Nick Ciuffo endured a tough month of June. He batted just .162 with a .169 on-base percentage, and his OPS for the season dropped over 100 points. His July has been a lot better, especially lately. In 16 games this month, he has a .702 OPS and has cut down on his strikeouts a bit.
Triple-A Durham Bulls (63-40)
Ryan Yarbrough ran into a wall in Durham’s 8-3 loss to Buffalo. Through six innings, Yarbrough continued his recent good form but ran into trouble in the seventh. A single and home run lost the Bulls’ 4-3 lead, and he allowed another batter to reach before departing. In the end, he was charged with five runs — four earned — in 6 1/3 innings as the Bisons blew the game open with a sixth-run inning.
SS Willy Adames: 1-for-4, 2 K, 1 SB
1B Jake Bauers: 1-for-4
OF Michael McKenry: 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 BB
LHP Ryan Yarbrough: 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 5 K
RHP Neil Wagner: one-third IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (19-13)
Montgomery held on for a 5-4 win over Tennessee. Nick Ciuffo opened the scoring with a two-run single in the second, and he was at it again with a two-run double in the fourth. Starter Benton Moss threw four scoreless innings, but the Smokies were able to make a late comeback effort with a pair of home runs off Mike Broadway in the ninth.
OF Joe McCarthy: 2-for-5, 1 2B
C Nick Ciuffo: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 1 BB
SS Jake Cronenworth: 1-for-3, 2 BB
OF Cade Gotta: 4-for-5, 2 R, 1 K
RHP Benton Moss: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Mike Broadway: one-third+ IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Class A-Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (17-15)
Charlotte’s offense exploded in a 10-inning, 13-12 win over Dunedin. Trailing 8-3, the Stone Crabs piled up five in the fifth inning. Already with a home run in the game, Alec Sole tripled in a run that inning. After Dunedin went up in the 10th, Charlotte tied the game on Angel Moreno’s groundout and won it on a Brandon Lowe double. In his Stone Crabs debut, Lucius Fox had a pair of hits. Tyler Brashears was tagged with seven runs in 3 1⁄3 innings, and Jonny Venters allowed a run.
OF Ryan Boldt: 2-for-4, 3 R, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 1 BB
SS Lucius Fox: 2-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI
OF Angel Moreno: 2-for-5, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
2B Brandon Lowe: 2-for-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
IF Alec Sole: 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB
LHP Jonny Venters: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Tyler Brashears: 3 1⁄3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Michael Santos: 3 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 1 K
Class-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (18-13)
Bowling Green’s game was postponed.
Short-Season Hudson Valley Renegades (15-19)
Hudson Valley was off.
Rookie Princeton Rays (15-19)
Princeton’s comeback bid came up short in its 6-4 loss to Greeneville. After losing a 2-0 lead, Princeton had a chance to even the game late. It scored twice in the ninth and had the tying run at the plate with one out, but Ronaldo Hernandez and Trey Hair made outs to end the game. Starter Riley O’Brien pitched four scoreless innings, but Ryan Askew was hit for five runs — three earned -- in two innings of relief.
C Ronaldo Hernandez: 1-for-5, 1 K
IF Justin Bridgman: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB
1B Devin Davis: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
RHP Riley O’Brien: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Ryan Askew: 2 IP, 5 H, 5 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 2 K
Rookie Gulf Coast League Rays (10-17)
The GCL Rays came from behind in their 5-4 win over the GCL Red Sox. The GCL Red Sox took a 4-3 lead in the seventh, but the GCL Rays responded immediately. Erik Ostberg scored the tying run on an error, and Luis Leon drove in Jake Stone to put them back in front. Starter Wilson Garcia allowed two runs in four innings.
C Rene Pinto: 0-for-3, 1 BB
OF Jake Stone: 1-for-2, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB
RHP Wilson Garcia: 4 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
The preceding stories were not generated by the Associated Press computer using data from, and in cooperation with, MLBAM.
Today's games (probables courtesy of milb.com)
Durham @ Buffalo 1:05 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Michael Roth (0-3, 7.63) v. Chris Rowley (3-2, 2.27)
Montgomery @ Tennessee 7 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Logan Darnell (2-1, 3.00) v. Trevor Clifton (5-5, 4.00)
Charlotte v. Dunedin 6:35 PM (radio stream)
Travis Ott (3-1, 3.35) v. Tayler Saucedo (0-0, 4.05)
Bowling Green @ Great Lakes 7:05 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream) DOUBLEHEADER
J.D. Busfield (4-6, 3.53) v. Chris Mathewson (2-2, 3.67)
TBA v. TBA
Both games will be seven innings
Hudson Valley @ Aberdeen 7:05 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
TBA v. TBA
Princeton v. Elizabethton 7 PM (radio stream)
TBA v. TBA
GCL Rays @ GCL Red Sox 12 PM
*Listed as TBA on milb.com
Scouting the opposition
Buffalo Bisons (Toronto)
44-60 (5th in IL North)
Offense: 395 R (12th) .681 OPS (13th)
Pitching: 3.79 ERA (6th) 1.35 WHIP (7th)
Top 30 Prospects: 1B Rowdy Tellez (7), LHP Matt Darmody (29), IF Jake Elmore
Tennessee Smokies (Cubs)
17-15 (T-3rd in SL North)
Offense: 404 R (4th) .701 OPS (4th)
Pitching: 3.65 ERA (4th) 1.29 WHIP (5th)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Trevor Clifton (8), RHP Duane Underwood Jr. (15), 2B David Bote (26)
Dunedin Blue Jays
18-15 (2nd in FSL North)
Offense: 421 R (2nd) .677 OPS (8th)
Pitching: 3.39 ERA (7th) 1.32 WHIP (8th)
Top 30 Prospects: 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1), SS Bo Bichette (9), RHP T.J. Zeuch (8), C Max Pentecost (12), LHP Angel Perdomo (18), RHP Zach Jackson (21), RHP Jordan Romano (24), 2B Cavan Biggio (25)
Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers)
13-18 (6th in MWL East)
Offense: 418 R (11th) .665 OPS (15th)
Pitching: 3.72 ERA (6th) 1.32 WHIP (8th)
Top 30 Prospects: SS Gavin Lux (9), RHP Jordan Sheffield (12), RHP Dustin May (13), IF Oneil Cruz (27), OF Mitch Hansen (28), OF Cody Thomas (29)
Aberdeen IronBirds (Baltimore)
19-15 (2nd in NYPL McNamara)
Offense: 161 R (4th) .689 OPS (4th)
Pitching: 3.32 ERA (4th) 1.19 WHIP (3rd)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Michael Baumann, pitching coach Mark Hendrickson
Elizabethton Twins
20-14 (1st in AL West)
Offense: 222 R (1st) .832 OPS (1st)
Pitching: 4.32 ERA (2nd) 1.38 WHIP (1st)
Top 30 Prospects: SS Wander Javier (13), OF Akil Baddoo (16), SS Jose Miranda (24)
GCL Red Sox
14-13 (T-2nd in GCL South)
Offense: 107 R (9th) .672 OPS (7th)
Pitching: 3.55 ERA (6th) 1.32 WHIP (8th)
Top 30 Prospects: OF Cole Brannen