Rays prospects and minor leagues: Bulls fall despite 2 Padlo homers

With the trade of Jesus Sanchez to Miami, there was a spot open in Baseball America’s midseason update for the Rays. Kevin Padlo took that spot. I was a little surprised he wasn’t in the original update. He had been ranked in the top 20 three times previously — as recently as 2017 — so it’s not like he came out of nowhere this season.

Triple-A Durham Bulls (63-49)

Durham couldn’t hold off Norfolk in a 10-inning, 7-6 loss to the Tides. Trailing 5-2 in the seventh, the Bulls scored four times on homers from Kevin Padlo and Dalton Kelly. It was Padlo’s second home run of the game. However, Norfolk tied the game in the ninth and won it in the 10th. Sam McWilliams was charged with five runs — four earned — in six innings.

1B Nate Lowe: 1-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI (.931)
LF Dalton Kelly: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K (.832)
3B Kevin Padlo: 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K (1.254)

RHP Sam McWilliams: 6 IP, 8 H, 5 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 5 K (7.46)

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (27-14)

He didn’t throw another complete game, but Josh Fleming was still fine in Montgomery’s 6-2 win over Chattanooga. In six innings, the lefty allowed both Lookouts runs on seven hits and two walks. Already leading 1-0, the Biscuits scored four times in the third. Miles Mastrobuoni opened the scoring that inning with a home run, and David Rodriguez finished it with a home run.

SS Vidal Brujan: 2-for-5, 2 K (.761)
2B Taylor Walls: 1-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K (.770)
RF Josh Lowe: 0-for-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SB (.731)
LF Miles Mastrobuoni: 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K (.728)
DH David Rodriguez: 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB (.623)

LHP Josh Fleming: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (3.24)

Class A-Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (31-11)

Charlotte topped Palm Beach in the resumption of their suspended game, 2-1. Prior to the suspension, Michael Plassmeyer struck out five and allowed a run in three innings, and the Stone Crabs got more good pitching when the game resumed. Joe Ryan struck out four in six, one-hit innings. Izzy Wilson doubled in the decisive run in the fifth inning.

Behind Shane McClanahan, the Stone Crabs earned a doubleheader sweep with a 4-1 win. The Cardinals scored a run against him in five innings, but he struck out nine batters and didn’t walk any. Wilson and Moises Gomez each hit RBI doubles in Charlotte’s four-run third.

LF Garrett Whitley (1): 0-for-0, 2 BB, 1 CS
CF Garrett Whitley (2): 0-for-4, 4 K (.727)
SS Wander Franco (1): 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 K
SS Wander Franco (2): 1-for-3, 1 R (.955)
DH Moises Gomez (1): 0-for-3, 1 K
RF Moises Gomez (2): 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI (.694)
C Ronaldo Hernandez (1): 0-for-3
DH Ronaldo Hernandez (2): 0-for-3, 1 R (.714)

LHP Michael Plassmeyer (1): 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K (2.79)
RHP Joe Ryan (1): 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (1.89)
LHP Shane McClanahan (2): 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K (1.46)

Charlotte’s site offers this recap.

Class-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (24-16)

Jordan Qsar homered twice, and Miller Hogan pitched well in Bowling Green’s 5-1 win over Dayton. Qsar hit his fifth and sixth home runs of the season, but they merely added insurance. Ruben Cardenas started the offense with an RBI single in the first and RBI double in the third. On the mound, Hogan struck out seven and allowed a run in five innings.

RF Ruben Cardenas: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K (.816)
2B Jonathan Aranda: 0-for-2, 1 R, 3 BB (.842)
LF Jordan Qsar: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 K (.811)

RHP Miller Hogan: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K (3.27)

Bowling Green’s site offers this recap.

Short-Season Hudson Valley Renegades (27-18)

Hudson Valley took advantage of its chances in a 5-1 win over West Virginia. Garrett Hiott tripled in a run and scored on Nick Sogard’s sacrifice fly in the third, and Sogard reached base on an error. He came home to score on Hill Alexander’s sacrifice fly. In the fifth, two more runs scored on errors. Edisson Gonzalez allowed a run in 4 ²⁄₃ innings.

CF Garrett Hiott: 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB (.793)

RHP Edisson Gonzalez: 4 ²⁄₃ IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (3.20)
RHP Christopher Gau: 3 ¹⁄₃ IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (3.97)

Rookie Princeton Rays (20-22)

Princeton held on for a 4-2 win over Danville. Luis Leon’s RBI single in the top of the first gave the Rays a 1-0 lead, and the pitching went to work. Jayden Murray struck out five in four scoreless innings, and Trevor Brigden and Wilkelman Ramirez each tossed two scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Jelfry Marte hit an RBI triple and also scored in the three-run eighth.

