Gabriel Hughes strikes out six in rehab assignment, Spokane Indians drop game to Hillsboro 4-2 | NWL baseball

Minor league baseball means different things to different people. For the fans, obviously, it's entertainment and diversion. For the players, a training ground in pursuit of their big league dreams. For minor league owners, it's a passion project or an investment.

For MLB organizations, it's all about player development. And part of player development is providing a game-speed atmosphere for players rehabbing from injury.

Such was the case Saturday at Avista Stadium, where former Gonzaga star Gabriel Hughes made a minor league assignment as he returns from an injury to a muscle in his side.

Hughes delivered three shutout innings, but the Spokane Indians fell to the Hillsboro Hops 4-2 in the fifth of a six-game High-A Northwest League series.

Hughes allowed just two soft hits and a walk with six strikeouts - two in each inning. He threw 56 pitches, 39 for strikes.

"Anytime you can go out and throw up zeros on the scoreboard, it's really good," Hughes said of his second rehab start with the Indians. "Anytime you get a handful of strikeouts, it's really good. I just overall feel really good about it."

He also felt good hearing the P.A. announcer say "... from Gonzaga University ..." during pregame introductions.

"It's a very big crowd tonight. So, to hear everyone cheer after 'Gonzaga' is really cool. It's special."

Hughes - who was the Colorado Rockies' first-round pick (No. 10 overall) in the 2022 draft - made eight starts for the Indians in 2023, his first full season in pro ball, going 4-3 with a 5.50 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 372/3 innings before a midseason promotion to Double-A Hartford.

But Hughes missed half of 2023 and almost all of 2024 after an elbow injury and Tommy John surgery. In his return earlier this year, Hughes made six appearances and four starts for Triple-A Albuquerque but was placed on the minor league injured list on April 30 after feeling discomfort in his side during his last appearance.

Hughes got two quick outs in the first, then got into a couple of battles and ended up throwing 30 pitches with a walk, a single and two strikeouts.

"It was frustrating how many pitches I threw in the first inning - obviously way more than I wanted to, being on a strict pitch count," Hughes said. "But those are the at-bats that you live for, the ones where you're battling, you're grinding, and was able to get an out at the end of it."

He was much more efficient in the second and third, needing 10 and 16 pitches respectively. He picked up two more strikeouts in each inning and catcher Alan Espinal threw out a would-be base stealer in the third to end Hughes' appearance on a high note.

Hughes gave a little fist pump and yell as he came off the mound at the end of his outing.

"It's kind of like an in-the-moment thing, you know," he said. "Espinal throws out a guy trying to steal, and that saves my butt, and so obviously I'm fired up coming off the mound."

He used a 93-95 mph fastball, slider and change and mixed in a new pitch for him this year, a sweeper he learned in spring training in the big league camp.

"I learned it from Michael Lorenzen, and just started throwing it, and I've had really good results with it. So, it's just kind of stuck."

The game stayed scoreless until the bottom of the fifth. Indians leadoff hitter Jacob Humphrey singled, stole second and third, and scored on Robert Calaz's flyout to the track in left center.

The Hops (25-31) came back with two in the sixth off reliever Nathan Blasick, both coming off Roynier Hernandez's throwing error trying to get a runner at the plate.

The Indians (23-33) tied it in the bottom half. Juan Castillo walked, went to second on a flyout and scored on Humphrey's soft single.

Hunter Mann, the Indians' fourth pitcher of the night, found trouble in the eighth. With one down, Jose Mejia reached on a throwing error and Trent Youngblood walked. Kenny Castillo followed with a double to the gap in right center to plate both runners and make it 4-2.

Hillsboro pitchers retired the final Indians batters in order to preserve the win.

The series concludes Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

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