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Rays prospects and minor leagues: Cronenworth knocks in 3 for Hot Rods

Montgomery dropped an 11-inning game despite Chih-Wei Hu striking out seven

Jim Donten

While Florida is plenty warm for summer baseball, it definitely has its downsides considering the Charlotte Stone Crabs always seem to be having postponed games due to rain. While the Rays themselves aren't affected thanks to their dome, Charlotte and the Florida State League suffers.

Triple-A Durham Bulls (28-36)

The Bulls got smacked around in a 16-1 loss to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Jaime Schultz allowed a career-high eight runs and took his third loss of the year. No Bulls pitcher went untouched as Schultz, Parker Markel, Danny Farquhar, and Adam Kolarek all allowed runs. The Bulls managed a lone hit, an RBI single by Juniel Querecuto. Cameron Seitzer didn't register an at-bat, walking three times. Ironpigs starter Ben Lively went seven one-hit, one-run innings.

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (30-32)

Despite rallying back to tie the game, Montgomery dropped a 3-2 game to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Chih-Wei Hu made two mistakes in allowing two home runs, but lasted six innings while striking out seven. Jordan Harrison, Brandon Schreiber, and Jeff Ames had a combined 4 1/3 scoreless innings, but Steve Ascher allowed the winning run to score. Patrick Leonard had a sacrifice fly to bring the game within one in the sixth inning, and Pat Blair had a RBI double to tie up the game in the top of the ninth. Willy Adames hit his 20th double of the season in the affair.

Class-A Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (31-31)

In Game 1 of doubleheader with the Clearwater Threshers, the Stone Crabs went down without much of a fight, allowing five first-innings runs in a 7-1 loss. Chris Pike didn't make it through the first inning, having to be pulled after just two-thirds of an inning. The lone Charlotte run came on an Andrew Velazquez solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, his first of the year.

However, the Stone Crabs bounced back, pulling out a 5-2 win in Game 2, the makeup of Friday's postponed game. Justin Williams hit a sacrifice fly to start off the scoring, but Charlotte fell behind the next half-inning with Yonny Chirinos allowing two runs -- one earned -- in the top of the second. The Stone Crabs proved resilient, striking back on a Jace Conrad solo home run -- his first with the Stone Crabs this season -- to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. Landon Cray and Mac James added on to the scoring in the same frame with RBI singles. Chirinos held the Threshers scoreless from then through the sixth inning, with Mac James scoring on a pickoff error to add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth.

Class-A Bowling Green (30-31)

Bowling Green didn't lose focus after allowing four first-inning runs, eventually coming back for a 7-4 win over the South Bend Cubs. Taylor Hawkins allowed those four runs, but afterwards kept the Cubs silent through the next five innings. Fernando Baez pitched two perfect innings while striking out five of the six batters he faced. Reece Karalus allowed two hits but kept South Bend off the board to pick up his first save this year. Kevin Padlo scored when David Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to get the Hot Rods' first run in the bottom of the second, and Jake Cronenworth hit a bases-clearing triple to bring Bowling Green even with the Cubs. Brett Sullivan hit a solo home run to take the lead in the third. David Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly and Angel Moreno followed that up with an RBI double to pad Bowling Green's lead.

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Notable Performances

Triple-A

1B Cameron Seizter: 0-for-0, 3 BB
IF Juniel Querecuto: 1-for-3, RBI (7), K

Double-A

SS Willy Adames: 2-for-5, 2B (20)
3B Patrick Leonard: 1-for-4, RBI (10), 2 K
OF Cade Gotta: 2-for-4, BB
UTIL Pat Blair: 1-for-5, 2B (3), RBI (5), K

Class-A Advanced

Game 1

SS Andrew Velazquez: 2-for-3, R, HR (1), RBI (4), K
OF Thomas Milone: 1-for-2, K

Game 2

C Mac James: 3-for-3, R, 2B (7), RBI (17), BB
OF Jace Conrad: 2-for-2, R, 2B (7), HR (1), RBI (19), BB
OF Bralin Jackson: 1-for-3, R, 
1B Grant Kay: 1-for-2, R, BB
OF Landon Cray: 1-for-3, RBI (6)

RHP Yonny Chirinos: W (6-0), 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, HR
RHP Brian Miller: S (8), 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Class-A

SS Jake Cronenworth: 1-for-4, 3B (4), 3 RBI (29), 2 K
C Brett Sullivan: 2-for-3, 3 R, 2B (10), HR (10), RBI (40), BB
OF Zacrey Law: 2-for-4, R, K
C David Rodriguez: 0-for-2, R, 2 RBI (25), K, SF
OF Manny Sanchez: 1-for-4, R, 2B (8), 2 K
OF Angel Moreno: 1-for-3, 2B (7), RBI (14), K

RHP Fernando Baez: H (1), 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K

Today's probables (All probables courtesy milb.com)

Durham @ Lehigh Valley 1:35 PM ET (milb.tv, radio stream)
Austin Pruitt (4-4, 3.11) v. James Russell (1-1, 1.95)

Montgomery @ Pensacola 5:00 PM ET (milb.tv, radio stream)
TBA v. Sal Romano (1-6, 4.90)

Charlotte v. Dunedin 12:35 PM ET (radio stream)
TBA v. Chris Rowley (4-0, 2.89)

Bowling Green v. South Bend 5:05 PM ET (radio stream)
Roel Ramirez (2-4, 5.11) v. Carson Sands (5-0, 3.30)

Scouting the opposition

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia)
33-28, 3rd in IL North
Offense: 253 R (6th), .729 OPS (2nd)
Pitching: 3.56 ERA (8th), 1.21 WHIP (1st)
Top 30 Prospects: SS J.P. Crawford (1), OF Nick Williams (2), RHP Jake Thompson (3), C Andrew Knapp (4), RHP Mark Appel (8), RHP Zach Eflin (13), RHP Edubray Ramos (17), 2B/OF Darnell Sweeney (26), RHP Ben Lively (27)

Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Cincinnati)
35-25, 1st in SL South
Offense: 256 R (5th), .693 OPS (6th)
Pitching: 3.13 ERA (1st), 1.23 WHIP (1st)
Top 30 Prospects: LHP Amir Garrett (3), RHP Rookie Davis (6), SS Alex Blandino (6), Nick Travieso (7), RHP Sal Romano (9), OF Phillip Ervin (12), 3B Eric Jagielo (13), SS Carton Daal (23), RHP Jackson Stephens (31)

Dunedin Blue Jays
27-33, 5th in FSL North
Offense: 267 R (2nd), .708 OPS (3rd)
Pitching: 4.39 ERA (10th-Last), 1.51 WHIP (10th)
Top 30 Prospects: OF Anthony Alford (1), RHP Connor Greene (2), SS Richard Urena (4), OF D.J. Davis (10), LHP Ryan Borucki (14), RHP Tom Robson (21), C Danny Jansen (22)

South Bend Cubs
37-23, 1st in MWL East
Offense: 285 R (4th), .728 OPS (2nd)
Pitching: 3.71 ERA (11th), 1.27 WHIP (9th)
Top 30 Prospects: OF Eloy Jimenez (9), LHP Justin Steele (14), OF Donnie Dewees (17), LHP Carson Sands (22), OF Eddy Julio Martinez (28)

*Stats and records as of June 11*