Charles Davalan, Christian Zazueta lead Great Lakes rout

Easter Sunday was down to two Dodgers affiliates playing a total of three games to close out the week.

Player of the day

High-A Great Lakes center fielder Charles Davalan had an inning to remember in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader. He homered to begin the third inning, then batted again with the bases loaded and still just one out in the same frame, and hit a grand slam, giving him two home runs in the same frame.

Davalan also walked with the bases loaded in the fourth inning, giving him a professional career high six runs batted in. The No. 41 overall pick in the 2025 draft out of Arkansas also was hit by two pitches and walked in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, reaching base six times in the twinbill.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Starter Logan Allen allowed runs in three consecutive innings, and the Comets offense couldn’t do much in a road loss to the Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics), the fourth defeat in five games for Oklahoma City.

Austin Gauthier homered and had two of the Comets’ three hits in the loss.

Kyle Hurt relieved Allen and stranded two runners by getting the final out of the fourth inning, then pitched a scoreless fifth of his own.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons had almost no offense in the first game and made up for it and then some in the second game of a doubleheader split with the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres).

On a cold day in Midland Michigan — 37 degrees at the start of the first game of the doubleheader, 38 degrees for the second — Great Lakes starter Christian Zazueta was on fire in his season debut. He struck out seven in four innings, including retiring each of his first nine batters of the second game Sunday.

A Branch Rickey Award winner as the Dodgers minor league pitcher of the year in 2025, Zazueta on Sunday came within one pitch of an immaculate third inning, throwing eight straight strikes before a ball interrupted his fourth straight strikeout.

A nine-run bottom of the third inning meant Zazueta went roughly 32 minutes between pitching his third and fourth innings, and he allowed his only run of the game. The right-hander’s signature changeup was working and his fastball topped out at 97 mph, per Loons broadcaster John Vicari on the broadcast.

Zach Root, whom you might remember from his eight strikeouts in three standout innings in the spring breakout game in March, struck out five in his professional debut in the first Loons game on Sunday. But the Dodgers’ first draft pick last season also allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks to get hung with the loss.

Second baseman Nico Perez accounted for all the offense in the first game for the Loons, with both team hits and a solo shot to account for the team’s only run in the opener. He also began the scoring in the second game with a two-run double and reached base four times in that contest.