Yilber Diaz Tosses Seven Scoreless In Sod Poodles Win

AMARILLO, Texas (May 2, 2024) – The Amarillo Sod Poodles blanked the Midland RockHounds on Thursday night for their first shutout win of the season. RHP Yilber Diaz earned his first win of the year after holding Midland scoreless over seven innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts and just two hits allowed.

The D-backs no. 16-rated prospect picked up the first of his 11 strikeouts in the bottom of the first inning in a 1-2-3 opening frame. After allowing the first of his two hits in the second, Diaz got a swing and miss for the second out and then left Shane McGuire stranded in scoring position as he induced a ground out.

Caleb Roberts pushed the first two runs across the plate for Amarillo with a two-RBI, two-out single before Diaz went right back to work in the third. The right-hander struck out the side in the third on just 13 pitches.

Deyvison De Los Santos made it back-to-back games with a home run as he sent a no-doubter over the left-field wall for his ninth of the year in the home half of the third. Diaz retired 12 straight RockHounds between the third and sixth innings, racking up seven strikeouts over the three innings.

Let us all welcome the 3rd member of Amarillo's 3⃣0⃣ home run club!

Deyvison De Los Santos, everybody. pic.twitter.com/es8r4ZIZzw

— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) May 3, 2024

J.J. D'Orazio provided more insurance with a leadoff home run to begin the bottom of the sixth inning to make it 4-0. The second and final hit Diaz surrendered came via a two-out single in the top of the seventh.

Amarillo's bullpen duo of John Matthews and Gerardo Gutierrez made quick work in the lone innings they were asked to pitch. Each faced the minimum without allowing a hit and both added a strikeout to help secure the 28th shutout win in team history and just the ninth here at HODGETOWN for the Sod Poodles.

With a 2-1 series lead in hand and consecutive wins, the Sod Poodles will aim to secure their longest winning streak of the season when the two teams face off on Friday night. RHP Dylan File (1-1, 5.49 ERA) will make his fifth start of the year for Amarillo and his first since being named Texas League Pitcher of the Week after his 7.0 IP and one earned run against Frisco last Saturday. Midland will trot out LHP Brady Basso (0-1, 3.72 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

NOTES:

YIL ON THE HILL: RHP Yilber Diaz put together probably the best start of his professional career on Thursday night. The D-backs no. 16-rated prospect matched his career-high with 7.0 IP and set his career-high with 11 strikeouts. Diaz entered the night in search of his first win of the year and got just that after a quality start where he allowed just two hits over his seven scoreless innings. It was the sixth QS of his professional career and the first since Sept. 16, 2023, when he was with High-A Hillsboro, his last start before being promoted to Double-A. The right-hander has converted all six times where he has gone the minimum 6.0 IP to qualify for a QS. The seven scoreless innings are the most he has gone in his career without allowing a run.

Strikeouts, but make them a career-high 1⃣1⃣ pic.twitter.com/PxTNaAFO0h

— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) May 3, 2024

BACK-TO-BACK, JACK: D-backs' no. 15-rated prospect Deyvison De Los Santos made it back-to-back games with a home run after launching a solo shot in the bottom of the third inning on Thursday night. It was the 30th home run of his Amarillo career, placing him in a three-way tie for the franchise lead in homers along with Tim Tawa and Leandro Cedeño. He's the third Amarillo player to leave in the yard in consecutive games this season, joining Tawa and Ivan Melendez. It's the fifth time in his Double-A tenure that he's had back-to-back games with a home run. The last also came against the Midland RockHounds on September 2-3 here at HODGETOWN. His nine home runs on the year are T-6th in Minor League Baseball and tied for the most in all Double-A.

A HITTING STREAK, BUT MAKE IT SIX: Kevin Graham extended his hitting streak to six games with a two-out single in the bottom of the first inning Thursday night. He finished the game 1-for-4. It's tied for the third-longest hitting streak of his career thus far. He posted a career-long eight-game hit streak with High-A Hillsboro from August 9-26, 2023. The former Ole Miss Rebel also had a seven-game hit streak with the Hops from July 19-27, 2023. Graham currently ranks second on the team, posting a .365 AVG, which is also good for the third-best mark in the Texas League. He also ranks inside the top five in OBP (4th, .429) and is T-6th in OPS (.969), and 8th in SLG (.540).

A hitting streak, but make it 6⃣ pic.twitter.com/gm6md8HDGA

— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) May 3, 2024

ZERO, NADA, ZILCH: The shutout win was Amarillo's first shutout of the season and the first since September 7, 2023 on the road in Arkansas. It was the 28th overall in team history and just the ninth by Amarillo at HODGETOWN. Three of the nine shutout wins at home have come against Midland and three others were seven-inning games.

D'BOMB: J.J. D'Orazio launched his second home run of the season and the 15th of his professional career. After having just two home runs through his first two professional seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays org (74 games), D'Orazio has 13 in 210 games since joining the Arizona farm system. He had an outburst in High-A Hillsboro during the 2023 season before coming to Amarillo, hitting a single-season career-high with eight round-trippers. Playing in his 19th game of the year on Thursday night, the catcher already doubled the amount of home runs he had in 37 games with Amarillo to end the 2023 season. He ended the game 3-for-4, the most hits he has had in any game so far for the Sod Poodles in 2024.

IN GUTEY WE TRUST: Gerardo Gutierrez made it five straight appearances since joining Amarillo without a hit surrendered. The right-hander worked the final inning on the bump for Amarillo and picked up a strikeout. He has worked 5.0 IP in his five appearances with Amarillo since being promoted from High-A Hillsboro and has five strikeouts and no walks issued. In 10 total appearances between Hillsboro and Amarillo since being signed to his first affiliated organization from the Mexican League, he has worked 11.0 IP and allowed just four hits and two unearned runs with 10 strikeouts and two walks.

QUICK ONE: The 2:06 game time was the quickest Amarillo has played this year and the third-quickest 9-inning game in HODGETOWN history. Amarillo and Midland played a sub-two-hour game at HODGETOWN on September 1, 2023, a 10-0 Amarillo win. Amarillo and Frisco played in 2:01 on June 8, 2022, also a 4-0 Amarillo victory.