Hot-hitting Casteel gives Rafters edge

Rockies prospect Ryan Casteel hasn't found it very difficult to find hits after going 0-for-3 in his Arizona Fall League debut.

Playing first base and batting cleanup, Casteel extended his modest hitting streak to six games early and then plated the go-ahead run in Salt River's 5-1 comeback win over Glendale on Thursday.

"He was pretty quick to the plate, so I knew I had to get ready," Casteel said of his late knock off White Sox southpaw Jefferson Olacio. "He left a slider up and fortunately I was able to get a piece of it."

The game was played under the new rules Major League Baseball is experimenting with in the league in an attempt to speed up the pace of play. Among the changes was a pitch clock that gives hurlers 20 seconds to unleash an offering or throw to a base, with an automatic ball assessed for taking too long.

"I don't know if the clocks had anything to do with that," said Casteel, who also singled in the first. "I just know that guy was quick to the plate. With a runner on first, he was trying to hold that guy and I just got a pitch up and was able to hit it."

Casteel, who is batting .296/.406/.407 with six RBIs after his second multi-hit game, has noticed changes in the way the game is played with the test rules in place.

"It does affect it some," he said. "I see pitchers, not rushing, but they're getting the ball and going a little more. I think it's pretty effective."

In his continued transition from catcher to first base, Casteel hit .280/.341/.445 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs across 113 games with Double-A Tulsa in 2014, ranking sixth in the Texas League in average, second in slugging and tied for fourth in total bases with 194.

"I'm just trying to carry on what I've been doing offensively and moving over to first to get reps," the midseason Texas League All-Star said. "Just playing the game, getting more at-bats."

Andrew Aplin (Astros) doubled in the first of five runs for the Rafters (7-2) in the eighth, with Casteel's RBI single followed by a bases-loaded walk taken by Austin Nola (Marlins), a sacrifice fly by Chad Wallach (Marlins) and a run-scoring hit by Evan Marzilli (D-backs).

Top Dodgers prospect Corey Seager put the Desert Dogs (3-4) on the scoreboard with an RBI double in the first. Their starter, second-ranked Tigers prospect Robbie Ray, fired three one-hit innings, fanning five and walking two.