Rays prospects and minor leagues: Charlotte shuts out Clearwater in series sweep

It may be hard to believe, but minor league baseball is winding down this season. Princeton starts its last series Monday. The GCL Rays end Saturday, and Charlotte finishes Sunday. Durham, Montgomery, Bowling Green, and Hudson Valley all end on Labor Day.

Montgomery and Charlotte are going to the postseason, and Bowling Green and Hudson Valley can join them. Durham has a chance too.

Triple-A Durham Bulls (70-62)

Durham couldn’t get out of an early hole in a 6-2 loss to Gwinnett. The Stripers led 6-0 before the Bulls finally got on the board in the sixth on Kevin Padlo’s two-run homer. Sam McWilliams allowed four runs in 3 ¹⁄₃ innings.

1B Nate Lowe: 0-for-5, 2 K (.937)
DH Emilio Bonifacio: 2-for-4, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 CS (.818)
3B Kevin Padlo: 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K, 1 HBP (1.062)
2B Daniel Robertson: 3-for-4 (.642)

RHP Sam McWilliams: 3 ¹⁄₃ IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (8.34)

Durham’s site offers this recap.

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (41-22)

Montgomery lost the resumption of its suspended game, 8-7, to Chattanooga. On Saturday, the Biscuits led 7-1 before the game was suspended. The Lookouts resumed and scored seven unanswered runs. Brian Shaffer was charged with four runs in four-plus innings.

Biscuits pitching didn’t fare any better in a 10-5 loss in Game 2. Chattanooga picked up where it left off, scoring all 10 of its runs in the first three innings. The Lookouts got a grand slam in the first and then scored four more times in the second after Montgomery made it a 4-2 game. Jason Garcia allowed eight runs in two innings.

SS Lucius Fox (1): 2-for-4, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB
2B Lucius Fox (2): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 K (.692)
CF Josh Lowe (1): 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Josh Lowe (2): 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI (.770)
SS Vidal Brujan (2): 2-for-4, 1 3B, 2 RBI (.733)
DH Brett Sullivan (1): 3-for-5, 1 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI (.777)
LF Carl Chester (1): 2-for-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K (.820)
3B Jim Haley (1): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
3B Jim Haley (2): 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI (.845)

RHP Brian Shaffer (1): 4+ IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (2.35)
RHP Jason Garcia (2): 2 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 3 BB, 0 K (5.36)

Class A-Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (45-20)

Charlotte shut out Clearwater again, 8-0. The Threshers did not score in the entire series. This time, Michael Plassmeyer started and threw five innings. Justin Marsden picked up the four-inning save. Moises Gomez opened the scoring with an RBI double in the second, and he capped the scoring with a solo homer in the seventh.

SS Wander Franco: 2-for-5, 1 R, 1 K (.846)
DH Ronaldo Hernandez: 1-for-5, 1 R, 2 K (.695)
RF Moises Gomez: 2-for-3, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K (.701)
1B Joey Roach: 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 HBP (.724)

LHP Michael Plassmeyer: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (2.12)
RHP Justin Marsden: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (6.82)

Charlotte’s site offers this recap.

Class-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (37-24)

Bowling Green’s game was postponed.

Short-Season Hudson Valley Renegades (38-29)

Hudson Valley fell to Connecticut in 11 innings, 6-5. The Renegades erased deficits of 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3, but they never led. After tying the game in the 10th, they had the go-ahead run in scoring position with one out, but they couldn’t capitalize. Rodolfo Sanchez allowed three runs in six innings.

SS Greg Jones: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 BB (.865)
DH Luis Trevino: 1-for-3, 2 HBP (.711)

RHP Rodolfo Sanchez: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (3.61)

Rookie Princeton Rays (31-34)

Princeton earned a 6-3 win over Greeneville. Jake Guenther hit an RBI single in the first, and Diego Infante drove in two in the third. The Reds pulled within one a half inning later, but in the ninth, the Rays added insurance runs on RBI hits from Aldenis Sanchez and Guenther. Jose Lopez allowed two runs — one earned — in six innings.

