Triple-A Columbus Clippers (3-3) vs. Omaha Storm Chasers (Kansas City Royals) You’d think the Clippers might miss Jhonkensy Noel’s bat now that he’s hit two mammoth homers for the Guardians since his debut this week, but Juan Brito and Kyle Manzardo had power surges during the weekend portion of this week’s schedule. After only going 1-for-3 in the first game of the series on June 25, Brito picked up two hits per game the next two games and added a homer in three straight games, two in the Clippers’ doubleheader June 28 and another on June 29, putting him at 13 for the year. Eleven of those 13 homers have come since May 1, and Brito is hitting .276/.385/.515 since then. He’s been adding first base and now some outfield. Cleveland is getting a look at some different prospects right now, but it’s hard to see a roster fit for Brito at the moment, even though his bat has earned it. Perhaps he may be a trade candidate. Someone give Brito the key to Columbus! pic.twitter.com/mMMFdkmrNg — Columbus Clippers (@CLBClippers) June 30, 2024 Kyle Manzardo has picked it up since he was optioned down. He didn’t homer at Worcester when he was optioned down, but he added two homers in Game 2 of the Clippers’ doubleheader on June 28 and has reached base in every game since being optioned down. He finished the week with a homer on June 30, as well, giving him three for the series. There was talk of getting Manzardo work in the outfield to enhance his positional flexibility. But that hasn’t happened in a game yet, so it’s all about his bat working on hitting offspeed stuff to get called back up and find the right roster fit for him. BYE BYE BYE Manzardo’s 4th HR of the series pic.twitter.com/u14Bs5SaeT — Columbus Clippers (@CLBClippers) June 30, 2024 While Jhonkensy Noel is getting a look in his last option year, George Valera is in the same bucket sitting down at Triple-A. He’s had an OK June, but he homered in back-to-back games during the series, June 27-28, and was 3-for-3 in Game 1 of the June 28 doubleheader. Valera is still waiting on his opportunity as he will be out of options in 2025. VALERA MAKING IT EVEN! pic.twitter.com/93aSdq41LP — Columbus Clippers (@CLBClippers) June 28, 2024 Gavin Williams made his final rehab start on June 27, going four innings where he allowed three hits, a run, two walks and struck out six. Cleveland mentioned the hope of him getting six innings, but a 20-pitch second inning ran up his pitch count up a little bit, but he did throw 82 pitches. His 30 days of rehab time are up, so he’ll make his next start in Cleveland this week. Some of Gavin Williams' work today in his rehab start pic.twitter.com/PJd88AX4r1 — Next Year in Cleveland (@NextYearInCle) June 27, 2024 Doug Nikhazy finally got his promotion to Triple-A and turned in a huge outing for Columbus on June 28, a seven-inning complete game shutout in Game 2 of a doubleheader with three walks and five strikeouts. A lot of pitchers have hit a bump in the road in their first taste of Triple-A. Doug Nikhazy has not. 5 innings so far, a hit, a walk and three strikeouts in his debut pic.twitter.com/vohPIJH9E6 — Next Year in Cleveland (@NextYearInCle) June 29, 2024 The Clippers have three road games at Toledo (Detroit Tigers) this week, July 1-3, then three games at home, hosting Toledo July 4-6. Double-A Akron RubberDucks (4-1) at Altoona Curve (Pittsburgh Pirates) The promotion to Double-A hasn’t impacted CJ Kayfus’ power output so far this season. Though he had a slower overall week in the hit department vs. Altoona, Kayfus added a triple on June 25, a two-homer game on June 26, and a double on June 29. He only managed five hits in the series but four of the five went for extra bases. Mama, there goes that man!@CJK_3121 with a Western Reserve Distillers solo to tie the game back up! TOP 7: Akron 5 | Altoona 5 pic.twitter.com/JgdXZoWZcM — Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) June 26, 2024 CJ IS HIM!!!@CJK_3121 with a two-run Western Reserve Distillers home run to give us the lead! TOP 9: Akron 8 | Altoona 6 pic.twitter.com/Psg2CFvTQx — Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) June 27, 2024 The real story for the RubberDucks this week was the long-awaited pitching promotions of Parker Messick and Austin Peterson. Eight in a row!!!!!!!!