Home Bailey went seven innings in his finest start of the year, Jay Bruce is heating up, Bryan LaHair learns how to cope with loss and Chase Headley connects for a pair of doubles.

Check out yesterday’s Triple-A Dish.

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

It’s tempting to bestow the honor on Louisville center fielder Jay Bruce (Reds), who collected two hits yesterday, including his third triple of the season. But righthander Homer Bailey, Bruce’s Bats teammate, was even better.

Bailey, 21, has been on a roll all season, but his seven-inning, 10-strikeout outing last night against Toledo put an exclamation point on his season to date. He allowed three runs on five hits—including a two-run homer to Erick Almonte—and two walks. Louisville manager Rick Sweet told The (Louisville) Courier-Journal:

"His stuff has just been electric coming out of his hands. All of his stuff is coming out of his hands better. Fastball, slider, curveball change-up; all of his pitches are better . . . He’s in much more control of what he’s trying to do."

Prospect Nuggets

Charlotte 2B Chris Getz (White Sox), a 24-year-old lefty hitter, connected for his second home run of the season, and his second in his last four games . . . Rochester LHP Francisco Liriano’s (Twins) struggles continued last night against Pawtucket (4 1/3, 5 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR) as he failed to command his fastball. The 24-year-old has yet to regain his stuff after missing last season to Tommy John surgery. He’s now 0-1, 7.56 in two Triple-A starts after starting 0-3, 11.32 in the majors. Pawtucket SS Gil Velazquez put it best when he told The (Rochester, N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle that Liriano "doesn’t have his fastball like he used to." Follow the link for more . . . Injury-riddled Braves LHP Mike Hampton left his start with Richmond after 71 pitches with irritation in his strained left pectoral muscle.

What To Watch For Today

Most of the league’s top pitchers threw in the past two days, and Norfolk LHP Garrett Olson and Richmond LHP Jo-Jo Reyes each received callups, so Louisville CF Jay Bruce (at Richmond, 7 p.m.) is the main attraction. He’s hit .306 in his last 10 games with two doubles, a triple, two homers and nine RBIs.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

Life for first baseman Bryan LaHair and his Tacoma teammates got a lot more difficult yesterday when Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentien were called up to Seattle. Actually, they got worse two days ago, when Clement and Balentien both sat out amid speculation that they were being promoted imminently.

But back to LaHair, who went 1-for-2 yesterday with two walks and his sixth home run of the season. With that blast he’s halfway to his total last season with Tacoma—though he did club 46 doubles, a sign that perhaps more homers were in store. Through it all, the Mariners have not lost faith in the 25-year-old lefty batter’s ability to hit and to hit for power, and he’s batting .304/.390/.587 thus far in 2008.

Prospect Nuggets

A week after missing time because he was hit in the hand by a pitch, Sacramento CF Carlos Gonzalez (Athletics) is now on the sideline with an ankle sprain. He’s off to a fine start for the River Cats: .343/.410/.514 in 70 at-bats . . . Portland LHP Wade LeBlanc (Padres) was bombed last night (3 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 3 BB, 0 SO, 2 HR), pushing his ERA to 9.27 on the year. That’s 15 earned in his last 6 1/3 innings . . . LeBlanc’s Beaver teammate, LF Chase Headley, may be heading in the opposite direction. He went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run and an RBI in yesterday’s game.

What To Watch For Today

Salt Lake (22-2) marches on without SS Brandon Wood, 3B Matt Brown and RHP Nick Adenhart, who starts tonight against Oakland. And look out Nashville, we have a Jeff Weaver (Brewers) sighting. He starts tonight (8 p.m.) against Colorado Springs new Sky Sock Sean Smith, who was the player to be named in the Jamey Carroll trade.