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The Diamondbacks' minor league affiliates combined for a 2-2 record On Sunday. Here's all the action from Sunday's slate of games.
AAA: Reno Aces 8, Albuquerque Isotopes 2
It was a game that was much closer than the final score would otherwise indicate, as Reno scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh to take an 8-2 lead.
Tommy Henry, who has struggled in Triple-A for much of the season, pitched six solid innings. The left-hander allowed two runs on five hits and walked three, striking out six. Henry showed better stuff in this start, picking up 15 whiffs on 39 swings, and at least two on all five of his pitches. It was his best start to date this season.
Jordan Lawlar led the Aces with two hits, including a two-run double that blew the game open. Jake McCarthy walked and scored a run. A.J. Vukovich went 1-for-3 with a single and a hit-by-pitch, capping a strong week against Albuquerque with 10 hits and three home runs.
The Reno bullpen slammed the door over the final three innings, allowing just two hits and no runs. Taylor Rashi got the win with a scoreless seventh. Jose Castillo struck out two in a scoreless eighth and Kyle Amendt closed out the ninth by retiring the side in order. Amendt has an ERA of 0.00 in 11.2 innings on the season.
AA: Amarillo Sod Poodles 4, San Antonio Missions 5
Dylan Ray continued to struggle on the mound. The right-hander just lasted three innings, allowing four runs on five hits, three walks, and six strikeouts. However, he needed 75 pitches to get through those three innings. He has only logged more than four innings in one of his five starts on the season.
LuJames Groover continues to flex at the plate. Groover homered in his first at-bat, his third in four at-bats, to put Amarillo up 1-0. Jose Fernandez drove in a run with a double and Kristian Robinson had a bases-loaded walk that tied the game 3-3 in the fourth.
Two homers last night for LuJames Groover.
— Jesse Borek (@JesseABorek) April 27, 2025
Now he goes deep in his first AB of the day for the @sodpoodles! Will have more on the #Dbacks' 2023 second-rounder later today on the big league broadcast. pic.twitter.com/NJGJDZvyht
The Amarillo bullpen held San Antonio to just a solo home run over the final six innings, but the offense couldn't complete the comeback bid.
A+: Hillsboro Hops 0, Tri-City Dust Devils 3
The Hops offense struggled in this game, with just three hits and two walks for the entire game. Angel Ortiz had two of their hits and their only extra-base hit of the game with a double. Ryan Waldschmidt drew a walk but went hitless in his other three trips to the plate.
Yordin Chalas labored through 2.2 innings, throwing a total of 59 pitches. Chalas allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Ricardo Yan scattered three hits and four walks over four scoreless innings.
A: Visalia Rawhide 9, Lake Elsinore 7
Somehow, the Rawhide won despite allowing 10 hits and walking 13 batters in the game. It was clearly a case of being effectively wild, as they held the Storm to just two hits with runners in scoring position.
Most of the runs were charged to starter Grayson Hitt, who allowed five runs (four earned) in two innings. Hitt gave up five hits, walked three, and struck out two, as he needed 61 pitches to get those six outs.
Erick Reynoso had an impressive statline for bizarre reasons. The right-hander walked seven batters over 3.1 innings, but he didn't give up a run until after he left the game. Nate Savino inherited a bases-loaded, one-out situation and escaped with the lead intact. Savino delivered 2.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts to stabilize the game for Visalia.
Slade Caldwell continues to reach base, collecting a walk and a knock in five trips to the plate. Alberto Barriga went 1-for-3 with the go-ahead double, a walk, and two RBI. Ruben Santana was 2-for-4 and hit a big home run in the fourth that made it 8-5.
More must-reads:
- Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani ties franchise record with HR vs. Twins
- Yankees cannot afford to trade their 'left-handed Aaron Judge'
- The 'MLB All-Star Game MVPs' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Rafael Devers had telling comment about playing first base
Rafael Devers played first base for the San Francisco Giants for the first time on Tuesday, and his quote about playing the field likely will not sit well with Boston Red Sox fans. Devers said after Tuesday’s game that he prefers playing in the field as opposed to serving as a designated hitter. “It keeps me active. It keeps my head out of just thinking about the next at-bat,” Devers said, via Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I’d rather be on the field than in the cage hitting all the time and thinking about the next at-bat.” Devers, of course, refused to play first base for the Red Sox after they asked him to. He felt disrespected after they moved him off third base to accommodate Alex Bregman, and thought the team went back on its word by later asking him to play first. To Red Sox fans, if Devers is best playing in the field and playing first would have helped the team, it will be baffling why he did not just do it when that would seemingly have been a preferable outcome for all involved. Devers went 2-for-5 in Tuesday’s 9-0 win over the Atlanta Braves, driving in a run in his first appearance at first base. It remains unclear how frequently the Giants plan to use him at the position, but the team might take note of these comments.
