Quakes' Latimore homers twice, plates eight

Quincy Latimore came through with a solid week's worth of production in the span of five plate appearances on Friday night.
In doing so, the 11-year veteran tied a week-old team record.

Gameday box score
Latimore went 4-for-4 with two homers and drove in a career-high eight runs as Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga rolled past Inland Empire, 12-1, at LoanMart Field. The eight RBIs matched the club record set on Aug. 18 by Ibandel Isabel.
Latimore has three homers in his last two games and four in nine contests with the Quakes. The 28-year-old outfielder has 130 roundtrippers in a career that began in 2007 and gives manager Drew Saylor a veteran presence in a league full of youngsters.
"We're happy to have him here playing with us. It's a good opportunity for him," the Rancho Cucamonga skipper said. "He does a fantastic job being a resource for our younger players and being available for them, just with his experiences, his thoughts and the trials and tribulations he's been through. All the ups and downs he's experienced, to be able to come into the clubhouse with his positivity and energy ... those are two special characteristics for a player."
Latimore got the Quakes started in the first inning with an RBI single to left that scored Dodgers No. 17 prospect DJ Peters. He added four more RBIs to his ledger with a grand slam to center during a five-run third. After walking in the fourth, he grounded a single into left in the sixth. Latimore took aim at center field again in the eighth, blasting a three-run shot to complete his eighth career multi-homer game and first since July 20, 2015 with Double-A Bowie. His last four-hit game came with the Baysox on July 15, 2015.
"The grand slam was huge for us," Saylor said. "Being up by a run in the third inning and having some traffic [on the bases] before that but not capitalizing, it was nice to see. Having guys like Quincy here is a real help, just to see the way he goes about his at-bats and the way he backs pitchers into corners before finding his pitch. When he gets that pitch, he usually puts a good swing on it and does damage."

The 2007 fourth-round pick also played for the Indians, Orioles and Tigers before joining the Dodgers. Latimore began the year with Class A Advanced Lakeland in the Florida State League, played with Aguascalientes of the Mexican League and returned to the United States with Double-A Tulsa. He was placed on the Texas League disabled list on July 29 and assigned to Rancho Cucamonga on Aug. 15. 
Overall, Latimore is hitting .284 with 13 homers and 49 RBIs in 91 games this season.
Dodgers No. 28 prospect Luke Raley singled four times, scored twice and drove in a run for the Quakes, who got three hitless innings from rehabbing Major Leaguer Brandon McCarthy. The 34-year-old right-hander walked three and struck out two in his first start since he was placed on the DL with a blister on July 24.
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Devin Smeltzer (5-4) allowed one run, three hits and two walks with six strikeouts in five innings to pick up the win.
Jahmai Jones went 0-for-2 with a walk to end his 25-game hitting streak. The second-ranked Angels prospect was in the on-deck circle when Derek Jenkins made the last out for Inland Empire.