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Minor League Update: Christian Bergman spending time on DL in Tulsa

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

Christian Bergman (St. Francis High, 2006) Tulsa Drillers pitcher: Though Bergman remains on the 60-day disabled list with the Colorado Rockies, the former All-Area Baseball Player of the Year is continuing to stay in game shape while pitching for the Rockies’ double-A team.

The right-hander was called up by Colorado on June 7 from the triple-A Colorado Spring Sox and made three starts for the Rockies. In his last appearance against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 20, Bergman, 26, was struck in the left hand by a line drive. He was placed on the disabled list and is slated to come off it by the end of August.

Bergman, the California League Pitcher of the Year in 2012 and a Texas League All-Star last season with Tulsa, continues to try to get back on track with the Drillers while eyeing a possible return to the Rockies. Since joining Tulsa, Bergman is 0-1 with a 3.00 earned-run average. He’s struck out five, walked five and allowed eight hits in nine innings.

In Bergman’s latest appearance, he pitched well in a loss. Bergman went six innings and allowed one run on five hits and struck out three in Tulsa’s 3-0 home loss against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Bergman threw 77 pitches, including 47 for strikes.

In Bergman’s first start with Tulsa on July 29, he went three innings. He struck out two and walked three in Tulsa’s 7-2 home loss against the Springfield Cardinals.

With the Rockies, Bergman is 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA in three starts. He’s struck out 10 and walked two while allowing five home runs in 15 innings.

Fernando Valenzuela Jr. (St. Francis High, 2000) Leones de Yucatan first baseman: Valenzuela, who attended Glendale Community College and UNLV, is enjoying one of his best stretches of the season. He’s hit safely in eight of his last 10 games and has registered multiple hits in five games.

In that stretch, Valenzuela is batting .410 (16 for 39) with one home run, two doubles, seven runs batted in and four runs scored.

Valenzuela, 32, had another fine effort Tuesday for Leones de Yucatan of the triple-A Mexican League. He finished with three hits, scored a pair of runs and drove in a run in Yucatan’s 8-2 road victory against Delfines de Ciudad del Carmen. Valenzuela had a run-scoring single in the first inning to give Yucatan a 1-0 lead. He added a third-inning single and a double in the fifth.

Valenzuela hit a solo home run Saturday for Yucatan in a 2-0 win.

Through Tuesday, Valenzuela was batting .318 (99 for 311) with eight home runs, 28 runs and 50 runs batted in for Yucatan (44-58).

Alonzo Gonzalez (Glendale Community College, 2012) Lansing Lugnuts pitcher: The left-hander pitched 23 2/3 innings in his last 10 appearances with the Lugnuts, the class-A Midwest League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. In that stretch, he’s struck out 28, walked seven and sports a 2.66 earned-run average.

Gonzalez, a reliever, absorbed the loss during a road game against the Peoria Chiefs on July 25. He yielded a run-scoring hit in the eighth inning in a 1-0 defeat.

However, Gonzalez bounced back nicely in his next appearance to earn his first save of the season. Gonzalez allowed five hits and struck out a pair in three innings in Lansing’s 9-2 road win against the Burlington Bees on July 28.

Gonzalez, 22, last pitched Friday against the Great Lakes Loons. He pitched three scoreless innings and struck out five, but didn’t factor into the decision in Lansing’s 3-1 road defeat. Gonzalez allowed one hit and walked one.

Gonzalez is 1-1 in 61 innings. He’s struck out 70, walked 25 and allowed 38 runs (35 earned).

Through Wednesday, the Lugnuts are 20-25 in the league’s Eastern Division.

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