoreless ninth — two strikeouts, no walks, no runs. That’s save number three and exactly what you need from your closer in a one-run game. Cameron Decker contributed quietly with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and a stolen base despite going hitless — another example of getting on base without needing hits.

Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A) — L, 5-9 vs Fresno

A rough one for the Buzzers. Fresno put up nine and Ontario couldn’t keep pace. That said, Conner O’Neal was excellent behind the plate — 3-for-3 with a homer, a double, a walk, and two RBI. A perfect night at the dish from a catcher is always worth noting, and O’Neal was locked in from start to finish. When your catcher goes 3-for-3 with extra-base power, you’d like to win that game.

Mairoshendrick Martinus (and yes, that’s a name to remember) went 2-for-5 with a homer, an RBI, and two stolen bases. The combination of power and speed is tantalizing at the Single-A level — he can change a game in multiple ways. The two strikeouts are worth monitoring, but the overall profile is exciting. Jaron Elkins quietly went 3-for-5 out of center, doing his job at the top of the lineup. Joendry Vargas added a stolen base and a run, and Javier Herrera drove in a run with a walk and a stolen base of his own. The pieces are there offensively — the pitching just couldn’t hold up tonight.

ACL Dodgers (Rookie) — W, 4-1 vs ACL White Sox

This was all about Joel Cruz on the mound. Five innings, eight strikeouts, zero walks, one earned run. Read that line again — no walks and eight punchouts. For a young arm in the Arizona Complex League, that kind of command paired with swing-and-miss stuff is exactly what you want to see. Cruz picked up his first win of the year (1-2), and the prior record didn’t reflect his talent — this is the outing that does. When a rookie-level pitcher throws five innings of one-run ball without issuing a free pass, that’s a statement.

Jose Vasquez closed it out with a perfect ninth — one inning, two strikeouts, no walks, no runs for his first save. Between Cruz and Vasquez, the White Sox lineup was overmatched all night.

Offensively it was a workmanlike effort. Jose Gonzalez delivered the biggest hit — a triple that drove in both of his two RBI on the night. Francisco Espinoza doubled, walked, and stole a base from the catcher spot, showing the kind of all-around game you love to see from a backstop. Sam Mongelli drew a walk, stole a base, and scored a run at short. Abel Lorenzo struck out three times but still found a way to score a run and swipe a bag — not a great night at the plate, but the legs stayed useful. Sometimes the athletic tools show up before the bat catches up.