Pacific Coast League Report

Albuquerque Isotopes (Florida Marlins)
Last week: 2-5, Overall: 15-16
It appears that as outfielder Matt Padgett goes, so go the Isotopes. Padgett leads the club with a .372 average, so saying he's cooled down doesn't sound right. He has though, and the 'Topes have a 2-5 week to prove it. Padgett was hitting .425 at one point and started the week at .406. Three hitless games didn't help his cause.

Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Colorado Rockies)
Last week: 5-2, Overall: 14-15
The Sky Sox were one run away from an awesome week but following their 3-2 loss Sunday, they had to settle for an outstanding one. Five wins in seven games has the Sox banging on the door of .500. Danny Ardoin is second in league hitting with a .377 average.

Fresno Grizzlies (San Francisco Giants)
Last week: 4-3, Overall: 14-17
Todd Linden certainly ate his Wheaties this past week, and the Grizzlies were the benefactors. Four wins in seven tries isn't spectacular, but it pulls the Grizzlies to within three games of .500. Linden had four homeruns and 11 RBIs during the week to power the offence. He now has nine home runs and a .321 average.

Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs)
Last week: 3-4, Overall: 11-19
The Cubs were below .500 for the week, but their three wins were three more than they had during the previous seven-game stretch. The problem in Iowa continues to be pitching and hitting, two very key elements for success. They are second to last in the league with a .249 team batting average and a 5.94 team ERA.

Las Vegas 51s (LA Dodgers)
Last week: 3-4, Overall: 14-15
Third baseman Willy Aybar continues to double his pleasure for the 51s as he racked up another five doubles last week, including one in three consecutive games. He leads the PCL with 14 doubles. The 51s dropped their final two games of the week, though, and have again dipped below .500.

Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals)
Last week: 5-2, Overall: 17-12
The Redbirds remain the best pitching team in the PCL with a 4.02 team ERA. Righty Adam Wainwright continues to lead the charge and collected his third win of the season Friday, tossing seven innings of one-run ball. He has a sparkling 1.96 ERA.

Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers)
Last week: 3-4, Overall: 17-14
Kevin Orie still leads the Sounds with a .368 average despite a sub-par week in which he collected just three hits in 14 at-bats. A 5-4 win on Sunday snapped a three-game slide.

New Orleans Zephyrs (Washington Nationals)
Last week: 3-4, Overall: 13-17
Outfielder Tyrell Godwin had two multi-hit games last week and leads the Zephyrs with a .350 average. Inconsistency continues to plague the club, though, as a 3-4 week keeps them sliding in the standings. They are getting decent pitching but the hitting, outside Godwin, is having trouble getting on track.

Oklahoma RedHawks (Texas Rangers)
Last week: 5-2. Overall: 17-14
Despite losing two straight games midweek, the RedHawks had a respectable 5-2 mark over the past seven days. They started the week with a three-game run and then won both their contests on the weekend. They capped the week with 11 runs on Sunday and upped their league leading team average to .297.

Omaha Royals (Kansas City Royals)
Last week: 3-4, Overall: 15-16
Bryon Embry is starting to be viewed as a sure thing coming out of the bullpen. The big right-hander had back-to-back saves this week and now has seven on the year, one off the league lead. Unfortunately for the Royals, there are not enough opportunities to get Embry the ball in save situations. The club won two of their last three games, but were 3-4 during the week.

Portland Beavers (San Diego Padres)
Last week: 3-4, Overall: 14-15
It's a good thing the Beavers are getting decent pitching, because they are having all kinds of trouble at the plate. They scored a 9-8 victory on Wednesday, but outcomes like that are definitely not the norm. Their two other wins for the week were by 3-0 and 3-2 scores, and Portland is last in the PCL in hitting with a .244 team average. In four losses last week, the team scored a total of four runs.

Round Rock Express (Houston Astros)
Last week: 4-3, Overall: 17-14
Todd Self collected eight hits over the final four games of the week and had three hits during the opening two games. He now leads the league with a .391 average, and the Express continue to climb in the standings despite a current two-game losing streak.

Sacramento River Cats (Oakland Athletics)
Last week: 4-3, Overall: 15-16
The second-best pitching staff in the PCL is led by John Rheinecker. The lefty from Belleville, Ill., Leads the league with a 4-0 record and has an outstanding ERA of 1.77. He threw 14 2/3 innings in two victories last week while allowing only three earned runs. A pair of weekend wins has the Cats one game away from .500.

Salt Lake Stingers (LA of Anaheim Angels)
Last week: 2-5, Overall: 16-13
Jeff Mathis and Curtis Pride continue to provide the offense for the Stingers, but it wasn't enough last week. Mathis had six hits and has a .348 average while Pride is right behind him at .344, but the Stingers are sliding and presently on a five-game losing streak.

Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners)
Last week: 4-3, Overall: 15-15
Three wins to close out the week have gotten the Rainiers on equal footing with regards to wins and losses. First baseman Aaron Rifkin had two home run performances on both Friday and Saturday giving him nine on the season and tying him with Todd Linden for the league lead.

Tucson Sidewinders (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Last week: 3-4, Overall: 17-14
First baseman Conor Jackson had two hits during three different games this week and has raised his average to an impressive .370. The Sidewinders blew a golden opportunity to raise their won-lost record on Sunday, though, when they surrendered four ninth-inning runs and lost 9-7 to Fresno.