Padres prospect Aaron Leasher pitches for Fort Wayne TinCaps

Aaron Leasher delivers for the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Photo: Jeff Nycz)

Fresno Grizzlies 9, Chihuahuas 7

Key Stats:  RHP Chris Huffman 3 IP, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 6 H; RF Hunter Renfroe 1-5, 2B, R, RBI, 2 K; 2B Luis Urias 1-4, 2B, R, 2 K, CS; CF Austin Bousfield 2-3, R, BB, K; C Brett Nicholas 1-4, RBI, BB, K; LF Shane Peterson 2-3, 2 2B, R, RBI; DH Allen Craig 1-2, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB; SS Javy Guerra 0-4, 4 K; 3B Dusty Coleman 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, K

Prospect Watch:  Javy Guerra’s four strikeouts brings his season total to 49 K in 123 AB. After a hot start despite continued contact issues, his production has cratered over the last month. He has three hits in his last 45 trips to the plate. … Despite a line drive double to left, Luis Urias’ average over the last ten games has dropped more than 50 points below the Mendoza line.  His 11:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio and innate hitting ability suggest that its nothing more than the ebbs and flows of a long season, especially for a 20 year old playing in Triple-A ball. It probably means that those angling for a fast call-up will need to be a bit more patient, … In his first rehab start with El Paso, Hunter Renfroe went down swinging in three of his first four plate appearances.  He doubled on a sharp grounder to left, but he obviously needs to shake off some rust following his elbow injury.

Corpus Christi Hooks 4, Missions 0

Key Stats: RHP Lake Bachar 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 6 H; SS Fernando Tatis Jr. 1-4, SB, 2 K; 1B Josh Naylor 1-4; CF Michael Gettys 0-3, 3 K; DH Kyle Overstreet 1-4, 2B, K

Prospect Watch:  It was an absolutely forgettable day for the Missions as they were shut out and struck out 11 times by Ryan Hartman, a 24-year-old southpaw who doesn’t crack the Astros top 30 lists.  Michael Gettys, Rod Boykin, and Ty France each struck out three times while Fernando Tatis Jr. fell victim to the strikeout twice. Tatis also swiped his fourth base of the season.  Last year, he collected 32 stolen bases, so the current pace may seem disappointing; however, all four of his steals in 2018 have come in May, making his line this month a jaw-dropping .338/.442/.676 with 5 HR, 4 SB, 5 2B, 3B, 11 RBI, a 12.3 % walk rate, and a 35.6 % K rate. … In his first 10 innings of Double-A ball, Lake Bachar  allowed just one earned run, but a dismal sixth inning tonight marred an otherwise promising second start.  His seven K’s on the day was a season high.

Inland Empire 66ers 7, Storm 4

Key Stats:  RHP Michel Baez 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 4 K, BB, 6 H, 48-84 Strikes-Pitches; CF Edward Olivares 0-5; 2B Eguy Rosario 1-3, 2B, SB, R, BB, K; LF Buddy Reed 0-3, R, BB, K; C Luis Torrens 3-4, 3B, RBI, R, K; 3B Hudson Potts 1-4, RBI, K; DH Jorge Ona 0-3, RBI, 2 K

Prospect Watch:  In his fifth start of the year, Michel Baez labored through four innings, struggling with his command and continuing to work in the 92-94 mph range. His 20:11 strikeout to walk ratio is a far cry from the 41:4 ratio he posted last season in Fort Wayne; though, this time around he is working his way back from injury. … Eguy Rosario kicked things off for the Storm by lining a double to left and then swiping third base. The youngest player on the youngest team in the league, the 18-year-old infielder is making more contact and hitting the ball harder this year than he did in his exposure at Fort Wayne last year. … Two batters later, third baseman Hudson Potts knotted the game at one with a groundball single to left field.  It was the lone hit of the day but marked his seventh straight game getting on base. …Luis Torrens made a costly throwing error – his eighth of the season – in the fifth but tried to make it up at the plate, going 3-4 with a triple and a pair of singles. He has more than twice as many errors as any other catcher in the league and has one of the highest totals of passed balls.

TinCaps 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 3

Key Stats: LHP Aaron Leasher 5 IP, 8 K, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 H; CF Jeisson Rosario 1-4, BB, R; 2B Esteury Ruiz 2-4, R, BB, 2 K, 2B; DH Tirso Ornelas 2-4, R, 2 RBI; 3B Luis Almanzar 1-3, R, BB; C Luis Campusano 2-4, R, 2 RBI, CS; SS Justin Lopez 1-4, R, 3 K; 1B Carlos Belen 2-4, RBI

Prospect Watch:  After amassing only eight strikeouts over his last three appearances, southpaw Aaron Leasher exploded with an eight-strikeout, one earned run performance.  His ERA now sits at a solid 3.11. … Tirso Ornelas’s multi-hit day is his second in this series, bringing his series line to 6-for-15, with two walks, two strikeouts and two runs scored. Oddly enough, the eighteen-year-old right fielder is hitting under the Mendoza Line away from home but batting well above .300 at Parkview Field. … While he has just four extra-base hits on the season, second-round pick Luis Campusano, who drove in a pair of runs, is hitting .282 and has driven in 18 runs in 21 games. He’s also now gone three straight games without a strikeout, which gives him a respectable 14:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 112 trips to the plate. … In his first three games with Fort Way, Luis Almanzar went hitless, but his single tonight was his fourth hit in the last three games.  If you recall, Almanzar signed with the Padres in 2016 for $4 million as a top three prospect in the international class. … Jeisson Rosario, whose athletic plays in center have already captured the attention of ESPN’s Sportscenter, made another stunning catch in centerfield:

Catch our interview with manager Anthony Contreras for even more on the TinCaps club.

Posted by Travis Barnett

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