Snell among top prospect performers Friday

Opponents have had trouble scoring runs off Daniel Mengden this season, both at the Double- and Triple-A levels. That trend continued on Friday as the A’s No. 14 prospect improved to 4-0 with seven innings of one-run ball for Triple-A Nashville in a win over Sacramento.

Mengden scattered five hits and walked one while tallying eight strikeouts in the outing, matching his season high, and he’s now punched out exactly eight hitters in five of his eight starts on the year. More impressive, the 23-year-old righty has yet to allow more than two earned runs in any start this season, and, overall, he’s yielded just four earned runs across 50 frames (0.72 ERA).

Acquired from Houston last July in the Scott Kazmir trade, Mengden began 2016 at Double-A Midland where he posted a 0.78 ERA with a 28/12 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 23 innings (four starts). He moved up to Nashville in early May and has been even better there, recording a 0.67 ERA, a 0.74 WHIP and a 23/4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 innings (four starts).

Though it’s still early in the season and he has little upper-Minors experience, Mengden has made an undeniably strong case to get a look in the big leagues sooner rather than later, especially given the mixed results from Sean Manaea so far.

The rest of the best performances from top prospects Friday

• No. 2 overall prospect Julio Urias (Dodgers’ No. 1) extended his scoreless innings streak to 27 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City by throwing five dominant frames of three-hit ball in a win against Salt Lake. The 19-year-old lefty struck out five without issuing a walk in the outing, giving him an impressive 44/8 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and he owns a 1.10 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP in 41 innings on the season.

• No. 12 overall prospect Blake Snell (Rays’ No. 1) worked a season-high six scoreless innings and fanned nine hitters for a second …

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