Spencer Giesting Continues to Excel on the Mound for Amarillo

The Diamondbacks' minor league affiliates combined for a 0-4 record, with three of their losses by one run.

Left-hander Spencer Giesting continues to excel for Double-A Amarillo. He spun his fourth quality start of the season in a tight loss by the Sod Poodles. Giesting has a 3.38 ERA in 50.2 innings, with a solid 54/18 strikeout-to-walk ratio in nine starts for Amarillo. With him becoming Rule 5 eligible in the offseason, he's making a strong push to be added to the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster.

AAA: Reno Aces 7, Albuquerque Isotopes 8

This game was almost a mirror image of the Diamondbacks' loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Poor defense on both sides ignited rallies, as the two teams combined for nine errors.

Bryce Jarvis allowed five runs (three earned), surrendering five hits, walking three, and striking out four. Of the five hits he allowed, four went for extra bases. Albuquerque scored in three straight innings from the second to the fourth. Jarvis got up to 84 pitches, his high for the season, and is fully stretched out as a starter in terms of pitch count.

Aramis Garcia continued his assault on Triple-A pitching, going 3-for-5 with a go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh. Catcher Michael Perez added three hits himself and is batting .324 in his current stint with Reno. Jake McCarthy singled and walked.

With a 7-6 lead, Kyle Nelson walked the first and only batter he faced in the eighth after getting the final two outs of the seventh. Jeff Brigham allowed an infield hit and made an errant pickoff throw that tied the game. He gave up a go-ahead double to a rehabbing Thairo Estrada.

AA: Amarillo Sod Poodles 2, Corpus Christi Hooks 3

Spencer Giesting was solid once again, holding Corpus Christi to two runs over six strong innings. The left-hander allowed five hits, walked two, and tied his season-high in strikeouts with eight (done four times).

The Sod Poodles finally broke through in the seventh. Trailing 2-0 entering the inning, Manuel Peña walked and Drake Osborn crushed a hanging slider for a two-run home run. However, that was all the offense they'd get. Gerardo Gutierrez served up a go-ahead home run to the first batter he faced in the bottom half of the inning to give the lead right back.

Kristian Robinson and Tommy Troy both went 1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts at the plate, the former's hit going for a double. LuJames Groover was 0-for-4, snapping a four-game hitting streak.

A+: Hillsboro Hops 2, Everett AquaSox 3

The Hops struggled against the Mariners' top pitching prospect, the ambidextrous Jurrangelo Cijntje, scratching across two runs in the fifth. Druw Jones had an RBI groundout and their second run came on a successful steal of home by Angel Ortiz on a double steal with Junior Franco.

Ryan Waldschmidt finished 2-for-4 with a double, single, and a caught stealing. Ortiz and Franco accounted for Hillsboro's other three hits on the night. They stranded eight baserunners in a one-run game and collectively went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, despite one of those outs driving in a run.

Logan Clayton allowed three runs on five hits, three walks, and four strikeouts over 4.1 innings. The bullpen was very stingy over the final 4.2 innings. Nate Savino turned in another quality outing with a scoreless inning and has a 0.67 ERA over 27 innings this season. Sam Knowlton inherited a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the ninth and stranded all three runners, recording a strikeout and a ground ball double play.

A: Visalia Rawhide 1, Lake Elsinore Storm 7

Slade Caldwell's RBI single in the third inning accounted for the only Visalia run on the night. The Diamondbacks outfielder prospect finished 2-for-4 at the plate and is hitting .303 with a .982 OPS. The rest of the lineup combined for three hits in 27 at-bats.

Wilkin Paredes gave up seven hits but limited the damage to one run, with two strikeouts and one walk over five innings. For the longest time, the game remained deadlocked at 1-1, but the Storm broke through against the Rawhide bullpen.

Braden Quinn got roughed up in his third inning of work, walking the leadoff hitter and surrendering a go-ahead two-run home run. Eric Dominguez also was a victim of the long ball, surrendering four runs on two home runs in the ninth inning that turned a close game into a blowout.