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Blue Jays Minor League Report: Arjun Nimmala hit his first High-A home run
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Photo credit: © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Apr 7, 2025, 18:15 EDTUpdated: Apr 7, 2025, 18:12 EDT
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The start of the Minor League Baseball season is always plagued by rainouts.
This past Friday, Double-A, High-A, and Single-A all kicked off, meaning all “A” levels were in action this past week. In this edition of the minor league report, we’ll look at the games from Apr. 2 until Apr. 6, as there were a handful of games either postponed or cancelled.
Let’s dig in!

Bisons swept by the Redbirds

There aren’t a lot of positives to take away from the four Buffalo Bisons games they played this past week, aside from the fact that two games were cancelled. The first game saw them fall 13-7, with Ali Sánchez hitting the team’s lone home run, with Addison Barger and Joey Loperfido each hitting a single. Dillon Tate and Eric Paridnho were the only pitchers to have a scoreless day, while starter Jake Bloss gave up eight runs, three earned, in his four innings of work.
It got even worse in the second game, as the Bisons were blown out 15-3. Lazaro Estrada made his Triple-A debut, giving up eight runs, six earned. Their bats didn’t do a whole lot, with Jonatan Clase having two of the Bisons’ six singles
Buffalo’s pitching finally got under control in their doubleheader. The first game saw the Bisons fall 4-1, with Eric Lauer pitching five innings with four earned runs. Clase had another strong game, hitting a double and having a three-hit game.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Bisons fell 5-1, registering just three hits from Barger, Clase, and Riley Tirotta – all singles. Trenton Wallace made the start and found better success than in his first start, giving up an earned run in three innings of work. Pardinho gave up two earned runs while Paxton Schultz and Tate each threw a scoreless inning.
The Bisons return home to begin a six-game series against the Durham Bulls on Tuesday.

Fisher Cats split their two games

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats were also impacted by inclement weather, playing two of their three games. Fortunately, their final game was postponed, rather than cancelled like the last two Bisons’ games.
Their season opener saw them fall 3-1 to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. CJ Van Eyk, returning to a starting role, didn’t have a bad start, throwing 4.2 innings with two earned runs allowed and six strikeouts. Ryan Jennings was the top performer, striking out four in his two innings of work. Their bats were cold, though, as Eddinson Paulino, Dasan Brown, and Josh Rivera each hit a single.
The Fisher Cats only scored one run in their second game, but it was enough as they had strong pitching performances. Rafael Sánchez threw five innings of two-hit ball while striking out eight batters. Ryan Watson finished the game off with five strikeouts in four innings. Peyton Williams hit his first extra-base hit at the Double-A level and also hit a single.
On Tuesday, the Fisher Cats head to Portland, Maine, to face the Sea Dogs in a six-game series.

Canadians win their first series of the season

Moving to High-A, the Vancouver Canadians lost their first game against the Tri-City Dust Devils 5-4. Adrian Pinto hit the team’s first home run of the season while Cutter Coffey and Eddie Micheletti Jr. each hit a double. Grant Rogers had a strong start, throwing four innings with one run (not earned) and striking out five. Nate Garkow had a tough outing, giving up three earned runs, while Aaron Munson was tagged with the loss. Bo Bonds struck out three in his inning and a third pitched.
That’s the only loss the Canadians suffered in their three-game series, though. In Game 2, they shut out the Dust Devils thanks to a strong outing from Jackson Wentworth, who pitched five innings with three hits allowed and six strikeouts. Pat Gallagher struck out three in two innings. Coffey hit his first home run of the season while Pinto, Victor Arias, and Je’Von Ward each hit a double. Arjun Nimmala had a three-hit performance.
Game three saw them blow out the Dust Devils by a score of 10-2. Start Juaron Watts-Brown pitched four and two-thirds innings with 10 strikeouts, by far the best performance for any Blue Jays’ minor league pitcher this season (so far). The main story is the bats, though. Nimmala hit his first High-A home run, while Nick Goodwin and Jay Harry also hit a home run. Harry and Brennan Orf hit a double.
Next up for the Canadians, they have a six-game away series against Spokane.

D-Jays lost their series

Lastly, we arrive in Single-A. The Dunedin Blue Jays lost their season opener 8-4 to the Clearwater Threshers. Their 2024 second-round pick, Khal Stephen, had a strong outing, allowing two hits and fanning six in his five innings of work. Fellow 2024 draftee Bennett Flynn was tagged with the loss, giving up five earned runs in an inning and two-thirds. Canadian Sam Shaw hit his first home run of the season, while Manuel Beltre and J.R. Freethy hit a double.
The D-Jays picked up their first win of the season on Saturday, as they won 4-1. Jaden Rudd hit two doubles, Beltre hit his second double of the season in a three-hit performance, and Tucker Toman had two singles. Daniel Guerra pitched four innings with four strikeouts, and Gilberto Batista struck out six in his four innings of work. Colby Martin picked up the save.
Sadly, the rubber match didn’t go the Blue Jays’ way, as they fell 4-2 thanks to two runs in the top of the ninth from the Threshers. Austin Cates made his professional debut, pitching five innings with two strikeouts. Johan Simon gave up two earned runs in two innings, while Jack Eshleman was tagged with the loss thanks to two earned runs in his inning and two-thirds of work. Brock Tibbits had two singles, while Alexis Hernandez and Braden Barry each had a single.
Next up, the D-Jays head to Jupiter for a six-game series against the Hammerheads
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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