In eight combined games, the affiliates combined to allow just 18 runs, and the opponent was held to one run or fewer in four of them.
Triple-A Durham Bulls (58-63)
Durham scored early, and Blake Snell was sharp in the Bulls' 6-1 win over Indianapolis in game one. After J.P. Arencibia singled in a pair in the first inning, Snell retired the first six he faced before allowing the lone run in the third. Snell struck out six and gave up three hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. Ryan Brett added a three-run home run in the sixth.
Durham's bats did not provide the same support in a 6-1 loss in game two. Everett Teaford allowed a leadoff triple to start the game that led to the first run, but he limited the damage from there and kept Indianapolis scoreless over his next three innings. The game came apart when Andrew Bellatti allowed four runs in an inning and Robert Zarate was tagged with two.
Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (27-19)
Montgomery scored five runs in the fifth on its way to a 6-1 win over Birmingham. Patrick Leonard singled in the first run of the game, and Justin O'Conner cleared the bases with a triple before scoring on a triple by Johnny Field. With the early run support, Austin Pruitt had no problem dispatching the Barons, allowing just a run on seven hits and a walk in eight innings.
Class A-Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (17-28)
Brent Honeywell was not interrupted by rain and took advantage of his opportunity to pitch in Charlotte's 3-1 win over Bradenton. He faced the minimum through five and did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the sixth, and he finished with three strikeouts and just a hit and walk allowed in six scoreless innings. The Stone Crabs opted to throw Chih-Wei Hu in the mix in relief, and he allowed just one run with four strikeouts over the final three innings. Kean Wong drove in the first run of the game in the sixth, and Armando Araiza and Yoel Araujo later hit solo homers.
Class A Bowling Green Hot Rods (23-24)
A run in the ninth was not enough in Bowling Green's 4-1 loss to Peoria. While the Hot Rods scuffled much of the game, the Chiefs got three early runs against Chris Pike, who finished with three runs -- one earned -- allowed on six hits and four walks in six innings with four strikeouts. Coty Blanchard doubled in Bowling Green's only run with two outs in the ninth.
Short-Season Hudson Valley Renegades (25-28)
Cameron Varga turned in his best start of the season in Hudson Valley's 7-0 win over Mahoning Valley. The 2014 second-rounder struck out four and allowed just four hits and a walk in six scoreless innings before handing the ball off to the bullpen, which completed the shutout over the final three innings. Hec Montes' RBI single in the first got the scoring started, and he drove in two more in the third. Angel Moreno homered late as the Renegades tacked on insurance.
Rookie Princeton Rays (29-22)
Blake Bivens threw six scoreless innings in Princeton's 7-2 win over Bluefield. Although he walked four, Bivens struck out six and allowed just three hits during his outing. Blair Beck drove in three runs over the first three innings, and Jose Rojas' solo home run to lead off the seventh answered Bluefield's two runs in the top half of the frame.
Rookie Gulf Coast League Rays (11-35)
The GCL Rays failed to win two in a row with a 3-1 loss to the GCL Orioles. Adrian Rondon tied the game in the sixth with a single, but Jesus Ortiz allowed a pair of runs in the eighth. Ernesto Frieri struck out two in one inning, and Abrahan Rodriguez allowed a run in five innings.
Notable performances
AAA 2B Ryan Brett: 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
AAA OF Corey Brown: 3-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B
AA 3B Patrick Leonard: 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
A UT Coty Blanchard: 2-for-4, 2 2B, 1 RBI
A- OF Angel Moreno: 3-for-5, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
A- OF Manny Sanchez: 1-for-3, 2 BB, 1 K
A- 3B Alex Schmidt: 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K
A- 1B Hec Montes: 3-for-5, 4 RBI, 1 K
R+ OF Blair Beck: 3-for-4, 1 R, 1 3B, 3 RBI
R C Samm Wiggins: 2-for-3, 1 BB
AAA LHP Blake Snell: 5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
AA RHP Austin Pruitt: 8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
A+ RHP Brent Honeywell: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
A+ RHP Chih-Wei Hu: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
A- RHP Cameron Varga: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
R+ RHP Blake Bivens: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K
R+ RHP Ty Jackson: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
AAA RHP Andrew Bellatti: 1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
AAA LHP Robert Zarate: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Today's games (probables courtesy of milb.com)
Durham @ Indianapolis 7:05 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Bradin Hagens (1-4, 3.12) v. Vance Worley (0-0, -.--)
Montgomery @ Birmingham 7:30 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Taylor Guerrieri (1-1, 2.77) v. TBA
Charlotte @ Bradenton 6:30 PM (radio stream)
German Marquez (5-11, 3.62) v. Clay Holmes (0-1, 1.86)
Bowling Green v. Peoria 8:05 PM (radio stream)
Jose Mujica (0-2, 3.91) v. Dewin Perez (2-3, 6.59)
Hudson Valley v. Brooklyn 7:05 PM (radio stream)
TBA v. TBA
Princeton v. Bluefield 7 PM
Brock Burke (3-1, 3.58) v. TBA
GCL Rays @ GCL Orioles 10 AM
*Listed as TBA on milb.com
Scouting the opposition
Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh) (updated through 8/12)
71-50 (1st in IL West)
Offense: 474 R (7th) .692 OPS (7th)
Pitching: 3.14 ERA (4th) 1.27 WHIP (3rd)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Tyler Glasnow (1), 1B Josh Bell (4), RHP Nick Kingham (6), IF Alen Hanson (7), C Elias Diaz (11), OF Willy Garcia (12), RHP John Holdzkom (16), RHP Casey Sadler (17)
Birmingham Barons (White Sox) (updated through 8/11)
28-18 (1st in SL North)
Offense: 466 R (6th) .707 OPS (4th)
Pitching: 3.56 ERA (4th) 1.35 WHIP (4th)
Top 30 Prospects: SS Tim Anderson (2), RHP Frank Montas (5), RHP Tyler Danish (7), OF Courtney Hawkins (9), OF Jacob May (10)
Bradenton Marauders (Pittsburgh) (updated through 8/11)
30-17 (2nd in FSL South)
Offense: 493 R (1st) .706 OPS (1st)
Pitching: 3.66 ERA (10th) 1.27 WHIP (6th)
Top 30 Prospects: OF Austin Meadows (3), C Reese McGuire (5), OF Harold Martinez (10), RHP Clay Holmes (20), 3B Wyatt Mathisen (22), LHP Cody Dickson (24), RHP Luis Heredia (26)
Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis) (updated through 8/12)
31-16 (2nd in MWL West)
Offense: 464 R (7th) .678 OPS (7th)
Pitching: 3.17 ERA (4th) 1.26 WHIP (5th)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Jack Flaherty (6), C Steve Bean (23)
Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) (updated through 8/13)
25-28 (T-3rd in McNamara)
Offense: 187 R (12th) .617 OPS (13th)
Pitching: 2.96 ERA (1st) 1.19 WHIP (1st)
Top 30 Prospects: C Brandon Brosher (29)
Bluefield Blue Jays (updated through 8/11)
20-30 (5th in APP East)
Offense: 216 R (7th) .681 OPS (9th)
Pitching: 4.56 ERA (7th) 1.50 WHIP (10th)
Top 30 Prospects: LHP Matt Smoral (11)
GCL Orioles (updated through 8/12)
25-22 (3rd in GCL South)
Offense: 173 R (9th) .645 OPS (12th)
Pitching: 2.72 ERA (4th) 1.17 WHIP (4th)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Ofelky Peralta (29), SS Ryan Mountcastle