Oklahoma City Comets (Triple-A) — W, 9-6 vs Albuquerque

The OKC bats came alive up and down the lineup, and Ryan Ward set the tone. Ward went 3-for-3 with a double, two walks, two runs scored, and a stolen base. That’s a perfect night at the plate — he didn’t make a single out. When Ward is locked in like this, seeing the ball well and working counts, he looks every bit the part of a big-league bat waiting for his shot.

Zach Ehrhard provided the big swing, going 2-for-6 with a home run, a double, and four RBI. He also struck out three times in the process, so there’s the classic Ehrhard tradeoff — real pop paired with swing-and-miss. It was a productive night regardless. Noah Miller added a home run of his own with three RBI on a 2-for-5 line, giving OKC a pair of multi-RBI contributors in the middle of the order.

Austin Gauthier continues to impress with his approach. He drew two walks, doubled, drove in a run, stole a base, and scored twice. He’s doing a little bit of everything. Michael Siani reached base four times (2-for-3, two walks), swiped two bags, and drove in a run. That’s the kind of all-around game that makes him valuable even without a big extra-base hit.

On the mound, Cole Irvin earned his first win of the year, going six innings with two earned runs, three strikeouts, and three walks. Not his sharpest outing — the walks kept him in some trouble — but he gave our guys length and kept OKC in front. That’s the job of a veteran arm in Triple-A. Jerming Rosario closed it out with a scoreless ninth for the save, working around a walk with a strikeout to finish it.

Tulsa Drillers (Double-A) — W, 4-3 vs Arkansas

This was a pitching win from start to finish, and Luke Fox deserves the headline. Fox went 5.2 innings, struck out six, walked two, and didn’t allow an earned run. That’s exactly the kind of outing we want to see from him at this level — keeping hitters off balance and working deep into the game. He turned it over to the bullpen with a clean slate and a lead to protect.

And protect it they did. Lucas Wepf was outstanding in relief, picking up the win with 1.1 innings of work, three strikeouts, and no walks. That’s a dominant short appearance. Kelvin Ramirez then navigated a one-run lead in the ninth for the save — one strikeout, one walk, zero earned runs. The bullpen combined for 2.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts. That’ll play.

The offense was modest but efficient. Zyhir Hope led the way, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Hope has been solid at the plate, and what I like is his ability to find ways on base even when he’s not squaring everything up. Josue De Paula doubled, drew a walk, stole a base, and scored a run. He’s doing the small things right. Kyle Nevin drove in a run and scored one of his own, and Joe Vetrano swiped two bases and scored a run despite a tough day at the plate (two strikeouts). A 4-3 win where you need exactly what you got from every piece — that’s a good team win.

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

This was the best pitching performance of the night across the entire system, and Aidan Foeller was the reason. Six innings, eight strikeouts, zero walks, zero earned runs. Read that again — eight strikeouts and not a single free pass in six frames. That’s elite command for any level. Foeller was in complete control from the first pitch, and Dayton simply had no answer. Keep an eye on this one.

The bullpen took it from there and never let up. Davis Chastain picked up the win with 1.2 hitless innings and two strikeouts, and Alex Makarewich slammed the door for his second save — a clean ninth with two more punchouts. Between the three of them, Great Lakes pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts and zero walks in a shutout. That’s about as clean as it gets.

You don’t need a ton of offense when the pitching is that good, and the Loons got just enough. Eduardo Guerrero drove in both runs on a 1-for-3 night. Simple. Efficient. Cameron Decker went 2-for-3, was hit by a pitch, and scored a run. Charles Davalan doubled, stole a base, and was a pest on the basepaths all night. A 2-0 win where the pitching staff doesn’t walk a single hitter? That’s a beautiful game of baseball.

Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A) — L, 7-18 vs Fresno

There’s no sugarcoating this one. Fresno put up 18 runs and the Buzzers had no answer on the mound. When a game gets that far out of hand, you just try to find individual positives and move on.

And there were a few. AJ Soldra scored three times and tripled, going 2-for-4. That’s a quality night at the plate regardless of the final score. Joendry Vargas hit a solo home run and scored twice — he’s shown some pop recently, and the homer gives him something to build on. Conner O’Neal went 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and two RBI, doing his part behind the plate.

Emil Morales doubled and drove in two on a 1-for-6 night, and Landyn Vidourek drew two walks to reach base a couple of times. The offensive numbers weren’t terrible in isolation — seven runs is usually enough to be in most games — but when you’re giving up 18, it doesn’t matter much. The pitching staff needs to flush this one and reset. These nights happen at the Single-A level, especially early in the year.

ACL Dodgers (Rookie)

No game scheduled.

DSL Dodgers (Rookie)

No game scheduled.