Tulsa Drillers (Double-A) — W, 8-2 vs Corpus Christi

Chris Newell had one of the best individual games we’ve seen from anyone in the system this season. Two home runs. Seven RBI. Two runs scored. That’s not a typo — seven RBI from the DH spot. When a bat like that shows up in Double-A, you pay attention. Newell went 2-for-4 and essentially carried the entire offense on his back. The power has always been the tool that gets your attention with him, and tonight he put it on full display.

On the mound, Payton Martin was excellent. Seven innings, zero earned runs, four strikeouts against three walks. That’s the kind of outing that keeps a starter on the fast track — efficient, composed, and dominant enough to let the offense breathe. Martin picks up the win to move to 4-2, and this was easily his most complete start in a while. The walk total is the one thing to nitpick, but when you’re blanking a lineup through seven, that’s a minor quibble.

The rest of the lineup did its part too. Zyhir Hope reached base in all five plate appearances (1-for-2 with three walks) and scored twice. Elijah Hainline was similarly patient — 1-for-2 with three walks and a run scored. That kind of discipline up and down the order makes a pitcher’s job a lot easier. Josue De Paula had a solid night going 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base, continuing to show he can impact the game in multiple ways. Sean McLain added a solo homer (1-for-4, two strikeouts), and Mike Sirota reached three times with two walks. Top to bottom, the Drillers made Corpus Christi’s staff work all night.

Great Lakes Loons (High-A) — W, 12-8 vs Lansing

Chase Harlan went absolutely nuclear tonight. He finished 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, five RBI, and two runs scored. That’s the kind of line that makes you scroll back and double-check. The third baseman was locked in from first pitch to last, and right now he’s one of the more fun bats to track in High-A. Keep an eye on this one.

Eduardo Quintero provided his own power stroke, going 2-for-3 with a homer, a walk, and two RBI. Charles Davalan was 1-for-6 (so the batting average doesn’t pop), but that one hit was a double that drove in three runs — a timely swing in a game where both offenses were rolling. Cameron Decker chipped in with an RBI single, two walks, and two runs scored. Jose D. Hernandez reached base in four of five trips (2-for-3, two walks). Even Logan Wagner, who went hitless on the night, drew a walk and scored twice — finding ways to contribute.

The final score was 12-8, which tells you the pitching wasn’t exactly airtight from either side. Brooks Auger gets the win (1-1), going 5.2 innings with one earned run, one strikeout, and two walks. Not a dominant outing by any means, but he gave the Loons enough length to build on a big offensive lead. The bullpen had some leakage to let Lansing creep closer, but the bats had put enough distance on this one early.

Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A) — W, 5-3 vs Visalia

The story here is Jesus Tillero. Six innings, eight strikeouts, zero walks, zero earned runs. That’s about as clean as it gets at any level. The command was the most impressive part — no free passes at all against a Visalia lineup that can get scrappy. Tillero’s record moves to 4-7, which doesn’t reflect the kind of stuff he’s shown in outings like this. Sometimes the win-loss column in the minors is just noise. What matters is the performance, and tonight’s was sharp.

Jecsua Liborius locked the door in the ninth for his fifth save — one inning, one strikeout, no damage. Clean and professional.

At the plate, Easton Shelton did the heavy lifting with a 2-for-4 night that included a double and three RBI. He was the guy who came through when it mattered. Joendry Vargas added a solo homer (his line: 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run), giving Ontario some insurance. Jaron Elkins was active at the top of the order, going 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored. Mairoshendrick Martinus — that name takes a second to process, but remember it — was 2-for-4 with a run and a steal of his own, though he was also caught once. Landyn Vidourek went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts and a stolen base, a mixed bag that leans more toward the concerning side. Cutting down the punchouts is the development priority there.

Oklahoma City Comets (Triple-A) — L, 4-9 vs Reno

The big news here has nothing to do with winning or losing. Teoscar Hernández was in the lineup at left field — presumably on a rehab assignment — and went 0-for-3 with two walks, three strikeouts, and a run scored. The results are secondary right now; what matters is getting at-bats and building back up. We’ll take the plate appearances and move on.

The actual game was a rough one. Reno put up nine runs and OKC couldn’t keep pace. Ryan Fitzgerald was by far the best bat in the lineup, going 4-for-5 with a run scored from the third base spot. That’s a quietly excellent night that gets buried in a loss. James Tibbs III provided the power with a solo homer (2-for-5, one RBI), and Alek Thomas had a productive game out of center, going 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two RBI.

But four runs against nine isn’t going to get it done, and the pitching staff clearly didn’t have it tonight. These games happen, especially in the PCL where the ball flies and Reno’s home-park tendencies follow their hitters on the road. Our guys in OKC will look to bounce back tomorrow.

ACL Dodgers (Rookie) — L, 6-9 vs ACL Royals

A loss, but a couple of young bats showed signs of life. Abel Lorenzo stood out with a 2-for-4 line that included a homer and a double — two extra-base hits and two runs scored. That’s the kind of game that pops in the complex league. The ability to both drive the ball over the fence and use the gaps is what you want to see from a teenager still finding his approach.

Moises Bolivar added a homer of his own, going 1-for-4 with two RBI. And Sam Mongelli was active on the bases, going 1-for-2 with a double, a hit-by-pitch, a stolen base, and two runs scored. That’s three times on base in three plate appearances. The runs were there for our Rookie-level club — six of them — but the pitching couldn’t hold it down in a 6-9 final.

DSL Dodgers (Rookie) — Split: L 4-9 vs DSL LAD Mega / W 9-4 vs DSL LAD Bautista

A split day for our DSL squad, with one game getting away from them and the other showing solid all-around play.

In the loss to DSL LAD Mega, Fran-Jean Haseth showed some pop, going 1-for-2 with a homer, a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and two RBI. He reached base in all three plate appearances — that’s a good day regardless of the final score. Ezequiel Melburne also went deep, finishing 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, a walk, and a strikeout. Moises Rangel added a stolen base but was otherwise quiet (1-for-3). The pitching gave up nine runs, which buried whatever the offense could muster.

The win over DSL LAD Bautista was a much different story. Antoni Urena was impossible to retire — he went 1-for-1 with a double, four walks, an RBI, and two runs scored. Five plate appearances, five times on base. That’s elite-level patience at any level, let alone the DSL. How often do you see a shortstop draw four walks in a single game? That discipline will serve him well as he moves up. Jesus Villaflor was the offensive engine with a 2-for-4 night that included a double, an RBI, a stolen base, and three runs scored. Erny Orellana chipped in with a double, an RBI, a walk, and a steal. Roberto Saucedo and Edgar Sanchez each contributed a hit, a walk, and a run as well.

On the mound, Albert Feliz earned his first win of the season — two innings, four strikeouts, no walks, no earned runs. A small sample, but four punchouts in two frames tells you the stuff was there.