Mariners minor league daily wrap up: June 5th, 2024
By Berlin Kofoed, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - The 5th of June, 2024 saw a few different odds and ends in the world of the Seattle Mariners minor-league affiliates, including a position player on the mound in High-A competition. Contributor Berlin Kofoed gives you the run down for Wednesday, June 5th!
Mariners minor-league transactions
No roster moves at time of writing
The DSL Mariners did not play a game on June 5.
Dominican Summer League Mariners notes
MONDAY: The DSL Mariners opened their season on Monday hosting the DSL Cubs Blue…the DSL Mariners fell 6-3 in 6 innings.
YESTERDAY: The DSL Mariners went and took on DSL Red Sox Red, falling 5-1…Manuel De Cesare went 1-for-4 in the contest with 1 double…Kendal Meza started on the mound and went 4.0 hitless innings and allowed 1 run (0 earned) on 4 walks and 3 strikeouts.
TODAY: OFF DAY
TOMORROW: The DSL Mariners return to action to take on the DSL Angels.
Arizona Complex League
ACL Mariners (12-12) - ACL Rangers (15-9)
2 - 6
W: Michael Trausch (3-0)
L: Walter Ford (0-1)
Pitcher Walter Ford got his 5th start of the season, going 3.0 innings. This currently seems to be the standard for his workload as he gets more used to pitching at a higher level than he was used to in high school. He was awarded his first loss after the ACL Rangers beat them, 2-6. In the first inning, Ford pitched the absolute minimum, 3 up and 3 out with 3 pitches, and it was such a promising start to the game. In the bottom of the inning, Carlos Jimenez got the first run on a homerun (4) to center field.
In the second inning, a 2-run homerun and a 1-run single dropped the ACL Mariners behind, a lead that they would not be able to overcome for the remainder of the game. Taking the win-loss of a rookie league pitcher is sort of meaningless, though, since they often get so few innings to really cement their strength in any game. Ford is still pitching strong and showing promise, and it’ll be fun to keep watching him grow out of rookie baseball.
Ford’s final line: 3.0IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 1K, 1HR, 4.30ERA.
Despite winning, the ACL Rangers players struggled to keep control of the ball. There are several instances of players reaching base or advancing from a fielding or throwing error, racking up a total of 4 errors and 2 wild pitches by the end of the game. It would have been nice to see the ACL Mariners take advantage of the errors and score, but they couldn’t seem to get it to work in their favor, being left on base 13 times. In the bottom of the 9th, Felnin Celesten knocked a triple (2) on a fly ball into left field, scoring due to a wild pitch to the next batter up. A little more life was a nice change, but was too little too late, and the 3 outs quickly followed to end the game.
Arizona Complex League Mariners notes
YESTERDAY: The ACL Mariners won 6-1 over the ACL Giants…on the mound Dylan Wilson threw 3.0 scoreless innings while only allowing 2 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts…Dervy Ventura and Kelvin Alcantara each hit homers yesterday…this marks Ventura’s 3rd and Alcantara’s first home run of the season…Junior Gonzalez hit a 3 RBI outing which registers as a tied career high (last: Sept. 7, 2021)…Felnin Celesten went 2-for-4 for his 8th multi-hit game of the season.
TODAY: The ACL Mariners will take on the ACL Rangers at Peoria Stadium with first pitch at 5:00 pm (PT).
WATCH OUT: Carlos Jimenez currently ranks highly in the ACL in RBI (1st, 21), runs (T-2nd, 23), OBP (3rd, .479), walks (T-5th, 19), OPS (5th, 1.033), total bases (6th, 41) and SLG (9th, .554).
Low-A: Modesto Nuts
Modesto Nuts (36-15) - Fresno Grizzlies (30-22)
9 - 2
W: Tyler Gough (5-2)
L: Bryan Perez (2-2)
Game 02 (1-1)
A steady stream of runs across 5 innings gave Modesto an early lead over the Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado Rockies). Although the Grizzlies got things going in the 3rd inning, scoring twice on back-to-back doubles, the guys in the Nuts made sure that Fresno wouldn’t get any more going. Thanks to some fantastic pitching and focused fielding, the Grizzlies only racked up 5 hits versus Modesto’s 12.
Tyler Gough got his 11th start, pitching through 6.0 innings and lowering his ERA to 3.18. In four of his innings, Gough faced the minimum batters, keeping his pitch count low and the innings quick. German Fajardo and Yeury Tatiz came in, one after the other, to take care of things on the mound and faced at-most 5 batters in one inning.
