Except for State College and the GCL club being shut out, it was a night for close decisions and late fireworks a week out from the July 4th holiday. Johnson City continued to play well with strong relief pitching and timely hitting from the 6th inning on to improve to 7-1 on the season. Peoria jumped out to an early lead, and my dark horse top 10 candidate, Robert Stock, slammed the door for the Chiefs. Stock, the converted catching prospect, has taken to the closer roll and should be pushed up to Palm Beach next month if the trend continues.
Speaking of players changing roles, Zach Petrick opened up a spot for Stock and has not looked back. He recently moved into the Palm Beach rotation and was impressive to say the least. Petrick dominated over six innings and will be one to watch going forward. Each of the top three teams in the organization featured some offensive power to secure wins, and Springfield was down to their last out before a pinch hitter saved the day.
Springfield
White smoke — Cody Stanley, 1-1, PH Game-Winning HR with 2 out, 3 RBI
Gray smoke — Heath Wyatt, 0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, BS (recorded no outs in first save opportunity)
Black smoke — Jake Lemmerman, 0-3, BB, GIDP, K, 16th error in 62 games
Luckily for Mitchell Boggs, the home run in the bottom of the 10th saved him from getting even more attention. His trade value has plummeted to the point where St. Louis may just have to pull the plug.
Memphis
White smoke — Brock Peterson, 3-5, Walk-Off HR, 2 RBI
Gray smoke — Boone Whiting, 3.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 6 SO, HBP (85 pitches)
Black smoke — Boggs, Memphis, 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, HBP, 2.05 WHIP last 10 games
