ACL Dodgers (Rookie) — W, 6-3 vs ACL D-backs

The headline here is Jack O’Connor, who turned in the kind of outing you want to see from a young arm finding his footing. Four innings of shutout ball, three strikeouts, zero walks — that’s efficiency and command working together. He earned a hold, but honestly, the stat line undersells how much he settled the game down. O’Connor gave the staff exactly what it needed in a middle-relief role, and the zero-walk line is worth highlighting on its own. Keep an eye on this one.

Wuillians Herrera picked up his fourth win of the season without a loss, though his 1.1 innings weren’t exactly clean — two walks and an earned run. He got his two strikeouts and navigated enough to hand it over to O’Connor, but the control needs to tighten up. Still, 4-0 is 4-0.

Offensively, Aidan West did the most damage in the fewest at-bats: 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI. That’s efficient production from the shortstop spot. Agustin Acosta provided the power with a home run and two RBI of his own, though the two strikeouts alongside a walk tell you he’s still working on shot selection. Sometimes you get both sides of a young hitter in the same game — the big fly and the whiffs. That’s development.

Jose Gonzalez didn’t manage a hit but drew three walks, which is its own kind of productive at-bat. The discipline at the plate from the first baseman was notable. Leider Padilla had a nice night going 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored (plus getting plunked), and Abel Lorenzo chipped in two hits with a stolen base. A solid, balanced offensive effort across the lineup.

DSL Dodgers (Rookie) — L, 7-9 vs DSL Rays

Tough day in the DSL. Our guys scored seven runs and still lost, which tells you everything you need to know about the pitching side of things. Ismanuel Rondon took the blown save — his third of the year — giving up three earned runs on two walks in a single inning. That’s a game that was in hand and slipped away. At the rookie level, you expect growing pains from bullpen arms, but three blown saves is a pattern that needs addressing.

The offense actually did its job. Fran-Jean Haseth was the clear standout, going 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, two walks, three RBI, and two runs scored. That’s a complete game at the plate — power, extra bases, and the patience to take his free passes. He was the best hitter on the field for either side. Adrian Del Cid reached base three times (1-for-2 with a double and two walks), and Aaron Guzman contributed an RBI, two runs, a stolen base, and a walk. Ezequiel Melburne added a double and an RBI from the DH spot, plus a stolen base. Plenty of production — just not enough pitching to back it up.

DSL Dodgers (Rookie) — L, 2-3 vs DSL Tampa Bay (Game 1)

A one-run loss where the bats just couldn’t get going. Hendry Arvelo drove in both Dodger runs, going 1-for-3 — so when we needed someone to come through, he did. But two RBI on a single hit means the table wasn’t being set consistently enough around him.

Juan Macero went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run, and a stolen base from the third base spot — he did what he could to create something. Antoni Urena drew a walk and swiped a bag but couldn’t find a hit in three at-bats. Sometimes a 2-3 loss is just a game where you needed one more timely hit and didn’t get it. That’s how it goes at this level.

DSL Dodgers (Rookie) — L, 5-13 vs DSL Tampa Bay (Game 2)

This one got away early and never came back. A 5-13 loss is ugly no matter how you slice it, and the pitching staff clearly had a rough afternoon. Not a lot to pull from this one on the positive side.

Juan Macero — playing second base in this game after manning third in Game 1 (good to see him getting reps at multiple spots) — didn’t get a hit but drew two walks and scored twice. The positional versatility matters for a young infielder, and his ability to get on base even without hits is something we’ve seen consistently across both games today. Helvin Mendoza provided the best offensive moment, going 1-for-2 with a triple, a walk, and two RBI. The triple is a nice flash of extra-base pop, and he made the most of limited at-bats.

A rough doubleheader sweep for our DSL squad, with three losses on the day across the two DSL games and the earlier contest against the Rays. It happens — especially with young rosters in the Dominican. The ACL win salvages an otherwise tough Monday across the system.