CF Nick Schnell: 0-for-3, 1 BB, 2 K (.738)
SS Jelfry Marte: 2-for-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 K (.452)

RHP Jayden Murray: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (1.83)
RHP Wilkelman Ramirez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (11.22)

Rookie Gulf Coast League Rays (14-16)

The GCL Rays edged the GCL Braves in 10 innings, 6-5. The Braves nearly scored a go-ahead run in the top of the 10th, but Zach Huffins threw a runner out at the plate. In the bottom half of the inning, an error allowed the Rays’ free baserunner to score. Sandy Gaston allowed three runs — two earned — in three innings.

C Zacrey Law: 0-for-5, 1 K
2B Grant Kay: 1-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB

RHP Sandy Gaston: 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 2 K (4.26)

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

Durham @ Norfolk 7:05 p.m. ET (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
TBA vs. Luis Ysla (3-6, 6.80)

Montgomery vs. Chattanooga 7:05 p.m. ET (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Paul Campbell (6-3, 2.95) vs. Packy Naughton (5-7, 2.99)

Charlotte vs. Palm Beach 6 p.m. ET (radio stream)
Tobias Myers (5-1, 2.95) vs. TBA

Bowling Green vs. Lansing 7:35 p.m. ET (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
TBA vs. Juan De Paula (3-5, 9.48)

Hudson Valley vs. West Virginia 6:05 p.m. ET (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
TBA vs. TBA

Princeton @ Danville 6:30 p.m. ET (radio stream)
TBA vs. TBA

GCL Rays @ GCL Braves 10 a.m.

*Listed as TBA on milb.com

Scouting the opposition

Norfolk Tides (Baltimore)
43-68 (4th in IL South)
Offense: 543 R (9th) .765 OPS (12th)
Pitching: 6.00 ERA (14th) 1.57 WHIP (14th)
Top-30 prospects: 3B Ryan Mountcastle (3), OF Austin Hays (4), LHP Keegan Akin (6), RHP Hunter Harvey (8), RHP Luis Ortiz (13), OF DJ Stewart (15), LHP Bruce Zimmermann (17), RHP Branden Kline (22)

Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati)
13-27 (5th in SL North)
Offense: 479 R (1st) .719 OPS (1st)
Pitching: 4.39 ERA (10th) 1.40 WHIP (10th)
Top-30 prospects: 3B Jonathan India (3), RHP Tony Santillan (5), C Tyler Stephenson (6), OF Jose Siri (9), OF T.J. Friedl (12), SS Alfredo Rodriguez (22), LHP Packy Naughton (24), RHP Ryan Hendrix (27), 1B Ibandel Isabel (29), C Nick Ciuffo

Palm Beach Cardinals
13-30 (6th in FSL South)
Offense: 382 R (9th) .648 OPS (10th)
Pitching: 3.49 ERA (6th) 1.30 WHIP (9th)
Top-30 prospects: 3B Nolan Gorman (4), LHP Zack Thompson (8), C Ivan Herrera (9), RHP Griffin Roberts (18), RHP Edgar Gonzalez (21), 1B Luken Baker (23), OF Scott Hurst (27)

Lansing Lugnuts (Toronto)
19-21 (5th in MWL East)
Offense: 481 R (6th) .720 OPS (2nd)
Pitching: 4.29 ERA (13th) 1.42 WHIP (12th)
Top-30 prospects: SS Jordan Groshans (5), OF Griffin Conine (15), C Gabriel Moreno (20), RHP Sean Wymer (26)

West Virginia Black Bears (Pittsburgh)
23-22 (2nd in NYPL Pinckney)
Offense: 181 R (8th) .646 OPS (9th)
Pitching: 3.72 ERA (9th) 1.33 WHIP (9th)
Top-30 prospects: RHP Braxton Ashcraft (16), RHP Michael Burrows (18), OF Matt Gorski (26)

Danville Braves
16-27 (5th in AL East)
Offense: 188 R (8th) .663 OPS (10th)
Pitching: 4.89 ERA (10th) 1.44 WHIP (10th)
Top-30 prospects: SS Beau Philip

GCL Braves
11-18 (T-5th in GCL South)
Offense: 104 R (18th) .634 OPS (16th)
Pitching: 4.55 ERA (17th) 1.48 WHIP (15th)
Top-30 prospects: OF Michael Harris

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