Orioles right fielder Nolan Reimold is starting to see some positive results, Huntsville’s (Brewers) Matt LaPorta and Mat Gamel combined for five hits and catcher Max Ramirez is among the Texas League leaders in just about everything.

EASTERN LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

Bowie (Orioles) right fielder Nolan Reimold started slowly, but he now has 15 hits in his last 35 at-bats (.429), including a 3-for-4 performance yesterday in which he doubled and tripled. On April 20, Reimold was hitting just .157/.257/.250 through his first 17 games. Since then, however, Reimold has at least one hit in 12 of his last 13 games, raising his season line to a solid .266/.349/.440. Reimold, 24, has battled a hodgepodge of injuries since signing as a second-round pick in 2005 out of Bowling Green, and he was limited to just 50 games last year with Bowie. When healthy, Reimold is one of the most productive hitting prospects the Orioles have in their farm system.

Prospect Nuggets

Binghamton (Mets) center fielder Fernando Martinez went 3-for-4 to improve to .262/.294/.357 in 126 at-bats . . . Reading (Phillies) shortstop Jason Donald went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, and he also stole his third and fourth bases of the season. Through 72 at-bats, Donald isn’t hitting for much power but he’s been able to get on base when he makes contact, hitting .319/.388/.375 through 19 games . . . New Hampshire (Blue Jays) lefty Ricky Romero allowed four runs in seven innings, finishing with a 6-1 K-BB ratio . . . There are a few interesting hitting prospects with Double-A Akron (Indians), and two of them had big days yesterday. Shortstop Josh Rodriguez went 3-for-5 and third baseman Wes Hodges went 2-for-4 with a home run. His home run came against Bowie righthander Chris Tillman, who lasted 3 2/3 innings and gave up three runs, striking out three with one walk . . . New Britain (Twins) shortstop Trevor Plouffe went 3-for-4 with a home run and a double. The 2004 first-rounder has developed slowly since signing, though he has always been young for his level. His .274/.326/.410 mark in 555 plate appearances last year with New Britain was his best season as a professional, and the the 21-year-old Plouffe is now hitting .298/.348/.463 in 104 at-bats through 25 games. However, with six walks and 23 strikeouts, it will be hard for Plouffe to maintain that .298 batting average.

What To Watch For Today

The pitching matchup of the night is in Portland (Red Sox), where Sea Dogs righthander Justin Masterson goes against New Hampshire (Blue Jays) lefty Brett Cecil.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day
You may have already seen Matt LaPorta’s name somewhere on this web site recently. Maybe it was on Friday, when LaPorta ranked third on our Prospect Hot Sheet. Or maybe it was the previous week, when we named LaPorta the hottest prospect of the week.

Well, here’s a little bit more: the Huntsville (Brewers) right fielder went 3-for-4 with a walk yesterday and scored three runs. We’re running out of superlatives when it comes to writing about LaPorta’s hitting, so we’ll just let the numbers speak for themselves here: .333/.431/.716 in 102 at-bats through 29 games, nine home runs, 15 walks and 19 strikeouts.

Prospect Nuggets
Upon being named the top prospect of the week on our weekly Prospect Hot Sheet, Huntsville third baseman Mat Gamel promptly went out and had an 0-for-4 night at Montgomery (Rays). He bounced back the next two days, though, going 2-for-4 on Saturday and 2-for-5 with a double and five RBIs yesterday . . . Shortstop Ivan DeJesus continued his steady season, going 1-for-3 with a walk, putting him at .303/.415/.422 through 109 at-bats in 29 games.

What To Watch For Today

Montgomery lefthander Jake McGee will try to lower his 5.32 ERA today at home against Birmingham.

TEXAS LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

Frisco (Rangers) catcher Max Ramirez went 3-for-5 with his seventh home run and sixth double of the season. Ramirez has been an offensive force this year, hitting .390/.475/.700 in 100 at-bats through 28 games. That’s good enough for first in the TL in batting and slugging average, and second in on-base percentage. His seven home runs, 39 hits and 15 extra-base hits each rank third in the league.

Prospect Nuggets

Midland (Athletics) second baseman Cliff Pennington went 1-for-5 and stole two bases, making him a perfect 11-for-11 this season in steals. He also made a fielding error, his sixth error of the year . . . Springfield righthander Tyler Herron made his first Double-A appearance after a promotion from high Class A Palm Beach. He didn’t have much success, leaving after allowing three runs in 3 2/3 innings, though he did have four strikeouts and one walk. Hainley Statia, a defensive-oriented Arkansas (Angels) shortstop, hit his first home run of the season in the first inning against Herron. Statia finished 1-for-4 with a walk.

What To Watch For Today

Athletics righthander Henry Rodriguez starts tonight at Frisco . . . Northwest Arkansas (Royals) righthander Carlos Rosa, who ranked second on last week’s Prospect Hot Sheet, takes the mound tonight at home against Tulsa (Rockies) . . . San Antonio (Padres) righthander Will Inman starts at Corpus Christi, which will have righthander Brad James on the rubber.