Gough’s final line: 6.0IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 5K, 0HR, 3.18ERA, 78-52.
The Nuts made sure to answer back after watching the Grizzlies get those two runs in the 3rd inning. In his second at bat, Charlie Pagliarini ran the pitch count up to 7 before knocking a solo homerun (3) out of center field. Two walks and a single loaded the bases back up for Aidan Smith when he approached the base. A fielder’s choice allowed him to reach first, but instead of getting an out, a fielding error by Fresno’s second baseman instead brought home both Milkar Perez and Curtis Washington Jr.
A single, a double, and a fortuitous forceout across the next 3 innings ticked up the Nuts’ runs, and they showed up strong once again in the 8th inning when they already had a strong lead of 6-2. Aiden Smith (6) and Carson Jones (5) both got solo home runs, going out of both left and right field. After getting hit by pitch, Jacob Sharp stole his first base and, while Fresno was busy getting out a runner at 3rd, he scored the final run, finishing the game up 9-2.
Modesto Nuts notes
YESTERDAY: Lost 3-0 yesterday against Fresno…Charlie Pagliarini recorded 2 walks…his 27th and 28th of the season…Michael Arroyo, Aidan Smith, Connor Charping, Tai Peete and Carson Jones all tallied 1 hit…on the mound Brody Hopkins made his 10th start while pitching 3.0 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 ER) on 5 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts.
TODAY: Modesto will face Fresno in the 2nd game of the series with first pitch at 7:05 pm (PT)…Tyler Gough (4-2, 3.20) is expected to make the start for the Nuts.
ON TOP: Lazaro Montes continues to climb league rankings…he ranks in the top-10 of the California League in RBI (1st, 57), total bases (1st, 102), hits (1st, 63), slugging (1st, .526), home runs (1st, 9), average (1st, .325), extra-base hits (2nd, 20), runs (2nd, 39), OPS (2nd, .952), walks (5th, 34) and OBP (6th, .426).
AWARD SHOW: Lazaro Montes won the Player of the Month Award for May in the California League after he batted .369/.447/.602 and led the league in average (.369), hits (38), RBI (32) and total bases (62). He was second in home runs (six), slugging percentage (.602) and OPS (1.049) and was fifth in runs (21) and walks (17). His 32 RBI led the Minor League Baseball and were 11 more than anyone in the league…he posted 11 multi-hit games and had separate hitting streaks of five, six and seven games…right-hander Will Schomberg won the California Pitcher of the Month for May after he went 4-0 with a 1.50 ERA in six starts as he allowed five earned runs on 16 hits and 11 walks over 30.0 innings…he struck out 43 (fourth-most in MiLB in May) and held opponents to a .145 average.
HOT STREAK: In 28 games so far this season Connor Charping his 22-game active on base streak from 4/16-c which is the longest active streak in the California League…he is trailed by Colt Emerson with a 17-game active on base streak…Charping is also on an 11-game active hit streak from 5/11-c which his the 3rd longest active streak in the California League…he trails Felix Tena-Fre (12) and Tai Peete-Mod (13).
PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Last week (May 27 – June 2) RHP Ashton Izzi was named California League Pitcher of the Week…in 10 games so far this season, Izzi is 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA…his ERA ranks 2nd in the California League behind Jace Kaminska-Fre (1.96)…during his games on 5/27 and 6/1, Izzi pitched 10.0 innings and allowed no runs on 3 hits, 5 walks and 11 strikeouts…opposing batters were slashing .094/.237/.094 during that time.
Four photos from the June 5th, 2024 Everett AquaSox game against the Vancouver Canadians at Funko Field. (Photos by Evan Morud)
High-A: Everett AquaSox
Everett AquaSox (24-28) - Vancouver Canadians (24-24)
3 - 13
W: Pat Gallagher (1-3)
L: Ryan Hawks (3-3)
Game 02 (1-1)
Unlike game one, which started off feeling like a loss early on, game two against the Vancouver Canadians (Toronto Blue Jays) started off with a bang. Starting pitcher Ryan Hawks retired the first three batters in order, earning his first strikeout of the night. In the second inning, however, things quickly got away from him.
