Phipps, Estrellas blast way past Toros
Reds prospect connects on second homer of the season, plates four in rout
Dominican Winter League
Oriente 15, Este 6
Reds prospect Denis Phipps homered and drove in four runs as the Estrellas scored a season-high 15 runs.
Phipps, who hit 17 homers in 97 Minor League games in 2012, helped Oriente jump out to a 7-0 lead in the second inning with a bases-loaded walk. In the fourth, the 27-year-old outfielder hit a three-run blast, his second of the winter.
Alex Valdez, a former Nationals prospect, went yard and had four RBIs while Padres prospect Daniel Robertson reached base four times and scored three runs out of the leadoff spot for the Estrellas, who moved into sole possession of second place with the win.
Athletics farmhand Bruce Billings improved to 2-2 after allowing three runs -- two earned -- on six hits over five innings for Oriente.
Mets prospect Jefry Marte slugged a three-run homer for the Toros, who saw their four-game winning streak snapped.