Mark’s Rants & Raves

I do this (Rants & Raves) when there isn’t a single subject I want to address… but a plethora of them.

• I think I was wrong about Mookie Betts – he’s back!
• I love Dalton Rushing‘s passion. He’s a keeper. He also needs to mature… and he understands that. “I would rather rein in my lions than teach my sheep to hunt!
• If you saw the interview with Dalton after the game, he owned up to his mistakes and said he was embarrassed. I think he is learning. Dodgers.com had this to say: Roberts also acknowledged the emotional weight the young catcher has been carrying: “He wants to do really well and expects a lot of himself. … The last few games, he’s had a tough go of it and swinging through some fastballs, which is a strength of his. It’s a learning curve for everything. He’s still trying to find his way in the big leagues.”In the clubhouse after the win, a visibly frustrated Rushing did not pull any punches regarding his own performance. “I thought Shohei did a good job. I didn’t do a great job, start to finish. It was pretty embarrassing,” Rushing admitted. “Thankfully, he’s as good as he is, and he could take control of a game. … It’s a pretty tough pill as well, both sides of the ball. It was not a great show, and it hasn’t been great as of late, and I’m gonna be better.”
• Will Smith is not a big fellow. Catching is hard on him. Fill in the blanks! _________________
• After a nice start, Ryan Ward is who we thought he was. OK, he’s a (much) better outfielder in LF than I thought he was. He has had 54 ABS and struck out 17 times while walking only 5 times. Those numbers won’t play at the MLB level.
• The Dodgers are LAST in MLB in “Bullpen Innings Pitched.”
• OK, that means they have to be near the top in Starter Innings Pitched… and they are #2, behind the Mariners. However, the Dodgers’ starters have a 3.25 ERA, while Seattle’s is at 3.77.
• Can you imagine the Dodgers’ bullpen with Edwin Diaz, Tanner Scott, and Evan Phillips?
• Don’t forget Alex Vesia!
• Kyle Hurt will be a weapon soon. He has filthy stuff. Control is needed.
• It was nice to see “old friend” Anthony Banda. He gave everything he had to the cause when he was a Dodger.
• Just say NO to Tarik Skubal. The Dodgers have no need… but bid it up, Andrew!
• When the Dodgers win, Dave Roberts is a genius. When they don’t, he’s an idiot!
• Jeff Dominiques‘ Minor League Report is in a league of its own… and it’s next

Reno Aces (Dbacks) 4 – OKC Comets 3 – 10 innings

RHSP Landon Knack made his season debut.  It could have gone better. He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, 1 BB, and 2 K. In 1.2 IP, Knack allowed 2 runs on 5 hits,1 BB, 2 K.  In the 1^st inning, Knack gave up a leadoff triple and a 1 out double for a run.

OKC tied it up in the 2^nd when CF Alek Thomas singled and DH Austin Gauthier singled.  Thomas went to 3^rd on a force out, and scored on a fielding error.

Knack went back out in the 2^nd.  He allowed 3 singles and a BB for a run, and left the bases loaded for RHRP Carlos Duran.  Duran retired both batters he faced.

In the 3^rd, RF Zach Ehrhard singled and scored on LF Teoscar Hernández’s 2-run HR (2).

449-FOOT BLAST FROM TEO☄️ pic.twitter.com/5o8jwDs8bj

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) June 25, 2026

Reno tied the game in the bottom of the 3^rd.  RHRP Evan Phillips relieved Duran, and he too could have had a better game.  He allowed a single, followed by a 1-out BB, and a 2-out RBI single.  RHRP Christian Romero relieved Phillips and got out of the 3^rd with no further runs. Romero followed that up with 5.0 scoreless innings.

https://twitter.com/OKC_comets/status/2069998006674571600?s=20

OKC could not score a run for the remainder of the game.

RHRP Paul Gervase pitched a scoreless 9^th.

