Roger Arrieta
From examiner.com
The Mesa Solar Sox are back from the dead.
The Arizona Fall League squad, which features eight Los Angeles Dodgers prospects, has won four straight games to improve to 10-16 on the season entering Monday’s contest.
Second baseman Rafael Ynoa has continued to lead the way among the Dodgers, batting .333 (28-for-84) with two home runs and 18 RBI. He has hit .351 (13-for-37) over his last 10 games alone.
The news of the past week was the long-awaited AFL debut of left-hander Onelki Garcia. After recovering from a supposed injury, Garcia started for Mesa last Tuesday and threw two scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, walked one batter and struck out one.
Garcia will start again Monday against visiting Salt River. A former Cuban defector, Garcia was selected by the Dodgers in the third round of the draft this past June. He appeared in one game with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga in the summer.
As for the rest of the Dodgers pitchers, a number have shown better form to coincide with Mesa’s improved play. Lefty Eric Eadington has back-to-back scoreless appearances to lower his ERA to 5.73 in 11 relief outings.
Red Patterson likewise has consecutive scoreless outings in relief, lowering his ERA to 6.10 while also picking up his first win on Saturday.
Lefty Chris Reed, the Dodgers’ first-round pick in 2011, has two scoreless innings in his last three outings. His ERA remains an ugly 8.64, however.
Catcher Gorman Erickson is hitting .270 (10-for-37) with four RBI in limited playing time. Outfielder Joc Pederson continues to struggle, batting .114 (5-for-44) with one home run and six RBI.
Around the Caribbean Leagues
The new-look Puerto Rican League has finally gotten underway with a handful of Dodgers participating. Catcher Jan Vazquez, who finished the year at Double-A Chattanooga, is playing for Santurce. Outfielder Noel Cuevas, who finished with Single-A Great Lakes, is suiting up for Caguas. Carolina boasts the services of Isotopes shortstop Ozzie Martinez, who re-signed with the Dodgers organization last week rather than test free agency. Rancho Cucamonga right-hander Freddie Cabrera and lefty Jarret Martin have been joined on the Mayaguez roster by Chattanooga right-hander Chris Withrow. Shortstop Jesmuel Valentin, the Dodgers’ supplemental first-round pick this past summer, and Rancho outfielder Jonathan Garcia are playing for Ponce.
Shortstop Dee Gordon continues to excel offensively for Licey in the Dominican Republic. Gordon has hit .329 (25-for-76) with four triples, nine RBI and eight stolen bases. He continues to struggle defensively, however, with nine errors and reports of significant throwing problems.
Isotopes catcher Tim Federowicz and outfielder Brian Cavazos-Galvez are still struggling at the plate. Federowicz has hit just .167 (6-for-36) with 17 strikeouts, while Cavazos-Galvez has hit .190 (4-for-21) in limited action.
Albuquerque right-hander Blake Johnson, who also re-signed with the Dodgers this past week, finally gave up his first earned run in Venezuela when he allowed a solo home run last Tuesday. Overall, Johnson has gone 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA in 10.2 innings of relief work for Magallanes.
Third baseman C.J. Retherford, who is now a free agent, continues to tear the cover off the ball for La Guaira in Venezuela. He is hitting .337 (35-for-104) with five home runs and 15 RBI, boasting an impressive .944 OPS (on-base plus slugging). Teammate Alex Castellanos, who has been playing almost exclusively in the outfield, has hit .344 (21-for-61) with three homers and 16 RBI through 15 games with the club. On the downside, he has just three walks and 17 strikeouts. Outfielder Scott Van Slyke has hit .235 (20-for-85) with seven home runs and 14 RBI.
[retweet]