RF Diego Infante: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 1 K (.836)
1B Jake Guenther: 3-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB (.889)

LHP Jose Lopez: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 4 K (2.54)

Rookie Gulf Coast League Rays (24-25)

The GCL Rays were off.

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Monday’s games (probables courtesy of milb.com)

Durham @ Charlotte 7:04 p.m. ET (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
TBA vs. Odrisamer Despaigne (7-5, 3.45)

Montgomery @ Chattanooga 7:15 p.m. ET (radio stream)
Joe Ryan (0-0, 4.15) vs. TBA

Charlotte vs. Florida 6:30 p.m. ET (radio stream)
Cristopher Sanchez (1-0, 1.86) vs. TBA

Bowling Green vs. South Bend 6:05 p.m. ET (MiLB.TV, radio stream) DOUBLEHEADER
TBA vs. TBA
TBA vs. TBA

Both games will be seven innings.

Hudson Valley vs. Connecticut 7:05 p.m. ET (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
TBA vs. TBA

Princeton @ Pulaski 6:30 p.m. ET (radio stream)
TBA vs. Leonardo Pestana (1-3, 7.39)

GCL Rays @ GCL Twins 12 p.m.

*Listed as TBA on milb.com

Scouting the opposition

Charlotte Knights (White Sox)
74-58 (2nd in IL South)
Offense: 756 R (1st) .837 OPS (1st)
Pitching: 5.35 ERA (13th) 1.52 WHIP (13th)
Top-30 prospects: OF Luis Robert (1), 2B Nick Madrigal (5), C Zack Collins (12), RHP Ian Hamilton (13), C Seby Zavala (15), RHP Spencer Adams (20), RHP Zach Thompson (28), OF Brandon Guyer, LHP Hunter Schryver

Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati)
22-40
Offense: 562 R (3rd) .716 OPS (3rd)
Pitching: 4.51 ERA (10th) 1.42 WHIP (10th)
Top-30 prospects: 3B Jonathan India (3), RHP Tony Santillan (5), C Tyler Stephenson (6), OF Stuart Fairchild (10), OF T.J. Friedl (12), LHP Packy Naughton (24), RHP Ryan Hendrix (27), 1B Ibandel Isabel (29), C Nick Ciuffo

Florida Fire Frogs (Atlanta)
27-39
Offense: 429 R (11th) .635 OPS (11th)
Pitching: 3.74 ERA (11th) 1.30 WHIP (9th)
Top-30 prospects: RHP Freddy Tarnok (16), C Logan Brown (24), SS AJ Graffanino (25), OF Jeffrey Ramos (26), SS Riley Delgado (27)

South Bend Cubs
35-26 (2nd in MWL East)
Offense: 532 R (10th) .697 OPS (4th)
Pitching: 3.53 ERA (6th) 1.27 WHIP (6th)
Top-30 prospects: OF Cole Roederer (4), OF Brennen Davis (5), 2B Chase Strumpf (7), OF Nelson Velazquez (13), RHP Jose Albertos (15), RHP Riley Thompson (20)

Connecticut Tigers
33-35 (2nd in NYPL Stedler)
Offense: 233 R (12th) .607 OPS (14th)
Pitching: 3.64 ERA (7th) 1.39 WHIP (12th)
Top-30 prospects: IF Nick Quintana (18)

Pulaski Yankees
42-23
Offense: 323 R (4th) .718 OPS (8th)
Pitching: 3.75 ERA (2nd) 1.20 WHIP (1st)
Top-30 prospects: OF Antonio Cabello (8), IF Anthony Volpe (9), OF Anthony Garcia (15), LHP T.J. Sikkema (18), OF Ryder Green (30)

GCL Twins
28-21 (2nd in GCL South)
Offense: 200 R (12th) .650 OPS (13th)
Pitching: 3.44 ERA (6th) 1.26 WHIP (4th)
Top-30 prospects: RHP Landon Leach (25), IF Keoni Cavaco

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