Jorge Oña connects for a homer in the Sod Poodles home opener (Photo: John Moore)
Las Vegas Aviators 10, Chihuahuas 9
Key Statistics: LF Josh Naylor, 3-for-6, R, (2) 2B, 2 RBI; C Austin Allen, 3-for-5, 2B; 3B Jason Vosler, 3-for-5, 2B, 3 R; RF Jacob Scavuzzo, 2-for-5, HR (1), 2 RBI; LHP Dillon Overton, 1.1 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, K; RHP Chris Rowley, 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, K; RHP Carlos Torres (L, 0-1) 2.1 IP, H, ER, BB, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: El Paso blew a two-run lead in the seventh and lost at home, dropping four of five to the newly rebranded Aviators. … Josh Naylor had three hits, including two doubles, and a pair of RBI in the loss. Naylor had one hit in each of the first four games and his big night raised his average to .304. As expected, the 21-year-old is striking out more than he did in Double-A (7 K’s in 25 plate appearances) but he’s strung together good at-bats … Catcher Austin Allen had three hits to raise his average to .318 Monday night. Allen is 5-for-9 over his last two games. … Outfielder Jacob Scavuzzo, signed as a minor league free agent this winter, homered as part of a multi-hit night. The Dodger draft pick (21st round in 2012) homered 26 times between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City a year ago. He was in big league camp briefly this spring as a non-roster invitee.
Roster Moves: The Padres recalled LHP Brad Wieck and INF Luis Urias today and that move had a ripple effect in the system. The Padres filled the roster spots in El Paso by promoting INF Matthew Batten and bringing up veteran Chris Rowley from extended spring training. In Amarillo, INF Chris Baker will take Batten’s spot. Rowley stepped right in to work five innings for El Paso after Dillon Overton was ejected in the second inning.
Midland RockHounds 9, Sod Poodles 4 (10 innings)
Key Statistics: CF Buddy Reed, 1-for-3, R, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB; LF Jorge Oña, 2-for-4, HR (2), R, RBI; 1B Brad Zunica, 2-for-3, R, BB, HR (3), RBI; 2B Peter Van Gansen, 2-for-4; RHP Reggie Lawson, 5 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 8 K; RHP Tyler Higgins, 2 IP, 4 K; RHP David Bednar (L, 0-2) IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER.
Prospect Watch: The Sod Poodles lost their first ever home game in front of a crowd north of 7,000 at Hodgetown. Amarillo is off to a 1-4 start, but two of the losses have come in extra innings. … OF Buddy Reed hit the first homer in the history of Amarillo’s new ballpark and he also walked in four plate appearances. Reed, 23, is just 2-for-20 to start the season with six strikeouts after improving his strikeout rates considerably in a successful stint in the Arizona Fall League last winter. Reed struck out in 32% of his plate appearances in Double-A last season. … Outfielder Jorge Oña homered for the second time in as many nights Monday. Oña, 22, looked good in the spring and is off to a .250/.400/.625 start in an obviously small sample. Oña didn’t hit his second homer last season until May 12th with Lake Elsinore. A combination of concerns about his body and poor production bumped the Cuban off of most prospect lists but, at 22, is still young enough to break out as an offense-heavy corner outfielder. … RHP Reggie Lawson flashed some good stuff but ultimately did not factor in the decision. The Southern Californian held Midland in check over the first three innings but allowed four runs over his final two frames. In all, he struck out eight with no walks. Lawson, 21, has deployed a slider this season which should help him get to another level of performance in 2019. … David Bednar had a rough outing, giving up five runs in the 10th inning.
Storm 11, Lancaster JetHawks 2
Jack Suwinski’s huge August for the TinCaps set him up for 2019. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Key Statistics: 1B Olivier Basabe, 3-for-5, HR (1), 2 R, RBI; RF Tirso Ornelas, 2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI; LF Jack Suwinski, 3-for-4, HR (1, 2), 2 R, BB; 2B Esteury Ruiz, 3-for-5, 2B, R, 2 SB (4), CS; SS Gabriel Arias, 2-for-5, R, RBI; RHP Ronald Bolaños (W, 1-0) 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K; LHP Travis Radke, 3 IP, 3 H, BB, K.
Prospect Watch: The Storm enjoyed their first trip to Lancaster in 2019, as the team blasted three homers in the easy victory. … Outfielder Jack Suwinski paced the 17-hit attack with his first multi-homer game as a professional. Suwinski, still just 20, struggled in Fort Wayne for most of 2018 before breaking out with a big August. The Chicago-born outfielder is off to a .368/.455/.737 start this season. His power earned him a spot on our sleepers list coming into the season. … Second baseman Esteury Ruiz collected three hits including a double, and also flashed his athleticism on the base paths with a pair of stolen bases in three attempts. Ruiz’s four steals are tied for the league lead after five games. He’s hitting .350/.435/.450 early on but he has struck out eight times in 23 plate appearances. … RHP Ronald Bolaños earned the win, pitching well enough to gut out five innings with a 20 MPH wind blowing out of Lancaster. The Cuban-born righty allowed a pair of homers and struggled with command, but struck out six in five innings, allowing just the two runs. Bolaños was a little too hittable in the Cal League last season but flashed good stuff.
TinCaps 9, Dayton Dragons 5
Key Statistics: 2B Xavier Edwards, 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, SB (2); SS Tucupita Marcano, 2-for-5, R; LF Dwayna Williams-Sutton, 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, RBI; DH Nick Gatewood, 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI; LHP Ramon Perez, 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K; RHP Henry Henry (W, 2-0) 3 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: Fort Wayne scored eight runs in the final three innings to improve their record to 3-2. … SS Tucupita Marcano added two more hits and scored a run in the TinCaps’ victory. Marcano is 5-for-10 over his last two games. … Second baseman Xavier Edwards had two singles and stole a base at the top of the order. Edwards continues to show outstanding bat-to-ball skills and his speed has made him an absolute terror at the top of the lineup. He’s struck out just twice in 25 plate appearances to start the year. … LHP Ramon Perez turned in five solid innings but did not factor in the decision. The 19-year-old mowed down Dayton hitters and tied a career-high with eight punchouts, but missed his spots a few times in the third innings when the Dragons posted their runs. The Cuban had a 2.48 ERA in 40 innings last season with Tri-City.
