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This is our weekly look at notable performances from all over the system, from big-name prospects and less heralded guys alike. The mission is to answer this simple question: "Who had a good week?"
Today, we’ll cover results from Monday, August 21 through Sunday, August 27.
AAA Omaha Storm Chasers (64-70)
24-year-old RHP Andres Machado has stepped into the beleaguered Omaha rotation admirably. Tuesday, he took a loss despite allowing just two runs on two hits in 6.2 innings, with 10 strikeouts. On Sunday, he pitched 5 1⁄3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and three walks.
On Saturday, left-hander Jake Kalish was set to make his second-ever start at Triple-A, and his opponent was Clayton Kershaw, down in the minors for a rehab start. Kalish outdueled the rehabbing Kershaw with eight strikeouts and two walks in seven shutout innings.
Outfielder Jorge Soler hit a home run off of Kershaw, but it was his only hit of the week. Once again, the leader of the Omaha offense was 1B/DH Frank Schwindel, who was 9-for-22 with a double and a home run.
AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals (64-68)
On Wednesday, Josh Staumont pitched his best game since being demoted to Northwest Arkansas from Omaha in July. On the positive side of the ledger: seven innings, no hits (!!), one run, eight strikeouts. The downside is that Staumont walked five, the fourth time in his last eight starts he has walked that number.
The next night, 24-year-old lefty Emilio Ogando threw his third-straight excellent start. Ogando gave up one run on four hits in seven innings, with four strikeouts and a walk.
Left-handed reliever Richard Lovelady is at it again: this week he came out of the pen for three appearances, and gave up zero runs. The totals: 5 1⁄3 innings, no runs, five strikeouts, one walk, three hits.
A-Adv. Wilmington Blue Rocks (67-65)
Righty Scott Blewett and lefty Cristian Castillo both had really nice starts this week, each earning game scores of 69. Castillo allowed one run in seven innings, with six strikeouts, a pair of walks, and five hits. Blewett struck out eight and walked one in 7.1 innings, giving up one run on six hits.
First baseman Chris DeVito powered up this week, hitting two home runs and two doubles. In 96 games since being promoted to Wilmington, DeVito has hit 10 home runs and 21 doubles. Jecksson Flores, the 23-year-old infielder, took all the extra bases for himself this week, with four doubles and a triple.
Low-A Lexington Legends (62-69)
Left fielder Vance Vizcaino has hit in 14 straight games. In that stretch he is hitting .352/.444/.444, with five doubles, nine walks, and 11 strikeouts. He has also stolen five bases and been caught three times.
Second baseman Gabriel Cancel leads the Legends with 30 doubles on the season, including three this week.
Anthony Bender, a 22-year-old righty, pitched well on Thursday. He threw six shutout innings, allowing four hits and a walk, and struck out six. Bender spent much of the summer in the bullpen, and joined the Legends rotation in mid-July. Right handed reliever Arnaldo Hernandez pitched three perfect innings to relieve Bender, with six strikeouts.
Ofreidy Gomez, who is also a 22-year-old right-hander, also had a solid start this week. In six and two thirds innings, he let in one run on four hits and a walk, and struck out six. This was Gomez’s second straight good start following a pair of rougher outings.
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Miscellany:
- Everyone except for Northwest Arkansas has been eliminated and will be conclude the regular season next Monday. We will follow along with the Naturals for however long they remain in postseason play.
- Burlington outfielder Michael Gigliotti was named to the Appalachian League All-Star team
- Richard Lovelady was one of MLB Pipeline’s prospects of the week. He was also profiled on Baseball America.
- Past the cutoff for “this week,” Jace Vines made his Triple-A debut last night, and Josh Staumont made another strong start at Double-A. Both pitchers are intriguing enough to merit noting here before next time.