Puig jolts Quakes early in win over JetHawks

Yasiel Puig's first rehab appearance in Rancho Cucamonga last month didn't go quite as planned when the Dodgers outfielder aggravated a nagging hamstring injury. One game into his second tour with the Quakes, things look much better.

Puig ripped a first-inning double to start a 2-for-4 day, scoring a run and playing seven innings in the field to test his strained left hamstring as Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga beat Lancaster, 8-5, at The Hangar on Thursday.

"He looked really good," Quakes manager Bill Haselman said. "He looked great. Even in pregame, batting practice, he took live fly balls, ground balls. To my eye, it didn't even look like he had an injury."

After playing just 11 big league games over the season's first month due to his injury, Puig headed to Rancho Cucamonga for his first rehab assignment on May 7. After going 1-for-7 in two games, the outfielder tweaked the injury and was forced out of action for another month.

Puig got his night started with a double to center field in the first inning. He scored the latter of the Quakes' two first-inning runs on Kyle Farmer's RBI single to center. With two outs in the sixth, the 24-year-old laced a line-drive single to right. Puig grounded out in the second and struck out in the fourth. He was also tested with five plays in the outfield.

"It's a combination of everything, just making sure he's healthy," Haselman said. "When his hamstring's healthy, he'll be ready to go. Tonight, he looked great. He's just got to get some game activity in to get back in the swing of things, go through the process of playing seven innings, nine innings, sitting down and going back on the field just to simulate what he's going to be doing every day here pretty soon."

After an abbreviated stint with the Quakes last month, Haselman praised the outfielder's influence on his club in another swing through the California League.

"I think it's always nice for the young guys to have a guy like that around every once in a while, maybe be able to ask those kinds of guys questions about certain things that maybe they have some doubts about or some things they don't know about," he said. "It's always a good thing to have that. It's good when they come here and they work hard and show the young guys what it takes to get to that level."

After seven innings, Puig was lifted for pinch hitter Robbie Garvey with two outs in the top of the eighth.

Although Puig provided a first-inning spark for Rancho Cucamonga and Haselman welcomed his presence, he didn't feel his team drew any added motivation from the rehabbing star.

"Usually I would say yes, but with this team, I would say no," he said of his club feeding off of a player of Puig's caliber. "These guys have a lot of good energy. These guys have a very good chemistry, very good energy, they talk a lot in the dugout. They do things that are very impressive to me at this level. Having him is always great, but they kind of go about their business pretty good anyway."

Two spots behind Puig in the Quakes lineup, No. 19 Dodgers prospect Farmer continued his torrid season. The third baseman notched three hits, including a double, driving in two runs and scoring another.

"He's just consistent," Haselman said. "He hits the ball the other way really well, stays on pitches for a long time so he's constantly giving himself a chance at the plate. He doesn't chase too much, and he knows how to hit the ball to the opposite field. When you put that combination together, you're going to have a pretty good hitter."

Former Major Leaguer Erik Bedard made his third start for Rancho Cucamonga and allowed four runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. Quakers reliever Ramon Benjamin (3-2) threw 2 2/3 perfect innings, striking out two to earn the win.