Red Sox RHP Tanner Houck, Double-A Portland: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K -- If it weren't for rain, a career start for the No. 6 Red Sox prospect may have been even better. The Sea Dogs and Yard Goats played five innings on Monday, and
Red Sox RHP Tanner Houck, Double-A Portland: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K -- If it weren't for rain, a career start for the No. 6 Red Sox prospect may have been even better. The Sea Dogs and Yard Goats played five innings on Monday, and Houck dazzled throughout. The right-hander retired the first nine batters in order. With two on and one out in the fourth, he got out of the frame with two of his nine punchouts, which matched a career high. Houck (2-0) threw 48 of 74 pitches for strikes, and the seven-run outing he had to open the season seems to be far in the past; in his two starts since, the 22-year-old has allowed five hits in 10 innings while striking out 12. Gameday box score
Angels 3B Jose Rojas, Triple-A Salt Lake: 4-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBIs -- The 26-year-old cleanup hitter opened the scoring in the Bees' 8-4 win over the River Cats with a first-inning single that plated Jared Walsh. He earned another base knock in the fourth before unleashing his third and fourth home runs of the season. A seventh-inning grand slam to right off Williams Jerez busted the game open, and a solo shot to right in the ninth off Cory Taylor added insurance. Rojas has three home runs in as many games and owns a .993 OPS in 54 at-bats this season. Gameday box score
Brewers RHP Braden Webb, Double-A Biloxi: 5.0 IP, 0 h, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HB, 4 BB, 1 K -- The Jumbo Shrimp couldn't figure out the Brewers' 12th-ranked prospect on Monday. After a walk in the opening frame, the right-hander tossed a 1-2-3 second, worked around a four-pitch walk in the third and navigated the fourth on nine pitches. The 23-year-old found trouble in the fifth, when he walked John Silviano and hit Stone Garrett with a pitch. Another walk loaded the bases, and a wild pitch gave Jacksonville its first run. The outing was Webb's longest in four starts this season and lowered his ERA by more than three runs to 6.35. Gameday box score
A's SS Jorge Mateo, Triple-A Las Vegas: 3-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBIs, SB -- Oakland's No. 8 prospect has been one of the Minors' best hitters the first three weeks of the season. On Monday, he extended his hitting streak to 11 games with his third straight multi-hit effort and fifth in six games. The 23-year-old hit a ground-rule double to right field in the first inning and ripped a two-run double to left in the third. He reached on an infield single and stole his seventh base of the year in the fifth to record his fourth game with four or more hits this season. Mateo has reached safely in all 17 games and has collected a hit in all but one, contributing to his .386/.414/.566 slash line. A's No. 19 prospect Skye Bolt went 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, a run scored and a walk. Gameday box score
Rays LHP Brendan McKay, Double-A Montgomery: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 9 K -- The Rays' No. 3 prospect came out hot for the Biscuits on Monday, recording two three-pitch punchouts in the first inning. The only run the Braves got on the southpaw came on the first pitch of the second, when Ryan Casteel homered to left-center field. McKay proceeded to get all three outs in the inning via punchout and faced one over the minimum over the next three frames. He threw 52 of 66 pitches for strikes and lowered his ERA to 3.29 through three starts. No. 22 Braves prospect Tucker Davidson allowed an unearned run on one hit in five innings for Mississippi. He struck out three and walked five. Gameday box score
Nationals RHP Wil Crowe, Double-A Harrisburg: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K -- The Nationals' fourth-ranked prospect dropped his ERA to 1.17 as the Senators blanked Altoona with three pitchers. Crowe set the tone early by facing the minimum through two frames. The 24-year-old right-hander worked around singles in each of the next three innings before a 1-2-3 sixth and froze Hunter Owen for his seventh strikeout to end his outing. Crowe has gone at least five innings in all four of his starts this season and has walked one batter in his last three outings combined. Gameday box score
