Great Lakes Loons (High-A) — W, 2-0 vs Lansing

This was a pitching-first win from top to bottom, and the story starts with Will Gagnon. He gave our guys 4.2 innings of scoreless ball, scattering baserunners (two walks) but punching out five and never letting anything come across. Gagnon has been developing as a starter, and outings like this — where he works deep enough to protect a slim lead — are exactly what you want to see from a young arm learning to navigate a lineup multiple times. He didn’t have to be perfect. He just had to compete. He did.

The bullpen took it from there and slammed the door shut. Seamus Barrett picked up the win with a clean inning — two strikeouts, no walks, no drama. Then Nicolas Cruz came on and locked it down for two full innings to earn his second save, striking out three without issuing a free pass. That’s three relievers combining for a nine-inning shutout. When the pitching staff is this coordinated, you don’t need a 13-run outburst to win.

Offensively, this was a quiet night — two runs on a handful of hits — but Emil Morales stood out at the plate. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. That’s the kind of table-setting performance that matters in a low-scoring game. Eduardo Quintero scored both of the Loons’ runs, going 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base of his own. He didn’t need to do a lot — he just needed to keep finding his way on and letting the pitching staff do its thing.

Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A) — W, 13-9 vs Stockton

If Great Lakes won with pitching, Ontario won with pure offensive firepower. Thirteen runs. And the headliner was Caleb Johnson, who went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI. That’s the kind of game that turns heads. Johnson has been getting reps at third base, and when the bat pops like this, it accelerates the conversation about what his ceiling might look like. Four RBI from one spot in the lineup can carry an entire game, and that’s essentially what happened here.

Oswaldo Osorio also went deep, finishing 1-for-4 with a solo homer, a walk, and two strikeouts. The strikeouts are worth noting — he’s a young left-handed hitter who’s still refining his approach — but the power is real, and it showed up tonight. Ching-Hsien Ko had a nice night in left field, going 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBI. The triple is a fun data point for a guy who can run, and it suggests he’s squaring up the ball with authority. Abel Lorenzo contributed 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI, a run scored, and two stolen bases from center field. That’s the kind of across-the-board production you love to see — getting on base, moving around, and driving guys in.

Javier Herrera went 2-for-6 with an RBI, a run, and two stolen bases. Herrera’s a versatile player who’s seen time at multiple positions, and the stolen bases show he’s still using his legs to create value. Bryan Gonzalez Garcia chipped in from the DH spot with a 1-for-4 line that included a double, two RBI, two runs scored, and a walk — productive even though the batting average doesn’t jump off the page. Kellon Lindsey went 0-for-4 but reached base twice via walks and scored two runs while swiping two bags. Sometimes the line doesn’t tell the whole story. Joendry Vargas only had one official at-bat (0-for-1), but he reached via walk and hit-by-pitch, scoring two runs. He was on base and in the middle of things every time he came up.

On the mound, this was a different story than Great Lakes. Jack O’Connor got the start and struck out seven batters over four innings, which is impressive volume. But he also allowed three earned runs and two walks, so it wasn’t exactly a clean outing. Seven punchouts in four innings shows the stuff is there — the command just has to catch up. Dailoui Abad picked up the win (5-1) despite allowing two earned runs in his inning of work. In a 13-9 game, you don’t need zeroes from everyone — you just need the offense to keep rolling, and it did. Nine runs allowed isn’t ideal, but when you hang 13 on the board, you’ll take the W and move on.