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Bell, Garcia among top prospects in Minors on Wednesday

Pirates Nos. 3 and 14 prospects both launch home runs for Double-A Altoona

Headlined by No. 3 prospect (No. 30 overall) Josh Bell and No. 14 prospect Willy Garcia, the Pittsburgh organization had a big night in the Minors.

Both Bell and Garcia homered for Double-A Altoona in a 5-3 loss to Reading, ripping a pair of solo shots. Bell is 6-for-21 with two homers and six RBIs over his past five games, while Garcia has gone 7-for-22 with two dingers and four RBIs during the same span. They've combined for eight homers and 67 RBIs this season and Garcia is in the midst of a 15-game hitting streak .

Over in Indianapolis, No. 11 prospect Elias Diaz ripped a two-run shot for Triple-A Indianapolis. The catcher has been on fire recently, going 8-for-19 with a dinger and five RBIs in his past five games. On the year, Diaz is hitting .282/.344/.382 with two homers and 22 RBIs.

It was a solid night for the Pirates' farm system on the mound, too. No. 29 prospect Steven Brault turned in a strong start for Class A Advanced Bradenton, giving up two hits over five shutout innings. The southpaw hasn't allowed more than two runs in a start since May 9 and owns a 4-1 record with an even 3.00 ERA.

More standout performances from Top 100 prospects on Wednesday

Mariners No. 2 prospect (No. 43 overall) D.J. Peterson went 2-for-4 and connected on his third homer of the season for Double-A Jackson. The infielder also doubled and knocked in two runs. He's got 25 RBIs on the year.

Rangers No. 3 prospect (No. 47 overall) Nomar Mazara hit his third homer in eight games for Double-A Frisco. He's hitting .286/.368/.424 with five dingers and 25 RBIs this season. Just 20 years old, he's hit in seven of his past eight contests.

Astros No. 6 prospect (No. 98 overall) Brett Phillips went off for Class A Advanced Lancaster. The center fielder was 2-for-6 with a triple, home run and four RBIs in a 11-9 win over Visalia. Phillips has been on quite the run over the past four games, going 9-for-20 with two homers and 10 RBIs. He has 11 round trippers and 44 RBIs this season.

Other notable performances from around the Minor Leagues

Angels No. 8 prospect Victor Alcantara brought a no-hitter into the fifth inning for Class A Advanced Inland Empire and finished with a solid line: seven shutout innings, two hits, four strikeouts and one walk. He picked up the win -- his third of the year -- and cut his ERA from 5.33 to 4.66.

• A trio of Blue Jays prospects helped power Class A Lansing to a 12-5 blowout win over Quad Cities. No. 7 prospect Richard Urena (solo HR), No. 18 prospect Anthony Alford (2-for-4, two-run HR) and No. 21 prospect Rowdy Tellez (three RBIs) all contributed with Urena hitting his second homer in four games. He also has seven RBIs in that span.

Brewers No. 2 prospect Tyrone Taylor became the first Double-A Biloxi player to hit homers in back-to-back games. The center fielder launched a two-run shot as part of a 2-for-3 night and is hitting .264/.303/.365 with two dingers and 23 RBIs this year.

Cubs No. 6 prospect Duane Underwood was lights out for Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach, allowing three hits and one run while striking out three in six innings of work. The right-hander didn't pick up a victory -- and hasn't won since starting 5-0 -- but reduced his ERA to 2.08.

D-backs No. 16 prospect Stryker Trahan is in the zone for Class A Kane County. The catcher homered for the second straight night and is 6-for-12 with three homers and 11 RBIs in his past three games. His slugging percentage sits at .536, thanks in part to his 11 homers and 38 RBIs this season.

D-backs No. 29 prospect Daniel Palka went 2-for-5 with a two-run shot for Class A Advanced Visalia. The homer was his eighth of the season and first since he hit two on May 19.

Indians No. 10 prospect Bobby Bradley went yard for Class A Lake County, smacking a two-run home run as part of a 2-for-4 day that included three RBIs. The homer was his second in four games and he has eight on the season.

Indians No. 12 prospect Mitch Brown took a no-hitter into the eighth inning for Class A Advanced Lynchburg. The bid was broken up by Jordan Betts, who doubled to left field for Salem's first hit of the game. Now 2-6 with a 5.37 ERA, Brown finished the night with five strikeouts against one hit in 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball.

Nationals No. 21 prospect Matt Skole's average is above .200 for the first time since May 9 after going 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs for Double-A Harrisburg. The first baseman is hitting .201/.301/.396 with nine homers and 28 RBIs this year.

Phillies No. 23 prospect Aaron Altherr was perfect for Double-A Reading, going 4-for-4 with a solo shot and two RBIs on Wednesday. The outfielder has bumped his batting average from .256 to .282 in the past eight games, going 11-for-25.

Rangers No. 6 prospect Lewis Brinson served as the catalyst for Class A Advanced High Desert's dominant 16-2 win over Lake Elsinore. The leadoff hitter finished 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs as seven different Mavericks scored at least two runs. The multi-homer day was Brinson's first of the year and fifth of his career. He now has at least one multi-homer game in each of his four Minor League seasons. Rangers No. 12 prospect Ryan Cordell added to the offensive outburst with a solo shot, his 12th of the season.

Rays No. 17 prospect Justin Williams went 4-for-5 with a two-run home run for Class A Bowling Green. The outfielder finished with four RBIs on the night, his first multi-RBI game since May 23. He's hitting .274/.297/.426 with five homers and 25 RBIs this year.

Rays No. 19 prospect Richie Shaffer continues to excel after his May 24 promotion to Triple-A Durham. The third baseman went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBIs and is hitting .320/.397/.640 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 15 games for the Bulls.

Rockies No. 12 prospect Trevor Story hit a solo homer and finished with a pair of RBIs for Double-A New Britain. He stands at eight round trippers and 34 RBIs this season.

Tigers No. 10 prospect Dixon Machado hit his first career grand slam for Triple-A Toledo. The blast -- his first since April 30 -- came as part of an 11-7 win over Syracuse. Machado finished 1-for-4 with a walk and five RBIs. The shortstop has now hit in six straight games.

Yankees No. 4 prospect Greg Bird smacked his fourth home run of the year for Double-A Trenton. The homer was his first since April 28; he missed almost a full month after injuring his right shoulder in early May. Since his return on June 4, he's gone 6-for-18 with one home run and seven RBIs.

Alex M. Smith is a reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: Pittsburgh Pirates, Steven Brault, Willy Garcia, Josh Bell, Elias Diaz