D-backs Farm Rumblings: Christian Walker heating up in Reno

Reno Aces (Triple-A Pacific Coast League)

For the Week: 4-0
On the Season: 46-48
In the Standings: 3rd place in Pacific Northern Division; 8.5 games behind Fresno

• All-Star representation – Outfielder Socrates Brito and infielder Ildemaro Vargas both saw action and got hits for the PCL All-Stars in a 12-7 win over the International League stars Wednesday night in Columbus. Brito started in right field and went 1-for-5, hitting a single in the first inning. Vargas had an RBI double in the ninth that put the PCL up 11-7. Vargas also had hits in three straight games for Reno, extending his hitting streak to 17 games entering this week.

Like there was never any doubt…@ildemaro_tigre has just extended his hit streak to 1️⃣7️⃣ with a lead-off single in the Top of the 6th! pic.twitter.com/n5O5QtHQQl

— Reno Aces (@Aces) July 15, 2018

• A perfect night – Second baseman Juniel Querecuto racked up a five-hit (all singles) night Thursday in an 8-2 win over El Paso. It was Querecuto’s first five-hit game during his pro career, which started back in 2010. The 25-year-old, who batted .369 in 47 games with Jackson earlier in the season, is hitting .351 (39-for-120) since joining the Aces in early June.

Cinco Querecuto: #Dbacks prospect Juniel Querecuto tallied a career-high five hits and scored twice to lead the @Aces on Thursday night. https://t.co/lPVTObyaA4 pic.twitter.com/22Eo9WiR7l

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) July 13, 2018

• Home run binge – First baseman Christian Walker, the PCL’s reigning MVP, came out of the gates on fire post-All-Star break. Walker homered in each of Reno’s first three games against El Paso, driving in eight runs in the process. Walker now has 13 long balls on the season after belting 32 last year.

Feels so nice when @CWALK328 leaves the ballpark twice. 💪 #FTW pic.twitter.com/t6rsIWMqGd

— Reno Aces (@Aces) July 15, 2018

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Jackson Generals (Double-A Southern League)

For the Week: 5-2
On the Season: 11-13 (2nd half)
In the Standings: 4th place in North Division; 3.0 games behind Tennessee

• Lopez gets action in Futures Game – Jackson right-hander Yoan Lopez repped the D-backs in the annual Futures Game in Washington, D.C. Sunday. The 25-year-old pitched one-third of an inning, striking out the only batter he faced during a game won by the U.S. team, 10-6.

• Rakin’ – Jackson outfielder Daniel Robertson is dialed in at the plate. The 32-year-old veteran enters the week riding a streak of three straight three-hit games. For the week, Robertson batted a hefty .433 (13-for-30) with a home run and 12 RBI, which led the entire Arizona organization.

• A Takahashi gem – Right-hander Bo Takahashi got his first win at the Double-A level Tuesday night in a 6-1 triumph over Biloxi. The 21-year-old went 6.2 innings while allowing just two hits, one run and two walks with 10 strikeouts before handing things off to Kevin Ginkel and Daniel Gibson to finish it off.

• A good, old-fashioned shellacking – The Generals exploded offensively Sunday, racking up 21 hits in a 20-8 win over Mobile. Every player in the lineup had at least two hits with catcher Alberto Rosario leading the way with four. First baseman Rudy Flores homered and drove in five, while the previously-mentioned Robertson had four RBI. The Generals became the third rung in the organization, joining the major league D-backs and the Arizona Rookie League squad in scoring 20 or more runs in a game in just the past two weeks.

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Visalia Rawhide (High-A California League)

For the Week: 1-6
On the Season: 10-15 (2nd half)
In the Standings: Tied for 2nd place in North Division; 4.0 games behind Stockton

• Vargas continues to roll – Right-hander Emilio Vargas notched the Rawhide’s one and only win on the week, twirling a gem on Tuesday in a 6-4 decision over Modesto. Vargas allowed just three hits and two runs over five innings, while fanning 13 Nuts hitters. The 21-year-old leads the California League in both ERA (2.15) and strikeouts (129) this season.

Well, that’s certainly one way to take back the @CalLeague1 strikeouts lead. #Dbacks No. 28 prospect Emilio Vargas strung together a season-high 13 punchouts for @VisaliaRawhide. https://t.co/h2EqIhCN0f pic.twitter.com/Fz6N2a7bAI

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) July 11, 2018

• Threatening history – In that same game, Matt Brill, Junior Garcia and Tommy Eveld struck out eight hitters in four innings of bullpen action, giving the Rawhide 21 Ks in nine innings, which nearly broke a long-standing California League record.

Proud of this crew! They racked up 21 K’s in 9 IP last night. One shy of a 77 year-old Cal League record!

Emilio Vargas: 13K – @MattyDaddy25: 4K
Junior Garcia: 3K – @teveld: 1K pic.twitter.com/JaNkZX7BPY

— Jeff Badge-In-Arrow (@jeffbajenaru) July 12, 2018

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Kane County Cougars (Single-A Midwest League)

For the Week: 2-4
On the Season: 10-14 (2nd half)
In the Standings: 7th place in Western Division; 6.0 games behind Beloit and Cedar Rapids

• Shaffer again outstanding – Right-hander Brian Shaffer continued his stellar 2018 campaign in his most recent start Wednesday night against Bowling Green. The 21-year-old went 6.0 innings, allowing a single run and six hits while striking out seven in a 9-2 win. Over his last four starts, Shaffer is 3-0 with a 0.72 ERA, 30 strikeouts and one walk over 25 innings of work.

#YourCougars pitcher, @bshaffe13, has been named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week for July 2-8! He went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 6 innings pitched plus 9 strikeouts during that time. #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/QOoWu7ZX9L

— Kane County Cougars (@KCCougars) July 10, 2018

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Hillsboro Hops (Short Season-A Northwest League)

For the Week: 5-1
On the Season: 21-9
In the Standings: 1st place in South Division; 4.0 games ahead of Boise

• Providing souvenirs – First baseman Francis Martinez, a 21-year-old Dominican slugger, only had four hits on the week but put three of them over Northwest League fences for the Hops. The 250-pound switch-hitter now has seven homers, which is tied for second-most in the Northwest League.

#BIGFRANK OVER THE BATTER’S EYE!

434 feet, exit velocity of 110 mph!!#AllHoppedUp pic.twitter.com/YFQAWNAsuD

— Hillsboro Hops (@HillsboroHops) July 16, 2018

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Missoula Osprey (Rookie Pioneer League)

For the Week: 3-3
On the Season: 16-14
In the Standings: 2nd place in North Division; 2.0 games behind Great Falls

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DSL D-backs 1 (Rookie Dominican Summer League)

For the Week: 4-1
On the Season: 23-13
In the Standings: 2nd place in Baseball City Division; 1.0 game behind Orioles

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DSL D-backs 2 (Rookie Dominican Summer League)

For the Week: 1-4
On the Season: 15-21
In the Standings: 6th place in San Pedro Division; 6.5 games behind Brewers and Phillies White

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AZL D-backs (Arizona Rookie League)

For the Week: 1-2
On the Season: 11-9
In the Standings: Tied for 3rd place in East Division; 0.5 games behind Cubs 1 and Giants Orange

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