In the bottom of the 1st, the Frogs put up the first runs courtesy of a home run from RJ Schreck (7) that also scored Josh Hood. That 2-run lead felt nice moving forward, a bit of insurance early on. But it wouldn’t be until the 9th inning that they were able to tack on even one more run, and by then they were behind, 2-13. The Canadians were all bats in this game, scoring 13 times on 12 hits. In addition to the powerful batting, they were focused in the field, barely allowing anyone from Everett to get on base.
Hawks’ final line: 1.2IP, 4H, 6R, 6ER, 2BB, 2K, 1HR, 4.44ERA, 54-36.
The highlight of this game to me, after watching the AquaSox flounder to get on base, was outfielder Colin Davis taking the mound at the end of the 8th inning. Never being up to pitch before seemingly didn’t matter to Davis, as he went through 1.1 innings and allowed zero hits. Personally, I think having some pitches that average around 60mph in your arsenal is beneficial, if seeing Davis and other non-pitchers take the mound has shown me anything.
Just for fun, here’s Davis’s final line: 1.1IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0K, 0HR, 0.00ERA, 11-7.
Colin Davis took the mound for the Aquasox in this game. (Photos by Evan Morud)
Everett Aquasox notes
YESTERDAY: Everett won 6-2 to open their series with the Canadians…AquaSox pitching held Vancouver to 2 hits and the bullpen (Holden Laws, Shaddon Peavyhouse and Juan Burgos) produced 3.0 scoreless innings to finish the game…at the plate, Brock Rodden went 2-for-4 with Victor Labrada going 3-for-5…Labrada added 1 double and 2 stolen bases with Bill Knight and Brock Rodden each adding 1 stolen base as well.
TODAY: The Aquasox play game 2 of their 6-game set with Vancouver…first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm (PT).
BEST OF THE BEST: Brock Rodden extended his hit streak to 12 games last night, this is the longest hit streak in the Northwest League this season…over that span he has batted .426 (20x47) with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 4 RBI, 11 runs, 6 walks and 9 strikeouts…he also holds an OBP of .509 and a OPS of 1.147, the best in the Northwest League since the streak began on May 23.
MAN OF THE HOUR: Brock Rodden was named Northwest League Player of the Month for May after he slashed .375/.468/.567 and led the league in average (.375), hits (39), runs (21), total bases (59), triples (three), on-base percentage (.468), slugging percentage (.567) and OPS (1.035). He was second in doubles (eight) and stolen bases (11) and fourth in walks (16). He recorded 14 multi-hit games and posted a career-high four hits on May 24.
AA: Arkansas Travelers
Arkansas Travelers (30-22) - Springfield Cardinals (31-22)
1 - 6
W: Jack Ralston (1-0)
L: Jimmy Joyce (0-2)
Game 02 (1-1)
The errors were high for the Arkansas Travelers in game two against the Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals), two throwing and one fielding that allowed 3 runs by the end of the 2nd inning. The Travelers were only able to get one run up after a Ben Ramirez single scored Grant Witherspoon in the bottom of the 2nd, but then they couldn’t get enough going. When there would be guys in scoring position, the luck of the bat would fade away and they would be stranded. A total of 10 players would be left on base, with the team going 1-for-8 RISP.
Jimmy Joyce started off on the mound for his 6th game, but it proved early to be a struggle for him to keep ahead of the Cardinals. Through his 1.2 innings, Joyce faced 13 batters and gave up 4 runs. Reid Morgan was substituted in to slow things down, and was able to help lock things down after only allowing 1 run. The damage had been done, however, and the Travelers would lose game two 1-6.
Joyce’s final line: 1.2IP, 4H, 4R, 2ER, 2BB, 1K, 0HR, 4.15ERA, 49-27.
Arkansas Travelers notes
YESTERDAY: The Travelers started the series off strong with a 3-1 win over Springfield…Cole Young, Spencer Packard and Morgan McCullough each registered an RBI outing…Harry Ford, Hogan Windish and Ben Ramirez all recorded a run and walk on the evening…Alberto Rodriguez and Grant Witherspoon both had doubles…this was Rodriguez’ 7th and Witherspoon’s 2nd double of the season…on the mound Danny Wirchansky made his 7th start of the year while pitching in 5.0 scoreless innings and only allowed 1 hit, 2 walks with 2 strikeouts…Logan Evans made his first relief appearance of the season…he pitched 2.0 innings and allowed 1 run (0 ER) on 2 hits, 1 walk and 1 strikeout.
TODAY: Arkansas will continue the series against Springfield in the 2nd game with first pitch starting at 6:35 pm (CT)…Jimmy Joyce (0-1, 3.18) is expected to make the start for the Travelers.