Penn State QB Drew Allar gets candid about team's struggles against top opponents
It is no secret that Penn State has struggled to win big games under head coach James Franklin. While the Nittany Lions have finished with double-digit wins in six of the past nine seasons, including a 13-3 season in 2024 that culminated with a loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, they have struggled to beat quality opponents. Quarterback Drew Allar, who enters the 2025 season with the fifth-shortest odds (+1600) to win the Heisman Trophy, per FanDuel, was honest about Penn State's lack of success during his appearance at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday. "We definitely need to get over the hump," Allar said, per ESPN's Jake Trotter. "There's no question about it." Penn State is only 4-20 against top-10 opponents under Franklin, although the three losses last season were all by one score. Allar is 23-6 as a starter, but threw a costly interception against Notre Dame that ultimately led to the game-winning field goal from the Fighting Irish. With experience on its side and lofty expectations entering the season as the No. 1-ranked team in ESPN's offseason poll, Allar pointed to better execution as a key to Penn State's success. "We definitely need to find different ways to come out with different results in those games," Allar said. "We haven't really been blown out of the water by any team. ... it's just about execution. ... finding those areas to make one or two more plays throughout those games. ... That's going to be our focus." One key for Penn State is the return of its two leading rushers from last season, Kaytron Allen (1,108 yards) and Nicholas Singleton (1,099 yards), who combined for 20 TDs. That experience, along with Allar's improved accuracy (66.5%) and career-high 3,327 passing yards from 2024, gives the Nittany Lions a lot of upside going into 2025. Allar did have an uptick in interceptions (eight) and was sacked 19 times last season, which are two concerning areas, especially against top-ranked opponents. That must improve for Penn State to reverse course and finally win meaningful games. For now, the focus is on its lack of success in those games under Franklin. If Penn State can execute and not beat itself, perhaps one of those games will eventually go its way. Until then, it will face the same questions as it looks to put its past struggles in big games behind it.
Cowboys' George Pickens takes shot at Steelers at start of training camp
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and team owner/president Art Rooney II previously said they wanted to see mercurial wide receiver George Pickens "grow up." Now with the Dallas Cowboys, Pickens seemed to take a shot at his former team while speaking with reporters at training camp on Tuesday. "Yeah, I'm definitely excited to run better plays, for sure," Pickens said, NFL.com's Kevin Patra shared. A 2022 second-round draft pick, Pickens developed a reputation for looking displeased over a lack of targets and for emotional outbursts during games over his first three seasons in the league. Pittsburgh traded the 24-year-old to Dallas in May after the Steelers reportedly grew "fed up with" the talented target who was allegedly guilty of a "litany of violations." Pickens was known for arriving late to practices while with the Steelers. He was also reportedly late for Pittsburgh's Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Dallas' Dak Prescott should be the best quarterback Pickens has had as a pro. Additionally, Pickens has a needed mentor in No. 1 Dallas wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. "Oh yeah, for sure," Pickens responded when asked on Tuesday if he believes he and Lamb can be the NFL's top one-two punch at the position. "Just different type of styles of play. A lot of people over the years got different styles of play, but CeeDee's a certain type of guy, then I'm a certain type of guy. So, when you mesh that together, it's like 'Mario Bros.' We definitely can do something special." Pickens is in the final year of his rookie contract, and there's no indication he will receive an extension from the Cowboys before he shows what he'll be as a player and a person this season. Thus, he has millions of reasons to want to be on his best behavior and produce the best campaign of his career while sharing an offense with Prescott and Lamb. It remains to be seen if first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer will succeed where Tomlin failed in getting the most out of Pickens, if even for one season.
This Pirates star is a hot commodity ahead of the trade deadline
With the July 31 MLB trade deadline looming, rumors are starting to fly. The expanded postseason bracket has more teams believing that they're still in the mix, which makes it hard to identify which teams are buying or selling. However, one team that certainly won’t be making the playoffs is the Pittsburgh Pirates (42-61). Some of the Pirates' veteran players have been floating around in trade talks over recent weeks, though one name that emerged on Wednesday is the most interesting of them all. According to beat writer Noah Hiles of the Post-Gazette, star outfielder Oneil Cruz has been drawing significant interest leading up to the deadline. "Sources told the Post-Gazette the Pirates have received many calls on Cruz, who boasts three years of remaining club control after 2025 and is arbitration eligible starting next season. It’s worth noting the Pirates are not actively shopping Cruz but are listening to what other teams are willing to offer. There have been no teams connected to Cruz as of the time of this writing,” Hiles wrote. Hiles went on to mention that any return package is hard to predict given Cruz’s inconsistencies thus far, despite his obvious special abilities. It makes sense that other teams would be intrigued by the possibility of acquiring the 26-year-old in hopes of unleashing his potential in a new location. Just about every team in the league could use a powerful left-handed bat added to the middle of their order. Through 91 games in 2025, Cruz has piled up 16 HRs and 40 RBI but is hitting at just a .219 average through Tuesday. His numbers are down from the 2024 season, though the baseball world saw his power on display at the Home Run Derby last week in Atlanta. It's fair to say it would take a pretty substantial offer to actually pry Cruz out of Pittsburgh, though it sounds like teams could feel compelled enough to do just that. It would certainly spice things up at a deadline that is lacking in terms of big names potentially being on the move.
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