Wednesday's top prospect performers

Here's a look at Wednesday’s top Minor League performers from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:

Braves: Cristian Pache, OF (MLB No. 8), Triple-A Gwinnett
Pache did it all for Gwinnett in Game 1 of a doubleheader -- not only did he account for all four of the Stripers’ runs, but his final RBI was a two-out, walk-off single to hand Durham just their 29th loss of the year. It was 3-0 Bulls through the first four innings until the Braves’ No. 1 prospect clobbered a 1-0 pitch over the left-field fence to tie the game. Pache added a double to his 3-for-4 performance -- his third three-hit game this year -- and it’s the second game in a row he’s hit both a home run and a double in the same game. In Game 2, Pache smacked another home run, his ninth of the year and his third dinger in as many games.

Orioles: Grayson Rodriguez, RHP (MLB No. 17), Double-A Bowie
Rylan Bannon, 2B/3B (No. 20), Triple-A Norfolk
Make that two scoreless starts in a row for Rodriguez, who struck out eight over five innings of three-hit ball. It was his first outing in a month that he didn’t walk a batter, and the Orioles’ top pitching prospect has racked up a whopping 90 strikeouts in 58 Double-A innings (12 starts) this season. In typical GrayRod fashion, he struck out three batters in the first inning as he worked around a one-out single, and he fanned the final two batters he faced. Rodriguez threw 58 of his 82 pitches for strikes and has lowered his Double-A ERA to 2.38.

Bannon launched two home runs in a game for the second time in his career (he hit three in a game in 2018), driving in two runs, scoring three and walking once on a 2-for-3 day at the plate. Bannon has hit six dingers with Triple-A Norfolk and seven overall with 18 RBIs and 23 walks across two levels.

Mariners: Emerson Hancock, RHP (MLB No. 21), Double-A Arkansas
In his first Double-A start, Hancock twirled 4 2/3 innings of no-hit baseball with just one walk and six strikeouts. The Mariners’ top pitching prospect started his night by striking out the first two batters he faced, and he was perfect up until he issued a five-pitch walk with two outs in the fifth and was subsequently taken out of the game. Through 10 starts across two levels, the 22-year-old has a 2.02 ERA with a 36-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio and only one home run allowed through 35 2/3 innings.

Mets: Francisco ?lvarez, C (MLB No. 32), High-A Brooklyn
?lvarez continued his recent hot streak with three-hit, four-RBI performance in Brooklyn’s 16-5 win over Wilmington. The Mets’ top prospect launched his second home run in three games, a two-run shot in the sixth for his 13th dinger of the year for Brooklyn. Two singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly rounded out his big day, and the 19-year-old has now tallied two three-hit games in his past three contests. After going through a slump in July, ?lvarez has slashed .303/.350/.788 in his last 10 games with four homers, 12 RBIs and four walks.

Nationals: Cade Cavalli, RHP (MLB No. 75), Double-A Harrisburg
Cavalli tied his season-high for innings with seven as he fired his second scoreless outing in three starts, working around four hits (all singles) and a pair of walks to keep New Hampshire off the board. The Nats’ top prospect racked up three of six strikeouts in the first inning as he struck out the side, and after he loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh, he needed just three pitches to work out of the jam -- he induced a double play in the next at-bat and got an easy groundout to end the threat. The Nationals’ 2020 first-rounder has 68 strikeouts and a 2.79 ERA in 48 1/3 Double-A innings.

Royals: Nick Pratto, 1B (MLB No. 97), Triple-A Omaha
Pratto has swung a hot bat since his promotion to the Storm Chasers on July 20, and he kept up his torrid pace Wednesday night. The 22-year-old went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and a walk against the Iowa Cubs. Pratto, the Royals’ No. 1 overall Draft pick in 2017, has hit nine doubles with Omaha, bringing his season total up to 22. In 2021, the first baseman has hit a career-high five triples, his Wednesday night three-bagger being his first as a Storm Chaser. In 19 games at Triple-A, Pratto has slashed .296/.386/.704 with six homers, both scoring and driving in 17 runs.

Marlins: Dax Fulton, LHP (No. 8), Low-A Jupiter
Fulton followed up the best start of his career with another scoreless gem -- five innings, one hit, no walks and eight strikeouts. Fulton needed only seven pitches to work through the first inning, and he fanned the last two batters of the inning on three pitches each. He struck out the first two batters to begin the second and didn’t allow a baserunner until a two-out single in the third. The 19-year-old southpaw fired 44 of his 58 pitches for strikes, lowering his ERA to 4.30 with 66 strikeouts across 58 innings

Red Sox: Chih-Jung Liu, RHP (No. 19), Low-A Salem
Liu made one mistake on Wednesday night, surrendering one hit -- a solo homer -- over five innings. For the rest of his outing, the 22-year-old was dominant, fanning a career-high 10 batters on 78 pitches, including 52 for strikes. It was the second consecutive scoreless outing for the Taiwan native, who has allowed one run in his last three starts spanning 14 innings. Since making his professional debut on July 1, Liu is 3-1 with a 5.53 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings.

Yankees: Hayden Wesneski, RHP (No. 24), Double-A Somerset
Wesneski was in control from the start for Somerset and the result was a seven-inning shutout, the first of his professional career. The 23-year-old struck out seven and scattered four hits and two walks during his 89-pitch effort that lowered his ERA with Somerset to 5.40 in nine starts. The mark is a bit misleading for Wesneski, who has surrendered three or fewer runs in four consecutive starts. Overall, the right-hander has a 3.69 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and 91 strikeouts in 83 innings across two Minor League levels this season.

White Sox: Romy Gonzalez, SS (No. 25), Double-A Birmingham
Coming off a hot July where he slashed .292/.353/.472, Gonzalez hit a lull with three straight hitless games entering Wednesday night. The 24-year-old Miami native snapped that streak in style, homering twice in the Barons’ 7-1 win over the Lookouts. Gonzalez led off the game with a big fly to left-center field and added to the Barons’ total with another solo shot in the seventh inning. His season total of 18 homers leads the Barons and is a career high, eclipsing his previous mark of 10 set in 2018. Wednesday night’s multi-homer game was Gonzalez’s second of the season.

Blue Jays: Nick Allgeyer, LHP (No. 25), Triple-A Buffalo
Allgeyer turned in his first scoreless outing of the season, giving up just two hits and one walk across five innings while striking out four. The only trouble Allgeyer had was in the fourth, when he gave up a two-out double and allowed a steal of third base. He induced a groundout to end the threat, and he ended his outing with a one-pitch lineout after issuing a two-out walk. The 2018 Draft pick owns a 4.42 ERA through 14 Triple-A appearances.

Astros: Joe Perez, 3B (No. 26), Double-A Corpus Christi
Down 12-6 in the top of the ninth inning against Amarillo, Perez provided some excitement for Corpus Christi. With one out and a runner on, Perez hit a ground-rule double to drive a two-run rally. The Hooks would go on to lose 12-8 against the Sod Poodles, but Perez finished with his first four-hit game in professional ball. The third baseman went 4-for-5 -- a triple shy of the cycle -- hitting his 13th homer and 23rd double across three levels in the Minors this season. Since his June 29 promotion to Corpus Christi, Perez has hit .245/.294/.361, and his eight doubles are tied for sixth among Hooks batters this season.