“Small, small strides, but nothing huge,” Harrison Jr. said of his team that is 6-4 in the second half and one game out of first place. “We’re getting better, and that’s all we can ask for.”
The average age for position players in the league is 22.3. The Dragons’ average age is 21.1. One of the young ones is shortstop/second baseman Victor Acosta. He turned 20 on June 10, and his inexperience has showed at the plate. His batting average has been below .200 all season.
But Acosta remains a prospect playing every day for the Dragons. He was acquired from San Diego for Brandon Drury at the 2022 trade deadline. Acosta was the Padres’ No. 8 prospect and is No. 20 for the Reds. On Monday, Acosta had his best game in Dayton with his first three-hit game and two RBIs.
“I don’t want to try to do too much,” Acosta said through a translator. “I’m working on my hitting approach with my hitting coach and I just want to hit it to the other side.”
Acosta, a switch hitter, singled up the middle against Lake County left-hander Matt Wilkinson for an RBI that tied the score 1-1 in the second inning. Batting from the right side again in the fourth, Acosta singled to right against Wilkinson for another RBI and a 2-1 lead. Leo Balcazar scored later in the inning on a passed ball for a 3-1 lead.
“There’s a lot of growth,” Harrison Jr. said of Acosta. “It’s tough to judge sometimes because they’re here because they have the ability. We just have to be patient with guys like that.”
The Dragons got another strong pitching effort beginning with starter Victor Vargas who allowed one run on five hits and struck out four in four innings. Vargas joined the Dragons last week and pitched five scoreless innings after being signed out of an independent league. He pitched in the Phillies’ organization from 2018-2023.
Then Brody Jessee (6-1) pitched well for a sixth straight time after a bad stretch that saw his ERA soar to 10.97. Jessee allowed a run on two hits in three innings. Then hard-throwing Luis Mey allowed one hit and struck out three in the final two innings for his eighth save.
The Dragons entered the game with the league’s lowest ERA at 3.61 since May 12, a stretch of 43 games.
“We have a mentality to just push each other,” Mey said. “If the starter goes good, the next guy in the bullpen’s got to come in with the same focus and be just as good as the starter.”
Overall the Dragons are showing their gained experience this season by playing cleaner games with few baserunning mistakes, fewer errors and better decision making. Sal Stewart, a 20-year-old who shares third base with 19-year-old Cam Collier, made a highlight play in the first inning. He backhanded a ball in foul territory, turned and made a leaping throw off one foot in time to first.
“He might not be the fastest of feet, he might not be the quickest guy, but he understands angles,” Harrison Jr. said. “He understands how he works, so he can give himself certain room to make plays.”
Road trip recap: The Dragons concluded their most successful road trip Sunday with an 8-4 record after a series split at West Michigan and a series win at Fort Wayne that included a five-game winning streak. Their 14 home runs during the past two weeks led the Midwest League. The pitching staff was second in the league during that span with a 3.15 ERA.
Roster additions during the trip were Vargas, pitchers Gabriel Aguilera (starter) and Simon Miller (reliever) and first baseman Carter Graham from low-A Daytona.
Reliever added: Former Navy and West Virginia reliever Terry Braithwaite joined the team Monday from the rookie league team in Arizona. The Reds drafted Braithwaite in the 16th round in 2022, but he missed 2023 with an injury. He returned to action two weeks ago in Arizona and pitched five innings in five appearances.
Special start time: Wednesday’s game vs. Lake County begins at 5:35 p.m. The Dragons then travel to Lake County for games on Thursday through Saturday.
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