San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: May 29th

Fernando Tatis continues to rake in San Antonio (Photo: Rey Holguin)

Fresno Grizzlies 2, Chihuahuas 1

Key Stats: 3B Luis Urias 0-4; 2B Carlos Asuaje 2-4, R; RHP Robert Stock 1.2 IP, 2 K; LHP Jose Castillo IP, K

Prospect Watch:  A good MLB team starts with a good bullpen.  Currently, nine of the top ten teams in terms of bullpen ERA, have a winning record.  The tenth? Your San Diego Padres.  The Padres currently rank sixth in bullpen ERA, right behind the Astros and Red Sox and in front of the Yankees and Mariners.  Despite the strength, four current relievers have an ERA over 4.5.  They could be replaced by either Robert Stock or Jose Castillo, who combined for 2.2 scoreless innings Tuesday afternoon. Castillo, 22, is already on the 40-man. After another scoreless outing, he has a 2.42 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A.  He has a 13.3 K/9, and just as impressively has walked only one hitter in May (12.1 IP) while striking out 17 and allowing just one earned run… Stock, a hard-throwing right-hander, has put up similar numbers. The 28-year-old minor league free agent signee has struck out 31 across 21.2 innings (12.9 K/9) and owns a 2.49 ERA and 0.97 WHIP between the two leagues.  There is a good chance we see both of them and righty Trey Wingenter in San Diego this year.

Cal Quantrill delivers for the Missions (Photo: Dave Michael)

Missions 11, Tulsa Drillers 5

Key Stats: RHP Cal Quantrill (W, 3-3) 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R (1ER), 2 BB, 7 K; SS Fernando Tatis Jr 3-5, 2B, 2 RS, BB; LF Josh Naylor 2-6, 2B, RS, 3 RBI; C Austin Allen 3-5, HR (10), 3 RBI; 2B River Stevens 4-4, HR (4), 3 RBI, BB

Prospect Watch: For the second straight outing, Cal Quantrill allowed only one earned run.  While it is evident he is improving, it is also easy to notice he gets thrown off his game.  After retiring eight of the first nine batters, Cal got a groundball to first that should have ended the inning.  Instead, an error kept the inning alive and the floodgates came open. Quantrill allowed a single and hit a batter to load the bases, then threw a ball down the line on a nubber that was ruled a single and error that allowed all three runs to score. … Make it a seven-game hitting streak for Fernando Tatis Jr.  With only two days left in May, Tatis will finish the month with a slugging percentage higher than his April OPS. Tatis has 20 extra-base hits in May alone, the most he has had in any month in his career (previous high was 16 last July when he hit .295/.412/.642). He finished Tuesday with three hits and a walk and has struck out five times in his last 34 plate appearances. … Catcher Austin Allen hit his tenth home run of the year.  After starting the month hitting just over .200, Allen is hitting .366 over the past 10 games.  He has managed to pull his May numbers up to a more reasonable .283/.337/.391 and is back to hitting .322 on the year.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 9, Storm 3

Key Stats: RHP Michel Baez (L, 1-5) 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 2 HR; 3B Hudson Potts 1-3, RS, RBI, BB; CF Edward Olivares 1-4, RS, SB (6)

Prospect Watch: RHP Michel Baez once again struggled with both command and control. He threw 91 pitches with only 51 of them for strikes.  While he did induce a better than normal groundout rate, he was still up in the zone often and allowed his first two home runs of the season. …  While Baez continues to struggle, one player who is heating up is Hudson Potts. The teenage third baseman had a single and walk in the game and has reached in eight of his last 21 trips to the plate. He has 13 extra base-hits this month and has doubled his walk rate from April.  Potts still has a long way to go, but putting up OPS of .770 and .820 over the first two months isn’t a bad start.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 7, TinCaps 5

Key Stats: LHP Aaron Leasher 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 5 K; DH Esteury Ruiz 2-4, 2 RS, BB, 3 SB (16); CF Tirso Ornelas 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB (4); 2B Justin Lopez 2-3, 2B, RS, HR (2), 2 RBI, BB

Prospect Watch: After going three straight starts allowing no more than one earned run, Aaron Leasher was touched up for four runs over five innings. While he has allowed no more than two earned runs in seven of his starts, this was the third time this year when last year’s sixth-rounder has surrendered four. … Esteury Ruiz was disruptive on the basepaths all day. He had two singles and a walk and swiped three bases. In the first, Ruiz swiped second, stole third on the front end of a double-steal with Tirso Ornelas, and came around to score on an errant throw to get Ornelas at second. He now leads the TinCaps and is third in the league with 16 stolen bases, including 11 in May.  The 19-year-old now sports a .269/.352/.450 line, but is still striking out in 28 percent of his plate appearances. … Ornelas and Justin Lopez joined Ruiz in reaching base three times in the game. Lopez had a double, homer and walk while Ornelas walked twice with a double. Five of the first six batters in the TinCaps lineup were teenagers.

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