Nick Margevicius continues to roll in the Midwest League for now. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Monday was a great night in the system as all six teams in action won. There was dominant pitching, a pair of 2018 draft picks connecting on their first professional homers, and a cycle down in the AZL.
Chihuahuas 7, Fresno Grizzlies 5
Key Statistics: 2B Luis Urias, 2-for-5, R, RBI; 1B Allen Craig, 2-for-5, R, RBI; C Brett Nicholas, 2-for-3. R, BB; LF Shane Peterson, 3-for-4, R, 2 2B, HR (6), 4 RBI; RHP Brett Kennedy (W, 5-0) 6 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; LHP Brad Wieck (S, 1) 1.1 IP, BB, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: El Paso rode a 13-hit attack to their sixth consecutive win. … Fallbrook native Shane Peterson had three extra-base hits, including his sixth homer of the year. Peterson, 30, has 125 games of big league experience and is a former second-round pick of the Cardinals, out of Chaparral High in Temecula. The outfielder has given the Chihuahuas roughly league-average offensive production while playing all over the outfield. … 33-year-old Allen Craig had two singles Monday and is hitting .369/.417/.569 in June. … RHP Brett Kennedy got the win, despite allowing a pair of homers in 100-degree heat in Fresno. The right-hander has a 5-0 record, with a 3.03 ERA. While he isn’t on the 40-man roster, he may get an opportunity before the season ends.
Missions: San Antonio has reached the All-Star break. The Texas League All-Star Game is Tuesday.
Storm 3, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 0
Key Statistics: LF Buddy Reed, 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B HR (11), RBI; CF Edward Olivares, 1-for-4, 2B, RBI; SS Allen Cordoba, 1-for-3, R; RHP Chris Paddack, 4 IP, H, BB, 9 K; RHP Elliot Ashbeck, (W, 3-2) 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 K; RHP Blake Rogers (S, 1) IP, H, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: RHP Chris Paddack matched a season-high with one walk as he completed four innings. … Oh, I failed to mention that he didn’t allow a run and he struck out nine batters. At this point, Paddack is just toying with Cal League batters and has 79 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. He was pulled after throwing 61 pitches, as the organization continues to be cautious with the prized right-hander. … Buddy Reed supplied all of the offense the Storm would need with a lead-off homer, his 11th of the year. Reed has 36 extra-base hits and is currently leading the circuit with a .331 batting average. … RHP Blake Rogers pitched the ninth for his first save of the season. Rogers, 24, was the last Padres draft pick to sign back in 2015 when he was drafted out of the University of Oklahoma in the 37th-round. He has 15 strikeouts in 8.2 innings out of the Storm ‘pen in June.
TinCaps 5, Bowling Green Hot Rods 1
Key Statistics: CF Jeisson Rosario, 1-1, 3 BB, R; RF Jack Suwinski, 2-for-4, RS, 3B; SS Gabriel Arias, 1-for-4, R, 2B; LHP Nick Margevicius (W, 5-4) 7 IP, 5 H, ER, 5 K.
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps won their third straight game, behind another sterling outing from LHP Nick Margevicius. … The lefty out of Rider threw seven shutout innings, allowing just five hits and no walks. The outing dropped Margevicius’ ERA to 2.92, which is good for seventh in the Midwest League. The southpaw is probably ready to move on to Lake Elsinore but there isn’t a current opening in the Storm rotation. … Outfielder Jack Suwinski had a pair of hits, including a triple in the TinCaps’ victory. Suwinski, still just 19, is 6-for-9 over his last three games. While the left-handed outfielder’s production hasn’t improved this year, he has reduced his strikeout rate a bit, increased his isolated power, and his overall average is being suppressed by a BABIP well below league average that should stabilize at some point.
Dust Devils 6, Everett Aquasox 5
Key Statistics: RF Aldemar Burgos, 2-for-5, BB; DH Dwanya Williams-Sutton, 2-for-5, 3 R, 2B, HR (1), 2 RBI; 1B Justin Paulsen, 2-for-4, RBI, BB; 3B Olivier Basabe, 2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI; CF Tre Carter, 2-for-5, RBI; LHP Ramon Perez, 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K; RHP Gabe Mosser, 3 IP, H, 2 K; RHP Jordan Guerrero (S, 2) IP, H, R, 2 K.
Prospect Watch: The Dust Devils scored two in the eleventh inning, holding off the Aquasox. … DH Dwanya Williams-Sutton had a double and his first professional homer in the Tri-City win. The 20-year-old outfielder was the Padres’ 5th-round pick out of East Carolina this month. … RF Aldemar Burgos had a pair of hits and has found a home in the leadoff spot. The former eighth-round pick hasn’t hit at all in his first two professional seasons but he is off to a .306/.372/.500 start this season. Burgos did win a batting title playing in the abbreviated Puerto Rico winter league last off-season. … Lefty Ramon Perez pitched five innings and allowed three runs (two earned) in five innings. The mature-bodied 18-year-old signed for $400,000 in late 2016 and features a fastball in the low 90’s.
AZL Padres-1 7, AZL Dodgers 0
Key Statistics: SS Xavier Edwards, 2-for-3, R; C Gilberto Vizcarra, 2-for-3, 3 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 BB; DH Nick Gatewood, 2-for-3, R, RBI, BB; CF Jawuan Harris, 2-for-4, R, 2B, HR (1), 4 RBI, BB; LHP Omar Cruz, 4 IP, H, BB, 10 K; RHP Martin Carrasco (W, 1-0) 1.2 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K.
AZL Padres-2 18, AZL Rangers 7
Key Statistics: 3B Elvis Sabala, 2-for-3, R, HR (1), 3 RBI, BB; 2B Tucupita Marcano, 2-for-4, R, RBI, BB; 1B Jason Pineda, 4-for-5, 2B, 3B, HR (1), 4 R, 2 RBI, BB; LF Blinger Perez, 2-for-4, 3 R, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB; RF Yordi Francisco, 3-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI; RHP Manny Guzman, 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, BB, 5 K; LHP Hazahel Quijada (W, 1-0) 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: T’was a good night in the Arizona League, as the AZL squads both won, winning by a combined score of 25-7. … There were a ton of good performances in the desert but no one had a better night than first baseman Jason Pineda. Pineda, a 17th-round pick last year, hit for the cycle and drew a walk. Pineda, who attended high school in the Bronx, has played first and third professionally and is off to blistering .435/.548/.739 start. He will feature heavily in David Jay’s notes from his trip to the AZL. … Comp Round A pick Xavier Edwards had another multi-hit game, as the shortstop had a pair of singles Monday night. The infielder from Florida is 10-for-22 to start his pro career. … Seventh-rounder Jawuan Harris had a pair of hits, including his first professional homer. The former Rutgers football player also drove in four runs. … LHP Omar Cruz made his second professional start Monday and dominated. The southpaw allowed just one hit and struck out ten batters in just four innings. The 19-year-old out of Mexico was signed during last year’s international signing period and has a Paddack-Like 15:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in two starts. He doesn’t have the same physicality as other hurlers at the bottom end of the Padres system but is nonetheless an interesting prospect to watch this year.
