Tuesday, June 17th: Higley’s Slam Leads Vermont to Victory while Hounds Win in Addison Russell’s Return and A’s DL Drew Pomeranz & Acquire Brad Mills

A’s Farmhand Of The Day: Vermont Lake Monsters Outfielder Justin Higley (Grand Slam)
A’s Farmhand Of The Day: Vermont Lake Monsters Outfielder Justin Higley (Grand Slam)

 

NEW YORK-PENN LEAGUE  (Class-A Short-Season)

Connecticut Tigers               0

Vermont Lake Monsters  5

WP – Perez 1-0 / 0.00

HR – Higley (1)

Farmhand Of The Game:

Outfielder Justin Higley

(Grand Slam)

Outfielder Justin Higley stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and 1 out in the bottom of the 1st inning and slugged a grand slam to provide all the runs Vermont would need and give starter Cristhian Perez a comfortable cushion to work with on Tuesday. Perez was impressive, walking none and striking out 5 over 7 shutout innings to earn the win, while LHP Kevin Ferreras got the final 6 outs for the Lake Monsters. Shortstop Yairo Munoz singled and stole a base, while third baseman Chris Wolfe drove in Vermont’s only other run in the win.

Click here for more on Sacramento & Midland…

 

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE  (Triple-A)

Sacramento River Cats  5

Round Rock Express         7

LP – Humber 1-4 / 4.00

HR – Peterson (5), Parrino (4)

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Farmhand Of The Game:

Outfielder Shane Peterson

(Home Run / 3 RBIs)

 

RHP Zach Neal allowed 4 runs on 9 hits over 5 innings of work in his return to the River Cats on Tuesday and exited with the game tied. But RHP Philip Humber came on to give up 3 runs in 2 innings of relief to take the loss. Outfielder Shane Peterson singled, stole a base and slugged a 3-run homer in the 3rd inning to give the Cats a 3-run lead, while third baseman Jose Martinez collected 3 hits, and shortstop Andy Parrino walked, singled and socked a solo shot in the 7th for Sacramento. With LHP Drew Pomeranz being placed on the disabled list by the A’s, River Cats RHP Evan Scribner was recalled by Oakland. The A’s also acquired Triple-A LHP Brad Mills from Milwaukee, but he hasn’t yet been assigned a roster spot with either Oakland or Sacramento. Meanwhile, A’s outfielder Josh Reddick is expected to begin a rehab assignment with the River Cats on Wednesday.

 

TEXAS LEAGUE  (Double-A)

Frisco RoughRiders        2

Midland RockHounds  5

WP – Murphy 1-0 / 1.59

HR – Aliotti (7)

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Farmhand Of The Game:

Outfielder Anthony Aliotti

(Home Run / Double / 2 RBIs)

 

Hot-hitting outfielder Anthony Aliotti helped the Hounds win their third straight on Tuesday. Aliotti doubled and homered for the second straight night and drove in a pair of runs for the RockHounds, while outfielder Billy Burns walked twice and stole his 33rd base, and shortstop Addison Russell went 1 for 4 with a double and an RBI in his return to the RockHounds. Starter Sean Murphy allowed just 1 run and struck out 7 over 5 2/3 innings to earn the win in his first game back on the mound for Midland, while RHP Seth Frankoff got the final 5 outs for his 13th save.

 

All-Star Game MVP Herschel "Boog" Powell
MVP Herschel “Boog” Powell

In Other News…

Some top A’s prospects participated in minor league All-Star games on Tuesday. Catcher Bruce Maxwell went 0 for 2 and RHP Seth Streich tossed 1 scoreless inning for the California League All-Stars as they defeated the Carolina League All-Stars 3-2. Meanwhile, in the Midwest League All-Star Game, RHP Kyle Finnegan pitched a scoreless 1st inning to earn the win, while RHP Andres Avila came on to get the final out in the 9th. Designated hitter Luis Baez went 1 for 2, and center fielder and leadoff hitter Herschel Powell doubled, walked twice, drove in 2 runs, swiped a pair of bases (including stealing home in the 1st inning), and scored 3 times to earn Midwest League All-Star MVP honors on Tuesday. Powell currently leads all A’s minor leaguers with an impressive on-base percentage of .450, and it seems likely that he’ll be seeing some time in Stockton before long.

The A’s placed LHP Drew Pomeranz on the disabled list on Tuesday after the pitcher fractured his right hand punching a chair after his ineffective outing on Monday. The team recalled RHP Evan Scribner from Sacramento to take his place on the roster. The A’s also acquired Triple-A LHP Brad Mills from Milwaukee on Tuesday. The 29-year-old has posted a puny 1.56 ERA while striking out 77 in 75 innings this season for Triple-A Nashville. Mills hasn’t yet been assigned a roster spot with either Oakland or Sacramento, but it looks like he may be in line to make Pomeranz’s previously-scheduled start on Saturday against the Red Sox.

 

Wednesday’s Games:

Sacramento @ Round Rock – 5:05pm PT

Frisco @ Midland – 4:30pm PT / 6:30pm CT

Tri-City @ Vermont – 4:05pm PT / 7:05pm ET

 

 

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