Minor league update!

Triple-A Las Vegas 51s
Pacific Coast League Pacific Southern Division
54-51, 2nd Place, 6.5 Games Back

ANGEL IN THE INFIELD: INF Angel Chavez has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, batting .381 (16-for-42)…the 26-year-old is batting .400 (30-for-75) in his last 19 games beginning June 29 to raise his average to .298 from .270…Chavez, who was signed by the Dodgers as a minor league free agent in December, has 10 RBI in his last 11 games, and now ranks third on the club with 58 RBI overall.

FORD’S AT FOURTEEN: OF John-Ford Griffin is riding a 14-game hitting streak, batting .457 (21-for-46) with five homers and 18 RBI during the tear to raise his average to .310 from .286…the left-handed hitter is batting .333 (19-for-57) against left-handers in 94 games overall…the 28-year-old ranks second on the club with 14 homers and 67 RBI.

ELLIS ISLAND: C A.J. Ellis is hitting .419 (19-for-43) in 12 games in July to raise his average to .309 from .277…the 27-year-old has 11 RBI in that same 12-game span…the Dodgers’ 18th-round pick from the 2003 draft has more walks (36) than strikeouts (27)…he is hitting .351 (20-for-57) with runners in scoring position.

HU ARE YOU??: INF Chin-lung Hu is 7-for-18 (.389) with an RBI and four runs scored in six games since his return from the disabled list…the 24-year-old played in 49 games with the Dodgers before being optioned to Las Vegas on June 9.

Double-A Jacksonville Suns
Southern League South Division
Second Half: 14-17, 4th Place, 5.5 Games Back
First Half: 33-37, 3rd Place, 7.0 Games Back

JUAN GONE: INF Juan Gonzalez is hitting .320 (16-for-50) with nine RBI in 18 games in July, raising his average to .272 from .261…the 26-year-old has homered twice in his last four games, and now ranks third on the club with 45 RBI in 82 games overall…he was signed as a minor league free agent in January.

ADOLFO SHOW: OF Adolfo Gonzalez is batting .476 (20-for-42) in his last 12 games to raise his average to .329 from .273…the 23-year-old is in his first season at the Double-A level…he was signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent in March 2002.

MCDONALD IS MCNASTY: RHP James McDonald has allowed one or no runs in five of his last six starts, going 1-0 with a 1.27 ERA (5 ER/35.1 IP) overall in that span…the 23-year-old Long Beach native is 4-2 with a 3.01 ERA in 20 starts this season…he has 106 strikeouts in 107.2 innings…McDonald was selected by the Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft.

Single-A Inland Empire 66ers
California League South Division
Second Half: 18-15, 2nd Place, 0.5 Game Back
First Half: 31-39, 4th Place, 5.0 Games Back

CARLOS IN CHARGE: C Carlos Santana has seven RBI in his last four games, and now has 96 to lead the league…the 22-year-old switch-hitter ranks seventh in the league with a .320 average, second with 34 doubles and a .426 on-base percentage, and third with 52 extra-base hits…he also leads the circuit with 85 runs scored…the California League All-Star was signed by Los Angeles as a non-drafted free agent in August 2004.

AUSTIN POWERS: 1B/3B Austin Gallagher is batting .409 (18-for-44) with six doubles and 13 RBI in his last 11 games, raising his average to .320 from .298…beginning June 16, he is batting .366 (49-for-134) in 33 games to raise his average from .253…the left-handed hitter is batting .400 (16-for-40) against left-handed pitching…Gallagher, who is in only his second year of pro ball, has eight RBI in his last four games and now has 41 RBI in 56 games overall…he was selected by the Dodgers in the third round of the 2007 draft.

THE FILE ON GILES: OF Thomas Giles is hitting .354 (28-for-79) with 23 RBI in 21 games in July after batting .300 (27-for-90) with 22 RBI in 22 games in June…the Vero Beach (FL) High School grad is tied for third in the league with 74 RBI…the 24-year-old was selected by the Dodgers in the eighth round of the 2006 draft

LOCKE AND LOADED: 1B Andrew Locke is hitting .358 (29-for-81) with four homers and 18 RBI in 19 games in July, raising his average to .313 from .297…the Boston College product, who was selected by Los Angeles in the 19th round of the 2005 draft, has 14 RBI in his last 11 games and 42 RBI in his last 42 games beginning June 4.

