Tulsa Drillers (Double-A) — W, 5-4 vs Northwest Arkansas

Chris Newell had himself a day. The center fielder went 3-for-3 with two home runs, a walk, two RBI, and three runs scored in a one-run win over the Naturals. That’s about as clean a stat line as you’ll see at any level. Newell has always had the raw power — the question has been whether he can get to it consistently enough. Days like this suggest the answer might be trending in the right direction. Keep an eye on this one.

On the mound, Payton Martin gave Tulsa a solid four innings — four strikeouts against just one walk and one earned run. That’s a solid outing for Martin, who continues to eat innings and keep things competitive. Cam Day picked up the win with two innings of work, allowing one earned run while walking two. Not his sharpest, but he got through it. Nick Robertson locked it down with a scoreless ninth for his fourth save — no strikeouts, no walks, no runs. Clean and efficient, exactly what you want from a closer.

Great Lakes Loons (High-A) — W, 5-4 vs Lake County

The big story here is Brooks Auger, who was absolutely dominant over four innings — nine strikeouts, two walks, one earned run. Nine punchouts in four frames is serious swing-and-miss stuff. That’s the kind of performance that gets you noticed by the development staff and moved up the ladder if you can replicate it. We’ll want to see if he can stretch that outing deeper, but the stuff is clearly playing at this level.

Offensively, a pair of solo homers did the heavy lifting. Logan Wagner went 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, a walk, and a run scored from the third base spot. Emil Morales matched him with a 1-for-3 line that included a homer, an RBI, two runs, and a walk from shortstop. When your middle infield and corner guys are providing pop like that, good things happen. Eduardo Quintero was quietly effective in right field, going 1-for-2 with two walks — that kind of plate discipline at High-A matters more than the box score suggests.

Out of the bullpen, Sterling Patick picked up the win (his first against four losses) with two scoreless innings despite issuing two walks. Dilan Figueredo earned his first save of the season, working 1.1 innings with a strikeout and no baserunners allowed. A nice way to close it out.

Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A) — W, 3-1 vs Rancho Cucamonga

This was a pitching-driven win, and the bullpen deserves a lot of credit. Tyler Gough started and gave Ontario 4.2 innings with three strikeouts, two walks, and just one earned run — a quality start to hand things off. Will Gagnon was outstanding in relief, tossing three scoreless innings with three strikeouts and two walks to earn the win. And then Jecsua Liborius slammed the door with a perfect ninth inning — three strikeouts, no walks, no runs for his fourth save. Three Ks in one inning is about as dominant as it gets at any level. That’s a name to remember.

The offense didn’t need much, but Ching-Hsien Ko provided the big blow — a two-run homer that accounted for two of the team’s three runs. Ko went 1-for-3 with the homer, two RBI, and a run scored from left field. Kellon Lindsey went 2-for-4 with a run scored from second base, though he did strike out twice. At Single-A, we’re looking for contact improvements alongside that athleticism, so that’s something to monitor.

Oklahoma City Comets (Triple-A) — L, 5-6 vs Sacramento

A frustrating one-run loss for our guys in OKC, but there were still some encouraging individual performances to pull from this one. Austin Gauthier led the way as the designated hitter, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored. The bat was clearly working — though he was caught stealing, which takes a little shine off an otherwise strong night. Three hits at Triple-A against Sacramento’s staff is nothing to dismiss.

Noah Miller continued to show why the Dodgers like him at shortstop, going 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored. The triple is noteworthy — that’s legs and barrel combined. Taylor Young chipped in from the hot corner with a 1-for-3 line that included a double, a walk, and two runs scored. He was involved in the action all night.

The on-base machine act was in full effect for a couple of our guys who didn’t get hits. Zach Ehrhard went 1-for-3 but drew two walks and added a double — that’s a productive night even if the average doesn’t jump off the page. James Tibbs III went 0-for-3 with two walks and two strikeouts, and Alek Thomas had a similar line at 0-for-3 with two walks and a strikeout. Is 0-for-3 with two walks a good night? At Triple-A, where the at-bats matter more than the results, getting on base and not chasing is a sign of a disciplined approach. But both guys would like to square up a few more pitches. Sometimes that’s just how a Sunday goes.