Rays DOTF 6/2: Jesus Sanchez homers in explosive night for Rays’ minor league bats

While the Rays had an off day, the farm teams scored four wins, with terling pitching performances from Jacob Faria and Jose Mujica, and home runs from Cade Gotta and Jesus Sanchez.

Durham Bulls (32-20)

The Bulls got the offense going early while riding Faria's seven shutout innings to a 6-3 win over the Rochester Red Wings. In the bottom of the first, the top three batters reached on singles from Willy Adames and Johnny Field, along with a Jake Bauers' walk. Curt Casali picked up an RBI after he was hit by a pitch. Unfortunately, he was forced to leave the ball game and gave way to Alec Sole pinch-running. Mike Marjama would capitalize with a two-run single in the inning. A Nik Turley wild pitch in the third scored Jake Bauers, gifting Durham their fourth run of the ball game. Jake Bauers singled in two more runs in the seventh, widening the gap to 6-0. Rochester staged a comeback effort in the eighth inning, scoring three runs off Carlos Fierro, but Jeff Ames shut the door in the ninth, sealing a strong 6-3 win. Despite taking a comebacker off his leg in his last start, Jacob Faria looked strong once again and improved upon his solid 2017 numbers, shaving his ERA down to 3.07.

Top Performers

Jake Bauers 3-for-3 2 R 2 RBI BB SB

Johnny Field 3-for-4 2B R K SB

Willy Adames 1-for-4 2 R K

Mike Marjama 1-for-4 2 RBI

Dayron Varona 2-for-3 R

Jacob Faria 7 IP 3 H 0 ER 6 K 2 BB

Montgomery Biscuits (29-24)

Montgomery jumped out to a quick lead and held on to beat the Tennessee Smokies by a score of 9-2. Jose Mujica yielded a home run to Cubs' prospect Jason Vosler early on, but didn't allow that to take him off his rhythm. Run support came early, as Cade Gotta drove in two first inning runs with a single, and Nathan Lukes would bring in a third run to make the score 3-1 after the first. Montgomery exploded in the third inning, however, putting up a six spot on the power of a Cade Gotta two-run home run and a Justin O’Conner home run. Doubles from Andrew Velasquez and Riley Unroe added to the onslaught, and Montgomery led 9-1. Jose Mujica posted 7 innings of one-run ball. The Venezuelan right-hander only allowed three hits and two walks with five strikeouts in his strong effort.

Top Performers

Justin O’Conner 2-for-3 HR RBI R

Cade Gotta 2-for-4 HR 4 RBI 2 R K

Andrew Velasquez 2-for-4 2B 2 RBI K

Joe McCarthy 2-for-3 2 R BB SB

Riley Unroe 1-for-4 2B RBI R K

Michael Russell 2-for-4 2B R K

Jose Mujica 7 IP 3 ER 5 K 2 BB

Port Charlotte Stone Crabs (25-26)

Charlotte took control of the game early and held on to top the Tampa Yankees by a score of 6-4. David Rodriguez got the scoring going early with a two-run single in the first, scoring Brandon Lowe and Ryan Boldt. Chris Gittens took Taylor Hawkins deep in the fourth inning to get the Yankees on the board, Charlotte still holding a 2-1 advantage. Ryan Boldt singled on a bunt to score Brandon Lowe, extending the lead to 3-1. Josh Rapacz brought two more home in the inning with a single, making the game 5-1. Tampa would tighten it up to 5-3, but was never able to take the lead. Port Charlotte won in the end, 6-4. Greg Maisto grabbed his first win as a Crab despite letting up two runs in two innings. Clemson alum Brody Koerner would take the loss for Tampa.

Top Performers

Jake Cronenworth 2-for-5 K

Ryan Boldt 2-for-4 2 R

David Rodriguez 2-for-3 2B 2 R RBI BB

Brandon Lowe 1-for-4 2B 2 R K

Bowling Green Hot Rods (25-27)

The Hot Rods victimized Fort Wayne's pitching staff in the middle innings en route to an 11-4 Bowling Green win. Hudson Potts blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to give Fort Wayne an early lead. That lead quickly evaporated, as Jesus Sanchez replied with his own two-run home run. Bowling Green would take the lead on an Adrian Rondon RBI ground out, 3-2. Nathaniel Lowe would scorch a two-run double in the top of he fifth, and Garrett Whitley added a two-run double in the sixth to raise Bowling Green's lead to 7-2. Joshua Lowe hit a triple to drove in Whitley, and the Hot Rods sat on an 8-2 lead. Adrian Rondon singled in a run in the seventh, and Eleardo Cabrera drove in a run on a force out, while also picking up an extra run on an error. Brad Zunica homered in the bottom of the ninth for Fort Wayne, making the final score 11-4. Rosenberg pitched well, improving his record to 2-3.

Top Performers

Lucius Fox 1-for-6 R SB

Joshua Lowe 1-for-4 3B RBI BB K

Jesus Sanchez 2-for-3 HR 2 RBI 3 R BB SB

Adrian Rondon 1-for-5 RBI R K

Garrett Whitley 1-for-5 R 2B 2 RBI 2 K

Jonah Heim 1-for-2 2 R 3 BB

Nathanial Lowe 1-for-4 2B R 2 RBI BB K

Kenny Rosenberg 7 IP 5 H 2 ER 6 K 3 BB

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