Scorching O'Brien goes yard again for Aces

Peter O'Brien went to Arizona and came back to Triple-A with a Major League bat.

The D-backs' No. 7 prospect continued his scalding hot week with another home run and three-hit night as the Reno Aces fell to the visiting Salt Lake Bees, 6-5, on Monday.
    
O'Brien wasted no time continuing his surge at the plate. The outfielder crushed his Minor League-leading 17th home run to left field with two outs in the first inning, a moonshot that ran his hitting streak to eight games. The blast cleanly exited Greater Nevada Field.

Two innings later, 25-year-old got the Aces started by singling on a sharp leadoff bouncer into center field. After Socrates Brito followed with a single to right, Kyle Jensen cranked a three-run homer to right to level the score, 5-5.

O'Brien cemented the third three-hit game of his hit streak when he singled on a grounder to left in the fourth.

Since getting one at-bat in his brief National League cameo over a week ago, O'Brien has looked like a man ready for "The Show" sooner rather than later upon his return. The Hialeah, Florida native is batting .469 (15-for-32) over the course of seven games with five homers, 19 RBIs and 35 total bases. The latter two totals are the best in the Minors while O'Brien's five long balls stand second only to Reds prospect Brandon Dixon's eight over that time.

Monday's performance was O'Brien's third game with a homer in his last four. The former Miami Hurricane also blasted a walk-off grand slam on June 1 and delivered three doubles and three runs scored in his first game back on May 31.

Despite allowing five runs on 12 hits, Salt Lake starter Kyle Kendrick outlasted Reno to earn his fourth win of the season. The Bees broke a 5-5 tie in the top of the fifth when No. 5 Angels prospect Kaleb Cowart doubled to lead off the frame and scored the eventual game-winning run on Todd Cunningham's groundout to short.