Written by Al Ciammiachella

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Scott Barnes, SP-COL: W (7-2), 7 1/3 IP, 2 R, (1 ER), 3 H, 5 K, BB.

Barnes’ standing as a prospect has taken a big leap forward this year, probably more so than any other pitcher in the organization. He struggled at AA Akron last year, going 6-11 with a 5.22 ERA. After the 2010 season, he went out to the elite Arizona Fall League and had a lot of success against top-flight competition in what is traditionally a hitter’s league. He has managed to keep that momentum going all the way through the 2011 season so far. He’s 7-2 with a 3.40 ERA for the Clippers, and has 82 K against 31 BB. His walk rate is actually a little lower than it was last year, but it’s a number that still has to come down. He’s firmly established himself as the 2^nd best lefthanded starter in the system, behind only 2010 1^st round pick Drew Pomeranz in the pecking order.

• Nick Hagadone, RP-COL: 1 2/3 IP, 2 K. Two perfect innings for Hagadone, who has now allowed 1 ER in his last 5 2/3 IP.
• Jason Kipnis, 2B, COL: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K. An off-night for Kipnis, who had 2 or more hits in his previous 4 games going into last night. Still 10-20 overall in the Clippers last 5 games. Free Jason Kipnis.
• Luis Valbuena, SS-COL: 2-4, R. Valbuena has hit in 8 of his last 9 games, and is an impressive 14-33 in that timeframe.
• Kelvin De La Cruz, SP-AKR: L (4-6), 5 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 8 K, 0 BB. Good news/bad news for DLC last night, as he was able to keep his K rate sky high and didn’t walk a batter for the 1^st time this season.
• Jordan Henry, CF-AKR: 3-4, RBI, SB, R. Henry is hitting a blistering .429/.489/.452 over his last 10 games, and has stepped in to fill the void left when Tim Fedroff was promoted to AAA Columbus.
• Nick Weglarz, LF-AKR: 2-4, 2B, R, CS. Somehow, Weglarz managed to go through an entire game without drawing a walk. Going into last night’s game, he had reached base in 9 consecutive plate appearances, including 6 BB.
• Brett Brach, SP-KIN: W (5-5), 8 IP, 5 H, 3 K. Brach didn’t allow a run or walk a batter last night in his 8 strong innings of work. Despite several solid outings, it was his 1^st win since May 26.
• Adam Abraham, 3B-KIN: 2-3, 2B, BB, SB, K. On a night where hits were hard to come by, Abraham had a pair and his double put the winning run on base in a 1-0 victory.
• Chase Burnette, DH-KIN: 1-4, RBI, 3 K. Burnette was having a lousy day going into the 9^th inning yesterday, but his single scored pinch runner Delvi Cid to give the K-Tribe the win.
• Anthony Gallas, LF-KIN: 0-4. Gallas is finding the Carolina League much more of a challenge than the Midwest League. He’s hitting just .196 in 15 games since being promoted to Kinston.
• Mike Rayl, SP-LCC: 6 2/3 IP, 2 H, 7 K. A dominant start by Rayl was squandered by the bullpen. He’s now gone a combined 16 1/3 innings in his last 3 starts without allowing an earned run.  
• Jesus Aguilar, 1B, LCC: 2-4, HR (15), 2 RBI, R, K. Big, Bad Jesus Aguilar has hit .381/.460/.833 with 5 HR and 11 RBI in his last 10 games for the Captains. His 2-run HR last night provided the only runs the Lake County offense could muster.
• Rob Nixon, SP-MVS: 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 4 K. Quality start for the 46^th round pick out of Adelphi University. Really settled down after a rough 1^st outing, and has given up 3 ER in his last 11 IP with 9 K and 0 BB.
• Cody Elliott, CF-MVS: 3-4, RBI, R, SB, CS, K. Elliott is hitting .245/.286/.283 overall for the Scrappers.