San Diego Padres’ Daily Farm Report: June 6

Edward Olivares offers a rare blend of power and speed. (Photo: Grant Wickes)

Chihuahuas 8 Iowa Cubs 5

Key Stats: SP Jerry Keel 5 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 2 K, 0 BB; RP Robert Stock 1 IP, 2 H, 3 K, BB; SS Luis Urias 3-5, 3B, 2B; Jason Vosler 2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R; RF Jose Pirela 2-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 K

Prospect Watch:  Through 32 May & June games, Luis Urias’s strikeout-to-walk ratio resemble his career rates at 24:23. After coming up a homer short of the cycle, he is hitting .370 and getting on base at a .472 clip as he continues to make his case to return to the big league club. … Robert Stock‘s tightrope walk through the PCL continued as he loaded the bases in his lone inning, but got three strikeouts to avoid any damage. He has only walked one batter in 5.1 innings over his last five games while striking out a whopping 10 hitters, a vast improvement from the 8+ BB/9 rate he’d had before that stretch. Despite a solid ERA, opponents are hitting .325 against him and he’s allowing well over two hitters per inning to reach base as his fastball continues to flatten out. … Jose Pirela missed three days after taking a knee to the head in a scary scene at second base on Saturday, but he returned to action Wednesday and has homered in two straight games.

Corpus Christi Hooks 3 Sod Poodles 1

Key Stats: RHP Lake Bachar 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 1 BB; CF Edward Olivares 2-4, SB, RBI; RF Buddy Reed 1-4, SB, 2 K, BB; SS Owen Miller 1-3, 2B, BB; 1B Brad Zunica 0-2, 2 BB, K

Prospect Watch: In what has been a quiet but impressive season for Edward Olivares, he has put up 22 extra base hits and stolen 14 bases in 17 attempts. Those  numbers put him well on pace to exceed his performance with Lake Elsinore last season.  The strikeout rate has jumped to 22 percent, but the uptick in power can offset some of that. The 23-year-old offers a power-speed combination that not many in the system can match. … Buddy Reed’s hit pushed his average to 16 points over the Mendoza Line – still in the bottom 10 among qualified hitters in the Texas League. His 17.2 percent swinging strike rate also ranks near the bottom of the Texas League. … Lake Bachar turned in a strong outing with his fastball showing good action at the top of the zone. After a rough stretch of four outings without much feel that pushed his season ERA up by more than two runs, the 24-year-old matched his season high with seven strikeouts while peppering the zone.

Inland Empire 66ers 10 Storm 2

Key Stats: LHP Aaron Leasher 4.2 IP, 7 K, BB, 7 ER, 9 H, BB; SS Gabriel Arias 1-5, HR (5), R, RBI, 2 K; 1B Olivier Basabe 3-4, RBI, K; RF Jack Suwinski 1-3, BB, 2 K; 2B Esteury Ruiz 1-3, K; CF Jeisson Rosario 0-5, 2 K

Prospect Watch: Gabriel Arias now has seven hits in his first 23 June at bats, including a solo home run Thursday night to give the Storm one of their mere two runs. While his offensive line leaves a lot to be desired, a .260 average for a 19-year-old, glove-first shortstop is nothing to sneeze, and actually ranks 21^st among qualified hitters in the California League. Arias has been the ultimate feast-or-famine hitter this year. He’s swung and missed more often (22.4% of the time) than anyone in the league, but his 26.2% line drive rate is second on the circuit. … Despite a ten game slump, Esteury Ruiz is carrying an on-base percentage above .360 for May and June while hitting .287.  He does have just one hit in 22 at bats against southpaws but that is obviously a small size; however, he had some small split differences at two stops in the minor leagues so it is well worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses. … The St. Louis Cardinals selected Seth Blair in the supplemental first round after stellar career at Arizona State way back in 2010. The righthander promptly lost the strike zone completely, walking nearly seven batters per nine over his first two professional seasons. After two more brutal years in the Texas League, he was released just after spring training in 2015 and disappeared from baseball. Then, three weeks ago, the Padres signed him to a minor league free agent contract. He made his system debut Thursday, giving up two runs in his first official inning since August, 2014.

Roster Update: Reliever Hansel Rodriguez‘s series of unfortunate events continues, as the righty was put back on the Injured List. He missed much of last season with elbow problems then tried unsuccessfully to make up work in the AFL. He opened this season on the shelf and only rejoined the Storm at the start of May.

Lake County Captains 10 TinCaps 2

Key Stats: RHP Sam Keating 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 10 R, 0 K, 3 BB; SS Xavier Edwards 1-4, BB, K; LF Aldemar Burgos 1-3, R, 2 BB; 3B Justin Lopez 1-4, RBI, BB, 3 K; C Juan Fernandez 1-3, BB

Prospect Watch:  In what continued a lackluster offensive night across the Padres’ lower minors, TinCaps bats managed just five hits. Xavier Edwards, who hit .347 and .378 in April and May respectively, grabbed one of those hits to lead off the game but was otherwise quiet for the night. … Fresh off his best start of the season, Sam Keating was absolutely hammered to the tune of ten runs (six earned) while failing to strikeout a single hitter. The 2017 fourth-rounder’s swinging strike rate of 8.5% is among the lowest of any starter in the Midwest League and in line with his career numbers. … Infielder Kelvin Melean was called on to pitch the ninth inning and got through it with a strikeout in a quick one-two-three frame.