In the 10^th, RHRP Wyatt Mills relieved Gervase.  There was a placed runner on 2^nd.  Mills walked the first batter and struck out the next.  A single loaded the bases and a BB scored the walkoff winning run.

• Alek Thomas 3-4, 1 run
• Teoscar Hernández – 1-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (2)

Box Score

Corpus Christi Hooks 10 – Tulsa Drillers 1

Not a good night for the Tulsa pitchers, with the exception of LHRP Christian Suarez.  After RHSP Peter Heubeck could not get out of the 1^st inning, and Suarez came in and got the final out.  Suarez finished the next 3.0 IP without allowing a run on 2 hits, no BB, and 2 K.

Tulsa had 4 hits in total. 

• Josue De Paula – 1-3, 2 BB, 1 run, double (22)
• Zyhir Hope – 1-2, 2 BB
• Jake Gelof – 1-3, 1 BB
• Mike Sirota – 1-5, reached base safely 60 straight games

https://twitter.com/TulsaDrillers/status/2069951170722795764?s=20

Box Score

Great Lakes Loon 6 – Lansing Lugnuts (A’s) 2

Big night for newly promoted 3B Chase Harlan.  Two hits and both run producing.

In the 1^st inning, SS Emil Morales hit his 6^th HR for a 1-0 lead.

#Dodgers top five prospect Emil Morales absolutely crushes the ball out of the park. GL 1 LAN 0 pic.twitter.com/4caGkdPdUT

— Dodgers_After_Duty (@msalas24) June 24, 2026

In the 3^rd, 2B Jose D. Hernandez and CF Eduardo Quintero singled.  On a WP, Hernandez moved to 3^rd and scored on Chase Harlan’s 1^st Great Lakes hit and RBI.

#Dodgers top 30 prospect Chase Harlan first hit as a @greatlakesloons is an RBI single. GL 2 LAN 0 pic.twitter.com/OSR8MX6bQ7

— Dodgers_After_Duty (@msalas24) June 24, 2026

In the 4^th, RF Samuel Munoz singled and moved to 3^rd on C Victor Rodrigues’ single with Rodrigues moving to 2^nd on the throw.  1B Chase Adkison hit a SF for the run. With Rodrigues to 3^rd.  Hernandez singled to score Rodrigues and a 4-0 lead.

RHSP Aidan Foeller continued with his excellent June.  He completed 5.0 scoreless IP with 2 hits, 1 BB, and 3 K.  He has not allowed a run in his 4 June starts.  In 14.2 innings, he has allowed 4 hits, 1 BB, and 15 K.

Aidan Foeller is through three scoreless innings. 3 IP / 1 H / 0 ER / 1 BB / 2 K / 38 P / 23 S #Dodgers #DodgersProspects @greatlakesloons pic.twitter.com/zULRktsyaD

— Dodgers_After_Duty (@msalas24) June 24, 2026

RHRP Isaac Ayon relieved Foeller.  He pitched a scoreless 6^th inning, and got the first two batters in the 7^th.  But then he allowed a single and RBI double to break up the shutout.  He retired the side in order in the 8^th.

With 2 outs in the 9^th, Quintero was HBP, and Morales was BB. A WP put Quintero on 3rd.  Harlan slugged a 2-run double for his first XBH with GL. 

#Dodgers top 30 prospect Chase Harlan smokes one into left field for a two-run double scoring Quintero and Morales. GL 6 LAN 1 #DodgersProspects pic.twitter.com/SeTGcyncZ3

— Dodgers_After_Duty (@msalas24) June 25, 2026

RHRP Alex Makarewich entered in the 9^th and had a 6-1 lead.  He gave up one run and finished with a 6-2 win.

