Cannonballs Coming: Radhames Liz throws six shutout innings

The GCL and DSL Pirates were off.

-- Radhames Liz had another strong start, but the Indianapolis bullpen blew two save opportunities in a 3-2 loss to Toledo.  Liz allowed no runs on four hits and no walks over six innings.  He fanned six.  The Indians, meanwhile, couldn't do anything with struggling Toledo starter Mike Belfiore.  They finally scored in the 8th on a wild pitch, but Blake Wood gave up Mike Hessman's 430th career minor league HR in the bottom of the 9th.  Indy went ahead again in the 10th when Pedro Florimon tripled in Alen Hanson, but Yhonathan Barrios gave up two runs in the bottom of the inning.  Indy had only six hits.  Florimon was 2-4 and Hanson 2-3 with a double.  Willy Garcia was 0-4.

-- Altoona lost to Richmond, 6-3.  Zack Dodson gave up five runs on nine hits and three walks over five innings.  After a nice start to his season, Dodson's ERA is now 4.02.  Since the beginning of June it's 5.77.  Max Moroff went 3-5 for the second straight day, this time including his fourth HR.  Josh Bell was 2-4 with a double.

-- Bradenton lost to Palm Beach in walkoff fashion, 3-2.  Montana DuRapau lost it on a run-scoring single with two outs in the bottom of the 9th.  The Marauders got their runs off Cardinals' strikeout machine Alex Reyes, who still fanned six in three innings.  Jayson Aquino overcame a rough 2nd inning to go seven, allowing two runs on just three hits.  He walked one and struck out six.  Justin Maffei had two of the Bradenton's five hits.  Austin Meadows was 0-4, Reese McGuire 1-3.

-- The West Virginia Power blanked Lexington, 4-0.  John Sever started and threw four innings, allowing four hits and no walks, and striking out five.  Elvis Escobar was 2-4 and Michael Suchy had a two-run double.  Connor Joe went 0-3 and Cole Tucker didn't play.

-- The West Virginia Black Bears scored seven early runs against Mariano Rivera's son in an 8-5 win over Auburn.  Everybody in the Bears' lineup had a hit except Casey Hughston.  Logan Hill was 3-5 with a double and Albert Baur 2-2.  Ryan Nagle went 1-4 in his pro debut, getting an RBI triple in his first at-bat.  Kevin Kramer was 1-5 with a double.  Kevin Newman also was 1-5.  Seth McGarry gave up four runs over five innings.  He allowed six hits and two walks, and struck out four.  The bunt-o-rama was in full evidence.  Manager Wyatt Toregas had the very hot Ty Moore bunt in the 1st inning with two runs already in, a runner on 2nd and no out.  Later, he had Hughston bunt with two strikes, with predictable results.  Still later, Hughston laid down a successful sacrifice with Bristol up by three runs.  I'm sure all this work on sacrifice bunting will help Hughston overcome his hitting struggles.

-- Bristol pounded out 18 hits in a 13-3 rout of Danville.  Henrry Rosario and Carlos Munoz (pictured) each had four hits, with Rosario getting a double and Munoz his third HR.  Munoz is now hitting 351/444/571, with 13 walks and seven strikeouts.  Is he a prospect?  Well, he's 5'11" and limited to first; do you see this team regarding the guy in the photo as a prospect?  Anyway, Carlos Ozuna went 2-6 with a triple, his first HR and four RBIs.  Sandy Santos was 3-6 with a triple and John Bormann 2-5.  Bormann, a 24th round pick this year, was considered one of the better college seniors available due to his catching skills, but he's played only six games, fewer than either of the team's other two catchers, both of them organizational guys.  Starter Marek Minarik threw five shutout innings, giving up four hits, walking none and striking out three.