Reds LHP Packy Naughton, Class A Advanced Daytona: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K -- After allowing two hits in a scoreless outing his last time out, the Reds' No. 21 prospect somehow one-upped himself in the Tortugas' 5-0 win over the Blue Jays. The 23-year-old southpaw was perfect his first time through the Dunedin order, then worked around two singles in the fourth. Naughton put the first two runners on base in the fifth but escaped the frame unscathed and struck out the side in the sixth. In his first win of 2019, the Virginia Tech product lowered his ERA to 1.90. He's yet to allow a home run in four starts. Gameday box score
A's RHP Parker Dunshee, Double-A Midland: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R , 2 BB, 6 K -- The No. 18 Oakland prospect looks to be picking up right where he left off in 2018. Dunshee completed seven innings for the first time this season while lowering his ERA to 2.35 through four starts for the RockHounds. The 24-year-old faced one over the minimum through the first four frames and tossed 70 of 97 pitches for strikes en route to his first win of 2019. Dunshee put together an All-Star campaign last year, winning 13 games and posting a 2.33 ERA with 163 strikeouts in 150 2/3 innings with Class A Advanced Stockton and Midland. Gameday box score
Rays C Ronaldo Hernandez, Class A Advanced Charlotte: 3-for-5 -- After vaulting to the upper half of Tampa's prospect list with a breakout 2018, the 21-year-old has found the going a bit tougher in the Florida State League. Hernandez entered Monday hitting .157/.185/.235 with two extra-base hits through 13 contests, but he broke out with his first three-hit effort of the season. The No. 6 Rays prospect singled three times to give him consecutive multi-hit games -- he enjoyed a two-hit, four-RBI performance on Saturday. Gameday box score
Nationals LHP Tim Cate, Class A Hagerstown: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, BB, 7 K -- Washington's No. 5 prospect has done nothing to minimize his lofty ranking through four starts. The Nats' second-round pick of last year Draft equaled his career high with seven strikeouts and retired eight of the last nine to deliver the Suns a victory. Rudely greeted during his professional debut last season when he posted a 5.02 ERA in 13 appearances -- 12 starts -- across two levels, Cate has a 1.27 mark through four April starts and is holding opposing batters to a .176 average, striking out 23 in 21 1/3 innings. Gameday box score
Rangers LHP Brock Burke, Double-A Frisco: 4 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K -- Texas' No. 9 prospect was less than impressive in his return from the injured list during his last start, but he rebounded in a big way only to leave again due to injury during the RoughRiders' 4-0 win. Burke tossed three perfect innings and struck out eight of 16 batters before issuing a four-pitch walk with two outs in the fifth. The southpaw was pulled from the game mid-at-bat -- one out shy of being eligible for his first win of the year -- with a blister on his pitching hand. It's the same malady that cost him a week on the IL earlier this month. Gameday box score
Rangers OF Dylan Carlson, Double-A Springfield: 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs, 3 R, BB -- A solid start to the season for the No. 6 St. Louis prospect continued on Monday night with his second straight multi-hit game. Carlson got the Cardinals off to a running start with a three-run homer to right-center field in the bottom of the first inning, his third long ball in 18 games. The 20-year-old singled to right in the fourth and to left in the seventh for his second three-hit effort this year. Carlson is batting .309/.363/.544 with nine extra-base hits, 15 RBIs and 14 runs scored. Gameday box score
Mariners RHP Clay Chandler, Class A West Virginia: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, HBP, 10 K -- The 24-year-old entered Monday's outing with 10 strikeouts over his first three starts, spanning 17 innings. By the time Chandler walked off the mound in the fifth inning, he had matched that total while lowering his ERA to 0.41 in the process. The Kentucky native has surrendered one run through his first 22 frames in 2019, and he extended his scoreless-innings streak to 12, dating back to the final frame of his April 10 start at Lexington. Chandler has allowed five hits and four walks while striking out 14 during that span. Gameday box score
