Good News Abounds in Lake Elsinore

Man, for one game, the May 12 contest between Lake Elsinore and Dodgers High-A affiliate Inland Empire offered a hell of a lot of good news.

First, they won 9-1, which indicates both the hitting and the pitching were strong.

On the hitting side, Dan Robertson and Cody Decker both had three-hit games, and both homered. Robertson is now batting .331/.389/.485 with three homers and eight steals, while Decker is at .297/.338/.555 with six homers.

Even former first-rounder Allan Dykstra, whose bat has been asleep all year, chipped in a couple of doubles.

Drew Cumberland continued his assault on Cal League pitching, collecting two more hits, and shortstop Cole Figueroa contributed two hits and a walk. Figueroa’s batting a sturdy .323/.420/.402 with seven steals and an impressive 14/20 K/BB ratio.

The starting pitcher for the Storm was Juan Oramas, who I’ve pimped quite a bit in the past couple of weeks. Oramas picked up his first High-A win, allowing just one hit in five shutout innings. He struck out five; the one downside is that he issued four walks. Still, he effectively neutralized a lineup that included Rafael Furcal and former major leaguer Travis Denker, who slugged .486 in 24 games for the Giants in 2008. The 66ers’ lineup also included Kyle Russell, one of the most feared power hitters in the minors.

Oramas now has a 3.55 ERA and 15/9 K/BB ratio in 12 2/3 High-A innings. The walks will be something to keep an eye on, although they weren’t an issue in Low-A (3 in 15 IP).

So, good news for several of the Storm’s players. Hopefully they’ll be able to keep this momentum.