Bus Leagues Express: July 30

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Sands socks a pair of grand slams: Just a week after Memphis slammed two grand slams in an inning, the PCL saw another bit of grand slam trivia added to the books. In Albuquerque’s 11-0 win over Nashville in game two of a doubleheader, Isotopes outfielder Jerry Sands hit two grand slams. He hit his first in the 1st inning off starter Seth McClung, who’s now up to 13 losses after this blowout defeat. A few innings later, the second came against Tim Dillard, making just his 6th appearance of the season. Sands spent time in the big leagues last year, but he struggled and is yet to earn a long term trip back. He has a .854 OPS in 89 games this year in Albuquerque.

Bradley remains hot in Portland loss: In a span of a couple months, Boston’s Jackie Bradley Jr. went from solid first round pick to slam dunk top 100 prospect. After a blistering start in high-A that at times saw his OBP go above .500, Bradley’s transition to AA has been smooth. Sunday, he hit his 7th home run of the season and 3rd in the last 10 games in Portland’s 6-2 loss to Binghamton. His OPS in 39 games with Portland is .884, and he’s still maintaining the high average and OBP demanded from a leadoff hitter.

Brewer hits for cycle in Lynchburg win: Just a week and a half after being traded from the Yankees organization to the Braves, Dan Brewer hit for the cycle. The former Bradley star was having trouble gaining traction in the Yankees’ organization, and the Braves picked him up to give him an opportunity. His first inning home run gave Lynchburg a 2-0 lead, and eventually, all four hits came off of Boston’s top pitching prospect, Matt Barnes. Despite having nine strikeouts in five innings, Barnes allowed a career high seven runs. Brewer’s cycle comes just four days after the most recent cycle in the minors when Tae-Hyeok Kim accomplished the feat for Ogden.

Morrow solid in rehab appearance: In the midst of a breakout season, Brandon Morrow suffered an oblique injury that has kept him out of action for a month and a half. He had become more efficient, throwing more strikes and lasting deeper into games. He had a 3.01 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 77.2 innings while still striking out his fair share of batters. Sunday, he made the first of four expected rehab appearances for Dunedin and pitched three scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and a walk while striking out two against Tampa Bay’s affiliate, Charlotte. Morrow seems to always have success against the Rays, and for at least one game, that carried over to the minor league side as well.

De La Rosa back on the hill: For a team snooping around the trade market looking for a starting pitcher, the Dodgers may have a very good internal option due to arrive soon: Rubby De La Rosa. The hard throwing righty threw his first game in nearly a year Sunday, a three inning appearance for high-A Rancho Cucamonga. He struck out three batters and allowed two hits and a walk in three scoreless innings, and after four to five weeks of throwing in games, he could help the Dodgers in their playoff race. Also appearing on rehab in Rancho’s 8-1 win was Ted Lilly. The reliable veteran has only made eight starts for the Dodgers this year, and he too can replicate the effect of a deadline addition by getting healthy.

Ogden clinches playoff berth: The Ogden Raptors will be headed back to the Pioneer League playoffs with a dramatic win to clinch the league’s first half Southern division championship. With a Grand Junction win already in the books, Ogden needed to beat Orem to force a tie. They scored two in the 9th to the the game, and one inning later, Pat Stover hit a walk-off single to score the winning run. Thanks to their impressive 8-0 record against the Grand Junction Rockies, Ogden took the tiebreaker and will play in the postseason for the 5th year in a row. Devin Shines, son of well-traveled coach Razor Shines, has probably been the team’s best offensive player with seven home runs.

On tap today

MiLB.TV schedule

Nelson Figueroa takes on old organization

Brian Matusz faces AL East rival Rays in minors

Eastern League, Carolina League take a day off

Brett Mooneyham looks to continue success