Games Played on 05/17/2012
Minor League Player of the Day: Cody Puckett and Josh Smith both had notable days, but the player of the day goes to Dayton Dragons starter Jacob Johnson, who returned to action after a long absence for shoulder surgery. Johnson allowed just 1 run on 3 hits in 5 innings.
AAA
Louisville 4 – Rochester 2 in 11 innings
Cody Puckett went 3-for-5 in his AAA debut. Puckett singled with one out in the top of the 11th inning, stole second base, and later scored the go ahead run.
Brett Tomko allowed just 2 runs in his 6-inning start. He gave up 5 hits, walked 2 batters and struck out 5. Travis Webb struck out 4 in two innings of relief. Webb is yet to allow a run in the month of May.
AA
Jacksonville 8 – Pensacola 5
Pensacola scored a run in the top of the 9th to tie it at five, but Jacksonville blasted a 3-run homerun in the bottom of the 9th to win the game.
J.C. Sulbaran had a rough start, allowing 5 runs in 4+ innings. He gave up 4 hits, 4 walks, hit a batter and commited a balk. Didi Gregorius, Joel Guzman, and P.J. Phillips each collected two hits.
High A
Lake Elsinore 3 – Bakersfield 2
Josh Smith had a great start, allowing just 1 run and 3 hits and a walk over 6 innings. He struck out 9 batters. Devin Lohman, Bryson Smith, and Theo Bowe each had 2 hits.
Low A
Bowling Green 5 – Dayton 4
Although Dayton lost their sixth straight game, Thursday was a successful day for 2009 Reds draftee Jacob Johnson. Pitching for the first time since 2010, Johnson allowed just 1 run on 3 hits in 5 innings. The background on Johnson, courtesy of the Dayton Dragons:
Jacob Johnson makes his first official appearance in a game since September 2, 2010 tonight. Johnson missed all of 2011 and the first part of 2012 after right shoulder surgery. He was the Dragons top winner as a 19-year-old in 2010, going 8-7 with a 4.47 ERA in 25 starts. Johnson signed with the Reds organization after being selected in the 11th round of the 2009 draft out of out of Trinity Christian Academy in Lake Worth, Florida. Johnson finished fifth in the 2009 Florida Mr. Baseball voting. He was named the Florida Class 1A Co-Player of the Year and a 1st Team All-State selection in ‟09. Johnson had committed to Wake Forest before signing with Reds. He played with the GCL Reds in 2009 (2-3, 2.83 ERA) under current Dragons pitching coach Tom Browning.
Yovan Gonzalez went 2-for-4 including his 3rd homerun of the season in the 9th inning. Gonzalez scored two of the Dragons’ runs. Kyle Waldrop was also 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.