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Baby Bomber Recap 8/15/15: Vicente Conde hits two home runs in RiverDogs win

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from August 15th.

By Jason Cohen

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: L 2-3 vs. Rochester Red Wings

Scoreless for most of the game up until the seventh inning, the RailRiders lost a tough pitching duel. Scranton finally broke free of the 0-0 tie when Aaron Judge singled and Slade Heathcott doubled to bring in the first run of the evening. With two on and two out, Cole Figueroa singled the second run, but the offense wasn't able to push the lead any further. On the night, Slade collected two hits, Austin Romine and Ben Gamel doubled, and Jose Pirela singled.

Kyle Davies actually provided 6.1 innings of five-hit, one-run baseball and could have left with the lead after a successful top of the seventh inning. Unfortunately, everything fell apart in the bottom half of the inning when he allowed a solo home run to lead off the frame, followed by a single before getting the first out. Cole Figueroa would then make a very damning fielding error and Davies was pulled with the bases loaded. Branden Pinder then came into the game and allowed a run to score on a sacrifice fly and balked in what would be the game-winning run.

It was a bad ending to some solid play, but if this game is remembered behind today, it will be for Slade Heathcott's sensational catch to rob Xavier Henry of a home run to right field:

Double-A Trenton Thunder: L 2-4 vs. Reading Fightin Phils

The Thunder came out on the wrong end of a pitching duel as the Phillies affiliate got to the Yankees affiliate bullpen after a big effort by starting pitcher Cale Coshow. The big righty allowed one earned run one three hits and two walks over 6.0 innings in an effort that should have lined Trenton up for the win, if Reading's own pitcher hadn't also stifled the offense. Coshow has been predominately used in the bullpen, but after serving as the RiverDogs closer for the first two months of the season, he was promoted to High-A Tampa and eventually installed into the rotation. As a starting pitcher this year, he's held a 2.49 ERA and kept opponents to a .201/.256/.263 batting line through 10 starts and 50.2 innings, earning his spot as the no. 28 Yankees prospect on MLB.com's top 30 list. After Coshow came out of the game, Conor Mullee surrendered another two runs in the seventh to seal the team's fate on the night.

The offense was held to just three hits with Tony Renda's home runs and Tyler Austin's double being the only extra base hits for Trenton. Thunder batters drew five walks, allowing Cito Culver and Jake Cave to steal a base apiece, but other than that, the team went pretty quietly into oblivion.

High-A Tampa Yankees: Postponed

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs: L 5-8 vs. Greenville Drive

The RiverDogs didn't come out on top in the end, but for most of the game, the Yankees affiliate beat up on the Red Sox affiliate. Shortstop Angel Aguilar collected two hits, a stolen base, and two walks while first baseman Bo Thompson and left fielder Griffin Gordon each took two of their own free passes too. The offense was led by second baseman Vicente Conde as he went 3-4, connected with two home runs, and collected four RBI. Conde has been so good recently that it caused the team's twitter feed to lose its mind:

Drafted in 2014, Conde has already played at every level at A-ball and above, so it didn't look like he had much of a future outside of organizational depth. However, since returning from a brief stint in Scranton, Conde has hit .267/.345/.486 with four home runs in 119 plate appearances and has hit over .900 OPS in the month of August. He has shown an ability to play every infield position, so if his bat has woken up, he could become an intriguing utility player going forward.

Charleston got a strong start from Jordan Foley as he managed to only surrender one earned run on one hit and three walks while also striking out 10 batters in 5.0 innings. Foley has been moved back and forth between Low-A and Triple-A, but in his last six starts since returning to Charleston, he's pitched to a 2.67 ERA and has kept batters to .230/.304/.361 line against him over 33.2 innings. He's one of the Yankees' many college arm selection from the 2014 MLB Draft, so it might not be too long before we see him break toward the majors. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good day for all Yankees pitching prospects and Alex Robinett and Dillon McNamara allowed a combined six runs between the seventh and eight innings to put the Drive up by a lot. It also didn't help that the RiverDogs committed four errors on the night, three of which were throwing errors by Angel Aguilar–though only one directly led to a run being scored.

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees: W 7-2 vs. Vermont Lake Monsters

Staten Island came out on top last night after left fielder Zack Zehner finished with three hits and first baseman Kevin Cornelius and right fielder Trey Amburgey each collected two of their own. The majority of the runs were knocked in by catcher Eduardo de Oleo and his two RBI as well as third baseman Drew Bridges and his two-run home run. In the end, the Yankees took advantage of Vermont's shoddy, four-error defense.

Young pitching prospect Domingo Acevedo pitched to a three-hit, one-run line in 5.1 innings while also striking out a total of seven batters. The 21-year-old has been known to hit 100 mph and has also made the organization's top 30 prospects list for the 2015 season, making it at no. 29. After one game at Low-A Charleston to start off the year, Acevedo was moved down to Short Season where he has thrown a 2.55 ERA and kept opponents to a .248/.315/.327 batting line in 24.2 innings. This is his third professional season and only his second in the States, so it could be another year before the Yankees feel comfortable letting him go through A-ball. MLB.com rates him with a 70 fastball and advanced changeup, but since he's still searching for a workable slider and better control, he has plenty to work on going forward.

Rookie Advanced Pulaski Yankees: W 8-1 vs. Greeneville Astros

Pulaski beat their opponent in every way, out-scoring and out-pitching them in a nine-inning contest. Shortstop prospect Hoy Jun Park led the way with three hits and was a home run away from the cycle by the end of the night. Park was part of last year's international free agent bonanza and has shown plenty of promise at 19 years old. Other performances of merit include left fielder Frank Frias and his two-hit, one walk night, as well as catcher Jesus Aparicio and his two-hit and four-RBI night thanks to his three-run home run in the second inning. The pitching was just as effective as the hitting with David Palladino throwing seven one-run, two-hit innings with a total of nine strikeouts on the night.

Gulf Coast League Yankees 1: W 7-6 vs. GCL Yankees 2

3B Donny Sands 2-4, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB
RF Leonardo Molina 1-4, RBI
DH Jordan Barnes 2-2, RBI, 2 BB

Luis Rosario 5.0 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K - 7 GO/2 FO
Jose Pujols 2.2 IP, H, BB, 3 K

Gulf Coast League Yankees 2: L 6-7 vs. GCL Yankees 1

SS Yancarlos Baez 2-4, RBI, K, SB - two errors
LF Isiah 1-4, HR, 3 RBI

Dallas Martinez 3.2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 K - 3 GO/5 FO

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