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Triple A Toledo
Who's hot ...
• Casper Wells, OF: He's picked it up the past two weeks, batting .318 with four home runs, four doubles, and nine RBIs in his last 11 games.
• Alfredo Figaro, RHP: Also settling in after a bumpy first half, Figaro in his last four starts is 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings.
• Max St. Pierre and Robinzon Diaz, C: A rare hot streak for a couple of farm-system catchers: St. Pierre is batting .407 in his last eight games; Diaz has hit safely in six of his last seven (.385).
... and who's not
• Fu-Te Ni, LHP: Big setback season for Ni, who has been as bad at Toledo as during his waning days in Detroit: 8.71 ERA in his last 10 appearances.
Double A Erie
Who's hot
• Deik Scram, OF: In his last 22 games, Scram is batting .375, with two homers, 11 doubles and 13 RBIs. Scram, 26, was an 18th-round pick in 2006. He's 6-2, 180, and a left-handed batter.
• Jeff Kunkel, C: Something about late summer has stirred the Tigers' young catchers. In his last seven games Kunkel is hitting .423.
• Zach Simons, RHP: As usual, Simons is gunning down almost everyone: 1.01 ERA in his last 28 games, with 44 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings.
And who's not
• Alden Carrithers, 2B: Been a tough transition for Carrithers since moving to Erie from Lakeland: .195 batting average.
Class A Lakeland
Who's hot
• Bryan Holaday and John Murrian, C: The Tigers invested in catching the past two drafts and it's paying off: Holaday has hit safely in five of his last six games (.348); Murrian, in his last 22 games, is hitting .329, with two home runs, six doubles, and 10 RBIs.
• Gustavo Nunez, SS: A sign of life, at last: Nunez in his last five games is batting .333.
• Luke Putkonen, RHP: Getting healthy and getting better: 1-1 in his last five starts with a 2.79 ERA.
• Jared Gayhart, RHP: Didn't fare well during a stint at Erie, but is at home at Lakeland: no runs in his last five appearances.
And who's not
• Michael Torrealba, RHP: Rough debut for Torrealba following a promotion from Connecticut: 15.75 ERA in three appearances.
Class A West Michigan
Who's hot
• Rob Brantly, C: This year's third-round draft pick has at least one hit in his last six games: .450, with three doubles and six RBIs.
And who's not
• Luis Angel Sanz, RHP: Not a pretty past month for Sanz, since he was given a commendation following some fine outings at Connecticut: 1-3 with a 9.62 ERA in his last 10 games.
Class A Connecticut
Who's hot
• P.J. Polk, OF: Polk, a 13th-round draft pick in June (Tennessee), is batting .354 in his last 18 games. He's a 5-foot-9 corner outfielder.
• Julio Rodriguez, C: He turns 21 this week and was signed by the Tigers four years ago out of the Dominican Republic. Rodriguez, who is 6-2, 200, has gotten a hit in eight of his last nine games, good for a .379 average.
• Ryan Enos, OF: He wasn't drafted in June but was signed to a free-agent contract out of Dallas Baptist University. In his last nine games, Enos is batting .382, with a home run, two triples, a double, and seven RBIs.
And who's not
• Brett Anderson, SS: He was a 12th-round 2008 pick (Bristol Eastern School) who's had a rough go of it: .168 in his last 10 games.
Gulf Coast League (rookie)
Who's hot
• Dixon Machado, SS: He's an 18-year-old who was signed two years ago out of San Cristobal, Venezuela, and he has been having a sweet adjustment to baseball in the United States in his first season here: He's hit safely in six of his last seven games, batting .370. Machado is 6-foot, 140 pounds, and bats right-handed.
• Bruce Rondon, RHP: Continues to flourish in his first season, as well, in the U.S. Rondon, who is 6-2, 190, and another of the Tigers' 2007 Venezuelan signings, leads the GCL in saves with nine. He has not allowed a run in his last 10 games, striking out 12 batters in 9 2/3 innings.
• Edwin Gomez, OF: Has started briskly, batting .316 in his last nine games. Gomez was the Tigers' fourth-round pick in June. He's 18 years old, 6-3, 175, and a switch-hitter.
And who's not
• Antonio Cruz, LHP: It's the old story: When you're 18, you can afford your whippings, and Cruz, who was signed as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, has taken his share of lumps of late: 7.20 ERA in five games.
From The Detroit News: