New York Yankees Double-A affiliate Somerset Patriots split a six game set with the Altoona Curve (Pirates affiliate) this week, moving to 43-28 on the season, second in the Double-A Northeast Division.
The Bats Come Alive
Catcher Jason Lopez hit .375 over the series with nine RBI’s in five games, including a two home run performance on July 22nd. Lopez had served as the Patriots backup catcher all season, until Donny Sands was promoted to Triple-A last week and the job turned to Lopez.
“It was tough at the beginning because he wasn't playing that much,” Patriots Manager Julio Mosquera said in a post-game press conference. “Now he's getting back into the rhythm, but I always knew he had it in him. He's a guy that will give you everything he has and I'm so happy that he has this opportunity to play.”
Outfielder Brandon Lockridge had nine hits and three home runs in six games during the series. Lockridge was promoted to Somerset from High-A Hudson Valley on July 13th, and is hitting .327 with five home runs in ten games since his promotion.
Outfielder Isaiah Gilliam bashed four home runs in the series, and registered five RBI’s in Tuesday night’s 9-7 Patriots victory. Gilliam has reached base safely in 26 of his last 29 games, and is batting .322 with five home runs in the month of July.
Infielder Jesus Bastidas propelled the Patriots to a 7-0 victory on Sunday evening with three RBI’s and a home run, his first in Double-A.
Yankees #4 MLB Pipeline prospect Oswald Peraza had six hits in five games, including a home run on Tuesday night. Peraza has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, with seven multi-hit games, two home runs, five RBI, and four stolen bases over that span.
Pitching Prevails
Right handed starter Shawn Semple did not allow a run in six innings during his start on Wednesday night, allowing only two hits and striking out nine. Semple was promoted to Somerset from High-A Hudson Valley this past week.
Janson Junk continued his dominant season, in which he leads all of Double-A in ERA (1.47) and WHIP, with six innings of work on Tuesday, allowing one run on two hits, striking out five.
Yankees #7 prospect Luis Medina did not allow a run in 5.2 innings of work in his start on Sunday, striking out six batters. Medina pitched in the MLB Futures Game as part of All-Star Weekend on July 11th, where he struck out two and did not allow a run in one inning of work, reaching 101 MPH on the radar gun.
In the bullpen, Addison Russ, Ron Marinaccio, Michael Gomez, and Kevin Gadea all did not allow a run during the series.
Last Minute Changes
Less than 30 minutes before Sunday’s series finale, Oswald Peraza was scratched from the Patriots lineup. Peraza has been mentioned in trade rumors ahead of the July 31st MLB Trade Deadline, so many fans initially thought a transaction of some sort was taking place. After the game, Julio Mosquera told the media that Peraza’s absence was due to family related personal reasons. Mosquera expects that Peraza will be in the lineup ahead of Tuesday’s game in Reading.
Luis Medina was originally scheduled to start Wednesday’s game, though he was pushed back to Sunday, as Mosquera said his pitching schedule was adjusted following the MLB Futures Game. Shawn Semple started in Medina’s place, where he got the win for Somerset.
A Look Ahead
Somerset will travel to Reading, PA where they will play a six game series with the Fightin’ Phils (Phillies affiliate) beginning Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. They will return to TD Bank Ballpark on Tuesday August 3rd for a series with the Bowie Baysox (Orioles affiliate). The Baysox roster includes two of the top 20 prospects in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline in pitcher Grayson Rodriguez and catcher Adley Rustchman. Rustchman was the first overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, and Rodriguez was the Orioles first round pick in 2018. Tickets can be purchased at somersetpatriots.com.
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