Jeff Locke locked down (I know, booooooo) Toledo over six innings, not yielding a run and only allowing four hits and two walks while striking out six. The strong start lowered Locke's ERA to 3.05 on the season, with a 78:20 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Indianapolis' offense mostly sputtered with only six hits, but a three-run first was all the Indians needed. Starling Marte remained smoking-hot in June, going 2-for-4 and raising his season average to .277 and OPS to .815. In June, Marte has torched pitchers with a .310 average, four home runs, 27 RBIs and a .921 OPS. Brandon Boggs added a double as part of his two hits and Gorkys Hernandez stole his 12th base. Daniel McCutchen continued to struggle and could wind up designated for assignment before long; he gave up two runs and four hits in 1.2 innings. But Tim Wood bailed him out to grab his 11th save.
AA Altoona | Altoona 11 Harrisburg 3
Just like the Pirates tonight, the Sultans of Swing came to play tonight and the Curve had their big boy pants on. They were definitely hitting the weights hard lately. Combining for 14 hits collectively, seven of them being the extra-base variety, they split the four game series with the Harrisburg Senators taking the final two games with authority. Did we give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? The offensive outburst was led by none other than Robbie Grossman, who went 4-for-6 at the plate with two doubles and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. His comrades at the top of the order, including recently announced Eastern League All-Star Brock Holt, joined the hit barrage. Holt continued his dominant season at the plate, putting his average at .319 on the season, going 2-for-5 tonight raking his 18th double of the season. The man with one of the coolest first names ever, Jarek Cunningham, went 3-for-5 with a “Trip, Trip, Triple” and three McRibs. The Aussie Animal himself Stefan Welch remained white hot since being promoted to Altoona on June 15th. He went deep for a two-run home run for his second of the season and put his average at .372 with the Curve. Recently acquired outfielder Oscar Tejada touched up Senators starter Daniel Rosenbaum for a solo shot in his Curve debut and finished the night 1-for-2. He also showed a lot of patience at the plate in his debut by drawing three walks on the night. Phil Irwin had a great night on the bump and notched his first win of the season allowing one earned run on seven hits and striking out six in seven solid innings. His only blemish on the night was a solo shot to Senators outfielder Chris Rahl in the fourth inning.
A West Virginia | West Virginia 7 Delmarva 2
Guess who put the team on their backs tonight? If you guessed Alen Hanson and Gregory Polanco, then you can pat yourself on the back and get a shiny nickel for your psychic abilities. It's turning into a broken record with those two offensively. Just like the Pirates and the Curve, the Power put double-digit hits on the board with 13 tonight. Hanson followed up his 3-for-4 game last night going 2-for-4 tonight and clubbing his 13th home run of the season. That puts his average at a dominant .333 on the season. The physical specimen Polanco slugged two doubles on the night and went 2-for-6. The "Dominican Duo" continues to torment South Atlantic League pitching. But they obviously need more cowbell, that's all. Seriously, if you get the chance to go watch the Power play sometime, go do it because of Hanson and Polanco. Taylor Lewis also put together back-to-back three hit games going 3-for-4 tonight which puts his average at .321 on the season. Zack Von Rosenberg threw an absolute gem on the mound going a flawless six innings allowing no runs while only walking one and surrendering six hits. He notched his first win on the season and showed signs tonight of what Huntington and Co. were looking for when they signed him to an above-slot deal in 2009.
A Bradenton | Bradenton 7 Palm Beach 5
After the long ball gave the Marauders a 5-0 lead through three innings, a Junior Sosa 2-RBI infield single in the eighth inning won the game for Bradenton after Palm Beach battled back to draw even. Alex Dickerson and Elevys Gonzalez both homered in the third inning. Dickerson's, his sixth, was a solo blast, while Gonzalez's first home run since his demotion from Altoona also scored Kirk Singer. Gonzalez finished with three hits, while Dickerson and Singer collected two apiece. Converted reliever Casey Sadler got the start and breezed through the first four innings allowing only one hit, but ran into trouble in the fifth and allowed four runs and six hits in his five innings. Sadler struck out three and walked one. Former bonus baby Quinton Miller pitched a scoreless 1.1 innings for the win with two strikeouts, which lowered his ERA on the season to a still astounding 6.29
A State College | Mahoning Valley 3 State College 2
State College blew an early 2-0 lead, allowing three runs combined in the seventh and eighth innings to fall to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (another great Minors nickname). The Spikes wasted an effective pitching performance by Joely Rodriguez. Rodriguez was very wild in his first two starts of the season, but calmed down by allowing no runs, three hits and one walk in five innings and striking out three batters. Recent fifth-round draft pick Adrian Sampson appeared in his first professional game and allowed two runs in two innings of work that tied the game. He did whiff four batters though. Jordan Cooper was tagged with the loss, giving up an unearned run in the eighth. Seventh-round pick Jacob Stallings went 1-for-4 with a double, the team's only extra-base hit.