Esteury Ruiz has been on fire for Lake Elsinore. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Chihuahuas 10 Reno Aces 4
Key Stats: Kyle McGrath 4 IP, 0 ER, 4 K, 0 BB, 3 H; RP Andres Muñoz 1 IP, 1 K, 0 BB, 0 ER; CF Michael Gettys 1-5, R, K, 2B; 2B Luis Urías 2-4, R, RBI, BB; C Francisco Mejía 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB; 3B Mejias-Brean 2-4, 2 R, RBI, K; LF Matt Batten 3-5, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 2B, K; RF Jacob Scavuzzo 3-4, HR, 4 RBI, R, K
Prospect Watch: In his second appearance for the Chihuahuas, the flame-throwing Andres Muñoz tossed a scoreless inning, striking out one without a walk. He did, however, hit the first batter he faced before inducing a weak grounder to Luis Urías for a double play. …Over his last five games, Urías has walked four times and struck out just once while collecting nine hits in 19 at-bats over that same span. … With Josh Naylor reportedly on his way to join the Padres for their swing through the DH-friendly American League East, Matt Batten made his first professional start in the outfield. The 23-year-old utility player had two doubles among his three hits and is providing right below league-average offense while adding value around the field defensively.
Sod Poodles 5 Midland RockHounds 4
Key Stats: SP Emmanuel Ramirez 7.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 K, BB, 5 H; 1B Brad Zunica 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI; SS Owen Miller 2-5, RBI; C Luis Torrens 2-3, BB, R; CF Edward Olivares 0-3, 1 K, 2 BB
Prospect Watch: While the Sod Poodles only had two extra-base hits, every starter collected at least one hit with the exception of Edward Olivares, who struck out once but walked twice. The club strung together four singles around one of his walks in the ninth inning to plate two runs to walk off with the win. Olivares has struggled in May, hitting just .237 and striking out in over a third of his at-bats. He oddly continues to post big numbers away from the homer-happy confines of Hodgetown, but sports just a .623 OPS at home. … Meanwhile, teammate Owen Miller, who had the game-winner Thursday, has cruised to an impressive .325/.372/.400 line this month. He hasn’t built his approach to tap into his decent raw power, but he has innate ability to hit for average, which he has kept above .300 at every stop in the minors.
Storm 5 Stockton Ports 1
Key Stats: SP Ronald Bolaños 6 IP, 5 K, 2 BB, 1 ER; SS Gabriel Arias 3-4, HR, 2B, RBI, R; C Luis Campusano 1-2, HR, R, RBI, BB; 2B Esteury Ruiz 2-4, 2 RBI, 3B, 2B; RF Tirso Ornelas 2-4, 2 R, 2 K
Prospect Watch: After a dismal to start to the season, Esteury Ruiz continued his torrid May pace by collecting a pair of extra-base hits Thursday. He now sits at .333/.369/.667 with only 11 strikeouts in 67 plate appearances for the month. An area to watch in his game as the season progresses is how his game looks against southpaw pitching; he is mustered only one hit in 20 at-bats against them this season. It is obviously a small sample size, but given his past splits, it is well worth monitoring. …Like Ruiz, Gabriel Arias also swatted two extra-base hits, but his May batting average and on-base percentage both remain under .200 as he has struck out in a third of his at-bats and only walked once since returning from the disabled list on May 8. … Ronald Bolaños continued his strong season, allowing one run over six innings. While his fellow Cuban hurlers tend to overshadow him in the system, the 22-year-old righty’s 3.30 ERA is good for ninth in the Cal League, using a three-pitch mix that’s kept his strikeout rate right about one per inning.
TinCaps 3 South Bend Cubs 2
Key Stats: 2B Xavier Edwards 1-4, BB; LF-RF Dwanya Williams-Sutton 1-3, BB; LF Augustin Ruiz 1-4, 2B, RBI; C Blake Hunt 1-3, HR (3), BB, RBI; LHP Joey Cantillo 5.0 IP 4 H R ER 2 BB 6 K; RHP Henry Henry (W, 5-0)1.0 IP 2 K
Prospect Watch: Tucupita Marcano had the game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth as Fort Wayne swept South Bend in the four-game series. Marcano has been red-hot in May posting a slash line of .355/.395/.461. … After a bad outing in South Bend in late April, Joey Cantillo has allowed one earned run or less in each of his last four starts for a 0.84 ERA. He’s been particularly tough at home, holding the opposition to a .158 batting average. The big Hawaiian lefty’s change-up from a high over-the-top release has been especially tough on Midwest League hitters. … Henry Henry‘s transition to the bullpen continues to show positive results. The long-limbed 20-year-old often struggled to live up to his promise in a starting role, but he’s had many strong outings in relief for Fort Wayne this year. He’s worked nine straight scoreless innings over his last six appearances, and hasn’t issued a walk over that time.
For subscribers, we’ve got an interview with Padres scouting director Mark Conner who talks about the workload heading into the draft in 10 days. As always, he was generous with his insights into the approach he and his team take in trying to find the top talent available. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can fix that today!
