Pitching Prevails and Plagues for Diamondbacks MiLB Squads

Jorge Barrosa, just arrived back in Triple A following a stint in the big leagues, drove in a pair of runs for the Aces on a third inning double. Additionally A.J. Vukovich who continues to slug, belted his seventh home run of the season, bringing his 2025 OPS to .951.

Double-A: Amarillo Sod Poodles 4, Midland RockHounds 0

The Sod Poodles posted Dylan Ray on the mound, one of Arizona's highest rated pitching prospects. At 6 foot 3 and 23 years of age he has catapulted his way through the Diamondbacks' system, likely even setting himself up to reach Triple A by the end of the 2025 season.

Saturday was another strong day for Ray, as he powered through six innings of scoreless, two-hit baseball against the RockHounds. Impressively, he struck out eight batters and walked none.

The bullpen followed his lead, allowing no runs through the final three frames of work, allowing only four hits on the game.

Offensively the Sod Poodles performed quite well. Kristian Robinson and Ivan Melendez each had strong days, with Melendez leaving the yard for the third time this season. Robinson also managed extra bases, going two for five on the game with his run scoring double in the 5th inning.

High-A: Hillsboro Hops 0, Vancouver Canadians 6

Yordin Chalas took the mound for the Hops, making his fifth start in professional baseball. The Diamondbacks began converting the 21-year-old this season after watching him dominate hitters during his 2023 stint between Hillsboro and Visalia, striking out 32.1% of batters.

So far the experiment seems to be going quite poorly. While Chalas has a fantastic pitch mix, featuring an upper 90's fastball and sharp slider at a low arm slot, things seem to be getting away from him when his outings become stretched out.

Against the Canadians the right-hander allowed six runs (three of which were earned) in three innings. He struck out three batters, but allowed five hits and a walk, raising his ERA to 6.91. In Chalas the D-backs have an exciting prospect, but after five starts it seems he was able to bloom more in a relief role.

The rest of the Hops bullpen was able to hold the Vancouver offense at bay. A silent night from the Hillsboro bats, collecting only two hits, left them stranded with a loss.

Class-A: Visalia Rawhide 3, Fresno Grizzlies 4

The Rawhide fell to the Grizzlies, breaking a five game win streak, and faling to a 12-14 record on the season. They sit in second plate in the California League South, but haven't played anywhere near their best ball.

Offensively they have struggled to piece things together, with the highest OPS in Saturdays lineup sitting at just .747 in Abdias De La Cruz. While Slade Caldwell, who had the night off, has been a force to be reckoned with, the rest Visalia's lineup will need to step up in order to reach its potential.

Pitching wise the Rawhide have also struggled. Being the theme of Saturday's games they of course fell on their own sword when it comes to run prevention.

Wilkin Paredes, who now has a 3.62 ERA in five starts, allowed two earned runs in his seven innings of work, striking out five. His efforts were strong, even allowing only three total hits.

Victor Morales, however, had a less pleasant outing in relief, throwing two innings and allowing two runs, including the winning one to the Grizzlies. This came on three hits and no strikeouts from the right-hander, something unusual as he had previously struck out 15 hitters in only 11.2 innings of work.

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