Oklahoma City Comets (Triple-A) — W, 7-3 vs Sacramento

Alek Thomas was the story tonight. A perfect 4-for-4 with a homer, a double, two RBI, and two runs scored. There’s nothing to nitpick — he didn’t strike out, he didn’t walk because he didn’t need to, and he barreled everything Sacramento threw at him. When Thomas is locked in like this, he looks like a guy who has no business being in Triple-A. Whether that translates to another big league look depends on the 40-man math, but nights like this make a strong case.

Ryan Fitzgerald added a homer of his own, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Austin Gauthier quietly drove in two with a 3-for-4 night from the two-hole, and Taylor Young chipped in an RBI single while scoring a run. This lineup did its job top to bottom — seven runs on solid, productive at-bats rather than one big inning.

On the mound, Charlie Barnes gave our guys a decent start — 4.2 innings, six strikeouts, one earned run — but four walks kept him from going deeper. That walk rate has to come down if he wants to stay stretched out at this level. Paul Gervase came in and picked up two scoreless innings despite a blown save (he inherited a runner situation and let one score). The real standout was Wyatt Mills, who locked it down over the final 1.2 innings with three strikeouts and no walks to pick up the win. Clean, efficient relief work.

Tulsa Drillers (Double-A) — W, 9-1 vs Northwest Arkansas

This was a complete team win, and credit the pitching first. Roque Gutierrez gave Tulsa four solid innings — three strikeouts, one earned run — to set the table, and then Wyatt Crowell came in and absolutely dominated. Five innings of shutout ball, six strikeouts, two walks. Crowell picking up the win to move to 4-4 is nice, but the way he did it — five full innings of relief with no damage — is more important. That’s a guy the Dodgers can trust in a variety of roles as he moves up.

The offense spread the wealth. Kole Myers was the biggest contributor with three RBI on just one hit, drawing two walks in the process — that kind of patient, productive approach is exactly what you want to see from a young outfielder. Mike Sirota led the way with a 3-for-6 night that included a double and an RBI. Jake Gelof went 2-for-5 with a walk and an RBI from the hot corner. Joe Vetrano reached base in four of his five plate appearances (1-for-2 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch implied by his two runs scored), driving in a run while showing excellent plate discipline. Zyhir Hope drew two walks alongside his RBI — the strikeouts (two) are something to monitor, but the walks show he’s not chasing. Chris Newell added an RBI and a stolen base. Nine runs, nine hits, and walks across the lineup. That’s how you blow a game open.

Great Lakes Loons (High-A) — L, 4-11 vs Lake County

A rough night for Great Lakes. Getting beat 11-4 doesn’t leave a lot to celebrate, but Eduardo Guerrero did everything he could. He went 3-for-4 with a homer, a triple, and an RBI — that’s two extra-base hits including a rare triple-homer combo. Guerrero scored twice and was clearly the best hitter on either side tonight. The power-speed mix he’s showing is intriguing. Keep an eye on this one.

Cameron Decker hit a two-run homer as part of a 1-for-4 night, though two strikeouts came along with it. Jose D. Hernandez had a nice 2-for-3 game with a double. Beyond those three, the lineup didn’t have much to offer, and the pitching staff got tagged early and often. Some nights the other team just hits. We move on.

Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A) — W, 10-1 vs Rancho Cucamonga

Ontario put together the most lopsided win of the night, and the hitting was everywhere. Six different players had multi-hit games. Let’s start with Mairoshendrick Martinus (and yes, this is a name to remember). He went 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, and an RBI from the shortstop position. A shortstop with that kind of pop at the Single-A level is worth tracking closely.

Conner O’Neal launched a two-run homer as part of his 2-for-4 night, and Easton Shelton added a solo shot of his own along with a walk — showing patience alongside the power. Jaron Elkins ripped two doubles and drove in a run while scoring twice, and Chase Harlan matched him with two doubles of his own from the third base spot. Joendry Vargas chipped in with a double and an RBI as the DH. That’s five extra-base hits from guys not named O’Neal or Shelton. The whole lineup was locked in.

On the mound, Hyun-Seok Jang was dominant. Nine strikeouts in 4.2 innings with just one earned run. The three walks are the only blemish, but when you’re punching out nearly two batters per inning, you’re doing something right. Jang’s stuff clearly plays at this level, and if he can tighten the command, he’s going to move quickly.

ACL Dodgers (Rookie) — L, 8-9 vs ACL White Sox

A one-run loss always stings, especially when you put up eight runs. Jose Gonzalez did basically everything for this team — 1-for-2 with a homer, a walk, four RBI, a stolen base, and three runs scored. Four RBI and three runs out of one player in a rookie league game is a monster performance. The fact that it came in a loss is tough, but Gonzalez’s night was legitimately impressive.

Reyli Mariano drove in two runs but struck out three times in four at-bats — the kind of mixed bag you see a lot at this level. Daniel Mielcarek drew two walks and scored a run despite going hitless, showing some ability to work counts. This one got away from the pitching staff, but the offensive effort was there.

DSL Dodgers (Rookie) — L, 6-8 vs DSL Rays / L, 2-11 vs DSL Tampa Bay

A tough doubleheader for our DSL squad — two losses to two Tampa Bay affiliates. In the first game (6-8 vs the DSL Rays), the offense got on base but couldn’t quite string enough together. Moises Rangel went 2-for-4 with a walk, and Haram Hernandez added a 2-for-4 game with an RBI behind the plate. Oliver Chapman reached base in all four plate appearances (1-for-2 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch) and scored a run. Jhosman Theran didn’t get a hit in two at-bats but drew three walks, scored a run, and stole a base — that’s a productive day even without a hit. Ariel Reynoso and Rubel Arias each swiped a bag. The baserunning and plate discipline were encouraging even in a loss.

The second game was a different story. An 11-2 loss doesn’t offer much to work with. Antoni Urena was the lone bright spot, going 1-for-1 with a homer, two walks, and an RBI. When you reach base in all three plate appearances including a solo shot, you did your job. Luis Tovar drew two walks, and Jesus Villaflor reached base three times without recording a hit (two walks and a hit-by-pitch). The patience was there, but the lineup couldn’t do anything with it. Sometimes at the DSL level, the pitching just isn’t there yet to keep games competitive. It’s a long season for these guys.