210GAMEDAY.COM | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
Sweet has put in 30 seasons as a minor league manager, guiding young baseball players on the way to the majors.
Tuesday night, Sweet’s San Antonio Missions players doused him with ice-water after the team’s 10-2 victory over the Round Rock Express at Wolff Stadium. It was Sweet’s 2,000th win.
The Missions currently have the best record in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League at 49-29.
Mauricio Dubon had three hits including his 10th home run of the season.
Missions starting pitcher Zack Brown (2-4) got the win and also hit an RBI double and walked. Brown pitched five innings and allowed four earned runs. He gave up six hits, struck out five and walked three.
In addition to his home run, Dubon had a single and a double. It was his fifth straight game with multiple hits. During that stretch he has raised his batting average from .290 to .312.
The Missions took control of the game with three runs in the second inning and four runs in the third.
All the Missions’ damage in the second inning came with two outs. Lucas Erceg started the rally with his seventh double of the season. Brown doubled down the first base line to score Erceg. Dubon’s homer with Brown on gave the Missions a 4-1 lead.
The Missions’ half of the third inning included a sacrifice fly by Erceg and a two-RBI single by Dubon. Dubon had four RBIs in the game and now has 36 for the season.
After earning all-state honors as a senior outfielder at Reagan in 2005, Vasquez played his college ball first at Texas A&M, then at Southern Cal. He has been pitching in the minors since 2009, including four stints in the Mexican winter league.
The 6-foot, left-hander is now with the Reno Aces, the Triple-A farm club of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Vasquez and the Aces are currently in San Antonio for a four-game series with the San Antonio Missions.
This season in the Pacific Coast League, Vasquez has a 3-4 record with a 6.23 ERA. He has appeared in 13 games including seven starts.
Vasquez pitched two innings in relief on Sunday against the Missions. He also pinch-hit in Saturday night’s 12-inning game at Wolff Stadium.
Nate Orf drove in the Missions’ first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth. Orf was one of three Missions to score when Freitas doubled with the bases loaded later in the inning to give the Missions a 4-2 lead.
Michael O’Neill had an RBI double and scored on a single by Mauricio Dubon as the Missions added two more runs in the sixth to make it 6-2.
Freitas hit his fourth home run of the season to lead off the bottom of the seventh and make it 7-2.
Orf doubled in O’Neill in the bottom of the eighth for the Missions’ final run.
The Aces scored the first two runs of the game on solo home runs by Abraham Almonte in the third and fifth innings.
Missions starting pitcher Aaron Wilkerson (6-1) went five innings and got the win. He gave up the two home runs to Almonte – the only runs Wilkerson has allowed in home games at Wolff this season.
It was a warm afternoon Sunday at Wolff Stadium. Thanks to the San Antonio Missions fans who took the time to say hi. – photo by Joe Alexander
The Aces scored a run in the top of the 12th to take a 4-3 lead.
The Missions’ Mauricio Dubon delivered an RBI single to score Troy Stokes Jr. with the tieing run in the bottom of the 12th.
Orf lofted a fly ball to left field to bring home Jake Hager from third with the winning run.
Dubon finished the game with three hits including a double. David Freitas, who is batting .363, had a hit and two RBIs.
Missions reliever Alex Wilson (3-0) pitched the top of the 12th inning and got the win.
Hernandez played for the then-Double-A Missions in 2004 while coming up through the minors in the Seattle Mariners organization.
The 33-year-old right-hander from Venezuela has been pitching in the majors for the Mariners since 2005. His appearance in San Antonio on Friday for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers was his first rehab game since going on the injured list on May 12.
Hernandez’s night was shorter than expected. There were reports that he would throw in the range of 55 to 65 pitches. Instead, Hernandez left the mound with one out in the third inning. He walked off with the Rainiers’ team trainer.
The Missions put up two runs on two hits and a walk against Hernandez, who threw a total of 31 pitches.
Media reports indicated Hernandez left the game due to fatigue.
Keston Hiura and Tyler Saladino hit home runs to pace the Missions to a 6-1 victory over the Rainers.
In the eight games since being optioned down from the Milwaukee Brewers, Hiura has added four home runs, 11 RBIs and hit 11-of-34 (.324).
That includes two home runs and five RBIs Thursday night as the Missions pounded the Tacoma Rainiers 15-1 at Wolff Stadium.
Both of Hiura’s homers came off Rainiers starting pitcher Justus Sheffield. Hiura hit a solo shot in the first inning in his first at-bat. He added a grand slam in the second inning. That boosted his team-leading home run total to 15 for the season.
Hiura had plenty of help in the hitting department as the Missions spent a big part of their night celebrating at the plate.
Tyler Saladino hit his 13th home run of the season, a leadoff shot in the second inning.
Mauricio Dubon hit a two-run homer in the third inning.
Lucas Erceg added a three-run homer in the seventh inning.
The Missions finished with 15 hits including doubles by Dubon and Troy Stokes Jr.
Missions starting pitcher Burch Smith (4-3) went five innings to get the win. He allowed one run on two hits and struck out 10 batters with two walks.
The Brewers needed reinforcements when injuries left the big league club short-handed in the infield.
Hiura showed he could hold his own, batting .281 with five home runs in 17 games.
But once Travis Shaw returned to the Brewers from an injury and rehab assignment, Hiura was optioned back to the Triple-A San Antonio Missions on June 3. The Missions were on the road at the time.
On Wednesday night, for the first time since his stint with the Brewers, Hiura was back playing on the Missions’ home field at Wolff Stadium.
He drew a media crowd before the game when he did a group interview in the Missions’ dugout. Then he had a hit and drove in a run in Wednesday’s 4-2, 10-inning loss to the Tacoma Rainiers.
In 43 games with the Missions this season, Hiura leads the team in home runs with 13, is second in batting at .331 and third in RBIs with 31.
Through eight games, O’Neill is hitting .240 with two RBIs.
The 26-year-old right-hander started the season in Double-A Biloxi, where he batted .290 with four home runs in 45 games.
This is O’Neill’s seventh season of pro baseball, all in the minors. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2013.
He spent most of last year in the Texas League, including playing against the then-Double-A Missions. He hit .255 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs in 121 games for the Texas Rangers’ farm club in Frisco. He became a free agent at the end of the season.
O’Neill was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers to a minor league contract on March 9.
