There was plenty of offensive fireworks and impressive pitching performances during the penultimate Friday in August. Lazaro Montes (Mariners) led the way with another mulithomer contest and Max Clark (Tigers) returned from a brief injury with a dinger of his own. Andrew Painter (Phillies) rebounded with his best performance in weeks, while Payton Tolle (Red Sox) and Caden Dana (Angels) looked like aces-in-training.
Lazaro Montes, OF, Arkansas (SEA No. 3/MLB No. 29)
After enduring a lengthy slump, Montes looks to be finding his power stroke once again. The 20-year-old homered twice for the second time in less than a week to move into a tie for the Minor League lead with 31 roundtrippers. Montes has been inconsistent during his first taste of Double-A ball, but has gone deep 13 times in 45 games and has an .829 OPS for Arkansas. Gameday
Max Clark, OF, Erie (DET No. 2/MLB No. 9)
Clark returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sore wrist and looked no worse for wear. The 20-year-old hammered a two-run jack -- his 12th of the year and third in his past five games for Double-A Erie. Clark scored twice, walked twice and has an .890 OPS in 28 contests at Double-A, with an .867 mark across two Minor League levels this season. Gameday
Andrew Painter, RHP, Lehigh Valley (PHI No. 1/MLB No. 10)
Painter produced his best performance for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in nearly a month. The 2021 first-rounder allowed one run and struck out five over five innings, tossing 90 pitches (57 strikes). Painter worked around traffic all night, allowing eight baserunners, but he didn't allow a run until the fifth on consecutive doubles. Gameday
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Payton Tolle, LHP, Worcester (BOS No. 2/MLB No. 28)
Following up on a scoreless outing his last time out, Tolle twirled five more strong innings, allowing one hit and a run while striking out nine. The 22-year-old has zoomed up the Minor League ladder this season, beginning the year at High-A Greenville before moving on to Double-A Portland and finally Triple-A Worcester on Aug. 6. Tolle has surrendered one run or fewer in 15 of his 20 appearances this season while racking up a 133/23 K/BB ratio in 91 2/3 innings. Gameday
Charlie Condon, 1B/OF, Hartford (COL No. 2/MLB No. 60)
After blasting two homers in one game for the first time on Thursday night, Condon reached the seats again and drove in three runs for Double-A Hartford. The 22-year-old added a triple to give him three straight multihit performances, a .323/.450/.662 slash line in 18 games this month and an .881 OPS since his promotion to Hartford on July 1. Gameday
Jeferson Quero, C, Nashville (MIL No. 4/MLB No. 65)
Quero continued to swing a hot bat for Triple-A Nashville, leaving the yard and adding a double while collecting three RBIs. The native of Venezuela is batting .433 (13-for-30) with eight extra-base hits and 13 RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak, including five multihit efforts. Quero is slashing .292/.364/.474 in 41 games for Nashville. Gameday
Alfredo Duno, C, Daytona (CIN No. 3/MLB No. 74)
The dog days of August don't seem to bothering Duno, who went yard for a third consecutive game. It was the 14th long ball of the season for the 19-year-old and his sixth this month to go along with six doubles and 22 RBIs. Duno has a 1.271 OPS in August and is slashing .284/.426/.496 in 103 games for Single-A Daytona. Gameday
Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Delmarva (BAL No. 5)
Aloy has gotten off to a strong start in his pro career, but the 31st overall pick in the 2025 Draft had yet homer. Now he has. Aloy picked up his fourth mulithit effort in his first seven games for Single-A Delmarva, highlighted by his tie-breaking clout in his final at-bat in the eighth inning. The Arkansas product and native of Hawaii is 10-for-28 (.357) with six extra-base hits, eight runs scored and six RBIs. Gameday
Caden Dana, RHP, Salt Lake (LAA No. 6)
It's been an up-and-down campaign for Dana, but the New York native came through with arguably the best performance of his career. Dana completed seven innings for the first time since May 6 and struck out a career-high 13, including three in his final frame to cap his outing after 99 pitches (65 strikes). Gameday
Daniel Eagen, RHP, Amarillo (AZ No. 14)
Eagen is firing on all cylinders as he comes down the stretch of his first pro season. Arizona's third-round pick in the 2024 Draft came into his Double-A debut riding a 15-inning scoreless streak over his past two-plus starts. Eagen extended that number by spinning 7 2/3 shutout frames, striking out eight and yielding two hits in his first appearance for Amarillo. The 22-year-old has a 32/5 K/BB ratio and has surrendered four hits in his past 22 2/3 innings. Eagen has a 2.31 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP and 140 strikeouts in 105 1/3 frames across two Minor League levels. Gameday