TJ Hopkins homered twice and drove in 7 runs in a wild game that saw Chattanooga blow a 10-1 lead only to score 8 runs in the top of the 9th to win 18-11, Sandy Leon had a big day for Louisville that included a homer while Connor Overton struck out 9 in the Bats win, Justice Thompson had a walk-off hit in a Dayton win that saw Alex McGarry pick up his organizational best 5th homer of the year, and Yerlin Confidan homered for the 1st time on the season in a Daytona victory.
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The Louisville Bats won 4-3. Box Score
- Ronnie Dawson went 2-4.
- Albert Almora Jr. went 2-4 with a double and a run.
- Allen Cordoba went 1-4 with a double.
- Cristian Santana went 2-4.
- Michael De Leon went 2-4 with a run and an RBI.
- Trey Amburgey went 1-4 with a solo home run (2).
- Sandy Leon went 3-4 with a home run (1) and 2 RBI.
- Leonardo Rivas went 1-4.
- Connor Overton allowed a run in 7.0 innings on 5 hits and he struck out 9 batters.
The Chattanooga Lookouts won 18-11. Box Score
- Michael Siani went 2-5 with a walk, 2 doubles, and 3 runs.
- Quincy McAfee went 3-5 with a double, home run (2), 3 runs, and 3 RBI.
- TJ Hopkins went 4-6 with 2 home runs (4), 3 runs, and 7 RBI.
- Robbie Tenerowicz went 2-4 with 2 walks, a double, 3 runs, and an RBI.
- Isiah Gilliam went 1-6 with a 2-run home run (3).
- Chuckie Robinson went 3-5 with a run and an RBI.
- Matt McLain went 1-1 with a run and 2 RBI (late game replacement).
- Francisco Urbaez went 2-5 with 2 runs and an RBI.
- Ryan Nutof threw 2.0 hitless innings with 3 strikeouts.
The Dayton Dragons won 10-9. Box Score
- Jose Torres went 2-4 with a triple, RBI, steal, and 3 runs.
- Elly De La Cruz went 1-5 with a home run (2) and 2 RBI.
- Alex McGarry went 2-4 with a walk, home run (5), and 2 RBI.
- Garrett Wolforth went 1-3 with 2 walks and a home run (2).
- Justice Thompson went 2-4 with an RBI.
- Ashton Creal went 1-4 with a double and a run.
- Donovan Benoit threw 2.0 shutout innings with a walk and 2 strikeouts.
The Daytona Tortugas won 7-5. Box Score
- Gus Steiger went 2-5 with a run and 2 RBI.
- Michel Triana went 2-4 with a walk and an RBI.
- Ruben Ibarra went 1-3 with a walk, double, run, and an RBI.
- Yerlin Confidan went 1-4 with a walk, home run (1), and 2 RBI.
- Jamal O’Guinn went 0-2 with 2 walks.
- Danny Lantigua went 1-5 with a run.
- Reyny Reyes went 1-3 with a walk and a run.
- Andruw Salcedo went 1-3 with a walk, run, and an RBI.
- Owen Holt threw 2.0 shutout innings with 3 strikeouts.
4/24 Game Preview
| Team | Record | Time (ET) | Probable | Box Score | Listen | Watch |
| Louisville | 6-11 | 1:05pm | Wynne | Here | Here | Here |
| Chattanooga | 8-6 | 3:05pm | Spiers | Here | Here | Here |
| Dayton | 10-4 | 1:05pm | Castillo | Here | Here | Here |
| Daytona | 7-7 | 5:35pm | Cooper | Here | Here | N/A |
I know it’s still early, but I don’t see any improvement in De Ls Cruz strike out rate.
And you won’t….he’s a swing and miss guy that has power. As long as he hits homers and plays SS his path to the MLB is still in tact. There is a reason Jose Torres is playing Second Base and its not because he’s the poorer defender.
Lots of time to see if de la Cruz can cut down strikeout rate. His talent is undeniable. McClain and Torres have established that they are ahead of him at shortstop.
One trend I’ve noticed since McLains hit for the cycle night- if a team can work around him they do. When they have to pitch to him (like last night) he is money. He could be a better pinch hitter now for the reds than anyone currently in the bench. He’s going to be much better than I was expecting.
Lots of good things to say about the offense at the minor league level. The major league level. Well…
There’s a few names on the bats roster I’d like to see get a shot at major league level. Santana, Cedrola, Dawson. Even Almora Jr might be an offensive upgrade at this point.
Pitching wise, some guys who are probably an upgrade over Farmer and Strickland include, but aren’t necessarily limited to, Diehl, Cruz, Payano, Kuhnel, Byrne, Ashcraft.
All teams are playing as I thought they would. AA and below lots of excitement. Louisville struggling but has some hopeful players. Reds are a total embarrassment and one of the worst teams ever assembled in the history of baseball.
Hopkins’ first HR was a no doubter to left center landed about 10 yards over the wall, his second homer was exactly the same spot but a solo job.
Siani first double was hit so hard the RF froze and the ball sailed over his head, doubt he would have caught it hit to high. His second double was a drive similar to Hopkins but was about 20 yards short and hit the top of the wall.
De La Cruz’s homer was reaching out to make contact and the ball goes about 340 ft to left to just clear the fence. Did not get all of it.
Very interested to see a full year of production from Hopkins and siani this year. Hopkins showed up out of nowhere. I’m still skeptical whether Siani can put in a full season of ops above 0.800.
Torres keeps hitting well so that makes the things more interesting related to IF top prospects… Is Ivan Johnson at Extended ST yet?
TJ Hopkins, he should be closely monitored since he continues hitting very well… Could he be a likely Aquino’s replacement by near future?
What happened to the young player the Reds had in Arizona by the name of Fidel Castro. Wasn’t he doing well? Or did he wisely change his name?
Torres had another impressive offensive day especially when you consider the first pitch of the game went off the bill on his helmet.
The ball was really flying yesterday in Dayton. the combination of sunshine, heat and a 16-mile per hour wind really helped.
Doug any updates on any of these guys
Callihan
Johnson
Bonnin
Roa
Miller
Vellojin
Interesting note from Lookouts Sunday box score: Tenerowicz 10 left on base
It’s gotta be tough to be in AA and have to face Branche and Solomon coming out of the bullpen in Chattanooga.