NewsD-backs' Allen snaps slump in win
First baseman homers in three-RBI game for Scottsdale
By Danny Wild / MLB.com
10/22/09 7:30 PM ET
Off to a slow start by most standards, Brandon Allen said he's not even keeping track of his results so far in the Arizona Fall League."I don't pay attention to it really," said Allen, who entered Thursday's game batting .172 in 29 at-bats for Scottsdale. "You focus on getting some good at-bats and getting into hitter's counts, and I feel like I've been doing that so far."
The good feelings continued Thursday as Allen homered, doubled and drove in three runs and fellow Diamondbacks prospect Cole Gillespie had three of Scottsdale's 19 hits in an 11-1 win over Mesa.
The 6-foot-2 first baseman took a two-out offering from Angels right-hander Marco Albano over the right-field wall in the fourth inning for his first homer of the fall. He added an RBI double in the eighth, raising his AFL average to .206.
"It felt nice, I wasn't trying to do too much," Allen said of the long ball. "I'm feeling comfortable at the plate."
The homer was the first for Allen since Sept. 18 against the Colorado Rockies.
"I was just trying to get a pitch to hit," he said. "It was a fastball, middle-outer half."
Allen, Chicago's fifth-round pick in the 2004 Draft, began the 2009 season with Double-A Birmingham and was promoted to Triple-A Charlotte before the White Sox sent him west to Arizona for reliever Tony Peña. He was a Southern League All-Star for the Barons, with whom he hit .290 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs in 62 games.
The Conroe, Texas native, who made his Major League debut with the D-backs on Aug. 22, had a big year in the Minors, hitting a combined .298 at two levels for three teams. He struggled against National League pitching though, and he finished his first big league campaign batting .202 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 32 games with Arizona.
Determined to relax and work on his mechanics, Allen said he's happy he has the opportunity in the AFL.
"I just came out here to put some good at-bats together, be myself," said Allen, who hit fourth in the Scottsdale lineup. "It's fun out here. You get to play with guys you've never seen before, so everyone is really enjoying it."
Gillespie, batting .400, had two singles, a double, walked and scored a pair of runs for the Scorpions, who totaled seven extra-base hits in the victory.
Hector Gomez (Rockies) and Phillies prospects Domonic Brown and Tuffy Gosewisch each drove in two runs.
"We were good, everybody hit the ball well," said Allen. "Up and down the lineup, we did a good job, and we had some great pitching too."
Phillies right-hander Edgar Garcia allowed one run on four hits over three innings to nab his second win of the fall. Starter Chaz Roe, the Rockies' first-round pick in 2005, struck out one and held Mesa to one hit over two frames.
Marlins top prospect Mike Stanton, batting .478, had three hits, while first baseman Chris Parmelee knocked home fellow Twins prospect Rene Tosoni with a sacrifice fly in the fourth for the Solar Sox's lone run.
Andrew Cashner, the Cubs' first-round pick in the 2008 Draft, suffered his second loss of the fall after allowing a run on three hits over 3 2/3 innings. He threw 56 pitches and struck out one.
Danny Wild is an editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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