Miguel Diaz delivers for the San Antonio Missions (Photo: San Antonio Missions/Dave Mitchell)
Fresno Grizzlies 12, Chihuahuas 4
Key Stats: RHP Colin Rea 5 IP, 3 ER, BB, 0 K; 3B Luis Urias 0-4, BB, 2 K, R; 2B Carlos Asuaje 1-3, 2 R, 3B, RBI, BB; RF Franmil Reyes 2-4, R, RBI; LF Shane Peterson 1-4, RBI, K
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas’ eight-game came to a decisive end Thursday as they fell behind in the first and were never really in the game. Luis Urias, who was named to the PCL all-star team yesterday along with Brett Kennedy, struck out in half of his at-bats, giving him 27 K in 25 June games. This already surpasses the 24 K he had in the entire month of May. … Since rejoining the Chihuahuas, Franmil Reyes has yet to hit a home run; however, he is hitting a robust .310 and getting on base at a .375 clip. … Carlos Asuaje continues to demonstrate his ability to hit after struggling to make contact in the big leagues this season. While prodigious home runs will never be there for Asuaje, his triple, the lone extra base hit for El Paso, is already the fifth three-bagger he has hit in his short time with the team. … Colin Rea‘s second outing with El Paso wasn’t nearly as promising as the first. The righty gave up a pair of homers in the top of the first and a third later in the game. He did not record a strikeout in the game.
Missions 7, Northwest Arkansas Naturals 2
Key Stats: RHP Miguel Diaz 5 IP, 5 K, ER, BB; RHP Lake Bachar 4 IP, 2 K, ER; SS Fernando Tatis Jr. 1-5, R, 2 K; LF Josh Naylor 3-4, 2B, R, BB; C Austin Allen 1-3, 2 RBI, R; Kyle Overstreet 2-4, R; 2B Matthew Batten 3-4, 2 R, RBI; CF Michael Gettys 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, R
Prospect Watch: While the strikeout numbers persist, Fernando Tatis Jr. is following up a stellar month of May with an impressive .298/.379/.440 slash line. Additionally, he has walked 24 times in the last 51 games after doing so just six times in 24 April games. … After a torrid first month of the season, Josh Naylor has a mere three home runs. But hcontinues to flash a strong ability to hit for contact, batting .326 in the month of June and .351 over his last ten games. His three hits Thursday included a double, his first extra-base hit in 11 contests. … For the first time all season, former Rule 5 draftee Miguel Diaz lasted through the fifth inning, striking out five and walking just one. The 23-year-old struggled in his stint with El Paso, but he’s allowed just two earned runs while striking out eleven in 13.1 innings spread across three outings since he returned to Double-A. Texas League opponents have hit just .163 against him this year.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 1, Storm 0
Key Stats: SP Ronald Bolanos 6 IP, ER, 3 K, 2 BB, 7 H; CF Edward Olivares 1-4, K; 3B Hudson Potts 0-4, 2 K, 1B Brad Zunica 1-2, BB, K; RF Jorge Ona 0-2, BB; RP Korey Anderson 2 IP, 0 ER, 2 K; Colby Blueberg 1 IP, K, 0 ER
Prospect Watch: While Storm pitching allowed just a single run, the offense managed just two singles and was shut out for the third straight game. Edward Olivares and Brad Zunica each collected a single but that was the bulk of the offense for the team as they struck out in 12 of their 30 trips to the plate. With a pair of strikeouts, Allen Cordoba has now posted 19 in 11 June games and has slashed a miserable .103/.122/.128 on his rehab assignment. The club will need to activate him from the 60-day disabled list this weekend. … Starter Ronald Bolanos stumbled through the first two months of the season, giving up a whopping 28 earned runs in his first 36 innings. But the 21-year-old righty has settled into a groove recently, throwing 30 innings in June with a 3.30 ERA and 29 strikeouts.
TinCaps 5, Lake County Captains 4
Key Stats: LHP MacKenzie Gore 4 IP, 2R, (0ER), 5 K, 2 BB, 2 H; RP Ben Sheckler 3 IP, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 H; CF Jeisson Rosario 1-4, RBI, K; DH Esteury Ruiz 1-4, SB, CS, K, RBI; RF Tirso Ornelas 0-4, RBI, 2 K; C Jalen Washington 1-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI; SS Gabriel Arias 1-4, K
Prospect Watch: With a thrilling eleventh inning victory, the TinCaps have extended their winning streak to six games. Esteury Ruiz swiped his team-leading 24th base of the season but was also caught stealing once. On the season, he has been successful in 75 percent of his stolen base attempts. He may not quite be on pace for a 20/30 season, but there’s a realistic chance for 15/30 season from the 19-year-old who was acquired last year from the Royals. … While MacKenzie Gore walked away with a clean line, he did allow two unearned runs in the first, loading the bases after a Luis Almanzar error let the lead-off runner aboard. Nevertheless, the four innings and 81 pitches are season-highs for Gore, who continues to flash a strong ability to strikeout hitters. While his ERA is an uninspiring 5.40, opponents have somehow hit .400 on the balls they’ve put in play against him. His FIP of 2.54 is a strong indication that the 19-year-old lefty’s first full season has still be strong when he’s been able to take the mound.
Vancouver Canadians 3, Dust Devils 2
Key Stats: SP Adrian Martinez 5 IP, ER, 4 K, BB, 4 H; DH Owen Miller 2-5, 3 K; RF Michael Curry 2-4, R, BB, K; LF Mason House 0-1, 3 BB, K; C Chandler Seagle 1-3, R, RBI, SB; CF Tre Carter 1-3, BB
Prospect Watch: The night the draft ended, Padres’ GM AJ Preller quipped that they’d called Michael Curry, not as a catcher or an outfielder, but as a hitter. The University of Georgia product is measuring up well in the early going for Tri-City. The 20-year-old had two more hits and a walk Thursday, taking his line to .333/.391/.476 line through his first 10 professional games. The right-handed slugger appeared in right field for the second time Thursday, logging five starts in left and three at designated hitter. … Mexicali native Adrian Martinez has big velocity, a great pitcher’s frame, and a solid mix of secondaries. But the 21-year-old struggled mightily in the Midwest League to open the year, and wasn’t much better in his first two outings for the Dust Devils. Thursday, he flashed a bit of what he can do when he’s on, giving up one run in five innings. Early returns seem to show he’s been willing to trade off a bit of velocity for better command and control since restarting with Tri-City.
If you didn’t catch it yesterday, John Conniff provided a nice guide of what to watch with the Dust Devils roster.
The AZL Padres 1 & AZL Padres 2 both had the night off.
