Player of the Day

LHP Ryan Smith of the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Double-A) was dominant in his outing against the Tennessee Smokies. Smith threw seven scoreless innings, gave up five hits, no walks and struck out nine on 100 pitches. Smith moved up to Double-A on July 28 and has been with the Angels organization since 2019. The Queens, N.Y. native has thrown 107 IP combined between Low-A, High-A and Double-A this year and is sporting a 3.36 ERA with 132 strikeouts.

Triple-A Salt Lake

The Bees lost on the road to the Sacramento River Cats, 8-3. Fresh off his Major League-debut with the Angels, RHP Cooper Criswell (4.44 ERA) gave up four runs, nine hits, one home run and struck out three in six innings of work. The Bees went down early and trailed 3-0 heading into the fourth inning. In the top half of the inning, RF Preston Palmeiro doubled in a pair of runs followed by an RBI single by DH Scott Schebler. Sacramento countered in the bottom half of the inning and the Bees never scored again. RHP Félix Peña (7.92 ERA) allowed two unearned runs on two hits through one inning and LHP Connor Higgins (18.00 ERA) allowed runs and three walks in his inning of work.

The loss was the tenth straight for the Bees. They’ll return to Salt Lake on Sept. 9.

Double-A Rocket City

The Trash Pandas clobbered the Tennessee Smokies, 9-0 in Madison, Ala. on Friends (NBC, 1994-2004) Night. As mentioned earlier, Ryan Smith tossed a solid game on the mound and kept the Smokie offense in check. For Rocket City, the home run ball was the story. CF Ray-Patrick Didder hit a one-out solo home run (5) and the Trash Pandas scratched across another run via a fielding error to take the early 2-0 lead.

The game was completely blown open in the fourth inning where Rocket City hung a six spot on Tennessee. SS Livan Soto singled in RF Torii Hunter Jr., 3B Luis Aviles Jr. tripled in a pair of runs, Didder singled in his second RBI of the night and 1B David MacKinnon hit a two-run home run. Double-A South home run leader DH Mitch Nay added a solo homer (23) in the seventh inning.

RHP Boomer Biegalski (4.57 ERA) threw a scoreless inning and RHP Kieran Lovegrove (7.78 ERA) struck out two in his scoreless inning.

High-A Tri-City

The Dust Devils lost their third game in a row to the Spokane Indians in Wash. Thursday night. They matched Wednesday’s score and lost 7-5. RHP Glenn Albanese Jr. (2.84 ERA) went three innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits while striking out two.

Tri-City took a 1-0 in the second off a 1B Braxton Martinez solo home run (3) but would go down 3-1 in the bottom of the third after a pair of RBI doubles and a wild pitch. The Dust Devils got a run back on SS Kyren Paris’ fourth inning home run (1), but would not get closer. Three errors committed by the Dust Devils and a steal of home were too much to overcome as the Indians stretched their lead to 7-3 by the end of the sixth inning. Both Paris and Martinez added another RBI each in the eighth inning.

Low-A Inland Empire

The 66ers came away victorious in extras against the Modesto Nuts in a 4-3 win Thursday. RHP Coleman Crow (4.03 ERA) pitch 5.2 innings and allowed only one run on four hits while striking out four. While the 66ers never trailed, they did blow one-run leads twice. RHP Emilker Guzman (2.38 ERA) blew the save in the bottom of the ninth by surrendering the game-tying home run to send the game into the 10th inning tied at two. In the 10th inning, CF D’Shawn Knowles doubled in the go-ahead RBI and 3B Carson Matthews hit the game-winning RBI double right after. Modesto would get another run in the bottom half of the inning, but Inland Empire would hang on to get the W.

Thursday’s Scores

• Salt Lake Bees 3 | Sacramento River Cats 8
• Tennessee Smokies 0 | Rocket City Trash Pandas 9
• Tri-City Dust Devils 5 | Spokane Indians 7
• Inland Empire 66ers 4 | Modesto Nuts 3

Friday Schedule

• 4:35 p.m. PDT: Tennessee Smokies at Rocket City Trash Pandas
• 6:30 p.m. PDT: Tri-City Dust Devils at Spokane Indians
• 7:05 p.m. PDT: Salt Lake Bees at Sacramento River Cats
• 7:05 p.m. PDT: Inland Empire 66ers at Modesto Nuts