WELCOME, MATT: RHP Matt Sartor is 0-1 with a save and a 2.35 ERA in five appearances since being promoted from Single-A Great Lakes on July 11…the 23-year-old has struck out 11 in 7.2 innings…Sartor went 4-2 with four saves and a 3.83 ERA in 25 games with Great Lakes…he was signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent in July 2007.

Single-A Great Lakes Loons
Midwest League Eastern Division
Second Half: 12-20, 6th Place, 9.0 Games Back
First Half: 30-39, 5th Place, 8.5 Games Back

LAMBO AND ARROW: Andrew Lambo has 15 RBI in 16 games in July and now has 65 RBI in 94 games overall to rank second on the league…the 19-year-old ranks seventh in the league with 26 doubles and is also tied for eighth with 13 home runs…the Newbury Park High School grad, who bats left-handed, is hitting .348 (49-for-141) against left-handers.

CHECK THE VECTOR, VICTOR: LHP Victor Garate today was promoted to Single-A Inland Empire, and will start tonight at High Desert (Mariners)…Garate had allowed two earned runs or less in each of his last seven starts, going 2-2 with a 1.54 ERA (7 ER/41.0 IP) in that span…the 23-year-old is 5-3 with a 1.77 ERA (13 ER/66.0 IP) in 12 starts since being converted to a full-time starter…he is 6-3 with a 1.85 ERA in 17 games overall…the Venezuela native, who was selected by Los Angeles in the minor league phase of the 2007 Rule 5 Draft, ranks fourth in the league with 103 strikeouts in 77.2 innings of work.

THE WHITE STUFF: LHP Garrett White is 1-1 with two saves and a 1.71 ERA in seven appearances since being reassigned from Single-A Inland Empire on June 23…he had given up just one earned run in 17.0 innings in his first six games before allowing three runs in 4.0 innings last night vs. Clinton (Rangers).

Short-season Single-A Ogden Raptors
Pioneer League Eastern Division
Second Half: 14-19, 3rd Place, 8.5 Games Back

RUSSELL FLEXES HIS MUSCLE: OF Kyle Russell, the Dodgers’ third-round pick in the 2008 draft, is batting .300 (21-for-67) with six homers and 19 RBI in his first 29 pro games…he also has 20 walks and a .424 on-base percentage.

HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR CALFEE?: OF Clay Calfee, the Dodgers’ 14th-round pick, has 22 RBI in 27 games…the left-handed hitter is batting .248 with eight doubles, three triples, and six home runs.

BRACE FOR ANTHONY: INF Anthony Delmonico, the Dodgers’ sixth-round pick in 2008, is 7-for-18 (.389) with four doubles and four RBI in his first four pro games.

CHICKEN GORDON BLEU: INF Devaris Gordon, the Dodgers’ fourth-round pick in 2008, has hit safely in nine games in a row, batting .341 (14-for-41)…the left-handed hitter is batting .319 with seven doubles, 14 RBI, and 18 runs scored in 28 games overall.

YOUNT OF YOUTH: INF/DH Austin Yount, the Dodgers’ 12th-round pick in 2008, is batting .311 with 10 RBI in his first 13 pro games.

Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Dodgers
Gulf Coast League East Division
16-10, 1st Place, 1.5 Games Ahead

THIS GUY CAN PITCH: RHP Edwin Contreras has allowed only one earned run in his last three starts (15.0 innings), and is 4-0 with a 1.20 ERA in six starts overall…the 19-year-old was signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent in November 2006.

FERRERAS IS SPEEDING: RHP Luis Ferreras has two saves and a 0.75 ERA (1 ER/12.0 IP) in seven games…the 17-year-old, who was signed as a non-drafted free agent in March 2007, is in his first year of pro ball in the United States…he posted a 0.99 ERA in 23 games last year with the Dominican Summer League Dodgers.