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Robles paces East to AFL Fall Stars victory

Nationals top prospect delivers game-tying single, scores twice
Victor Robles has a .945 OPS, five RBIs and five runs scored in seven Arizona Fall League games. (Jerry Kime/MLB.com)
November 4, 2017

On a night that featured some of baseball's best young talent, it was Victor Robles who left the biggest mark in the Arizona Fall League's 12th annual Fall Stars Game. The top Nationals prospect singled in the tying run in the eighth inning and scored twice as the East Division rallied for

On a night that featured some of baseball's best young talent, it was Victor Robles who left the biggest mark in the Arizona Fall League's 12th annual Fall Stars Game. 
The top Nationals prospect singled in the tying run in the eighth inning and scored twice as the East Division rallied for a 4-2 victory over the West on Saturday at Salt River Fields. 


The East took a 1-0 lead in the first inning by manufacturing a run against Pirates No. 2 prospectMitch Keller. Robles started things with a leadoff walk and stole second before coming around to score on an groundout by third-ranked Orioles prospectRyan Mountcastle
Robles, who missed the first week of the AFL season while participating in the National League Division Series, has a .945 OPS, two homers and five RBIs in seven games with Mesa. 
Gameday box score
The lead didn't last long.
Padres No. 10 prospectJosh Naylor tripled off Yankees No. 4 prospectJustus Sheffield to open the second and trotted home on a single by Dodgers No. 5 prospect Yusniel Diaz. 
Sheffield limited the damage to one run and ended up allowing three hits and a walk while notching two strikeouts in two innings. The 21-year-old southpaw has a 2.37 ERA and 0.79 WHIP over 19 innings for Scottsdale. 
The game remained knotted until the fifth when Luis Urías, MLB.com's No. 48 overall prospect, took Cubs No. 3 prospect Adbert Azolay deep to left-center field for a solo shot. 
"To be honest, I don't know how I hit it out," Urias told MLB.com. "That's not a big part of my game. I'm more about getting base hits and hitting line drives. I'm very happy that I could hit the ball that far."

The long ball remained the difference until the eighth. Mets No. 11 prospect Luis Guillorme hit a one-out double and scored on Robles' bloop single. After Brewers No. 2 prospectCorey Ray walked, A's No. 14 prospect Sheldon Neuse plated Robles with a pinch single. One batter later, D-backs No. 19 prospectVictor Reyes provided insurance with a sacrifice fly. 
"The last thing I was trying to do was hit into a double play," Neuse told MLB.com. "I worked myself into a good count, missed a 2-0 fastball and then got a pitch up that I was able to drive back up the middle."
Giants right-hander Tyler Cyr worked a 1-2-3 ninth to register the save and preserve the win for Reds southpaw Brennan Bernardino, who fanned two and walked one in a hitless eighth.

Michael Leboff is a contributor to MiLB.com.