• Chase Harlan – 2-5, 3 RBI, double (1)
• Victor Rodrigues – 3-4, 1 run, double (6)
• Jose D. Hernandez – 2-3, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI
• Emil Morales – 1-4, 1 BB, 2 run, 1 RBI, HR (6)

Is Aidan Foeller a prospect?  Maybe.  He is 24 in A+, which puts him 1.1 years older than the average Midwest League player.  He cannot control where he pitches.  He can only control how he pitches, and he is doing extremely well with that.  They just promoted Christian Zazueta to AA.  Will they pus Foeller up as well?

Box Score

Ontario Tower Buzzers 13 – Visalia Rawhide (Dbacks) 9

RHSP Cam Leiter got through 4.0 innings.  This was his longest outing for his MiLB career.  He pitched 3.0 scoreless innings.  In the 4^th, Leiter struck out the 1^st batter, back to back singles and a SF.

Cam Leiter tossed a new season-high in pitch count tonight.

4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 61 PC (63.9% SR)

Fastball topped out at 99 mph, and it was paired with the slider and curveball combination to keep the Rawhides at bay. Not his best outing, but a solid one nonetheless pic.twitter.com/4sqSxM2EaN

— DodgersLite (@dodgerslite) June 25, 2026

Leiter went back out in the 5^th with a 5-1 lead.  He allowed a double, a bunt single and his throwing error scored 1. A WP moved the runner to 2^nd and got the 2^nd out.  RHRP Jholbran Herder relieved Leiter and gave up a run scoring double with the run charged to Leiter.  The inning ended with Ontario up 5-3.

Ontario started the scoring in the 3^rd when 2B Javier Herrera hit his 1^st HR. 

In the 4^th, LF Ching-Hsien Ko hit his 11^th HR.  3B Easton Shelton walked, stole 2^nd, and scored when DH Brendan Tunink doubled (12).

In the 5^th, with 1 out, Ko walked and Shelton singled.  With 2 outs, Tunink hit his 2^nd double (13) of the game scoring both Ko and Shelton.

Visalia scored in the 6^th with a HR off Herder.

In the 7^th, with 2 outs, Tunink drew a BB.  1B Mairo Martinus singled.  C Bryan Gonzalez Garcia walked to load the bases.  Tunink scored on a PB.  Herrera walked to load bases again.  Martinus scored on a WP.  Oswaldo Osorio PH for CF Kendall George and walked.  RF Jaron Elkins and Ko each walked to plate 2 more runs and a 9-4 lead.

RHRP Ricardo Montero relieved Herder in the bottom of the 7^th. He issued a BB, gave up a double, and another BB to load the bases.  RHRP Javier Bartolozzi relieved Montero and a run scored on a WP.

In the 8^th, SS Joendry Vargas drew a walk and was forced out at 2B on a Tunink ground ball.  Tunink steals 2B and scores on a Martinus double (18).  Herrera drew a 2-out BB and Osorio slugged a 3-run HR.

Mairo Martinus lined his 18th double of the season to make it double digits. pic.twitter.com/YugeyODUds

— DodgersLite (@dodgerslite) June 25, 2026

Oswaldo Osorio came in for Kendall George in the sixth, and in his third plate appearance, he launched his second homer in Low-A to blow this game open pic.twitter.com/SqF4gmUNfS

— DodgersLite (@dodgerslite) June 25, 2026

Visalia scored 4 off Bartolozzi (3 earned) in the bottom of the 8^th.

RHRP Jecsua Liborius pitched a scoreless 9^th for the win.

• Jaron Elkins – 3-5, 1 BB, 1 RBI, double 14, triple (4)
• Brendan Tunink – 2-5, 1 BB, 2 runs, 3 RBI, 2 doubles (13)
• Mairo Martinus – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double (18)
• Javier Herrera – 1-1, 4 BB, 3 runs, 1 RBI, HR (1)
• Ching-Hsien Ko – 1-4, 2 BB, 2 RUNS, 2 RBI, HR (11)
• Oswaldo Osorio – 1-1, 2 BB, 1 run, 3 RBI, HR (2)

• Kendall George went 0-3with 2 K in his first game back.

Box Score