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Micah Pries has big week at the plate for…

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Micah Pries has big week at the plate for Columbus | Guardians minors roundup for July 10

Guardians prospect Micah Pries. (Ross D. Franklin – The Associated Press)
Guardians prospect Micah Pries. (Ross D. Franklin – The Associated Press)
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Triple-A Columbus Clippers (3-2) vs. Toledo MudHens (Tigers)/Nashville Stars (Brewers)

A scorching June in 2022 earned Micah Pries Eastern League Player of the Month honors while at Double-A Akron. He has yet to get on any sort of the same hot stretch this year. But this past week the 25-year-old first baseman did hit two homers and drove in four runs in the Clippers’ 11-9 loss to wrap up their series with Toledo, and then did the same thing on July 4 in the Clippers’ 19-2 route of the Nashville Stars in a rare Monday game. He added two more hits, including a homer on July 9 to give him three for the week. Through July 8, Pries is 13-for-29 with four homers, eight RBI, three doubles, four strikeouts and two walks, hitting .448/.484/.966. He finished 2022 strongly, earning him a 2023 spring training invite by the Guardians and would be a strong look for him again after his first season in Triple-A.

Oscar Gonzalez’s hot June has carried over into July. He went 3-for-5 with a homer and six RBI in the 19-2 win over Nashville, then added another homer, double and and two RBI in Columbus’ 6-2 win on July 6. He has nine hits and nine RBI in July, compared to just four strikeouts and two walks through seven games. Don’t be surprised if Cleveland decides to recall Gonzalez sometime after the All-Star break.

Brayan Rocchio has had a solid season at Triple-A but had struggled to find much punch in his bat, but he picked up two doubles and a triple in the July 4 blowout win. Rocchio also added two more hits and two RBI in the Clippers’ 15-14 loss on July 5, then repeated the feat July 7 in a 5-3 loss. After a down June, Rocchio is off to a hot start in July, though it looks like he will bide his time in Columbus most of the year as the Guardians are in first place again and will attempt to hold on through the trading deadline, which means holding on to Amed Rosario as well.

George Valera was off to a strong start this past week as well, adding a double and an RBI in the Clippers’ July 3 loss to Toledo and then a double, and a walk in the July 4 blowout. But he was ejected from the game on July 5 after an altercation with the Nashville catcher, then accidentally making contact with the umpire getting between he and the catcher. Valera was hit with a six-game suspension, which he is currently serving.

Logan Allen was sent down to Triple-A to manage his workload and did just that, tossing three innings on July 4, not allowing a hit, walking two and striking out four while throwing 49 pitches. It remains to be seen if he’ll be recalled in the second half with Cal Quantrill back on the IL.

He didn’t throw for the Clippers this week, but Joey Cantillo did throw 1 2/3 innings in the 2023 MLB Futures Game in Seattle. The lefty was impressive, striking out two and walking one while hitting just a shade under 98 on the radar gun in the game.

The Clippers are off midweek and pick up the second half of their season hosting Iowa (Cubs) July 14-16.

Double-A Akron RubberDucks (6-2) vs. Erie SeaWolves (Tigers)/Harrisburg Senators (Nationals)

While he stuck out nine times this week, Johnathan Rodriguez did homer twice and drove in four runs, one in a 6-0 win vs. Erie and another on July 6 in the 6-3 win over Harrisburg. He hit .358/.435/.632 in June and is off to a .367/.394/.667 start to July. He’s 11th in the Eastern League in OPS for the season at .855.

Catcher Bryan Lavastida was finally promoted back to Triple-A Columbus last week with Bo Naylor being up in Cleveland, leaving Michael Berglund and Micaeal Ramirez, promoted from Lake County, to handle the catching duties in Akron. Berglund added a homer this week and Rarmiez is 4-for-10 in his first three Double-A games.

Tommy Mace turned in six scoreless innings on July against Erie, allowing just a hit and two walks while striking out six, easily his best start since being promoted to Double-A out of three.

Mace’s college teammate Jack Leftwich returned from the IL on July 8 with a shoulder issue and tossed two shutuout innings with a hit, walk and a strikeout.

Will Dion kept up the strong pitching with six shutout innings in a 5-2 win on July 8 over Erie, scattering six hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

Reliever Franco Aleman, also a college teammate of Mace and Leftwich, has been a revelation since being promoted to Double-A Akron. He tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings on July 6 with two hits, a walk and three strikeouts, following up his two inning, three strikeout performance on July 2.

Peyton Battenfield made his second rehab appearance this past week on July 9, allowing just a run in 4 2/3 innings with two strikeouts as Akron beat Harrisburg, 5-1 behind a 2-4 performance by Petey Halpin that included a homer.

Akron is also off during the week for the All-Star break and heads to Bowie (Orioles) for a three game set starting July 14.

High-A Lake County Captains (3-5) vs. Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres)/Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics)

The big story in Lake County is still of course watching 2022 first-round pick Chase DeLauter in his first non-complex league action of his career. He’s adapted well early, going 2-for-4 with his first homer in the Captains 3-2 win on July 5, then adding a pair of three hit performances on July 5 and July 8. He also drove in four runs on July 8 in the Captains 12-11 comeback win. He finished the week strong with three doubles in a  4-for-5 performance on July 9 as the Captains fell, 5-4.

The outfielder is hitting .469/.469/.781 in eight games at Lake County with four strikeouts and no walks yet.

Dayan Frias didn’t have a lot of hits this past week, but the few plays he made were highlight-worthy. He hit a grand slam July 3 in the Captains 10-7 loss, hit a three-run homer on July 7 in a 9-8 for Lake County, then a two-run homer in the 12-11 win July. Frias also made the highlight reels, pulling off the hidden ball trick against Lansing on July 7 as well. Frias only had five hits all week, but he made them count with nine RBI and now has seven homers this year.

Pitching wise, things have been a struggle, but lefty Steven Hajjar did toss six innings, allowing just a run in six innings on five hits. Hajjar only struck out one but didn’t walk a batter, but the Captains ultimately lost 3-1 vs. Lansing on July 6.

Lenny Torres Jr. has had a tough year overall but picked up save in two scoreless innings with four strikeouts on the week.

Reliever Magnus Ellerts, from the 2022 draft class, continues to fit into the Captains bullpen nicely. He did allow a homer and an unearned run but struck out seven in 3 2/3 innings and also added a save of his own.

Lake County enjoys the week off and hosts Dayton (Reds) starting July 14-16.

Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats (2-4) vs. Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles)/Salem Red Sox (Red Sox)

2022 draft pick, lefty Adam Tulloch, turned in the pitching performance of the week, striking out eight in four innings when he allowed just two hits and three walks on July 7 as the Hillcats won, 2-1. Tulloch has has 73 strikeouts in 52 innings at Low-A and needs a better test soon.

Fellow 2022 draftee, Austin Peterson, followed up his eight shutout innings on June 30 with a quality start on July 5, a 4-3 win for the Hillcats, where he allowed three runs but struck out nine, while allowing two walks and three hits.

Outfielder Guy Lipscomb was 5-for-14 in four games during the week but unfortunately hit the injured list with a wrist fracture and may be out some time.

2020 first round pick Carson Tucker hasn’t found any consistency since being drafted, facing injuries and inability to play on a regular basis. He did play in four games this week but went 1-for-12 with nine strikeouts and three walks.

Offensively, infielder Juan Benjamin’s two hit game with a steal in the Hillcats 4-3 win on July 5 and three walks on July 6 in a 10-7 loss were the biggest highlights in a tough week.

After the break, the Hillcats head to Fredericksburg (Nationals) July 14-16.

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