Jack Suwinski had a big day for the TinCaps. Photo Credit: Jeff Nycz
El Paso won a slugfest, but a pair of errors cost both San Antonio and Lake Elsinore. Jack Suwinski has a very big day as Fort Wayne sweeps a doubleheader. The Dust Devils lose, but Blake Hunt is putting up some numbers in Pasco.
Chihuahuas 12, Sacremento River Cats 6
Key Statistics: 2B Luis Urias 2-6, 2B, 2 RBI; 3B Carlos Asuaje 3-5; RF Forrest Allday 2-4, RBI LF Shane Peterson 3-6, 3B, RBI; 1B Diego Goris 2-6, RBI; SS Javy Guerra, 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI; P Walker Lockett 1-3, BB, 2 RBI; RHP Walker Lockett (W, 3-6) 5.2 IP 8 H 6 R 5 ER 7 K.
Prospect Watch: Walker Lockett had a better day at the plate than on the mound, but when teams combine to score 18 runs, no one had a really good day on the bump. However, in his past two starts, he has 16 strikeouts against no walks…Six of El Paso’s batters had two hits or more, including shortstop Javy Guerra who had three hits in a game for the first time all season. For those of you following along at home, his line in June is .250/.262/.450…Carlos Asuaje has been splitting time between third and second base and is hitting .345/.419/.509 in 120 plate appearances since being demoted to the club.
Midland RockHounds 5, Missions 4
Key Statistics: SS Matthew Batten 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; LF Josh Naylor 2-5, RBI; RF Taylor Kohlwey 2-4, 2B; RHP Cal Quantrill 5.0 IP 7 H 4 R 4 ER BB 3 K HR; LHP Logan Allen (L, 8-3) 4.0 IP 2 HR 5 K.
Prospect Watch: Despite taking the loss – yet another reason why won-loss records are not the best indicators of individual performances – Logan Allen returned after an 18-day layoff and showed no rust. After rolling an ankle while shagging fly balls, Allen relieved starter Cal Quantrill and threw three shutout innings before catching a tough break when a Midland batter reached on a throwing error from third baseman Ty France and advanced to second. The next batter doubled and the RockHound were able to hold on in the bottom of the inning to avoid the sweep.
Chihuahuas/Missions Notes: With Logan Allen reactivated for the game, the Padres promoted giant lefty reliever Brad Wieck to El Paso. The big club sent down catcher Raffy Lopez and relief pitcher Phil Maton while sending catcher Austin Hedges back to the big club along with relievers Kaz Makita and reliever Robert Stock for his major league debut.
Visalia Rawhide 4, Storm 3
Key Statistics: 1B Brad Zunica 2-4, 2B, HR (10), 2 RBI; SS Allen Cordoba 1-3, 2B, R; RHP Reggie Lawson 3.0 IP 3 H 3 R 2 ER 3 BB 3 K; RHP David Bednar (L, 2-3) 2.1 IP 2 H R 0 ER 4 K.
Prospect Watch: The Storm went down in the first as starter Reggie Lawson gave up three runs early before settling down. Lake Elsinore came back in the fifth with a two-run home run by Brad Zunica, which was followed by a double by Allen Cordoba, who scored on catcher Marcus Greene, Jr.‘s single. However, a throwing error by Cordoba in the top of the sixth allowed the opening batter of the inning on who later scored, which was the difference in the game…Cordoba, who was with the Padres all of last year as a Rule 5 selection and then was involved in a near-fatal auto accident in the offseason, is still very much feeling his way around. He had his second hit Sunday, but in 30 plate appearances, he has 15 strikeouts. On the positive side, he has not struggled in the field. During Spring Training Cordoba was having trouble walking, so he has come a very long way.
Game 1: TinCaps 6, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: RF Tirso Ornelas 1-1, 2 BB, RBI; LF Jack Suwinski 2-2, 2B, BB; SS Justin Lopez 1-3, HR(4); LHP Tom Cosgrove (W, 2-3) 5.) IP 7 H 2 R 2 ER 6 K.
