Smokies' Baez stays in hot groove
Tennessee shortstop Javiez Baez hit his seventh homer in nine games in the Smokies' 3-2 win over the Birmingham Barons.
In 23 Southern League contests, the 20-year-old is hitting .221 with 11 homers and 21 RBIs.
Starter Matt Loosen yielded two runs on three hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings and Jeffry Antigua (1-0) spun 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory.
Birmingham first baseman Dan Black reached base four times, but Chris Bassitt (2-1) allowed three runs over seven innings.
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David Martinez allowed three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and two walks while striking out five batters over 7 1/3 innings in the Corpus Christi Hooks' 4-3 win over the San Antonio Missions.
The victory helped the Venezuelan right-hander improve to 13-2, tying the franchise's single-season record set by Jason Hirsh, who was 13-8 in 2005.
Hooks catcher Max Stassi hit a two-run homer, tripled, singled and scored twice and designated hitter Ronald Torreyes and third baseman Jonathan Meyer each collected two hits in the win.
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A.J. Cole (2-0) surrendered one unearned run on four hits over six innings in the Harrisburg Senators' 5-3 win over the Trenton Thunder. Cole struck out six batters and issued three walks in lowering his ERA to 0.69.
Trenton starter Nik Turley (8-6) was almost identical to his counterpart. He gave up two runs -- both unearned -- on three hits and three walks while striking out six batters over six innings.
Batting second and serving as the Thunder's designated hitter, rehabbing Yankees outfield Curtis Granderson went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks and a run scored.
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Right fielder Anthony Hewitt hit two of Reading's five homers in the Fightin Phils' 7-6 win over the Erie SeaWolves.
The 24-year-old hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning and he added a solo long ball in the seventh, his 15th of the season.
Third baseman Maikel Franco, left fielder Kelly Dugan and DH Justin Dalles each cleared the fences for Reading, which extended its Eastern League-leading home run tally to 110.
Erie shortstop Eugenio Suarez was 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs and leadoff hitter Jamie Johnson collected three hits, a walk and a run scored. No. 9 hitter Marcus Lemon smacked his seventh roundtripper.
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Drew Carpenter struck out nine batters over seven three-hit innings as the Arkansas Travelers blanked the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, 5-0.
The win helped Carpenter improve to 3-1 and lower his ERA to 1.44. David Carpenter fanned two batters in a perfect eighth frame and Ryan Chaffee sealed the shutout with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Travs' first baseman C.J. Cron went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer -- his ninth of the year -- in the first inning and backstop Carlos Ramirez added a two-run long ball in the seventh.