The three active Padres affiliates went undefeated as Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne try to climb back to .500. Chris Huffman, Reggie Lawson, and Aaron Leasher combined for 18 seven-hit, no-earned-run innings with 17 strikeouts and six walks.
Chihuahuas 3 – Reno Aces 2
Key Stats: RHP Chris Huffman (W, 1-1) 7 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 3 K; 1B Brett Nicholas 2-4, 2B, R; 2B Luis Urias 1-4, RBI, 2 K; C Stephen McGee 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
Prospect Watch: RHP Chris Huffman is probably the biggest example of how far the system has come. The 25-year-old has had success everywhere he has gone, carrying just over a three ERA at every level he has pitched at. He is not flashy, sitting 89-92, but pounds the zone hits his spots and gets out after out. Wednesday, he induced 10 ground ball outs, multiple double plays, and made it difficult for hitters to stay on top of his pitches. Seven years ago, a pitcher like Huffman (career 3.41 ERA, only two walks per nine) would have been in the mix for a top 10 spot in the system. This year, he doesn’t sniff the top 30. … 1B/C Brett Nicholas has done nothing but hit since he joined the Chihuahuas. He has eight hits and reached base 11 times over the past five games. He has a line of .375/.444/.725 which is up over his .311/.353/.469 from Triple-A Round Rock last year. He is an offense-first catcher but could hit enough that he gets playing time at first or the outfield.
Missions had the night off
Storm 6 – Inland Empire 66ers 5
Key Stats: LF Wil Myers 1-4, HR (1), 2 RBI; RHP Reggie Lawson 5 IP, H, R, 2 BB, 7 K; RHP David Bednar (W, 1-0) 2 IP, H, 5 K; RF Buddy Reed 4-4, 2 RS, 2 2B, SB (5); C Luis Torrens 2B, RBI
Prospect Watch: Wil Myers continued his rehab assignment playing seven innings, six in left, for the Storm. He homered in the fifth before grounding into a double play in the seventh for his final at-bat… Reggie Lawson gave up a single with two outs in the first and did not allow another hit the rest of the game. He did not walk a batter until the fifth when he started to lose control, walking two but was bailed out by Luis Torrens picking off a runner at third. Lawson has gone five innings in each of his first three starts and has struck out 20 while limiting opponents to a .179 average. Three starts is still a small sample size, but he has shown better command on his fastball, and a vastly improved changeup. … Buddy Reed has been on fire over the last week but had to leave the game with an apparent injury. The outfielder, who turns 23 next week, collected his second straight four-hit game Wednesday. After legging out an infield single, he appeared to have an issue with his side and exited the contest. Over his last seven games, he has raised his OPS to 1.116. He finishes the series with the 66ers 11-for-14, six runs, four doubles, three home runs, seven RBI, and a stolen base.
TinCaps 7 – Great Lakes Loons 2
Key Stats: LHP Aaron Leasher (W, 1-0) 6 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K; DH Luis Campusano 2-4, R, 3 RBI; 3B Justin Lopez 2-4, RBI; SS Gabriel Arias 1-4, 2 R, BB
Prospect Watch: Travis has the recap from the big win.
