Jason Heyward and Alex Cobb were both outstanding, Mike Stanton and Matt Dominguez each had big nights, and Lakewood kept its winning streak alive.

South Atlantic League

Prospect Of The Day

There were two very deserving candidates for Tuesday’s POTD award, so we’ll split it down the middle. We’ll start with Rome (Braves) right fielder Jason Heyward. After a relatively quiet week, by his standards, last week, Heyward made the most of his Memorial Day weekend, going 8-for-19 from Friday through Monday. But that pales in comparison to what he did yesterday against Hickory (Pirates). Heyward went 4-for-5 with a home run, his seventh, and a double in the Braves’ 5-4, 10-inning victory. And he wasn’t doing it against any slouch either in Hickory starter Duke Welker, against whom Heyward went 3-for-3. Heyward has hits in 18 of his last 19 games, and his line stands at .340/.374/.517.

 Our other honoree is Columbus (Rays) righthander Alex Cobb. Starting on the road against the team with the SAL’s best record in Asheville (Rockies), Cobb pitched seven shutout innings, allowed only one hit, one walk and recorded six strikeouts. Cobb was perfect through four and carried a no-hitter into the sixth before losing it on an infield single by Tourists center fielder Michael Mitchell. Cobb retired the side in order five times in all, including in the seventh, his final inning. Cobb left the game with the Catfish ahead 1-0, but his fine work was all for naught, as the Tourists  scrapped together a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth and won the game 2-1, handing the struggling Catfish their sixth straight loss. Although this was his best start of the year, Cobb has been effective all season. He’s held opponents to two runs or fewer in 9 of his 11 starts, and his 2.13 ERA ranks ninth in the league.

Prospect Nuggets

Cobb’s work was almost matched by Asheville starter Cory Riordan (7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO), who kept the Tourists in the game so they could make their comeback in the eighth … Charleston (Yankees) catcher Jesus Montero hit his sixth home run of the season in the RiverDogs’ 2-0 win over Augusta (Giants). He went 1-for-4 on the night … Heyward’s Rome teammate Freddy Freeman went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, including a home run of his own. Freeman also hit the game-winning RBI single in the top of the 10th … Greensboro (Marlins) teammates Matt Dominguez and Mike Stanton each had nice games against Delmarva (Orioles). Dominguez went 3-for-3 with a double and Stanton 2-for-3 with his eighth home run … Lakewood (Phillies) remained the SAL’s hottest team with a 6-5 win over West Virginia (Brewers). Third baseman Travis Mattair went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles in the win. The BlueClaws have won seven straight and 9 of 10 to climb into a tie for second in the SAL’s Northern Division.

What To Watch For Today

Only two games in the SAL tonight. Lakewood’s winning streak will face a stern test as the BlueClaws go up against SAL ERA leader Ryan Miller (7-0, 0.93) of Lake County (Indians) at 7:05 EDT … Hagerstown (Nationals) hosts Delmarva in a battle for Maryland supremacy in the other matchup (6:35 EDT).

Midwest League

The MWL had Tuesday off.

What To Watch For Today

West Michigan (Tigers) and Lansing (Blue Jays) are tied atop the MWL’s Eastern Division. West Michigan will host South Bend (Diamondbacks) in an 11:00 am EDT game, while Lansing will host Great Lakes (Dodgers) tonight at 7:05 EDT.