Vogelbach homers on four-hit day for Rainiers

Daniel Vogelbach has made a name for himself in the Minor Leagues, thanks to a productive bat. But what the 250-pound slugger truly wants to be is a .300 hitter. The rest will take care of itself.
Vogelbach notched his first four-hit game of the season, homered and drove in three runs to lead Triple-A Tacoma to a 9-5 triumph over Fresno at Chukchansi Park. 
The Mariners' eighth-ranked prospect led an offensive barrage by the Rainiers, who totaled a season-high 18 hits on the strength of seven different multi-hit efforts.

Gameday box score
It was the sixth career four-hit game for Vogelbach and his first since July 18 with Iowa. The 24-year-old ended a 3-for-18 funk that spanned five games.
"I've felt really good at the plate. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to the pitchers when they make good pitches," the Florida native said. "My job is to capitalize on mistakes and take advantage of the opportunities. I really pride myself on being a good hitter overall. I want to hit .300 first and after that, the homers will be there. That's my line of thinking.
"I try to use the whole field, go deep into counts and make the pitchers work. I especially love getting those two-strike hits. It seems to help me get locked in a little more."

Vogelbach found his comfort zone immediately on Sunday, clearing the right-field fence in the first inning with his seventh homer of the year. He drove in Leonys Martin with a two-out single to left in the second against Dean Deetz, who was making his Triple-A debut. Vogelbach made it three hits in as many at-bats with an infield single leading off the fourth.
After grounding out in the sixth and walking in the seventh, the 2011 second-round pick provided some insurance in the ninth with a single to right that plated Zach Shank for his third RBI of the game.

"I take pride in getting those hits to drive guys in," said Vogelbach, who's batting .378 with runners in scoring position. "I'll pick my spots to do some damage, but I try and take what the pitcher gives me, whether that's going the other way or pulling the ball. I find it best to not be too picky. Especially today, with the team skidding a bit, it was nice to help out and get us back on the winning track."
Deetz (0-1) surrendered seven runs on nine hits and two walks with one strikeout in 2 1/3 innings. The Astros' 30th-ranked prospect was promoted on Tuesday after posting a 1.82 ERA in eight appearances with Double-A Corpus Christi.
"He had really good success at Double-A and he showed some good stuff tonight," Vogelbach said. "But we did a good job of hunting his fastball and getting him out of the game early. It's always nice to get into the bullpen quickly." 

Danny Muno, Ryan Jackson and Martin had three hits apiece, combining for five RBIs. Mariners No. 2 prospect Tyler O'Neill went 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk and two runs scored.
Andrew Moore allowed three runs -- two earned -- in four innings for Tacoma. Seattle's fourth-ranked prospect walked two and struck out four after tossing eight scoreless frames in his last start.