Max Kepler Shines in MLB Rehab Appearance, but Hops Fall 6-3

Hillsboro, OR (June 13, 2026) – The Tri-City Dust Devils erased an early deficit with one swing of the bat and handed the Hillsboro Hops a 6-3 loss Saturday night in game five of their six-game series. Hillsboro's offense received a boost from a familiar big-league bat. Eleven-year Major League veteran Max Kepler, appearing on a rehab assignment with the Hops accounted for all three Hillsboro runs and hit a two-run homer in the loss.

Kepler put Hillsboro on the board in the third inning when he lined an RBI single to center, scoring Wallace Clark after Clark doubled with one out. After being held hitless through the first four innings by Hillsboro starter Rio Britton, the Dust Devils broke through dramatically in the fifth. Entering the inning trailing 1-0, Tri-City loaded the bases without recording a hit, using a single, two walks and a hit batter to set the table for Johan Macias. The Dust Devils second baseman then launched a grand slam to left field, his third homer of the season, turning a one-run deficit into a 4-1 Tri-City lead.

Britton had been dominant before the fifth, retiring 12 of the first 13 batters he faced and carrying a no-hitter into the inning. The Dust Devils managed just one hit through four frames before erupting for four runs on Macias' blast.

The veteran outfielder Kepler struck again in the seventh, belting a two-run homer to right field that trimmed the Dust Devils' lead to 5-3. Kepler has hit 176 career Major League home runs, including a 36-homer campaign with the Minnesota Twins in 2019.

Tri-City added an insurance run in the sixth inning. Juan Flores doubled to begin the frame and eventually scored on Kevin Bruggeman's sacrifice bunt, extending the lead to 5-1. The Dust Devils tacked on another run in the eighth when Bruggeman singled home Jorge Ruiz, who had doubled earlier in the inning.

After Kepler's seventh-inning homer brought Hillsboro within two, the Hops were unable to mount another rally. Tri-City's bullpen shut down the final six Hillsboro hitters, with Kyle Roche tossing 2.1 scoreless over the final two innings to earn the save.

Wallace Clark finished with two doubles and scored twice for Hillsboro giving him 11 hits on the week. Macias finished with four RBIs and scored twice for the Dust Devils.

The victory improved Tri-City's chances of salvaging a split of the six-game set. The Dust Devils will look to even the series in Sunday's finale, while the Hops will try to secure the series victory after winning three of the first four games.