Spokane's Chase Dollander quiets Emeralds' bats in 9-2 loss 

When the season ends, and the Emeralds reflect on their 132-game journey through the schedule, the details of most games aren’t likely to be remembered, most players’ performances unremarkable, most outings insignificant.

With the players too, there is some prosaicness. With thousands of minor-leaguers and only a select amount of roster spots, it's easy for each player to mold into the other, with only a select few standing out.

Then, there is a player so transcendent, an athlete so dominant, that he sticks out before he even graces the field.

That player is Chase Dollander. The Rockies’ first-rounder from a year ago and MLB.com’s No. 41 ranked prospect.

In an overpowering performance that ended after six scoreless innings, Dollander spearheaded Spokane’s 9-2 victory over Eugene on a cloudy night at PK Park.

It was a ho-hum outing for the Tennessee alum. He struck out five and allowed just five hits, the numbers dominant enough to look like they could have been Xeroxed from any of his previous six starts of the year.

His lone bugaboo of late — walks — weren’t even a factor. He allowed just two bases-on-balls, faced just two batters with runners in scoring position and threw 57 of his 93 pitches for strikes. All of which while flashing his full array of dominance — and tantalizing front-line potential — in perhaps his best start yet as the ace of the Indians’ rotation.

The Emeralds were late on his fastball and flailed at everything else. With the way Dollander was pitching, the Indians’ first run — which was scratched across the board via a wild pitch — seemed like an insurmountable mountain to climb.

It wasn’t — yet — the Ems scratched a run across in the third via a double steal attempt with runners on the corners.

The seven-run fourth — keyed by a Rodolfo Nolasco misplay in right that brought home two and a Kyle Karros two-run single — was far too much for the Ems to overcome.

After retiring his first six batters faced, the rest of Daniel Blair’s outing was abysmal. He was tagged for six hits, and seven earned runs in a disastrous fourth inning.

Eugene recorded three hits through its first three innings of work but squandered the one chance with a runner in scoring position it did get. Meanwhile, Dollander only got stronger, hitting 97 on his 58th pitch of the night, a dotted fastball to strikeout Andrew Kachel.

Although Dollander’s game-high of batters retired in a row was just six, and he did allow two runs, he was dominant on all other margins. Pounding the zone with first-pitch strikes and flashing his complete potential. He worked all pitches in all counts, located everything at will and broke two bats over the course of his outing.

With his seven-run cushion, Dollander’s job — locate pitches well and fill up the strike zone — was simple. One of the few poorly-spotted pitches — a 1-1 fastball to Garrett Frechette — was laced into right for the Ems’ second run of the game.

Dollander was able to work deep into the game — his six innings being a season-high — largely due to his team — which now rests in first place — and the Emeralds — now losers of two-straight — going in opposite directions. His final pitch, a looping outside slider to Justin Wishikowski, was good for the fifth strikeout of his night.

After that K, Dollander walked off the mound as calmly as ever, pleased with his seventh High-A start and his seven-run lead. One might begin to wonder how many of such outings at this level the Rockies will let him have.

Short hops

All four of the games’ first baserunners reached base via weak-contact singles.