After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his Arizona Fall League debut, Austin Riley rebounded nicely Thursday.Atlanta's No. 10 prospect went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs as Peoria held off Mesa, 10-9, at Sloan Park.
After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his Arizona Fall League debut, Austin Riley rebounded nicely Thursday.
Atlanta's No. 10 prospect went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs as Peoria held off Mesa, 10-9, at Sloan Park.
Riley collected hits in each of his first three at-bats. He drove in a run with a two-out single to right field in the first inning and followed up with a two-run shot to left-center in the third. After plating his fourth run with a single up the middle in the fifth, the 20-year-old infielder struck out in his last two at-bats.
"It was nice, it felt good," Riley told MLB.com. "Happy I could get some hits … that was my first time seeing live pitching since the end of the season, so I think [the first game] was a timing thing."
Gameday box score
Riley drove in four runs once during the regular season, on Aug. 4 with Double-A Mississippi. But the 2015 first-round pick put together nine games with three hits or more while amassing a .275/.339/.446 slash line with 20 dingers and 74 RBIs in 129 games between Class A Advanced Florida and Mississippi.
"I'm notorious for starting slow and I did again this year, but I picked it up as the season went on," Riley told MLB.com. "I got better with cutting down the strikeouts, bringing the walks up."
Through the first two games of his Arizona Fall League career, Really is 3-for-9 and leads the Javelinas with four RBIs.
Top Braves prospect Ronald Acuña Jr. left the game in the bottom of the second after getting hit by a pitch in the top of the frame. According to MLB Pipeline, the 19-year-old outfielder suffered a left forearm contusion. Acuna was replaced by fellow Atlanta prospect Jared James, who went 1-for-3.
"He's fine. It looked very bad, but he's day-to-day," Javelinas manager Luis Salazar told MLB.com after the game. "He might be back Saturday, depends how he feels."
Second-ranked Red Sox prospectMichael Chavis stayed hot for the Javelinas by turning in his third straight multi-hit game with a pair of singles. Eric Filia added three hits and two RBIs while scoring twice. Padres No. 3 prospectLuis Urías went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Boston lefty Henry Owens (1-0) picked up the win for Peoria despite allowing four runs on two hits and five walks while fanning two in one inning of work. T.J. Weir notched his first AFL save after recording the final four outs.
Tigers No. 28 prospectSpencer Turnbull (0-1) was tagged for seven runs -- four earned -- on eight hits and a walk while striking out one over 2 1/3 frames for the Solar Sox.
Tyler Ramirez (A's) led the Mesa offense with a solo homer, while Nationals No. 10 prospectDaniel Johnson chipped in two hits and a pair of RBIs.
In other AFL action:
Scorpions 8, Rafters 0
Yankees No. 3 prospectEstevan Florial led Scottsdale from the leadoff spot, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored. The 19-year-old outfielder is hitting .556 (5-for-9) through his first two career AFL games. New York's No. 23 prospect Billy McKinney, playing first base for the first time as a professional, drove in four runs for Scottsdale. Giants No. 12 prospectJoan Gregorio allowed two hits and recorded a strikeout in three innings and combined with D.J. Snelten (Giants), Kyle Regnault (Mets), Andrew Schwaab (Yankees) and Tyler Cyr (Giants) for the shutout. Gameday box score
Desert Dogs 8, Saguaros 2
White Sox righty Dylan Covey allowed three hits without a walk and struck out two over five scoreless innings to lead Glendale to its second consecutive win. Dodgers prospects Will Smith and Matt Beaty carried the load for the Desert Dogs offense. Smith -- Los Angeles' No. 8 prospect -- tripled, doubled and drove in two while 30th-ranked Beaty collected three hits and an RBI. Luis La O (Rangers) accounted for Surprise's runs with an eighth-inning single. Gameday box score
