Tulsa Drillers (Double-A) — W 9-4 vs Corpus Christi Hooks

Mike Sirota was the story tonight in Tulsa. He went 3-for-3 with a homer, a double, two walks, two RBI, and two runs scored. That’s reaching base in all five plate appearances. We’ve seen Sirota flash tools at every level, and when he’s patient enough to work walks alongside the extra-base pop, that’s the version of him that matters for his trajectory. A complete night at the plate.

Jake Gelof drove in four runs on a solo homer and what looks like a big bases-loaded at-bat somewhere in the mix. He went just 1-for-5 with a strikeout, so the average wasn’t pretty, but four RBI is four RBI — he came through when it counted. Frank Rodriguez had the quietest huge game you’ll see: 4-for-5 with a homer, an RBI, and a run scored. That kind of contact-driven performance from a catcher is exactly what you want. Sam Mongelli added a solo shot and scored three times, reaching base twice via homer and walk.

Josue De Paula went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, so the bat wasn’t there tonight, but he drew two walks and scored a run. Still working his way through Double-A pitching, and the plate discipline is encouraging even when the results don’t come.

On the mound, Zach Root earned his first win of the season, and he earned it emphatically: 6.0 innings, 10 strikeouts, zero walks, three earned runs. That’s a quality start with an elite strikeout-to-walk ratio. The three runs allowed keep it from being a dominant line, but the command was sharp — no free passes in six frames of work is exactly the kind of development marker we track.

Oklahoma City Comets (Triple-A) — W 6-3 vs Salt Lake Bees

Our guys in OKC handled business behind a strong pitching effort. Charlie Barnes picked up the win, going 3.0 innings with 5 strikeouts, a walk, and zero earned runs. That’s a clean, efficient outing — exactly what you want from a veteran arm stabilizing the middle of a bullpen game or a short start. Seth Halvorsen locked it down with the save, his fifth, striking out all three batters he retired in a dominant final inning (one walk mixed in, but three punchouts in one inning of work is filthy).

Alex Freeland had the best at-bat sequence of the night: 2-for-3 with two walks, a strikeout, and an RBI. That’s a .800 OBP night. Freeland has always had the bat-to-ball skills, and when he’s drawing walks at this rate, he’s profiling as a guy who can impact a lineup from the third-base spot. Hyeseong Kim went 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBI — the triple is the attention-grabber there, because that’s raw speed on display at the Triple-A level. Ryan Fitzgerald contributed a double, an HBP, and two RBI from the DH spot, and Ryan Ward scored twice while drawing a walk, even though his day was otherwise quiet (1-for-4 with a K).

Great Lakes Loons (High-A) — L 2-8 vs Dayton Dragons

Not much to love about this one. The Loons managed just two runs in an 8-2 loss, and the offense never really got going against Dayton’s pitching. No pitching highlights worth noting from the data we have, which tells you how the night went on the mound, too.

The bright spots were scattered. Emil Morales hit a solo homer — his only hit in five at-bats with two strikeouts, but the power is real from the shortstop position. Gio Cueto also went deep with a solo shot, going 1-for-4. Two solo homers accounted for both of the Loons’ runs, which means nobody was on base when the big swings came. That’s a sequencing problem more than a talent problem, but it still makes for a long night.

Charles Davalan had a solid 2-for-4 night with a double and a walk from the leadoff spot. Eduardo Quintero reached base three times (1-for-3, double, two walks), and Eduardo Guerrero drew two walks in just two at-bats. The patience was there for a few guys — they just couldn’t string it together. Sometimes that’s the game.

Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A) — L 2-5 vs Lake Elsinore Storm

Aidan West was the standout in a losing effort, going a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. That’s the kind of night where you just wish the rest of the lineup could have matched the energy. Javier Herrera also swung a solid bat — 3-for-4 with a double and the team’s lone RBI — but the Buzzers could only push across two runs total.

Ching-Hsien Ko chipped in a 2-for-4 night with a double, though he didn’t score. Caleb Johnson only got one plate appearance (a walk and a stolen base), but he made it count in terms of doing the little things.

On the pitching side, Luis Gamez turned in a quality outing: 5.0 innings, just one earned run, two walks, and a strikeout. The strikeout number is low — you’d want to see more swing-and-miss at some point — but keeping the team in the game through five innings with one run allowed is solid work. He deserved a better fate. Ian May took the blown save, giving up an earned run in his inning of relief. Sometimes the margins are thin in Single-A ball.

DSL Dodgers (Rookie) — W 10-5 vs DSL Braves

The DSL squad got it done with a 10-5 win over the Braves, and they did it with discipline at the plate. This lineup drew walks and got hit by pitches all night, putting constant pressure on the opposing staff.

Aaron Guzman drove in three runs on just one hit (1-for-3), adding a walk and an HBP to reach base three times. Fran-Jean Haseth had a productive night — 1-for-3 with a double, two walks, two RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored. That’s a full stat line. Ezequiel Melburne didn’t get a hit (0-for-2) but drew three walks and drove in a run. At this level, learning to take pitches and work counts is as important as anything, and Melburne clearly has an eye. Rubel Arias went hitless as well but drove in two and scored one — finding ways to produce without base hits is a skill.

Ricardo Pulles scored three times despite going 0-for-2, reaching via two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Ismanuel Rondon picked up the win (3-1) with 2.1 innings, one earned run, and two walks. Not overpowering — no strikeouts — but he got outs when he needed them.

DSL Dodgers (Rookie) — W 16-15 vs DSL Brewers Blue

Where do we even start with a 16-15 game? This one had absolutely everything — 31 combined runs, chaos on the bases, and a lineup that just kept coming. It was ugly at times, but we won, and the bats were relentless.

Roberto Saucedo was the engine of the offense with a massive 4-RBI night (2-for-5, a walk). When you’re driving in four in a game at any level, you’re doing damage. Antoni Urena had a beautiful day — 2-for-4 with two doubles, two walks, two RBI, and two runs scored. Five times on base out of six plate appearances. Jose Rivas contributed two RBI and a run from the catching spot (1-for-3, two walks), and Erny Orellana doubled and drove in two while scoring twice. Luis Luna pounded out three hits in six at-bats with an RBI and two runs scored — just a pure contact night.

Helvin Mendoza only had one hit but reached base four times (a double, a walk, and two HBPs) and scored three runs with a stolen base mixed in. Jose Victorino didn’t get a hit either (0-for-2) but reached base four times via two walks and two HBPs, drove in a run, and scored twice. Brayan Holguin drew three walks and drove in a run from the shortstop spot without recording a hit. This team was on base all day long.

Gregg Ferrera earned the win with a strong strikeout performance — 7 K in 3.0 innings, though he allowed three earned runs. In a game like this, you need someone to pump strikes and get swings and misses, and Ferrera did that. Francisco Tavarez picked up the save (his first), going 2.0 innings with two strikeouts. He gave up two earned runs, so it wasn’t clean, but in a 16-15 game, you take the final out and move on.