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Prospect Roundup: Games of July 5

Cubs' Hoerner homers; Red Sox's Duran collects four hits
Nico Hoerner has multiple hits in nine of 20 games in the Southern League this season. (Tennessee Smokies)
July 6, 2019

Cubs SS Nico Hoerner, Double-A Tennessee: 2-for-5, 3 RBIs, HR, 3B -- In his second game back off the injured list, the top Cubs prospect delivered a solid performance at the plate. With Roberto Caro on base in the third, Hoerner blasted a two-run shot for his second Southern League homer and

Cubs SS Nico Hoerner, Double-A Tennessee: 2-for-5, 3 RBIs, HR, 3B -- In his second game back off the injured list, the top Cubs prospect delivered a solid performance at the plate. With Roberto Caro on base in the third, Hoerner blasted a two-run shot for his second Southern League homer and first that actually left the ballpark. Two innings later, he ripped a triple to score Caro with the Smokies' fourth run in a 6-5 loss at Montgomery. Despite missing time, Hoerner is batting .304 with a .935 OPS in 20 games with Tennessee. Gameday box score

Red Sox CF Jarren Duran, Double-A Portland: 4-for-5, 2B, R -- Though the success he had in the Carolina League hasn't immediately followed him to the Eastern League, Duran delivered his best game with the Sea Dogs. The No. 9 Red Sox prospect produced his fourth four-hit contest of the season and first since the promotion. He singled three times and doubled, bringing his line with Portland to .240/.298/.298. Gameday box score
Blue Jays RF Griffin Conine, Class A Lansing: 3-for-4, 2 2Bs, 3 RBIs, 2 R -- The No. 15 Toronto prospect has done nothing but hit since his return to Lansing, a trend he continued against Great Lakes. After striking out in the first inning, Conine came back in the fourth and lined a double to center field, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Jake Brodt. He added a two-run double in the fifth and picked up his third RBI of the night with a single in the seventh that raised his average to .345. Gameday box score
Mets SS Shervyen Newton, Class A South Atlantic League: 4-for-5, 2B, 4 RBIs, 2 R -- Newton was doing it all at the plate for the Fireflies, collecting his first four-hit game as a pro and matching his career high with four RBIs. The No. 5 Mets prospect played a part in Columbia's five-run first, driving in a run with a single. He brought in another run with a knock in the third, then collected his final two RBIs with a double in the ninth. In four games in July, the 20-year-old is hitting .333 with a .778 OPS. Gameday box score 
Braves SS Braden Shewmake, Class A Rome: 3-for-5, 3B, 2 RBIs, R -- The 21st overall pick in last month's Draft continues to light up South Atlantic League pitchers, posting his 10th multi-hit effort in 15 games as the Braves topped Asheville, 5-1. He helped jump-start a three-run first inning with a two-run triple to right field and scored on a groundout by fellow first-rounder Shea Langeliers. The Texas A&M product followed with a two-out infield single in the second and a knock to center in the fourth, marking his second three-hit game in the past three contests. He went down swinging to end the sixth and eighth. Gameday box score
Mariners OF Kyle Lewis, Double-A Arkansas: 3-for-3, 2 R -- The seventh-ranked Mariners prospect authored his third three-hit game in the last 12 contests as the Travelers blanked Springfield, 3-0. Lewis stroked a one-out single to center field before scoring on a base hit by Luis Liberato as Arkansas took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. He led off the third with a line drive to right and again came around on an two-out RBI single by Liberato. The 2016 first-round pick walked in the fifth, then capped his perfect night at the dish with a single to right and a stolen base in the seventh. He's batting .316 since the end of May. Gameday box score
Rangers RHP Ricky Vanasco, Class A Short Season Spokane: 6 IP, H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K -- The rangy right-hander notched a career-high 10 punchouts in the Indians' 9-0 win at Hillsboro. In picking up his second win in four starts, the 2017 15th-round pick retired 13 in a row at one point and did not give up a hit until a one-out single in the sixth by Steven Leyton. Vanasco fanned two batters in the first, second, third and sixth frames, throwing 61 of a season-high 88 pitches for strikes. His 0.92 WHIP ranks second in Northwest League as do his 27 strikeouts, while his 1.83 ERA is fifth. Gameday box score
Royals RHP Jackson Kowar, Double-A Northwest Arkansas: 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, BB, 7 K - Making his third Texas League start after beginning the season with Class A Advanced Wilmington, Kansas City's No. 7 prospect fell one strikeout short of his career high as the Naturals downed Tulsa, 3-1. After a 1-2-3 first inning, Kowar worked around a single, a walk and an error in the second. The 2018 first-round pick retired 13 of the next 14 batters before allowing back-to-back hits in the seventh. It was the ninth time in 16 starts across the two levels that he's pitched at least six innings. Gameday box score
Indians C Eric Haase, Triple-A Columbus: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R -- Cleveland's No. 29 prospect is on pace for a career high in homers, and nights like Friday will get him there that much sooner. Haase's two blasts against Louisville were his 22nd and 23rd of the year, bringing him within four of the mark he set in 2017. After going hitless in his previous two games and homering in the one prior, the 26-year-old has gone deep for each of his last three hits. His .611 slugging percentage ranks fourth among qualified hitters in the International League. Gameday box score

Padres C Austin Allen, Triple-A El Paso: 3-for-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R -- The 16th-ranked Padres prospect has split time between the Chihuahuas and the big club this year, but when he's with El Paso, he's almost surely raking. Since returning to the lineup on June 21, the 25-year-old has hit safely in all 10 games he's played, bringing his slash line up to .310/.378/.641 with 12 dingers. His multi-homer effort against Salt Lake was his second in seven days. He also singled for his fourth three-hit game in 2019. Gameday box score
Mariners OF Jarred Kelenic, Class A Advanced Modesto: 2-for-3, HR, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R -- Seattle's top prospect is finding his form with the Nuts now that he's healthy. Kelenic smacked a solo shot in the fifth inning for his second homer in five games. He also doubled, drove in two runs and scored twice, giving him a .474 (9-for-19) average during a five-game hitting streak. The 19-year-old was lifted in the seventh inning before heading to Cleveland for the Futures Game. Gameday box score
Brewers RHP Christian Taugner, Class A Advanced Carolina: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K -- Just one baserunner got as far as second as the 24-year-old dominated Frederick for his second career complete game and shutout. The other was also for the Mudcats, a six-inning effort last Aug. 12. Taugner has worked as both a starter and reliever this season, but Friday was the first time he pitched into the seventh inning and was his first scoreless outing of at least four frames. Gameday box score