Minors: Patrick Copen, Ryan Ward, Justin Wrobleski

All four Dodger affiliates followed their parent team by losing their games on Friday.

Player of the day

Patrick Copen got off to a shaky start for Double-A, walking the first two batters before quickly locking in. Both walks scored on a single, but Copen shut down the Arkansas Travelers after that, allowing only a single additional hit. Copen pitched six innings, giving up two runs on two hits, two walks, and striking out five. He has made twelve consecutive starts in which he has given up two earned runs or fewer, pitching at least five innings in nine of them. His overall numbers are eye-popping: 17 starts, 82⅓ innings, 47 hits, 111 strikeouts, .164 average against, one home run surrendered, and a 2.30 ERA. The one major flaw has been walks; he’s averaging over six walks per nine innings, and went seven consecutive games walking at least three batters. In his two starts in July, Copen has reduced his walks to two per game.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Justin Wrobleski was back on the mound in Oklahoma City after spending a month with the big league Dodgers. He gave up a solo home run and not much else, delivering five innings of one-run, four-hit ball against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Astros). The Comets were able to put up three runs to take a 3-1 lead into the eighth inning. “Triple-A Ohtani” Ryan Ward hit a two-run homer in the first inning and an RBI double in the fifth inning. Ward now has 24 home runs and 80 RBIs, both of which lead the Pacific Coast League.

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Edgardo Henriquez was brought in to hold the lead, but walked the first batter on four pitches. That came back to haunt him, as after he struck out the next two batters, Jon Singleton homered, launching a 100-mph fastball, and the game was tied.

The Space Cowboys scored five runs in the top of the tenth inning, and an oddly timed caught stealing of Alex Freeland, down by three runs with no out, sabotaged an attempt to come back, losing by a final score of 8-5.

Double-A Tulsa

Copen walked the first two hitters, and when they scored on a single, the Arkansas Travelers (Mariners) got all the runs they would need. The Drillers could only push across a single run, on a home run by Chris Newell, and lost the game 2-1.

High-A Great Lakes

When I checked out the Loons game and saw that Zyhir Hope and Josue De Paula were not in the lineup, I immediately checked the Tulsa box score to see if I could find them there. Then I remembered these guys are going to the Futures Game in Atlanta. Without them, and Mike Sirota, on the injured list since being removed from a game after a stolen base about a week ago, Great Lakes lost to the Lansing Lugnuts 6-3.

Maddux Bruns is now Maddux “8walks” Bruns. Eight walks and four strikeouts are a lot to pack into a two-and-one-third inning performance. Speedy outfielder Kendall George had three hits, and his hitting line for July has been .333/,442/,472. With the Dodgers system bursting with five-tool outfielders, George, who lacks a power tool, tends to be overlooked.

Low-A Rancho Cucamonga

The Inland Empire 66ers scored six runs in the top of the ninth to turn a tie game into a blowout. Quakes relief pitcher Connor Godwin hit two batters, walked two batters, and gave up two hits, failing to retire anyone, and sending Godwin’s game ERA into infinity when all six batters he faced scored, resulting in an 11-6 loss. Barrett Kent (no known relation to Superman) started for the 66ers, and got through three and two-thords innings without giving up a run. Jaron Elkins hit his seventh home run and stole his 45th base for the Quakes.

Friday scores

• Sugar Land 8, Oklahoma City 5 (10 innings)
• Arkansas 2, Tulsa 1
• Lansing 6, Great Lakes 3
• Inland Empire 11, Rancho Cucamonga 6

Saturday schedule

• Tulsa (Roque Gutierrez) at Arkansas (Marcelo Perez), 4:05PM PST
• Lansing (Grant Judkins) at Great Lakes (Brooks Auger), 4:05PM PST
• Sugar Land (Jason Alexander) at Oklahoma City (Matt Sauer), 5:05PM PST
• Inland Empire (Chris Clark) at Rancho Cucamonga (Sterling Patick), 6:30PM PST