Adrian Morejon returned to the mound on Monday night. (Photo: John Moore/Amarillo Sod Poodles)
Chihuahuas 5 Sacramento Rivercats 3
Key Statistics: SS Luis Urías, 1-for-3, R, HR (11), 2 RBI, BB, K; 2B Esteban Quiroz, 2-for-4; LF Jacob Scavuzzo, 1-for-4, 2B, RBI; RHP Cal Quantrill (W, 4-1) 5 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, BB, K; RHP Fernando Rodriguez, Jr., 3 IP, 4 K; RHP Tyler Higgins (S, 1) IP, BB, 2 K
Prospect Watch: El Paso won in Sacramento Monday night, assuring that this will be the ninth straight series they split or win. … Shortstop Luis Urías homered again as the young infielder continued his assault on the Pacific Coast League. Urías’s 11 homers have come in just 108 plate appearances with El Paso. Urías ranks second the PCL in OPS (1.270) and slugging percentage (.833) while striking out at a respectable clip. … RHP Cal Quantrill pitched fairly well through four innings before getting hit hard in the fifth in his first start since returning from the big league club. The former first-rounder only walked one and struck five. Through his first six starts with El Paso this year, Quantrill has allowed the lowest line drive percentage in his professional career. Quantrill will likely get another opportunity to pitch in San Diego in the near future. … RHP Fernando Rodriguez, Jr. took over for Quantrill in the sixth and tossed three perfect innings, striking out four. The 34-year-old El Paso native has thrown the ball well for the Chihuahuas, eating innings and racking up strikeouts. Rodriguez has 28 K’s in 21.1 innings. The veteran has been in professional baseball since 2003 and has pitched in 216 games in the big leagues, although he hasn’t seen MLB action since 2016.
Roster move: Catcher Chris Stewart was placed on the temporarily inactive list and Michael Cantu was brought up from extended spring training to take his place on the roster. Stewart, 37, figured to get the bulk of the playing time with Austin Allen but for now, A.J. Kennedy and Cantu will get time behind the dish for the PCL’s best team.
Buddy Reed powered the Sod Poodle offense. (Photo: Olivia Rook)
Midland RockHounds 9 Sod Poodles 8
Key Statistics: LF Rodrigo Orozco, 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B; DH Taylor Kohlwey, 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI; SS Owen Miller, 4-for-4, 2B, BB, RBI; RF Buddy Reed, 4-for-4, R, 2B, HR (7), 2 RBI, SB (7); LHP Adrian Morejon, 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 5 K; RHP Jesse Scholtens, 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 6 K; RHP Kazuhisa Makita (L, 1-1)
Prospect Watch: The Sod Poodles let a three-run lead slip away in the final two innings and lost at home. … Outfielder Buddy Reed broke out of a slump with four hits, including his seventh homer of the year. Reed was 2-for-24 with eight strikeouts in nine games coming into Monday. At home, Reed has been sensational, hitting .300/.379/.760 with all seven of his homers. On the road, he is hitting a ghastly .115/.194/.131. The talent is undeniable with Reed, but he will need to find a way to make more consistent contact. … Shortstop Owen Miller also had four hits, as the infielder extended his hitting streak to seven games. Miller has heated up recently and is batting .326 over his last 10 games. Miller is currently eighth in the Texas League with a K rate of 16.3%. … DH Taylor Kohlwey had a pair of hits and his first homer as a Sod Poodle. Kohlwey has been one of the surprises of the system, hitting .370/.429/.534 between Amarillo and Lake Elsinore. … LHP Adrian Morejon came off of the Injured List and threw a pair of innings before hitting his 35 pitch target and being lifted. Morejon was placed on the injured list on April 23 with back and shoulder stiffness. Morejon was clocked above 95 mph and snapped off some nasty off-speed pitches even as Midland posted a pair of runs in the first. The organization has been cautious with the prized lefty, who should be able to work deeper in his next outing.
Amarillo Notes: John Conniff has a Q&A with catcher Luis Torrens for subscribers. Torrens talks about his improvement behind the plate and working with some the arms currently in Amarillo. … On the roster front, in addition to Morejon’s activation, the Padres moved Lake Bachar back to Amarillo after he made a spot start in Lake Elsinore Saturday. Righty reliever Trevor Megill came off of the Injured List and was sent to Lake Elsinore to take that roster spot. Relievers David Bednar (activated) and Dauris Valdez (shelved) also traded places on the seven-day IL.
Stockton Ports 2 Storm 0
Key Statistics: C Luis Campusano, 1-for-4; 1B Eguy Rosario, 1-for-4; RHP Luis Patiño (L, 2-4) 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K; RHP Trevor Megill, IP, 2 H, 2 K
Prospect Watch: The Storm left Southern California for the first time in 2019 and were shutout in Stockton. … Catcher Luis Campusano singled in four at-bats — one of just two Storm players that found the hit column Monday night. The 20-year-old backstop has been one of the best players in the Cal League this season and is hitting .321/.411/.451 overall. Campusano has made consistent contact and has been the fifth most difficult batter to strike out in the Cal League in 2019. … RHP Luis Patiño completed six innings for the second straight outing, although he took the loss Monday. The 19-year-old struck out seven batters, matching his season-high. Patiño’s command has been much better his last few times out and opposing batters are hitting just .196 against the teenage starter.
Lake County Captains 4 TinCaps 3
Key Statistics: 2B Xavier Edwards, 1-for-4, R; 3B Tucupita Marcano, 2-for-4, R, SB (4); SS Justin Lopez, 2-for-4, RBI; LHP Ramon Perez (L, 0-2) 4 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 2 K; RHP Austin Smith, 2 IP, H, 2 K
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps lost on the road as they opened a series against the Indians’ Midwest League affiliate. … Infielder Justin Lopez had a pair of singles and drove in a run in the TinCaps’ loss. Lopez, 19, hasn’t hit much in Fort Wayne this year but looked good throughout the spring. Lopez missed time with a minor injury in April but should get consistent playing time this summer in Fort Wayne. … Tucupita Marcano had two more hits a day after his 10-game hitting streak ended. Marcano is fourth in the Midwest League with 38 hits. … LHP Ramon Perez struggled with command and took the loss. Perez walked a season-high five batters while striking out two. Through six starts, Perez is carrying a 4.88 for Fort Wayne.
