By Scott Stedman - AngelsWin.com Minor League Reporter
Salt Lake - The Bees won 6-2 on Friday night. The offense provided much support for starter Ronald Bay. Efren Navarro and Jeremy Moore were the biggest performers. Navarro, a former 50th round pick, went 2-4 with a triple and a home run, raising his OPS to the high .700's. Moore also went 2-4 with his 15th triple of the season, raising his average to .317 in his last 10 games, and .297 overall. A rare combination of speed and power, Moore should see big league time real soon. After his first 2 outings were horrendous, Ryan Brasier has a 2.70 ERA in his last 10 appearances. Alexi Amarista and Hank Conger each added one hit, continuing their solid seasons.
Arkansas - The Travs won both games of a double header today, after last night's game was rained out. In game 1, Eddie McKiernan pitched another gem. 7 innings 2 runs, 4 strike outs, 1 walk. In his last 3 starts, he has an ERA under 2.00. Mike Trout finished the day 3-6 in both games, with a double, and his 33rd stolen base. Since being sent back down, he is hitting .366. Luis Jimenez stayed hot going 3-6 as well, with his 36th(!) double, and 79th RBI. On the pitching side, Robert Fish returned from the DL and struck out the only 2 batters he faced. After a poor 2010, his ERA now sits at 3.05 in 2011 with 100MPH heat.
Inland Empire - The 66ers lost a heart breaker, having lead 2-0 for most of the game, but the bullpen gave it up in an eventual 4-3 loss in 12 innings. Max Russell dominated again with 6 shutout innings, 5 strike outs, 0 runs. The 22 year old lefty is following a similar path to that of Garrett Richards, and should start in Arkansas next year. Not sure what is keeping the Angels from promoting Kole Calhoun, as he is simply destroying A+ ball. 1-2 tonight with his 19th home run and 3 walks! His OPS is near 1.000. Call him up to Arkansas already! A side note - AngelsWin.com's favorite Cody Evans tossed 2 shutout innings.
Cedar Rapids - The Kernals squeaked out a win, 2-1. Travis Witherspoon stayed red hot, going 2-3 with another HR, and an outfield assist. He brought his average all the way up to .251 from the low .200's. 23 year old Korean pitcher Pil Joon Jang tossed 5.2 scoreless innings putting his ERA at 3.93 on the year. Daniel Tillman threw yet another scoreless inning, lowering his ERA to 2.07, making you wonder how much longer his is going to stay in Low-A ball.
Orem - Orem won a nail-biter on Friday night, 6-5. Lindsey, Jones, Hall, and Cowart all went 2-4 with a double. Cowart also added his 6th home run and 3 RBIs bringing his season total to 33. I am getting a little bit bored of writing about Frazier Hall... He is just too good. Eric Cendejas, who has pitched everywhere from Arkansas to Orem this year, tossed 2 scoreless innings in relief.
AZL Angels - The AZL Angels whooped up on the Padres, 13-4. Chevy Clarke stayed ridiculously hot, going 2-3 with his 9th triple, all while playing very good defense in the outfield. Catcher Jett Bandy, 31st round pick this year went 2-3 with a double and a triple raising his average to .315, with a 38% caught stealing rate. You should see him in Orem next year. Outfielder Brennan Gowens, who struggled mightily in Orem, is slowing picking up the pace in the AZL. His last 10 games have him hitting at a .300 clip.
DSL Angels - Eswarlin Jimenez was at it again throwing another gem. This time 8.1 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 5 strike outs. This performance lowered his ERA to 1.87. Depending on how he is learning American culture, you could see the 19 year old in Orem next year. Newly signed outfielder Angel Montilla had his second straight 1-3 game. The 18 year old outfielder just signed out of Venezuela last week. 17 year old third baseman Jose Rondon went 1-2 with 2 more stolen bases, proving to be one of the best hitters on the team.