@messick_parker strikes out 8 batters in a row pic.twitter.com/gnv3lDmwEN — Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) June 29, 2024 Last week, Messick fired a five-inning, rain-shortened complete game shutout for Akron in his debut and followed that up with 4 2/3 no-hit innings on June 29, when he walked three and struck out 10. Messick’s big whiff outing followed up a brilliant debut by Austin Peterson where he also struck out 10 and allowed two runs on three hits and didn’t walk a batter. The new guy is pretty good!! Final line for @APetey19 6 innings, 2 runs, 10 strikeouts pic.twitter.com/ZKmQKpvOCb — Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) June 28, 2024 Akron will split a home-and-home series at home vs. Erie (Detroit Tigers) from July 1-3, and then at Erie July 4-6. High-A Lake County Captains (4-1) vs. Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers) Losing Peterson and Messick somehow hasn’t hurt the Captains’ pitching against the normally tough Great Lakes Loons. Offseason undrafted free agent Rorik Maltrud was promoted to take the place of one of the promoted starters and held the Loons to one run in five innings in his debut on June 28. The 24-year-old was coming off six no-hit innings in his final start at Lynchburg. STRAIGHT GAS The first High-A strikeout for Rorik Maltrud! pic.twitter.com/bFFfsXqPsE — Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) June 27, 2024 Matt Wilkinson came back from an oblique issue causing him to miss his previous start and tossed four innings of one-run ball on four hits, with a walk and four strikeouts on June 25 in an 8-3 win. It wasn’t an eye-popping line, but Carter Spivey threw six innings of one-run ball on June 29 in a 2-1 Captains win, striking out three and walking two. Magnus Ellerts was a big arm in the bullpen for the Captains, tossing three scoreless innings, including a two-inning save on June 28 that led to the bulk of his seven-strikeout, three-walk week. Jorge Burgos continued his hot-hitting ways with a two-homer week to lead the Captains’ offense. HE’S ON Jorge Burgos crushes his 8th home run of the year!! pic.twitter.com/pqYmFgtRdc — Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) June 28, 2024 Outfielder and 2023 draft pick, Jonah Advincula, put a good cap on a solid month of June with a three-hit series in three games played. He also added four RBI thanks to a homer and three RBI on June 27, and stole four bases in the series as well. Angel Genao played in four of the five games in the series and had a three-hit game with a double on June 25, reached base twice in a June 26 win, another hit on June 29, and then turned in a 3-5 performance on June 30 with a double and a walk. He’s hitting .316 since his promotion with an .815 OPS. Lake County will travel to Dayton for three games, July 1-3, and then host Dayton (Cincinnati Reds) July 4-6. Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats (3-3) at Carolina Mudcats (Milwaukee Brewers) It was mostly the usual suspects for the Hillcats in a slow-ish offensive week. 2023 first-rounder Ralphy Velazquez packed all his damage into two games with a double and a homer in a matinee game on June 26, and then a 3-for-4 outing on June 29 with a double. 11 of his 21 hits in June went for extra bases. There’s some chance sometime later this season Velazquez may get some work in the outfield. Ralphy Velazquez decided just missing a homer wasn't enough. He went ahead and hit one later in basically the same spot, just a LOT of feet further. pic.twitter.com/3jMd42Xuiu — Next Year in Cleveland (@NextYearInCle) June 26, 2024 Outfielder Esteban Gonzalez continues to have a strong year so far, adding eight hits this week, four for extra bases (three doubles, triple). Fellow 2023 draft pick, OF Tommy Hawke did his job as a table-setting hitter by scoring four runs, collecting six hits (two doubles). He also drew two walks and stole two bases, though he was thrown out twice as well. The 2023 draft class at Single-A continued to lead the charge with LHP Alex Clemmey turning in a six strikeout, two walk, two hit outing in four innings. In June, Clemmey struck out 21 in 15 innings, but also walked 10. Arizona Complex League RHP Dylan DeLucia, the Guardians sixth-rounder in 2023, made his second rehab start in Arizona (Tommy John surgery) and went three innings and allowed three hits and struck out two. 13th-rounder, LHP Jacob Bresnahan struck out seven, walked three and allowed three hits in 4 2/3 innings. He now has a 49-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in eight outings.