Austin Allen loads for his swing. (Photo: Dave Michael)
Saturday was a good night in the system, as three of the four full-season squads found the win column. El Paso won again and the Missions used the long ball to down Midland. The Storm bounced back in Lancaster and the TinCaps lost in front of John Conniff.
Chihuahuas 4, Iowa Cubs 2
Key Statistics: 2B Luis Urias, 2-for-5, RBI; 3B Carlos Asuaje, 3-for-5, R, 2B; SS Javier Guerra, 3-for-5, 2 R, HR (6), 2B, RBI; 1B Diego Goris, 2-for-4, 2 2B, R, RBI; LHP Dillon Overton (W, 3-2) 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, ER, 3 BB, 4 K; RHP Robert Stock (S, 4) IP, 2 K.
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas won again in Iowa and are now within one game of .500. After walking four times Friday, Luis Urias had a pair of singles in the El Paso victory. It was Urias’s first multi-hit game since May 24. Since then, Urias’ batting average has dropped 40 points, although he has still drawn walks at a healthy rate. … Shortstop Javier Guerra had three hits, finishing a triple short of the cycle. Guerra socked his sixth homer of the year and is hitting .296/.321/.519 this month after a miserable May. In a small sample, Guerra has reduced his strikeouts this month but he still has a long way to go to be considered anything more than a defensive specialist. … Dillon Overton turned in another great outing, pitching seven innings in the Chihuahuas’ win. The left-hander allowed just four hits and two runs (one earned) to go with four strikeouts. The 26-year-old was a second-round pick of the Oakland A’s back in 2013 and was claimed off waivers last season by the Padres. After opening the year working in the San Antonio bullpen, Overton has posted a 2.50 ERA in seven starts for El Paso this year. He made one spot start for the big league club last July and could be in the mix to do so again this season.
Missions (Flying Chanclas) 9, Corpus Christi Hooks 4
Key Statistics: SS Fernando Tatis Jr., 1-for-2, 3B, 3 BB; LF Josh Naylor, 2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI; C Austin Allen, 4-for-5, 3 R, 2 HR (13, 14), 3 RBI; RF Rod Boykin, 3-for-5, R; RHP Cal Quantrill (W, 5-3) 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Eric Yardley, 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 K.
Prospect Watch: The Missions rode a 13-hit attack to an easy win on the road. Catcher Austin Allen had four hits, including a pair of homers in the Missions’ win. Allen’s 14 bombs are second in the league and his OPS has crept up above 1.000. Allen’s wRC+ is 149, and his strikeout rate is still below 20% for the year. … Fernando Tatis Jr. drew three walks and tripled Saturday, as the teenager continues his assault on the Texas League. As we have noted, Tatis continues to reduce strikeouts while increasing walks, all while hitting at an elite level. Despite struggling in April, Tatis’ .282/.357/.518 line is about 20% above league-average. … Cal Quantrill turned in another nice outing, despite some struggles in the sixth. The righty cruised through the first five, allowing just three singles and a walk on 59 pitches. But in the sixth, after a leadoff strikeout, the Hooks jumped him for three hits and he plunked his last batter before giving way. He was ultimately charged with three earned runs. The most welcome development in Quantrill’s stat-line is that he has walked just two batters in 12.2 innings this month.
Storm 9, Lancaster JetHawks 5
Key Statistics: RF Buddy Reed, 2-for-5, 2B, R; 2B Eguy Rosario, 2-for-4, 2 R; CF Edward Olivares, 3-for-5, 3 R, 2B, RBI; C Luis Torrens, 2-for-5, R, 2B; 3B Hudson Potts, 2-for-3, BB, 4 RBI; 1B Brad Zunica, 1-for-5, R, HR (8), 2 RBI; LF Nate Easley, 2-for-5, R, 3B; SS Kelvin Melean, 2-for-4, 2 RBI; LHP Adrian Morejon (W, 4-3) 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K.
Prospect Watch: The Storm won in Lancaster to pull their record back to .500, which is good for a one-game lead over Inland Empire with eight games left in the first half. Edward Olivares led the 17-hit attack with three, including his 14th double of the year. … Big Brad Zunica‘s only hit Saturday was a homer. The 22-year-old first baseman has four homers in June, doubling his output from the first two months of the year, and is just one off of the team lead. … Adrian Morejon had a strong outing against the JetHawks, working into the seventh inning. He allowed just four hits but did walk three in the offense-happy environment at The Hanger. The 19-year-old Morejon is averaging more than a strikeout per inning against hitters who are typically four years older than he is. Over his last five starts, he owns a 2.79 ERA with a 31:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 29.1 innings.
Lansing Lugnuts 6, TinCaps 3
Key Statistics: 2B Esteury Ruiz, 2-for-5, 2B, RBI; 1B Nick Feight, 2-for-4, R, 2B; LF Jack Suwinski, 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI; RHP Luis Patiño, 5 IP, 3 BB, 4 K; LHP Travis Radke (L, 0-3) 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB, K.
Prospect Watch: John Conniff was on-site to watch the brilliant outing of 18-year-old Luis Patiño. Check out his game story here.
With John in Fort Wayne and LHP MacKenzie Gore on the mound, tomorrow is the perfect time to subscribe to MadFriars — your number one source for Padres’ prospects information. In addition to helping an independent site grow, you will also help the local economy of northeastern Indiana as the restaurant industry in Fort Wayne attempts to feed Conniff. For more information on subscribing, click here.
