J.D. Closser Carrying a Hot Bat

The Dodgers’ minor league report is a weekly window into the Dodgers’ minor league system, with updated standings, league leaders, team and individual player stats, and the latest team and player news.

Albuquerque Isotopes
Pacific Coast League American South Division
40-39, 1st Place, 0.5 Game Ahead
  

C J.D. Closser is batting .333 (15-for-45) with two doubles in 14 games since his promotion from Double-A Chattanooga on June 15 ... the Indiana native is batting .400 (4-for-10) with five RBI with runners in scoring position ... the 29-year-old was signed as a minor league free agent after batting .227 (47-for-207) in 72 games for Triple-A Iowa (Cubs), Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Yankees), and Portland (Padres) in 2008.

RHP Charlie Haeger has been named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star Team and is tied for the league lead with eight wins ... the knuckleballer went 3-2 with a 2.09 ERA (10 ER/43.0 IP) and had a quality start in each of his six June starts ... the 25-year-old appeared in four Cactus League games for the Dodgers as a non-roster invitee and allowed one run in 4.1 innings.   

RHP Scott Strickland is tied for second in the Pacific Coast League with 14 saves ... the 33-year-old has posted 7.0 consecutive scoreless innings with six saves in his last seven games ... overall, the native Texan is 0-1 with a 3.65 ERA (10 ER/24.2 IP) in 25 games.   

Chattanooga Lookouts
Southern League North Division
Second Half: 5-5, Tied 2nd Place, 1.0 Game Back   

3B Josh Bell, LHP Scott Elbert, OF Andrew Lambo, C Lucas May, and RHP Matthew Sartor were selected for the Southern League North Division All-Star Team ... Elbert will not participate because of his promotion to Albuquerque on June 22 ... here are their All-Star credentials:   

*Bell leads the Lookouts with eight homers and 39 RBI ... he ranks 10th in the Southern League with a .462 slugging percentage ... the 22-year-old is batting .277 and has had 18 multi-hit games.   

*Lambo ranks second in the Southern League with 24 doubles ... he ranks second on the club with seven homers.   

*May has been on the disabled list since May 21 (wrist) ... after a slow April, the 24-year-old rebounded to hit .500 (17-for-34) in 11 May games, bringing his overall average up to .298 (28-for-94).   

*Sartor is 1-2 with a 2.89 ERA (14 ER/43.2 IP) in 28 relief appearances ... the 24-year-old has 46 strikeouts in 43.2 innings.   

Inland Empire 66ers
California League South Division
Second Half: 4-3, Tied for 1st Place  

  3B Pedro Baez batted .314 (32-for-102) with 10 doubles and 22 RBI in 26 June games earning his selection to the 2009 XM Futures Game in St. Louis ... the 21-year-old is hitting .321 (25-for-78) with runners in scoring position ... overall, the Dominican Republic native is batting .294 with nine homers and 50 RBI.   

OF Scott Van Slyke has hit safely in his last nine games, batting .389 (14-for-36) with a homer and 11 RBI during that span ... the 22-year-old is batting .337 (33-for-98) with runners in scoring position ... he leads the California League with 26 doubles and ranks fifth in the league with 54 RBI ... overall, the Missouri native is hitting .310 (89-for-287) with 11 homers and 54 RBI is 73 games.   

RHP Timothy Sexton tossed 8.0 innings of one-run ball and picked up the win in his first post All-Star start ... the 22-year-old has recorded four consecutive quality starts going 2-2 with a 2.66 ERA (8 ER/27.0 IP) ... overall, the 25th-round selection of the 2007 draft is 3-8 with a 3.01 ERA (28 ER/83.2 IP) in 14 games (11 starts).   

Great Lakes Loons
Midwest League Eastern Division
Second Half: 2-3, 4th Place   

SS Dee Gordon is batting .426 (29-for-68) during his current 16-game hitting streak ... the 21-year-old batted .347 (34-for-98) with 14 steals in 24 June games ... the fourth- round selection in the 2008 draft leads the Midwest League with 41 steals in 72 games ... overall, he is batting .311 with nine doubles and 19 RBI.   

OF Kyle Russell leads the Midwest League with 18 homers and 58 RBI in 75 games ... the 23-year-old batted .295 (28-for-95) with five homers and 18 RBI in 25 June games ... the Texas native is batting .360 (31-for-86) with runners in scoring position ... he was drafted in the third round of the 2008 draft out of the University of Texas.   

LHP Geison Aguasviva is 3-0 and has not allowed an earned run in 19.2 innings in six appearances (one start) ... the 21-year-old is limiting lefties to a .083 (1-for-12) average ... he has struck out 16 while allowing only 16 base runners (12 hits, 4 walks) ... the Dominican Republic native, who is in his second year of pro ball in the United States, was signed by Los Angeles as a non-drafted free agent in December 2005.   

Ogden Raptors
Pioneer League South Division
4-5, Tied for 3rd Place   

OF Jerry Sands leads the Pioneer League with a .444 (16-for-36) batting average and ranks second in the league with four homers ... the 21-year-old has hit safely in eight of nine games and has a team-leading eight RBI ... the 25th round selection in the 2008 draft hit .205 with 10 homers and 38 RBI for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Dodgers last season.  

  OF Mario Songco has hit safely in eight of nine games this season and ranks second on the club with a .367 batting average ... the 21-year-old is hitting .435 (10-for-23) with three homers and seven RBI off right-handed pitching ... the Dodgers’ fourth-round selection in the 2009 draft played his college ball at Loyola Marymount University.   

Arizona League Dodgers
Arizona League West Division
5-4, Tied for 2nd Place   

C Pedro Tavarez ranks second the Arizona League with a .480 (12-for-25) batting average ... the 22-year-old batted .220 in 58 games for the Rookie Dominican Summer League Dodgers in 2008.   

OF Nick Akins leads the league with three homers and ranks fourth with a .455 (15-for-33) batting average though his first eight pro games ... the 21-year-old was the Dodgers’ 19th-round pick from the 2009 draft out of Vanguard University.   

Dominican Summer League Dodgers
DSL Boca Chica North
15-13, 5th Place  

INF Enlly Morales ranks second in the Dominican Summer League with a .393 (42-for-107) batting average ... the 19-year-old leads the club with 11 doubles and ranks third with 14 RBI ... he has 14 multi-hit  games.