Kyle Gibson shows why it's best not to get too excited about small sample sizes.
SCOTTSDALE 7, PEORIA 1 IN SCOTTSDALE
Twins: Nate Roberts was 0-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. Kyle Gibson surrendered six runs on eight hits and a walk in two innings, striking out one. Logan Darnell allowed one run on two hits and a walk in two innings while striking out two.
Game summary: Scottsdale scored six runs in the second inning on the way to an easy win.
Peoria: Jeudy Valdez (San Diego) doubled and drove in the lone run.
Scottsdale: Kyle Kaminska (Pittsburgh) struck out six in five shutout innings, giving up one hit and no walks. David Adams (Yankees) was 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk, scoring once and driving in three.
SURPRISE 7, MESA 2 IN SURPRISE
Game summary: Surprise scored two in the third to break a 1-1 tie and gradually took control of the game.
Mesa: Rafael Ynoa (Dodgers) was 2-for-4 and drove in a run. Nick Castellanos (Detroit) was 2-for-5.
Surprise: Darrell Cicilliani (Mets) was 2-for-4 with a walk, scoring twice and driving in two. Hanser Alberto (Texas) was 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in one.
SALT RIVER 9, PHOENIX 2 IN PHOENIX
Game summary: Salt River scored three in the fourth to take control and four in the seventh to put it away.
Salt River: Ryan Perry (Washington) worked five shutout innings, giving up one hit and no walks. Kent Matthes (Colorado) was 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run, scoring three times and driving in two.
Phoenix: Hak-Ju Lee (Tampa Bay) was 2-for-4 and scored once. Hunter Morris (Milwaukee) doubled and drove in two.
That's funny. I thought two innings was a super small sample size. Gibson's numbers have plummeted to a 20-3 K-BB rate in 15 innings and a 3.6 GO/AO rate and no HRs allowed in a very hitter-friendly environment. Even in this game, Gibson had five groundouts and no flyouts. It's Gibson's peripherals against top prospects that are very encouraging. Also, he's been selected to the Rising Stars game to be shown on MLB Network.
I didn't mean that this game shows he's not a good pitcher. What I meant was that the entire AFL is a small sample size, so it's best not to get too excited about anything that happens there.