The Glendale Desert Dogs were held without a hit through five innings Thursday.
Four innings later, they had scored more runs than any Arizona Fall League playoff team in at least two decades.
Glendale erupted late for a 17–5 victory over Scottsdale, advancing to Friday’s semifinal against the Surprise Saguaros.
Dodgers prospects Charles Davalan and Eduardo Quintero were at the center of the turnaround. Davalan drove in three runs, while Quintero reached base five times and scored four.
The Desert Dogs will now face Surprise on Friday at 12:30 p.m. Pacific at the Peoria Sports Complex, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s championship game.
Glendale’s Offense Suddenly Erupts
Glendale entered the sixth inning trailing 1–0 without a hit.
Davalan finally ended the drought with a soft RBI single that scored Wyatt Sanford and tied the game. Quintero, who had reached on a walk, moved to second before scoring on Owen Carey’s single.
Scottsdale immediately answered with four runs in the bottom half, including a two-run home run from Jett Williams, to take a 5–2 lead.
That was Scottsdale’s final offense of the afternoon.
Glendale scored five runs in the seventh, three in the eighth and seven in the ninth, closing the game with 15 unanswered runs across the final three innings.
The 17 total runs established a Fall League playoff record dating back to at least 2005.
Davalan Drives In Three And Reaches Four Times
Davalan finished 2-for-4 with a double, two walks, three RBIs and three runs scored.
His sixth-inning single opened Glendale’s scoring, and he contributed again during the five-run seventh by drawing a bases-loaded walk. Davalan later doubled home Quintero in the ninth as Glendale put the game completely out of reach.
The performance was especially encouraging after an uneven Fall League regular season.
Davalan entered the playoffs batting .221 with a .325 on-base percentage and .353 slugging percentage across 18 games. His primary focus in Arizona has involved gaining experience at second base after playing almost exclusively in the outfield during the regular season.
He served as Glendale’s designated hitter Thursday, allowing the Dodgers to evaluate his offense without the additional responsibility of continuing his infield transition during an elimination game.
As we previously examined in our story on what Davalan’s second-base work means for his development, the Fall League has been more about expanding his versatility than producing another dominant statistical line.
Thursday still provided a reminder of what his bat can do.
Davalan controlled the strike zone, produced two hits and contributed during three separate scoring innings.
Quintero Creates Four Runs Without A Hit
Quintero’s performance looked unusual in the box score.
The Dodgers’ No. 2 prospect finished 0-for-2, but he walked four times, was hit by a pitch and scored four runs.
That means Quintero reached base in five of his seven plate appearances without recording an official hit.
MLB’s recap credited Quintero and Davalan with reaching base eight combined times. The final box score shows nine when Quintero’s hit-by-pitch is included: Davalan reached four times, while Quintero reached five.
Quintero crossed the plate during the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings.
His patience repeatedly created opportunities for the hitters behind him. He scored on Carey’s single in the sixth, a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the seventh, Dillon Lewis’ single in the eighth and Davalan’s double in the ninth.
Quintero’s Fall League batting average has remained low, but his ability to reach base has prevented his offensive performance from completely collapsing.
He finished the regular-season portion of the schedule batting .154 with a .375 on-base percentage. The difference reflects how frequently he has drawn walks and accepted free trips to first base.
Thursday represented an extreme example.
Quintero did not need a hit to influence the game. He consistently forced Scottsdale’s pitchers into the strike zone, reached base and gave Glendale’s lineup repeated opportunities to bring him home.
That complements the speed he displayed earlier in the Fall League, including the three-steal performance we covered in October.
Cody Morse Contributes From The Bullpen
Davalan and Quintero were not the only Dodgers prospects to appear.
Left-hander Cody Morse recorded the final out of Scottsdale’s four-run sixth inning. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one across one-third of an inning, but did not allow a run charged to his record.
Morse’s appearance was brief, but it helped Glendale escape the inning before its offense began the comeback.
The 24-year-old was one of 10 Dodgers prospects assigned to Glendale for the Fall League, joining Quintero, Davalan, Chase Harlan, Anson Aroz, Marlon Nieves, Brooks Auger, Luke Fox, Sam Horn and Williams Salazar.
Glendale Now Faces The Fall League’s Top Seed
Friday presents a considerably different challenge.
Surprise finished with the Fall League’s best record at 18–10, earning a first-round bye. The Saguaros have also won three of the past four AFL championships.
Their roster includes several prominent prospects:
Rangers infielder Sebastian Walcott, MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 overall prospect
Phillies infielder Aidan Miller, ranked No. 59
Royals outfielder Angeibel Gomez, ranked No. 76
Royals 2026 first-round selection Zion Rose
Glendale counters with its own Top 100 trio in Quintero, Davalan and Braves prospect Tate Southisene.
Southisene also played an important role Thursday, finishing with two hits, two walks, two RBIs and three runs scored.
Glendale cannot expect another 17-run explosion, especially against a rested opponent. What Thursday demonstrated is that its lineup can create offense without relying entirely on home runs.
Davalan and Southisene collected timely hits. Quintero controlled the strike zone. Glendale accepted walks, kept innings alive and forced Scottsdale’s bullpen to continue working under pressure.
That formula may be more repeatable than the final score suggests.
How To Watch Friday’s Semifinal
Glendale and Surprise will play Friday at 12:30 p.m. Pacific at the Peoria Sports Complex.
The game will stream through MLB.com and MLB.TV. Fall League streams are available free through MLB’s AFL coverage. mlb.com
The winner will advance to Saturday’s championship game, scheduled for 5 p.m. Pacific. The title game will also be broadcast on MLB Network.
For Dodgers fans, Friday provides another opportunity to watch two of the organization’s most important young hitters perform in a meaningful game.
Davalan helped ignite Thursday’s comeback.
Quintero repeatedly found his way on base.
Now they will attempt to help Glendale earn a place in the Fall League championship.