Oklahoma City Comets (Triple-A) — W, 11-5 vs Salt Lake

The Comets’ offense went off tonight, and the biggest story was Alek Thomas collecting four RBI on a pair of hits including a double. Thomas has been getting regular DH at-bats in OKC, and when he squares the ball up like this, he looks like a guy who can help the big club in a variety of roles. He went 2-for-5 with a strikeout, but those four driven in tell you the quality of contact was there when it mattered.

Ryan Ward continues doing Ryan Ward things — 2-for-5 with a home run, a walk, and three RBI. Ward’s power is never in question. The walks are what we want to keep seeing. He drew one tonight and scored twice. If he can keep the strikeouts in check and stay patient, the bat plays anywhere.

Noah Miller had a quietly excellent game at shortstop, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Miller’s been putting together quality at-bats, and the gap power showed up in a real way tonight. Meanwhile, Zach Ehrhard matched him with a 3-for-5 night of his own, adding a double, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored out of the center field spot. Ehrhard keeps finding ways to get on base, which is exactly what you want from a potential top-of-the-order guy.

Griffin Lockwood-Powell didn’t record a hit in two at-bats, but he walked three times and scored twice. That’s a productive night by any measure — the kid has a good eye and wasn’t going to chase. James Tibbs III drove in two with a double despite a tough overall day at the plate (1-for-5 with two strikeouts), and Alex Freeland chipped in an RBI while drawing a walk and scoring twice. Hyeseong Kim went 2-for-5 and swiped a bag — the speed tool continues to play, even if the two strikeouts are something to watch.

On the mound, Cole Irvin earned the win to move to 10-6, going five innings with three strikeouts, two walks, and two earned runs. Irvin is a veteran arm doing exactly what he’s supposed to do in Triple-A — eating innings, keeping games manageable, and giving the offense a chance to work. That’s what happened tonight.

Tulsa Drillers (Double-A) — W, 3-1 vs Corpus Christi

This was a pitching-driven win, and Christian Zazueta was the star. Six shutout innings, eight strikeouts, just one walk. That’s a dominant outing against a Corpus Christi lineup that can hit. Zazueta picking up his first win (1-1) is nice, but the underlying numbers here are what matter — he was in complete control from start to finish. Can he sustain this kind of command? If he can, the conversation about a promotion gets interesting quickly.

Taylor Young provided the offensive spark, going 1-for-4 with a solo homer, a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored. Young does a little bit of everything — he can take a walk, run the bases, and occasionally put one over the fence. That versatility at second base has real value. Frank Rodriguez drove in two runs on just one hit (1-for-2 with a walk), coming through in clutch spots behind the plate.

Jake Gelof collected two hits in four at-bats and swiped a bag. Gelof’s ability to hit for average and add the stolen base element is encouraging — that’s a developing all-around game at third base. Mike Sirota didn’t get a hit but drew two walks and scored a run while also stealing a base. Getting on base any way you can — that works.

Kelvin Ramirez closed it out for his sixth save, striking out two in one inning of work. He did allow an earned run and issued a walk, so it wasn’t spotless, but he got the job done. You’d like to see a cleaner inning from your closer, but a save is a save.

Great Lakes Loons (High-A) — W, 6-1 vs Dayton

Sterling Patick was excellent tonight. Five innings, seven strikeouts, two walks, and just one earned run allowed against Dayton. Patick moves to 3-6 on the season, and that record really doesn’t reflect how well he’s been throwing the ball. The strikeout numbers have been there consistently — the run support just hasn’t always matched. Tonight it did.

Charles Davalan led the offense with a 2-for-4 night that included a solo homer, a walk, and a run scored. Davalan’s been showing that he can impact the ball from the center field position, and the power is starting to come in bunches. Chase Harlan also went deep — a two-run shot — finishing 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. The three strikeouts alongside the homer tell you the story: Harlan has real power but is still working on pitch recognition. That’s a normal developmental curve at this level.

Samuel Munoz drove in two runs on a double (1-for-4), providing some quality run production from the left field spot. Jaron Elkins had one of the more complete games in the lineup — 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored, and a stolen base. He was on base all night and creating headaches for Dayton. Keep an eye on this one.

Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A) — L, 8-10 vs Lake Elsinore

Ontario put up eight runs and still lost. That tells you everything you need to know about how the pitching went tonight. But before we get to that, let’s talk about Joendry Vargas, because this kid had a game. He went 4-for-5 with a homer, a double, three RBI, a stolen base, and two runs scored. That’s an absurd stat line at any level. Vargas is showing legitimate tools across the board — power, speed, contact ability — and he’s doing it consistently enough that it’s not just noise. He’s someone we should be tracking closely.

Easton Shelton had an extremely patient night at first base — 1-for-2 with three walks, two RBI, and a run scored. When you draw three walks in a Single-A game, you’re seeing the ball well and laying off pitches that lesser hitters would chase. That discipline is the foundation everything else gets built on. Francisco Espinoza went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored from behind the plate. Abel Lorenzo added two hits in five trips and scored a run. Caleb Johnson didn’t get a hit (0-for-3) but drew two walks, stole two bases, and scored a run. The speed and on-base ability are there — the hits will come.

Now the pitching. Will Gagnon lasted just 4.1 innings, giving up five earned runs with three walks against five strikeouts. He had trouble putting hitters away, and the free passes came back to hurt him. Dailoui Abad came on in relief and made things worse — one inning, three earned runs, a walk, and no strikeouts, earning a blown save (his second). It was an ugly night on the mound, plain and simple. When your offense gives you eight runs, you have to hold up your end. Ontario didn’t do that tonight.

DSL Dodgers (Dominican Summer League — Rookie) — W, 6-4 vs DSL Rays

We always want to be careful reading too much into DSL results — these are very young players in their earliest professional games — but a couple of performances stood out tonight. Haram Hernandez went a perfect 2-for-2 with a homer, a hit-by-pitch, two RBI, and two runs scored. That’s a complete game from the catcher spot. He didn’t make an out all night. At the DSL level, you’re looking for moments of impact, and Hernandez delivered several.

Fran-Jean Haseth launched a two-run homer of his own, finishing 1-for-3 with two strikeouts. The power flash is nice; the strikeouts are a reminder that he’s still raw. That’s completely expected at this level. Aaron Guzman went 1-for-4 with a stolen base at shortstop — not a flashy line, but he’s getting his feet wet and showing some athleticism.

On the mound, Enmanuel De La Rosa picked up the win to move to a remarkable 6-0 on the season, tossing two scoreless innings with one walk and no strikeouts. The zero in the loss column at 6-0 is eye-catching. De La Rosa keeps finding ways to get outs, even without racking up punchouts. That kind of efficiency and composure at the DSL level is noteworthy.