Rincon powers Loons for third straight game

Carlos Rincon's production the past few days has been exactly what Class A Great Lakes manager Jeremy Rodriguez expected to see when he put the 19-year-old in the heart of his lineup.
The Dodgers No. 25 prospect went yard for the third consecutive game, blasting two home runs and plating four runs in the Loons' 6-2 win over the Lake County Captains on Monday at Classic Park.

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"I think he knows the expectation when he's hitting third or fourth," Rodriguez said. "He's just showing a lot of confidence. He comes to the plate knowing he's the guy that needs to drive runs in to win ballgames."
After drawing a first-inning walk, the Dominican Republic native sent an offering from Captains starter Juan Hillman over the left-field wall in the third for a two-run shot to extend the Loons' lead to 3-0.
Rincon walked again in the fourth and struck out in the sixth before adding a solo shot to left-center field in the ninth.
"He showed a lot of patience. He was attacking fastballs and just sticking with his approach from the last few days," Rodriguez said. "He's hammered a couple of baseballs in ways I haven't seen before."
There are other reasons Rincon's power hasn't been much of a surprise. After agreeing to terms with the Dodgers during 2015-16 international signing period, the outfielder went yard 13 times over 52 Rookie-level games across the Dominican Summer League and the Arizona League last season.
The 19-year-old is hitting .400 with four homers, seven RBIs and scored five runs in the young season. 
"His eye and his patience make him a special hitter," Rodriguez said. "He knows what he pitch he likes and he knows how to hit in the right count and the right situation."

A.J. Alexy, the No. 30 Dodgers prospect, also contributed in the Loons' first win of the season. The 18-year-old right-hander started, tossing three hitless innings with four strikeouts and a walk.
"He was throwing some good off-speed pitches and commanding his fastball well," Rodriguez said. "He was getting ahead in the count and always attacking the hitters."
The 11th-round pick in last year's Draft threw 25 of 41 pitches for strikes before reaching his pitch limit, but Rodriguez believes there's plenty more to come from Alexy.
"He has great confidence and he's one of our youngest pitchers," he said. "He's just having fun out there and absorbing the experience. I could always see a little smile from him when he's out there." 
Los Angeles' No. 28 prospect Brendon Davis hit his first homer of the season and Saige Jenco added two hits and an RBI.