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Top Diamondbacks Pitching Prospects Shine in Minor League Action

Originally posted on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI
By Jack Sommers | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 5:24 PM ET

MLBTW.net Hung-Cheng Li

The Arizona Diamondbacks received some great pitching performances from top prospects on Thursday, including six no-hit innings from their top pitcher in High-A.

They also had a thrilling come-from-behind walk-off win in Amarillo.

Triple-A Reno Aces 2, Tacoma Rainiers 0

Dylan Ray bounced back with six brilliant shutout innings against the Rainiers, allowing just two hits, walking three, and striking out four.

Ray lowered his ERA to 5.13, which, believe it or not, is about 5% better than average (95 ERA- ) once the league and ballpark adjustments are applied.

Ray threw 40% four-seam fastballs, topping out at 96 and averaging 94. He used his curveball, changeup, and cutter liberally.

While Ray induced just seven whiffs on 36 swings, he got plenty of chase resulting in mostly weak contact. The hardest-hit balls were on the ground, including a double play on a 103 MPH grounder.

Only two of the balls hit in the air were "hard-hit", over 95 MPH.

Kyle Nelson, Anthony Gose and Hayden Durke each pitched a scoreless inning to complete the shutout. For the recently-promoted Durke, it was his first save in Triple-A.

Durke threw 16 pitches, including 10 four-seamers averaging 96 MPH, and six curveballs.

Durke did not strike out a batter, or even induce a whiff, but he had seven called strikes and four balls in play, including a soft 81 MPH line-drive single.

Aramis Garcia hit his 11th home run and A.J. Vukovich had an RBI double, providing just enough offense.

Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles 13, Frisco RoughRiders 12, 11 Innings.

Trailing 11-2 heading to the bottom of the eighth inning, the Sod Poodles scored five and then followed up with four more in the bottom of the ninth to send it to extra innings.

The teams traded runs in the 10th, before Amarillo walked it off in the bottom of the 11th on Kristian Robinson's RBI single that snuck through the middle of a drawn-in infield.

11 INNINGS. 13 RUNS. WALK OFF WIN! pic.twitter.com/WqqFHXyRCy
— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) July 11, 2025

The Sod Poodles had 14 hits, drew seven walks, and were the beneficiaries of two errors by the RoughRiders, with four of the 13 runs being uneared. Tommy Troy and Jose Fernandez had three hits apiece, scoring three times.

Ivan Melendez had a pinch-hit, two-run single. Ryan Waldschmidt hit an RBI triple and scored on a throwing error. LuJames Groover had two hits, including a double, upping his average to .312.

High-A Hillsboro Hops 1, Eugene Emeralds 6

Daniel Eagen's breakout season continued with a spectacular six no-hit inning performance. He walked three and struck out four.

The D-backs' third-round draft pick in 2024 out of Presbyterian College (Clinton, SC), has been one of the best success stories of 2025.

The 22-year-old right-hander has a 2.60 ERA and 3.01 to back it up in 14 starts, 69.1 innings. He's struck out an incredible 94 hitters, and give up only 49 hits and four homers.

He can allow a few too many walks at times, handing out 32 free passes. But as he continues to gain greater command of his terrific breaking ball and healthy fastball, expect that to improve.

Expect Eagen to earn a promotion to Double-A Amarillo soon based on his recent performances. He certainly looks ready to accept the challenge of the next level.

The Hops' bullpen gave up six runs in three innings unfortunately, and the offense managed to push across one meaningless run in the bottom of the ninth.

Slade Caldwell's struggles continued, as he went 0-for-4, dropping his average to .191.

Class-A Visalia Rawhide 7, Lake Elsinore Storm 4

Adonys Perez struggled to start, allowing four runs on eight hits in five innings, but the Rawhide scored three in the third and four in the fourth to take a 7-4 lead they never relinquished.

Alvin Guzman and Jake Fitzgibbons each tossed two scoreless innings, preserving Visalia's lead as well as their sterling ERA (0.96 for Guzman and 0.32 for Fitzgibbons).

On offense, the resurgent Yassel Soler continued his ascent, going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. On June 3, Soler had already come to the plate 200 times and was batting .195/.295/.284, .579 OPS.

But over his last 17 games, 74 PA he's hit .328/.392/.612, 1.004 OPS with 10 extra base hits. The strikeout caveat still exists, as he's whiffed 23 times during this span.

But the organization has to be encouraged that one of their top-ranked young prospects heading into the season appears to be rebounding.