Dodgers minors: Joe Vetrano, Jack Suwinski, Jose Hernandez
TL;DR
The Dodgers' minor league affiliates had a challenging day, with only one win out of five games. Standout performances included Joe Vetrano's two-run homer and Jose Hernandez's two home runs despite a heavy loss for Class-A Ontario.
Key points
- Dodgers affiliates managed one win in five games on Saturday
- Joe Vetrano hit a two-run home run and scored the walk-off winner
- Jack Suwinski homered twice in a loss for Oklahoma City
- Zach Root left his start due to an ankle injury
- Jose Hernandez hit two home runs in a blowout loss for Ontario
Player of the day
Tulsa first baseman **Joe Vetrano** hit a two-run home run in the first game of a doubleheader, then added two more hits in the nightcap, scoring the walk-off winner on an error.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
Jack Suwinski homered twice, but the Comets allowed five runs in the eighth inning in **a loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies)**. Chayce McDermott, acquired by trade from the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, made his organizational debut Saturday with a scoreless seventh inning, at the time protecting a three-run lead. But the right-hander also started the eighth inning with a hit batter and walk, ending his night. Both scored in the fateful five-run frame. Jackson Ferris allowed three runs in four innings, and walked five, continuing a theme of his first three starts in Triple-A. Ferris for Oklahoma City has faced 50 batters and walked 10 of them, with six strikeouts and nine runs allowed in 13 1/3 innings.
Double-A Tulsa
Payton Martin struck out five in five innings, allowing only one run in the nightcap of the Drillers’ **doubleheader split with the Arkansas Travelers (Mariners)**. Wyatt Crowell walked three of his first 33 batters faced this season, but on Saturday the left-hander walked five batters in two-plus innings and allowed six runs, four of them earned in the first game of the doubleheader. The opener got lopsided enough that catcher/infielder Yeiner Fernandez, he had a two-run double earlier, pitched the top of the seventh inning down seven runs. Naturally, he got all three batters he faced on 11 pitches, the only 1-2-3 inning of the game for Great Lakes. Not a bad professional pitching debut for the 23-year-old. Roque Gutierrez pitched the final two innings of the nightcap to earn the win.
High-A Great Lakes
The Loons scored only one run, in the first inning in **a loss to the Dayton Dragons (Reds)**. Mike Sirota drove in said run with an RBI double, his third straight game with a double. Sirota also singled on Saturday, extending his hit streak to eight games. Zach Root, the Dodgers’ top draft pick in 2025 out of Arkansas, had to leave his start with one out in the second inning after appearing to roll his right ankle in securing an out at first base to open the frame. After a long conversation with a trainer and manager Jair Fernandez, Root was pulled from the game, replaced on the mound by Dilan Figueredo. It was a bad-luck start in general for Root, whose first batter in the first inning reached on an error and scored an unearned run. Figueredo allowed an unearned run of his own, then saw one of his bequeathed baserunners score in a wild pitch in the fifth inning. That’s the only earned run allowed this season by Figueredo, who pitched 3 1/3 innings on Saturday. He has seven strikeouts against only one walk in his four appearances and 9 2/3 innings. Nicolas Cruz struck out four in three innings of relief, and allowed one run on hit and a walk. He has 13 strikeouts and two walks in nine innings this season.
Class-A Ontario
Tower Buzzers pitchers allowed runs in seven different innings in **a blowout loss to the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies)**. Starter Marlon Nieves, fresh off winning California League player of the week, allowed five runs, four earned, in two innings. Isaac Ayon followed with three innings with six more runs allowed. Ontario tried to keep pace on offense, with Jose Hernandez hitting two home runs and catcher Conner O’Neal adding a grand slam. But they still lost by 10. **Tradition**: Though minor leaguers are culinarily provided for these days while at work — gone are the days of *maybe* peanut butter and jelly plus a loaf of bread in the clubhouse — one longstanding unwritten code persists, that major league players while rehabbing in the minors take care of their temporary teammates with a postgame spread. Brock Stewart after his second appearance with Ontario on Friday night brought in Chipotle for the team.
Saturday scores
- Albuquerque 8, Oklahoma City 6
- Arkansas 12, Tulsa 5 (Game 1)
- Tulsa 2, Arkansas 1 (Game 2)
- Dayton 4, Great Lakes 1
- Fresno 18, Ontario 8
Sunday schedule
- 10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Christian Zazueta) vs. Dayton (Nestor Lorant)
- 11 a.m.: Tulsa (Luke Fox) vs. Arkansas (Adam Leverett)
- 12:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Cole Irvin) at Albuquerque (Sean Sullivan)
- 1:05 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) vs. Fresno (Brady Parker)
Q&A
What did Joe Vetrano achieve in the recent minor league games?
Joe Vetrano hit a two-run home run and contributed two additional hits, scoring the walk-off winner in a doubleheader.
How did Jack Suwinski perform in the Triple-A game?
Jack Suwinski homered twice, but the Oklahoma City Comets lost to the Albuquerque Isotopes after allowing five runs in the eighth inning.
What happened to Zach Root during his start for High-A Great Lakes?
Zach Root left the game after rolling his right ankle while securing an out, and was replaced by Dilan Figueredo.
How did Jose Hernandez perform in the Class-A Ontario game?
Jose Hernandez hit two home runs, but Ontario lost by ten runs to the Fresno Grizzlies.
