Emmet Sheehan gets hit, Ruiz & Ward hit back in OKC loss

Sheehan gives up four runs in abbreviated start for Oklahoma City. Elsewhere in the Dodgers minor leagues on Tuesday, strong games by Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero, and others.

In Dodgers minor league action for Tuesday July 1st, Emmet Sheehan walked a batter, the Quakes started the game with a Q-ball shot, and Hope is double-happy in Great Lakes slugfest win.

Player of the day

The last game Emmet Sheehan pitched before undergoing Tommy John surgery was a postseason appearance in October of 2023. So it was 21 months after his last appearance that he made his first rehab start on May 26th in the Rookie League. Before last night’s start, Sheehan had pitched a total of 21 1/3 innings — two innings in Arizona, 15 1/3 innings at Triple-A, and four innings in the major leagues. During that time, he struck out 40 hitters and walked one. Since 40/1 strikeout-to-walk ratios don’t happen in real life, I have narrowed things down to just a few possibilities:

• They implanted some AI or neurolink technology during the elbow surgery
• He is not Emmet Sheehan, he is Robot Emmet Sheehan
• We are all just characters that exist inside a video game

In his latest appearance on Tuesday, he only walked one (two strikeouts), but he regressed to the mean of being human, getting battered around for four runs and six hits in two and one-third innings.

[Editor’s note: Sheehan also threw just 59 pitches and lines up to fill the Dodgers’ open rotation slot on Sunday against the Astros]

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Las Vegas Aviators solved Sheehan for four runs, and kept pouring it on, ultimately winning the game 10-3 against the Comets. Bobby Miller pitched two and two-thirds innings in relief, giving up a single run on a solo home run. Esteury Ruiz had a double and his seventh home run for the Comets.

Ryan Ward had two hits and drove in the other two runs. He now has 65 RBIs.

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Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers scored a run in the first, but that was it for the offense, as the Wichita Wind Surge (Twins) defeated them 7-1.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons scored 14 runs in the last four innings to defeat the West Michigan Whitecaps (Tigers) 14-9. Frank-Rod (Frank Rodriguez) had another big game, going three for four with four runs scored, and is now hitting .462 (26 at-bats) after flunking out of Double-A. Zyhir Hope, bound for the Futures Game in Atlanta next weekend, hit two doubles and drove home three runs. He now has twenty doubles, which is second in the Midwest League.

Infielder Logan Wagner hit his tenth home run and drove home his 47th run. Mike Sirota, known for his plate discipline, walked three times and now has seven walks in his last two games.

Low-A Rancho Cucamonga

Eduardo Quintero led off the game for Rancho Cucamonga with a home run, and the Quakes went on to defeat the Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks) 4-2. Jaron Elkins contributed a double, a run scored, and an RBI.

Tuesday scores

• Las Vegas 10, Oklahoma City 3
• Wichita 7, Tulsa 1
• Great Lakes 14, West Michigan 9
• Rancho Cucamonga 4, Visalia 2

Wednesday schedule

• Great Lakes (Wyatt Crowell) at West Michigan (Rainer Castillo), 3:35 PM PST
• Wichita (Mike Paredes) at Tulsa (Peter Heubeck), 5:00 PM PST
• Visalia (Mervin Fell) at Rancho Cucamonga (Samuel Sanchez), 6:30 PM PST
• Oklahoma City (Kyle Funkhouser) at Las Vegas (Mason Barnett), 7:05 PM PST