Maybe we should have seen this coming. When Angels RHP Garrett Richards, one of the team's breakthrough prospects of 2011, pitches at home at Double-A Arkansas, hitters don't really have a chance. Richards improved to 8-0, 1.78 at home with one dominating start (eight shutout innings) and one so-so start this week. Richards has had a little tougher time on the road (4-1, 4.57), but it's hard to argue much with his results wherever he pitches. He hasn't lost since early May. Richards has managed to tame the worst of his crossfire tendencies while maintaining the mid-90s velocity that gives hitters such a tough time . . . A midseason suspension and a Houston committment helped LHP Mitchell Taylor slip to the seventh round of the 2010 draft. Taylor ended up signing with the Blue Jays for third-round money, and the undersized lefty (6 feet, 150 pounds) is earning the bonus. Taylor, 19, allowed only one hit in two starts this week for Rookie-level Bluefield , throwing 11 scoreless innings. He struck out 16 and walked two. He does it with solid stuff, as he pairs a low 90s fastball with a big-breaking curveball . . . For a player making his U.S. debut this year, Padres CF Alberth Martinez has sure gotten around. Martinez played for low Class A Fort Wayne earlier this season and even four games for Triple-A Tucson, in emergency roster situations. Martinez, 20, was clearly over his head in those stints in full-season ball, but he's had no such problem in the Arizona Rookie League. Martinez hit .522/.571/1.000 with three home runs this week. He leads the AZL in total bases, extra-base hits, is second in slugging percentage and home runs and is sixth in batting at .373 . . . Wherever Rays C Stephen Vogt goes, he usually hits. Vogt's .301/.344/.487 numbers at Double-A Montgomery were right in line with his usual minor league production (he's a .307 career hitter) and earned him a recent promotion to Triple-A Durham. He responded by hitting .429/.425/.762 in his first five games. The versatile Vogt isn't really good enough defensively to be an everyday catcher, and he's 26. But his versatility (he plays catcher, left field and first base), reliable lefthanded bat and feel for the game should earn him a spot in the big leagues . . . Like Hot Sheet No. 1 pick Joe Wieland, Pirates RHP Kyle McPherson treats walks as an affront to his character. McPherson walked six while striking out 60 at high Class A Bradenton, and he's been nearly as stingy for Double-A Altoona. His July 30 start against the Portland Sea Dogs spanned 6.2 innings, his longest since being promoted to Double-A Altoona. McPherson has been remarkably consistent between High-A and Double-A this season, posting ERAs of 2.89 and 2.88 . . . Marlins RF Marcell Ozuna has had an up-and-down season, but he is on a decided upswing. After hitting .198 with two home runs between May and June with low Class A Greensboro, Ozuna hit .308 with seven home runs in July, and his production has continued into August. This week, Ozuna went 12-for-27 with five extra-base hits, including two home runs. Power is Ozuna's calling card, as he entered the season ranked as top power bat in Florida's farm system. A year removed from leading the New York-Penn League, Ozuna has 17 for the year . . . Seattle could sure use offensive help, so it may not be long before Mariners 3B Alex Liddi gets a call. Liddi, who could become the first Italian-born position player to play in the major leagues, launched three home runs and drove in five during a 4-for-6 effort with Triple-A Tacoma last night, upping his season total to 24, a career high. Once ranked as high as fourth in the Mariners system, Liddi has taken a back seat to other bats in the system in the last year because he continues to swing and miss too often—he has 137 strikeouts in 107 games this season—but his power remains undeniable.