Guardians Farm Report: Naylor Homers Again In Columbus Win Saturday
Six of the seven Cleveland Guardians minor league teams were in action on Saturday. The organization's Arizona Complex League club had their game postponed with the Reds due to a Covid-19 outbreak.
Triple-A Columbus Clippers
Columbus 3 Rochester 1
Columbus got their fifth straight win over Rochester Saturday behind a strong outing from starter Peyton Battenfield Saturday. Battenfield would go seven innings allowing just one run on six hits while striking out three batters in the contest. He picked up his seventh win and lowered his ERA to 3.19 on the season.
On offense catcher Bo Naylor led off the game with his seventh home run since being to Columbus and 13th overall on the year. Naylor has now homered three times in his last seven games. He also extended his hitting streak to eight straight games.
Columbus center fielder Oscar Mercado hit a solo home run in the sixth inning his third since joining the team and his second in his last three games.
Gabriel Arias provided two hits and scored one run one night after getting hit in the helmet by a pitch and having to be removed from the game. Arias is hitting .429 with a pair of home runs and 5 runs batted in over his last seven games.
The Clippers improve to 61-42 on the season and will look to sweep the series against the Red Wings Sunday.
Top Performers:
- Bo Naylor 1-4 R HR RBI
- Oscar Mercado 1-3 R HR RBI
- Gabriel Arias 2-4 R
- Ernie Clement 1-3 BB
- Peyton Battenfield 7.0(IP) 6H 1R 1ER 2BB 3SO (W)
- Justin Garza 1.0(IP) 0H 0R 0ER 0BB 1SO (SV)
Double-A Akron RubberDucks
Akron 4 Altoona 1 (Game 1)
Akron would limit Altoona to just one run on three hits in game one of Saturday's doubleheader against Altoona. Starter Tanner Burns went five innings to pick up the win. He would only allow the one run on a solo home run in the fifth inning.
Reliever Kyle Marman picked up his third save of the season throwing two scoreless innings striking out a pair of Curve batters.
Catcher Bryan Lavastida had two hits in the game including a RBI double in the fifth inning. For Lavastida it's been a struggle at the plate this year, but he is now 7-for-15 over his last four games hitting .467 in that span.
The game one win improved the Ducks record to 53-45 on the season.
Top Performers:
- Daniel Schneemann 2-3 R 2RBI SB
- Bryan Lavastida 2-4 2B RBI SB
- Micah Pries 1-3 R 2B
- Jhonkensy Noel 1-3 R
- Jose Tena 1-4 RBI
- George Valera 1-2 2BB
- Tanner Burns 5.0(IP) 3H 1R 1ER 1BB 1SO (W)
- Kyle Marman 2.0(IP) 0H 0R 0ER 1BB 2SO (SV)
Akron 4 Altoona 2 (Game 2)
RubberDucks got outstanding pitching in game two as well with right-handed pitcher Thomas Ponticelli making a spot start giving the team four innings of one baseball while striking out five Curve batters.
In the two games the Altoona managed just three runs on hits over 14 innings.
Micah Pries would lead the way on offense driving in two runs including a solo home run in the fifth inning. For Pries it was his team leading 16th long ball of the season. He also extended his on-base streak to 14 straight games.
Akron with the doubleheader sweep is now 54-45 on the year.
Top Performers:
- Micah Pries 2-4 R 2B HR 2RBI
- Jose Tena 2-4 R RBI
- Quentin Holmes 1-3 R RBI SB
- George Valera 1-2 BB
- Julian Escobedo 1-3 R SB
- Thomas Ponticelli 4.0(IP) 3H 1R 1ER 1BB 5SO
- Eli Lingos 2.0(IP) 0H 0R 0ER 0BB 0SO
High-A Lake County Captains
Lake County 6 Great Lakes 3
Lake County got a tremendous start out of Jack Leftwich on Saturday who blanked the terrific offensive lineup of the Loons over six innings allowing five hits while striking out four to earn the win. Leftwich lowered his ERA to 2.39 on the season.
On offense first baseman Joe Naranjo would homer for the third time in his last four games hitting a big three-run bomb in the first inning. Naranjo now has 15 home runs on the season with the Captains.
Second baseman Angel Martinez would extend his current hitting streak to 13 straight games with a big game reaching base four times on three hits including a pair of doubles. He would also score twice and drive in a run in the contest. Martinez is now hitting .290 on the season with a .877 OPS as a 20-year-old in High-A ball.
Left fielder Korey Holland extended his hitting streak to nine straight games with a solo home run in the sixth inning. The home run for Holland was his sixth of the year.
The Captains improve to 54-45 on the season.
Top Performers:
- Angel Martinez 3-4 2R 2(2B) RBI BB
- Joe Naranjo 1-3 R HR 3RBI 2BB
- Korey Holland 1-4 R HR RBI
- Milan Tolentino 2-4 R BB SB
- Connor Kokx 2-3 R BB
- Jack Leftwich 6.0(IP) 5H 0R 0ER 0BB 4SO (W)
Low-A Lynchburg Hillcats
Lynchburg 10 Myrtle Beach 3
Hillcats starter Will Dion gave the team another outstanding start on Saturday striking out six over five and two thirds allowing just one earned run. The six strikeouts give Dion 121 on the season which is second most in the Guardians system only trailing current Columbus starter Logan Allen.
Shortstop Yordys Valdes would extend his hitting streak to nine straight games with a huge bases loaded three run double in an eight run sixth inning for the Hillcats that broke the game wide open.
First baseman Junior Sanquintin continued his offensive onslaught against Pelicans pitchers with two more hits and two more runs driven in including his third home run of the series that was absolutely crushed to right field almost clearing the Myrtle Beach clubhouse.
Sanquintin is 11-for-22 in the series with three home runs and nine runs batted in in the first five games.
The win improved Lynchburg's record to 49-52 on the year.
Top Performers:
- Junior Sanquintin 2-5 R HR 2RBI
- Dayan Frias 2-5 R HR 2RBI
- Isaiah Greene 2-4 2R 3B SB
- Yordys Valdes 1-5 R 2B 3RBI
- Richard Paz 2-4 R RBI BB
- Lexer Saduy 2-5 R
- Will Dion 5.2(IP) 5H 2R 1ER 2BB 6SO (W)
Dominican Summer League Guardians (Blue)
DSL Guardians (Blue) 5 DSL Guardians (Red) 4
The DSL Guardians (Blue) would take down the DSL Guardians (Red) club in a inter organizational game improving to 25-20 in the year.
17-year-old catcher Jose Cedeno would collect a pair of hits scoring once and driving in a run in the contest. Cedeno who has been one of the top hitters in the league has his average up to .357 with a .980 OPS.
Top Performers:
- Cedeno 2-4 R RBI
- Molero 1-2 2RBI BB
- Velasquez 2-3 RBI SB
- Parra 2-3 2R 2B
- Gutierrez 1-2 R 2B RBI
- Zapata 2.0(IP) 1H 0R 0ER 1BB 2SO
Dominican Summer League Guardians (Red)
DSL Guardians (Blue) 5 DSL Guardians (Red) 4
The DSL Guardians (Red) squad drops to 15-31 on the season with the loss. The team scored their four runs on just three hits but drew nine walks in the game.
Top Performers:
- Christopher Espinola 1-4 RBI
- Rafael Ramirez 0-2 R 2BB SB
- Richard Polanco 0-2 R RBI 2BB
- Lerwin Andrade 1-3 R
- Felix Polanco 2.0(IP) 1H 0R 0ER 1BB 2SO
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