Bus Leagues Express: June 25

Top stories

Colorado Springs assists fire evacuees: It’s summer, and that means it’s wildfire season in the west. One such area struggling to deal with them is El Paso County, particularly Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs. Over 10,000 people had to evacuate their homes for the Waldo Canyon fire, but some will soon be allowed to return. The Sky Sox figured those evacuees could use a break to occupy their time, and they allowed any evacuee who wanted to see a game attend for free Sunday. Fans were treated to a 5-1 win over Tacoma started by Drew Pomeranz, and they’ll be able to take advantage of the same offer tomorrow.

Florida battered by Tropical Storm Debby: Florida residents are surely used to heavy rain and wind, but it’s uncommon for a significant storm like a tropical storm or hurricane to hit the Tampa Bay area directly. The region bared the brunt of Tropical Storm Debby along with other locations along the Gulf Coast, and the Florida State League was plagued by rainouts. Five of the six games were not played due to the rain, and the one that was endured a rain delay after five innings. While Clearwater was visiting Palm Beach for a 3-1 win, Brighthouse Field and the entire Carpenter Complex were flooded with rain. Pictures of the complex were circulating online, and it was reminiscent of the flooding in Harrisburg at the end of the 2011 season.

Hamilton steals #90: It seems like these posts that mention Billy Hamilton hitting a milestone number of steals are becoming more frequent. He now has steals in eight consecutive games, four of which were multi-steal games. That included a three steal effort Sunday to reach 90 on the season, about 40 higher than his closest competitors. In four games since the All-Star break, he has stolen 10 bags. There aren’t enough superlatives in the world to describe the season he’s having, stealing bases at an 84% clip and getting better as the season progresses.

Marrero has strong debut: The Red Sox were fortunate to have Deven Marrero fall into their laps with their 24 pick, and on Sunday he began what they hope blossoms into an extremely popular career. His stock slipped about 20 picks from preseason projections to a down year at the plate and some makeup concerns that were likely overblown. He’s a very talented defensive shortstop, so even if he just hits a little, he’s going to have a lot of value. In his debut, Marrero singled twice, walked, scored a run and struck out as Lowell’s DH. He batted leadoff, and once Jose Iglesias‘ rehab stint ends, he’ll move out to shortstop.

Vancouver takes wild one: The Canadians couldn’t get anything going at the plate for eight innings, and they needed just two hits in the 9th and 10th to come back and beat Tri-City 3-2. Tri-City was not even close to being in control, and their pitchers’ struggles handed the game to Vancouver on a silver platter. In the bottom of the 10th, Nicholas Baligod led off the inning with a single against Josh Hungerman. No one else would reach base, but they didn’t need someone to. Over the course of the next two at-bats, Hungerman would fire three wild pitches that allowed Baligod to come around and score the winning run.

Wade pitches Arizona past South Carolina: Thanks to being undefeated in Omaha, Arizona was able to get some extra rest and set up their pitching staff, while South Carolina had to scramble to find available arms. That was likely the difference in Arizona’s game one 5-1 win. Arizona got to starter Forrest Koumas early, knocking him out after 2.1 innings and three runs charged to his record. At the same time, Wildcats starter Konner Wade threw 108 pitches in another complete game and his 11th win on the season. South Carolina’s baserunning and defensive miscues hurt them in the end. Tonight, Kurt Heyer and Matt Roth face off as South Carolina will attempt to force a game three.

On tap today

MiLB.TV schedule

College World Series continues

Betances meets his future in Daniel Cabrera

Sugar Ray Marimon makes AA debut

Neil Ramirez returns to AA

Luke Jackson makes Myrtle Beach debut

Taylor Guerrieri hopes to build on pro debut

If you know of a player performance or article that should be shared, please let me know on Twitter at @5runrally!