AAA -- Round Rock 5, Tacoma 3  -- Box

Was Taijuan Walker (Talk40 #2) really done in by ex-Mariner retreads Travis Blackley and Ryan Feierabend? 

Well, yes, but it wasn't as bad for Walker as it looked: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 9 K.

The Express had a four-run 6th that came on two walks, a pair of singles that the play-by-play describes as a "soft fly" and a "ground ball" -- and then a particularly ill-timed balk by reliever Jonathan Arias (Watch List).

Kinda tough when your ERA is pumped up by someone else's balk.

The nine strikeouts are nice, though.

The Rainiers offense didn't help much, though Rich Poythress (26intheMix) had a double and a walk.

AA -- Jackson 10, Montgomery 1  -- Box

Which one?

OK ... both!

It was Blash Splash 19! and then Blash Splash 20!

In between, it was time to gas up The Morbanwagon.

Jabari Blash (Watch List) may be the king of streaky, but his streaks are pretty impressive.  After an .833 SLG in April with six homers, he slugged just .300 in July with only a single longball.

But now he's up to four dingers in August, with a SLG of .600.  Go figure.

We've had fun with Blash in this space while remaining somewhat skeptical about his MLB future, but we are starting to think that he might be worth the effort.  I don't worry as much about K% when a guy has genuine ability to slug and draw walks.  But you gotta have both. 

Meanwhile, Julio Morban (Talk40 #15) left the schoolyard for just the seventh time this year, but for a 21-year-old in AA, his overall numbers are strong: .301/.365/.479.  We're still firmly on the Morbanwagon, but those numbers are a lot more BABIP-fueled than we'd like, and the K% is way too high.  He's got time, so I hope they don't feel the need to rush him. 

High-A -- High Desert 2, Rancho Cucamonga 1 -- Box

A pitchers' duel in Rancho Cucamonga turned out well for Jordan Shipers (26intheMix): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.  The 22-year-old lefty has struggled to live up to his potential, but if he's starting to figure it out, he would be a welcome addition to starting depth.

Low-A -- Clinton 6, Quad Cities 5 -- Box

I'm not sure if it's the same wrist as the one that cost him a couple games in July, but D.J. Peterson left Thursday's game in the 5th inning after another wrist injury.

His replacement, Jordy Lara did just fine in his absence, getting a double and two singles after coming in from the bench.  Martin Peguero (Watch List) also had three singles.

At the end, it was Taylor Ard (Talk40 #32) contributing the walk-off RBI single in the 9th.

Short Season-A -- Everett 4, Vancouver 3 [12 innings] -- Box

We noted yesterday that Ian Miller and Emilio Pagan had gotten the call from Pulaski to Everett, and both had fun Northwest League debuts.

Miller had three hits in six trips.  Chantz Mack and Bryan Brito joined him in the three-hit territory.  Justin Seager got the key RBI ground-out in the 12th, and previously he'd had a double, a single and a walk.

Pagan kept his streak of never allowing a professional run going.  It's now up to 21.1 IP.  He also had two strikeouts.

Rookie -- Pulaski 5, Greeneville 4 -- Box

The P-M's got their late win on an error in the bottom of the 9th that brought home Gabrial Franca (Talk40 #30).  Franca had walked and stole second, and moved to third on a sac fly.

Franca, by the way, has the highest walk rate in the organization, at 19.3%.

AZL Rookie -- Mariners 3, Brewers 2 -- Box

Rehabbing Jesus Sucre (Watch List) got a clutch two-run single in the 8th.  It was his second hit of the game.

Rehabbing Dylan "Sharkie" Unsworth (26intheMix) started and went 1.0 IP, yielding two earned runs on three hits.

Looking Ahead

Thyago Viera for Everett.  Jose Flores for Pulaski.