Omaha Storm Chasers 5 Chihuahuas 3
Key Statistics: DH Ty France, 1-for-3, R, HR (10), RBI, BB; C Francisco Mejia, 1-for-4; RF Jose Pirela, 3-for-3, 2 R, HR (8, 9), 2 RBI; 3B Seth Mejias-Brean, 2-for-4; LHP Logan Allen (L, 4-3) 5.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, BB, 5 K; LHP Paco Rodriguez, 2 IP, K.
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas hit three homers but ended up losing their series finale in Omaha. Versatile Jose Pirela, 29, had two homers, his eighth and ninth of the year, while playing right field. Pirela, a polarizing figure among Padre fans, is riding a seven-game hitting streak for the Chihuahuas and the former big leaguer has five homers in his last eight games played. … Ty France, who started at designated hitter hit the other homer. Since being demoted to El Paso, France is 5-for-14, with a couple of walks. The 24-year-old didn’t light the world on fire in San Diego but does represent a decent depth option for the Padres. … Lefty Logan Allen was effective if not dominant through the first five innings Monday. He put at least one man on base in each inning, but had allowed just one run on three straight two-out singles in the fourth. But after he opened the sixth with a strikeout, Allen allowed three more singles and a walk to plate two more before giving way. Both runners he left on base also came around to score, leaving him with another rough final line. Over his last three starts, Allen has allowed 14 earned runs in 15 innings after pitching well in May. Consistency has been an issue for the 22-year-old, who is probably still the Padres’ best option should they need to go into the farm for another starter.
Sod Poodles had the night off.
Amarillo opens up a series at home Tuesday against Northwest Arkansas.
In the meantime, subscribers can read up on Jorge Oña, who was on fire before an injury sidelined him again.
Lancaster JetHawks 2 Storm 0
Key Statistics: CF Jeisson Rosario, 1-for-3; RHP Dinelson Lamet, 4 IP, 3 H, BB, 5 K; LHP Jose Castillo (L, 0-1) 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, K; RHP Javier Guerra, IP, 2 BB, K; RHP Jordan Guerrero, 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K.
Prospect Watch: The Storm managed just one hit to take the loss on a hot night in Lake Elsinore. … RHP Dinelson Lamet made his third rehab start and looked strong. Lamet completed four shutout innings and allowed just one walk and struck out five. The hard-throwing righty threw 56 pitches, which is actually five less than his last outing against Inland Empire. It’s possible that Lamet could get moved up to El Paso for a few outings before being activated. He started his rehab assignment on May 29 and has thirty days to be activated, although the Padres could apply for an extension. … Jose Castillo took the loss out of the pen, allowing a pair of runs while recording just two outs. Like Lamet, Castillo is on a rehab assignment. The major league relief corps has felt the big lefty’s absence. … RHP Javier Guerra pitched a scoreless inning, walking two and striking out a batter. The former shortstop allowed a homer in his first outing but has put together back-to-back scoreless innings. Guerra hit 98 mph as he continues his quest to become a viable pitcher.
Roster Note: Earlier in the day, the Padres shipped recently designated outfielder Alex Dickerson to the Giants, in exchange for RHP Franklin Van Gurp. Van Gurp, 23, was placed on the Storm roster but did not pitch Monday. Van Gurp was drafted in the 25th round in 2017 and had a 3.77 ERA in 28.2 innings with Low-A Augusta. The righty did rack up 40 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. … Van Gurp took the roster spot of LHP MacKenzie Gore, who was placed on the temporary inactive list. The move likely means that Gore has thrown his last pitch in the Cal League and will be moved up to Amarillo after the all-star break. Gore was selected to participate in the California League All-Star Game but will likely not pitch.
Dayton Dragons 3 TinCaps 2
Key Statistics: LF Michael Curry, 1-for-4, R, HR (2), RBI; DH Luis Roman, 2-for-4; C Blake Hunt, 1-for-4, 2B, RBI; RHP Gabe Mosser (L, 4-3) 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 7 K; RHP Carlos Belen, IP, 2 K.
Gabe Mosser throws his two-seamer for Fort Wayne. (Photo Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps got swept on the road in Dayton and have dropped five straight. … Outfielder Michael Curry hit a homer in four at-bats Monday night. Curry, a 16th round pick last June, has a .265/.346/.441 slash-line through 76 plate appearances with Fort Wayne. The former Georgia Bulldog didn’t make the team out of spring training, and went 2-for-16 in a brief April assignment, but has performed well since rejoining the TinCaps. Eight of his 18 hits have gone for extra bases. … RHP Gabe Mosser pitched fairly well but came away with the loss. The righty, who turned 23 this weekend, allowed just three hits and no runs through his first five innings, but was tagged for three runs in a sloppy sixth inning. Mosser has thrown strikes all year and has walked just seven batters in 11 starts for a 2.9% walk rate that leads the league. Last year’s 27th-round pick has struck out 65 batters in 59.2 innings with the TinCaps in 2019. … Big Carlos Belen put together a scoreless inning out of the bullpen, striking out two. Belen has not given up a run in his last nine outings (10.2 innings) with three walks and 13 punchouts. The former infielder has a big fastball and will be Rule 5 eligible this winter.
Draft Updates
News of the signing of second-rounder Joshua Mears and competitive balance pick Logan Driscoll at significant savings against their slot amounts (combined, they came in $801,000 below slot) headlined the day. In all, the Padres now have 20 players from their class under contract at a combined savings of over $2 million. They still need to get a deal done with third-rounder Hudson Head, who is expected to cost a significant premium, and sixth-rounder Drake Fellows, whose Vanderbilt team is still in the College World Series, but between the savings and the $538,000 over slot the team can spend without incurring major penalties, the Padres will have plenty of flexibility to go after day three upside picks.
We’ve made yesterday’s discussion about the Padres draft with Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo free for everyone, but we wouldn’t object if you decided to subscribe anyway!