AWARD SHOW: Right-hander Logan Evans won the Texas League Pitcher of the Month Award for May…he went 4-1 with a 0.63 ERA in five starts as he allowed two earned runs on 16 hits and four walks over 28.2 innings, while striking out 33…he held opponents to a .163 average and did not allow an earned run in four of his five starts.
WAITING GAME: Arkansas’ Harry Ford (2nd, 35) and Spencer Packard (5th, 29) are each ranked in the top-10 of the Texas League in walks this season…across all of Double-A the team ranks as the 5th-most walked team (216 BB)…they also stand with the 5th-best on-base percentage (.344), 7th-best batting average (.250), 8th-most total bases (653) and 9th-most home runs (44).
DOMINANT: Harry Ford is dominating the Texas League…he currently ranks in the top-10 in walks (2nd, 35), stolen bases (3rd, 15), extra-base hits (6th, 19), total bases (6th, 79), runs (7th, 32), OBP (7th, .395) and OPS (8th, .831).
TOP RANKED: Logan Evans continues to shine across Double-A…in 10 starts this season his 1.18 leads the Double-A…he is also ranked T-2nd in wins (6) and 5th in WHIP (0.98).
AAA: Tacoma Rainiers
Tacoma Rainiers (32-27) - Reno Aces (28-31)
7 - 6
W: Eduardo Salazar (2-2)
L: Dakota Chalmers (0-4)
Game 02 (2-0)
The Tacoma Rainiers came into game two against the Reno Aces (Arizona Diamondbacks) ready for a fight. Diamondbacks’ shortstop, Geraldo Perdomo, made his first rehab appearance with the Aces, going 1-3 with 1 RBI. Coming into this game to get started was pitcher Jhonathan Diaz, making his 12th game appearance and 11th start. Despite allowing 3 hits and walking 5 players, the Aces only managed to get 1 run off of him. Since the game went into extra innings tied, Diaz did not earn the win at the end of the night. That instead went to Eduardo Salazar (2-2) in his 10th game after allowing only 1 run through the final inning.
Diaz’s final line: 3.0IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 5BB, 2K, 0HR, 2.98ERA, 76-38.
The lead went back and forth between the two teams, as singles and doubles kept adding points to the board. In the bottom of the 8th, Luis Urias put the Rainiers back on top when he knocked a 3-run home run (2) out of left field. But a balk in the 9th allowed one run in for Reno, and the game went into the 10th tied when Tacoma couldn’t get back ahead in the bottom. A sacrifice fly put Reno up by one, and the Rainiers knew that they had to put something together if they wanted to come out on top.
A bases loaded walk scored Leo Rivas, tying things back up. With only one out, Tyler Locklear stepped up to bat. Just four pitches made it Locklear’s way, and each of them was far out of the strike zone. Locklear made sure to keep a hold of his swing, and won the game with a walk-off walk, scoring Nick Solak.
Tacoma Rainiers notes
YESTERDAY: The Rainiers won 15-6 behind a 8-run 6th inning and a 6-run 7th inning…5 Rainiers (Jonatan Clase, Luis Urías, Jake Slaughter, Leo Rivas and Michael Papierski) finished the game with multiple RBI…Rivas, Nick Solak and Papierski were the bottom 3 in order and combined to go 8-for-12 with 2 doubles, 5 RBI, 5 runs and 3 walks…Slaughter also hit his first home run since joining the Rainiers…as a team, Tacoma walked 15 times…on the mound, Dallas Keuchel went 6.0 innings and allowed 5 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits (2 home runs), 3 walks with 4 strikeouts.
TODAY: The Rainiers continue their series with the Aces…first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 pm (PT) and Jhonathan Díaz (7-1, 2.98) is expected to start on the mound.
THERE’S GOOD AND THEN THERE’S GREAT: Jhonathan Díaz continues to lead the PCL in ERA (2.98), wins (7), strikeouts (65) and WHIP (1.09) this season…he is also 2nd in innings pitched (63.1) and average against (.244)…among all Triple-A pitchers, he ranks 1st in wins, 3rd in ERA, 3rd in strikeouts, 3rd in WHIP, T-4th in innings pitched and 10th in average against.
ERROR-FREE: Cade Marlowe has now gone 54 games this season without having an error…this is not just the longest active streak in the PCL or Triple-A, but the longest in the minor leagues entering today.
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Cover photo by Dan Rogers.
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