A’s Farmhand Of The Day
PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE (Triple-A)
Tacoma Rainiers 7
Sacramento River Cats 11
WP – Leon 2-1 / 4.34
HR – Taylor (3), Matthes (1)
Farmhand Of The Game:
First Baseman Nate Freiman
(3 for 5 / 2 Doubles / 4 RBIs)
RHP Arnold Leon had a rocky start for the River Cats, allowing 4 runs on 10 hits over 5 innings of work, but he still managed to pick up his 2nd win for Sacramento on Thursday. With RHP Josh Lindblom having made the start on Wednesday, both he and Leon would be in a position to possibly make a start for the A’s in next week’s scheduled doubleheader against Seattle. First baseman Nate Freiman had 3 hits, including a pair of doubles, and drove in 4 runs in the game, including the go-ahead run, while outfielder Michael Taylor singled, homered and drove in 3, and designated hitter Kent Matthes doubled, homered and drove in a pair for the Cats.
Click here for more on Midland, Stockton & Beloit…
TEXAS LEAGUE (Double-A)
Corpus Christi Hooks 5
Midland RockHounds 6
WP – Haviland 1-1 / 0.93
Farmhand Of The Game:
Pitcher Shawn Haviland
(5 IP / 6 H / 2 ER / 2 BB / 3 K / Win)
RHP Shawn Haviland had another solid start on Thursday, allowing 2 runs while striking out 3 over 5 innings to earn his 1st win for the RockHounds. RHP Seth Frankoff got the final 2 outs in the 9th to notch his 6th save. Designated hitter Max Muncy singled, doubled and scored twice, while shortstop Dusty Coleman doubled in 2 runs, and third baseman Miles Head and left fielder Anthony Aliotti had a pair of hits apiece and each drove in a run for the RockHounds. Infielder Hiro Nakajima, and his interpreter, officially joined the Hounds on Thursday, but Hiro remained on the bench for his first contest at Midland.
CALIFORNIA LEAGUE (High-A)
Stockton Ports 1
Bakersfield Blaze 3
LP – Correa 2-3 / 5.40
Farmhand Of The Game:
Pitcher Manny Correa
(7 IP / 6 H / 3 ER / 1 BB / 6 K)
Starter Manny Correa was solid for Stockton, allowing 3 runs while striking out 6 over 7 innings of work, but he still ended up taking his 3rd loss on Thursday. The Ports managed just 5 hits on the night, with hot-hitting second baseman Chad Pinder collecting 3 hits for the third straight game to raise his team-leading batting average to .340.
MIDWEST LEAGUE (Class-A)
Peoria Chiefs 14
Beloit Snappers 10
LP – Herrera 2-3 / 3.46
HR – Vollmuth (3)
Farmhand Of The Game:
First Baseman Michael Soto
(3 for 4 / 2 RBIs)
RHP Ronald Herrera had a rocky outing for the Snappers, allowing 7 runs over 5 innings of work to take his 3rd loss on Thursday. 5 of those 7 runs were unearned though as they all eventually came around to score after a 2-out error by third baseman B.A. Vollmuth. RHP Lee Sosa surrendered 4 more runs on 2 hits and 5 walks in 1 2/3 innings of relief, while outfielder Ryan Mathews took to the mound and got the final 2 outs after allowing a run in the 9th. First baseman Michael Soto had 3 hits and drove in a pair of runs, while Vollmuth had his 6th double and his 3rd home run, and outfielders Jaycob Brugman and Herschel Powell had a pair of hits apiece and each drove in a run for the Snappers. In other news, catcher Nick Rickles, who appeared in 81 games for Beloit last season and had been in extended spring training for the A’s this year, has a torn labrum in his right shoulder and will undergo surgery on Monday. He’s expected to miss the rest of the season.
April Players Of The Month
A’s Farm named it’s A’s minor league players of the month on Thursday. The organization’s Hitter of the Month for April is Stockton second baseman Chad Pinder. The 22-year-old, who was the A’s 3rd overall pick in last year’s draft, led all A’s minor leaguers in hits (33), home runs (7), RBIs (21), slugging percentage (.657), OPS (1.018) and wOBA (.433). The organization’s Pitcher of the Month for April is Stockton RHP Seth Streich. The 23-year-old, who was the A’s 6th-round draft pick in 2012, led all A’s minor league pitchers in strikeouts with 30 in 26 2/3 innings while sporting a 2.36 ERA in 5 starts.
Second Baseman – Stockton Ports
7 HR / .324 AVG / .361 OBP / .657 SLG / 1.018 OPS / .433 wOBA
RHP – Stockton Ports
26 2/3 IP / 18 H / 7 ER / 0 HR / 7 BB / 30 K / 2.36 ERA / 0.94 WHIP
Friday’s Games:
Sacramento @ El Paso – 6:05pm PT
Corpus Christi @ Midland – 5:00pm PT / 7:00pm CT
Rancho Cucamonga @ Stockton – 7:05pm PT
Quad Cities @ Beloit – 4:30pm PT / 6:30pm CT
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