Minor League Baseball Update: Sherriff achieves all-star status

The following are updates on local baseball players at the minor league level.

Ryan Sherriff (Glendale Community College, 2011) Memphis Redbirds pitcher: It continues to be a successful season for Sherriff, a left-handed reliever. It’s one that’s included a milestone moment for the former All-Western State Conference South Division honoree.

Sherriff, 26, was selected to participate in the Triple-A All-Star Game, which was played July 13 at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte. Sherriff, representing the Pacific Coast League, faced one batter and got a ground ball on just two pitches in the eighth inning. The International League registered a 4-2 victory in front of a crowd of 10,386.

Sherriff picked up the victory Saturday in his last appearance. Though he gave up a run in the ninth inning in the first game of a home doubleheader against the Iowa Cubs, Memphis tallied three runs in the bottom of the inning, capped by a two-run home run by Charlie Tilson, to pick up a 6-4 victory. Sherriff allowed one run on three hits.

Sherriff picked up his first save of the season July 9 against the visiting Round Rock Express. He struck out three in 1 1/3 innings in Memphis’ 4-1 win. The game was called after seven innings because of rain.

Entering Wednesday’s home contest against the Oklahoma City Dodgers, Sherriff was 4-0 with a 2.57 earned-run average. In 35 appearances, Sherriff has struck out 40 and walked 16. He’s yielded 20 runs (14 earned) and 42 hits in 49 innings.

Memphis, the triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, was 49-53 and tied for second in the league’s Southern Division.

Alonzo Gonzalez (Glendale Community College, 2012) Dunedin Blue Jays pitcher: Though he had a bit of a rough outing in his last appearance Tuesday, Gonzalez picked up the win.

Gonzalez, a former All-Western State Conference South Division pick, gave up two runs on two hits and walked two against the visiting Lakeland Flying Tigers. He struck out one, but got the victory when Dunedin scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth en route to a 6-5 win.

The reliever has been pretty sharp in his last 10 appearances since spending about a month on the disabled list. In that stretch, he’s gone 3-0 with a 1.60 ERA spanning 18 innings. He’s struck out 22 and surrendered three runs on 10 hits.

On July 17 against the visiting Charlotte Stone Crabs, Gonzalez pitched two scoreless innings and struck out three to notch the victory. Dunedin, the class-A advanced team of the Toronto Blue Jays, posted a 4-3 win in 10 innings.

Entering Wednesday’s game versus Lakeland, Gonzalez was 5-4 with a 2.38 ERA. He’s struck out 53 and walked 40 in 53 innings. Gonzalez, 24, has given up 16 runs (14 earned) in 31 appearances.

Dunedin was 19-13 and in second place in the Florida State League’s North Division.

Christian Bergman (St. Francis High, 2006) Albuquerque Isotopes pitcher: Bergman continues to get back on track for Albuquerque, the triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. Bergman, a former All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, began the season with Colorado before suffering an injury in May and winding up on the disabled list for nearly a month.

Colorado sent Bergman, a right-hander, to Albuquerque to get back into shape following an oblique injury. Bergman, 28, has made six appearances since joining the Isotopes.

In his last outing Monday against the host Fresno Grizzlies, Bergman surrendered five runs (four earned) and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 7-3 defeat. He struck out three and walked one in a 91-pitch effort.

Bergman picked up his first win July 9 against the Las Vegas 51s. The UC Irvine product allowed four runs (three earned), struck out two and gave up six hits in 5 2/3 innings. The Isotopes registered an 8-5 road win.

With Colorado, Bergman is 1-3 with a 5.89 ERA in nine appearances. He’s struck out 19 and walked four in 18 1/3 innings. He’s yielded 12 runs and 25 hits.

Albuquerque was 45-58 and in last place in the Pacific Coast League’s Pacific Southern Division entering Wednesday’s home game versus the Salt Lake Bees.

David Olmedo-Barrera (St. Francis High, 2012) Bowling Green Hot Rods outfielder: Since being taken in the 12th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft in 2015 by the Tampa Bay Rays, Olmedo-Barrera has begun his climb up the career ladder.

Olmedo-Barrera, a former All-Area and All-Mission League selection before standing out at Cal State Fullerton, played last season for the Princeton Rays, a rookie team in the Appalachian League. Olmedo-Barrera, 22, was then promoted to Bowling Green, the Rays’ Class-A affiliate in the Midwest League to start this season.

Entering Wednesday’s home contest against the Lansing Lugnuts, Olmedo-Barrera is batting .308 (40 for 130) with nine doubles, five home runs and 22 runs batted in. He’s stolen seven bases and scored 22 runs in 33 games.

Olmedo-Barrera enjoyed a big performance Sunday against the Quad Cities River Bandits on the road. He finished with two hits, including a home run, in a 6-5 loss in 14 innings. Olmedo-Barrera hit a solo home run with two outs in the ninth to knot it at 4.

In a game against the Cedar Rapids Kernels on July 20, Olmedo-Barrera finished with three hits and scored two runs to help visiting Bowling Green post a 5-4 victory.

Bowling Green was 18-12 and in second place in the league’s Eastern Division entering Wednesday.