Game 2: TinCaps 8, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: 2B Esteury Ruiz 2-2; RF Jack Suwinski 2-3, HR (4), RBI; RHP Mason Thompson (W, 5-4) 5.1 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 7 K HR.
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps swept the doubleheader and the big star was Jack Suwinski, who was 4-5 on the day with a double, home run and a walk. In his second year in Low-A, he has been scuffling with a .219/.303/.355 slash line, but has been better at home with a .264/.358/.462 mark. Suwinski, 19, is a gifted player on both sides of the ball and simply has too much talent not to have more days like today.…Mason Thompson continues to show improvement with each start and today struck out a season-high seven hitters…Tirso Ornelas continues his strong June and now has a slash line of .300/.400/.583 for the month.
Everett AquaSox 8, Dust Devils 5
Key Statistics: C Blake Hunt 2-4; CF Tre Carter 2-5; 2B Luke Becker 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB; RHP Sam Keating (L, 1-1) 4.0 IP 7 H 5 R 3 ER 2 BB K.
Prospect Watch: The Dust Devils were down 8-1 going into the top of the eighth but put four runs on the board to make a game of it, but still could not overcome the deficit. … Sam Keating, 19, the Padres’ fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft, threw 70 pitches, 44 for strikes. The Florida native has a big arm and the organization has worked hard to refine his mechanics and command. At six-foot-three and 190 pounds he has the classic athletic pitcher’s frame, the key now is to get the results. … Blake Hunt,19, is off to a great start at .323/.476/.323 in his first 35 plate appearances. Hunt, a second-round pick last summer, dealt with some nagging injuries last year, but looked good behind the plate and swinging the bat this Spring.
AZL Padres-1 10 , AZL Cubs-2 2
Key Statistics: SS Xavier Edwards 1-for-3, BB, SF, SB (5); DH Nick Gatewood 2-for-5, HR (2) 2R, 2RBI; LF Jaquez Williams 3-for-4, 2B; RHP Edwuin Bencomo 5IP, 3H, 1ER, 5K, 2BB
Prospect Watch: Righty Edwuin Bencomo threw a crisp five innings, working with a fastball in the low-90s and showing an ability to locate both his curve and change. The 19-year-old from Venezuela saw limited action in the AZL last summer but will feature prominently on the pitching this year. He had nice tempo all night and kept the Cubs hitters off balance effectively. … Nick Gatewood has a big of an arm issue at the moment so he isn’t ready to go behind the plate, but the 11th-round pick out of Georgia State has made plenty of loud contact at the plate. The left-handed hitter is short to the ball with plenty of power. He lined a 94 MPH fastball down the right field line, scraping the top of the fence for his second homer in 25 trips to the plate. … Jaquez Williams has mammoth raw power but has been a real project since coming into the organization as a day three pick in 2016. The Georgia native crushed a double off the right-center field fence and is showing more promise in left field than he did at first base through his first two summers in the organization, but he will need to continue to make adjustments to his swing path to move up from the desert.
AZL Brewers 9, AZL Padres-2 8
Key Statistics: 2B Tucupita Marcano 3-for-3, 3BB, SB (3); DH Alison Quintero 3-for-5; C Jonny Homza 2-for-4, 2B, BB
Prospect Watch: With the depth at middle infield in the organization, it would be easy to lose track of Tucupita Marcano. But the 17-year-old, who will play around the infield this summer, has whippy strong wrists from the left side at the plate and an aggressive approach on both sides of the ball. The Venezuelan native reached base six times Sunday night and sports a .542 OBP through his first five games. … Gabriel Morales’s first stateside inning was something of an adventure as the big-bodied lefty walked the bases loaded, but struck out two and got a groundout to avoid any runs coming across. The 19-year-old, who spent last summer in the Dominican, was on a 30 pitch limit in his AZL debut, so the busy inning was the only one he threw.
Subscribers can read Marcus’s Q&A with Robert Stock from earlier this year to learn more about the journey that took him from a two-way star in high school to being out of baseball, to the big league mound yesterday.
