The Dodgers’ farm system had a light slate, but it still packed in a little bit of everything: a suspended Triple-A game, a season-ending loss for Tulsa, and one bright note from Charles Davalan.
Davalan came through with an RBI in a game where offense was hard to come by for the Drillers, who dropped a 6-4 decision to Springfield and saw their postseason run end in the Division Series. The recently promoted outfielder finished his year on a positive note after being named Midwest League MVP for his work with Great Lakes.
Tulsa’s night never had much margin for error. The Drillers were badly out-hit, but they kept hanging around long enough to grab a 3-2 lead in the seventh on Elijah Hainline’s sacrifice fly.
That edge didn’t last. Christian Suarez and Jacob Kmatz both gave up multiple runs over the final two innings, and Springfield pulled away to close out the series in three games.
The Cardinals did most of their damage with the long ball, hitting three homers. Tulsa, meanwhile, never got one of its own and didn’t manage an extra-base hit at all. Mike Sirota and Jake Gelof each went down three times on strikes, which only added to an offense that never found much rhythm.
Christian Zazueta did what he could to keep Tulsa in it. He worked five innings and allowed just two runs, both on solo homers, while striking out seven of the 15 outs he recorded. He was getting whiffs throughout the night, but the lack of run support left him with little room to breathe.
In Triple-A, Oklahoma City and El Paso had a game that was moving fast before rain stopped it after four innings. Austin Galthier hit a two-run homer, and Matt Gorski drove in a run with an out while hitting twice with runners in scoring position.
Charlie Barnes was the only Comets pitcher to appear before the suspension, and he was laboring, averaging nearly 20 pitches per inning and running into trouble throughout. Hyeseong Kim will lead off the top of the fifth when the game resumes, and he’s one of only two Comets hitters who has yet to reach base in the game.
Elsewhere, the Ontario Tower Buzzers were swept by the Lake Elsinore Storm in the Division Series.
The Dodgers also made a roster move, optioning Bobby Miller back to Triple-A and calling up Landon Knack.
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Lauers move effectively ends his season, which adds a little extra sting to how the deadline played out. Reports had indicated the Dodgers explored trade interest in him before the deadline but kept him in the organization, only for injury to remove him from the picture anyway. In a season where every roster spot matters, it is the sort of front-office choice that can look different in hindsight, especially when the club is trying to balance immediate needs with the long view. [Read more 🡒]