Rodgers has grand moment for Tourists

The higher the Draft pick, the greater the expectations. Unless you're Asheville's Brendan Rodgers, who shrugs off the extra pressure as just part of the job.

MLB.com's No. 10 overall prospect showed no signs of stress on Saturday, hitting a grand slam and tying his career high with five RBIs as Class A Asheville rolled to a 16-7 victory over Delmarva at McCormick Field.

Rodgers also singled twice for his fourth straight multi-hit game and 13th of the season, giving him a .375/.440/.673 slash line through 26 games.

Just don't talk to the third overall pick in last year's Draft about pressure.

"I don't feel any, not at all," Rodgers said. "I try not to put pressure on myself. I'm sure there's already enough on me as it is, with plenty of others expecting a lot out of me. Everyone else is doing it for me, and that's fine."

The Rockies' top prospect gave no reason for doubt when he put together a solid professional debut with Rookie-level Grand Junction last summer. However, he was hampered by nagging injuries that limited him to 37 games, making the offseason a crucial point of emphasis.

"I prepared myself a lot better than in previous years," he said. "I got stronger, faster, and it's all starting to pay off. I put in a lot of extra work on everything -- my hitting, my defense, everything. But because of last year's injuries, my main focus for 2016 was to get my body in the right shape to stay healthy for an entire season. Playing in 140 or more games isn't going to be easy, so I wanted to prepare myself the best I could. Hopefully, I'll just keep things going here and see how it ends up at the end of the season."

The Tourists got going early and often on Saturday, scoring multiple runs in each of the first four innings, with Rodgers in the middle of all of it. He reached on an error in the first and scored the game's first run on a passed ball. In the second, the 19-year-old shortstop came up with two runners on and laced an RBI single to center field. He put an exclamation point on Asheville's offensive explosion in the third with his first career grand slam and seventh homer of the year.

Rodgers completed his three-hit night with another single in the sixth, giving him 10 hits in his last 20 at-bats.

"I just have the confidence in myself," he said. "Knowing I can hit the ball to any field and hit any pitcher's pitch makes all the difference. I'm going well right now and trying to square up as many balls as I can to help contribute to the team winning."

The Tourists rapped out a season-high 22 hits, with five players collecting at least three. Center fielder Terry McClure went 4-for-6 with two RBIs and a run scored.

"Oh, yeah, we had a great night with the bats," Rodgers said. "I actually mentioned in the dugout that hitting is contagious. We swung the bats well and it all turned out good."

Asheville starter Jake Wynkoop (3-1) got the win, despite allowing seven runs on 11 hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in seven innings. 

Ryan Mountcastle, the Orioles' seventh-ranked prospect, went 4-for-4 with an RBI to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Shorebirds starter Francisco Jimenez (2-3) surrendered 10 runs -- nine earned -- on eight hits and three walks and two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings.