Michel Baez keeps rolling for Amarillo. (Photo: Benjamin Jenkins)
Chihuahuas 10 Oklahoma City Dodgers 7
Key Stats: SS Luis Urías 2-for-4, HR (16), HBP; 3B Ty France 1-for-2, 2 HBP, BB; 2B Esteban Quiroz 2-for-4, 2 2B, BB; RF Jose Pirela 2-for-4, 2B, HR (12); RHP Dinelson Lamet 5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 K, 1 BB, 2 WP; LHP Paco Rodriguez 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, 1 BB
Prospect Notes: The top five hitters in the El Paso lineup reached base 15 times as the Chihuahuas snapped a three-game losing streak. Dinelson Lamet made the first Triple-A appearance on his rehab assignment, allowing four earned runs over five innings. The hard-throwing righty, who has never been especially fine with his command, threw 49 of 67 pitches for strikes but missed location in the zone more than he’d like. He gave up a two-out solo shot in the first and two-run homer in the third but otherwise kept the Dodgers in check in the offense-happy PCL. Across four outings, the big man has struck out 18 with six walks in 14 innings. … Luis Urias, who had been in a mini 4-for-30 slump over the last seven games, hit a two-run homer in the first and reached base three times in the game. The cold snap pushed his OPS all the way down to 1.100, fourth among qualified hitters in the PCL. … It’s hard to call reaching base four times a disappointment, but Ty France‘s five-game homer streak came to an end. The corner infielder – he hasn’t been at second since returning to the minors – had to settle for a single, walk and two more hit-by-pitches to push his OBP to .515. Improbably, he’s been plunked in 9.1% of his plate appearances.
Sod Poodles 2 Tulsa Drillers 1
Key Stats: SS Ivan Castillo 2-for-4, 2B; 2B Owen Miller 2-for-3, BB; RF Edward Olivares 1-for-3, BB; RHP Jesse Scholtens 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 3 BB; RHP Michel Báez 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K, 1 BB
Prospect Notes: Owen Miller slid in with the winning run on what goes in the books as a game-winning single for Taylor Kohlwey, putting Amarillo in position to sneak out a first-half division victory and .500 record if they win Monday night. Miller had a pair of singles and drew a walk Sunday to bump his line for the month to .368/.413/.526. … Michel Baez got one extra day off between outings but worked two more scoreless innings to finish out the first half. The big man allowed a hit and walk, but struck out three more and continues to whiff a third of batters he faces. He’ll be Rule 5 eligible this winter and, with the big league team still trying to figure out how to cobble together 800 innings of pitching before the end of the season, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him get a cameo in a multi-inning role later in the year.
Storm 11 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes1
Key Stats: 2B Esteury Ruiz 3-for-6, 2B, 3B, SB (26), E; 3B Gabriel Arias 2-for-4, 2B; DH Connor Panas 2-for-5, HR (1); RHP Elliot Ashbeck 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 15 K, 0 BB, WP
Prospect Notes: Elliot Ashbeck struck out a career-high 15 batters over seven innings and utterly overwhelmed the Dodgers farmhands at Rancho. The 25-year-old, now three years removed from Tommy John surgery, had never thrown more than five innings in any professional outing but cruised through 86 pitches issuing just 15 balls Sunday. He’s averaged better than a strikeout an inning since returning from surgery in limited action in 2017. He’s one of a handful of relievers in the system who’ve been pressed into service to start this month. … Esteury Ruiz kept up his June onslaught, coming up a homer shy of the cycle and swiping his organization-best 26th base of the year. While his strikeout rate has crept back up in June after he got it under 25% for May, he’s also walking more than any month in his career. … Connor Panas, who already has three homers in the PCL this year, connected on his first in the Cal League Sunday, giving the Storm their final run of the night. The 26-year-old left-handed corner bat has combined for a .270/.361/540 line across two stops in his first year in the system. The Padres acquired him for Toronto in exchange for Clayton Richard during the offseason.
TinCaps 4 Lake County Captains 3
Key Stats: SS Xavier Edwards 1-for-4, BB; 2B Tucupita Marcano 2-for-5, GWRBI; RF Agustin Ruiz 2-for-4, HR (3); RHP Gabe Mosser 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 6 K, 1 BB
Prospect Notes: Agustin Ruiz blasted a three-run homer in the first inning that looked like it might hold up as the only scoring all night. Then, the Captains rallied for three runs off Austin Smith to tie it in the top of the ninth, but Tucupita Marcano came through with a two-out bases-loaded single to give the TinCaps a walk-off win to end the first half. Ruiz finished strong, clubbing all three of his homers over the last eight games. After a brutal May with a .420 OPS, the 19-year-old lefty has turned it around this month even though he continues to strike out too often. … Marcano had been just 2-for-23 since coming off the Injured List coming into the series with Cleveland’s Midwest League affiliate but collected one hit in each of the first two contests before adding two more singles Sunday. His 10.6% strikeout rate continues to hover night around Xavier Edwards‘ in the top five of the league. … Gabe Mosser finished the first half – and quite possibly his Midwest League career – much the way he’s worked all year. In an abbreviated, the 23-year-old righty allowed just two singles over four innings, though he did issue his first walk of the month. Mosser, a 27th-round pick out of Shippensburg last June, sports a ridiculous 71:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio that leads the circuit by a wide margin.
Dust Devils 6 Everett Aqua Sox 2
Key Stats: SS Jordy Barley 1-for-4, HR (1); CF Matt Acosta 2-for-4, 2B; 3B Sean Guilbe 1-for-4, 2B; RHP Felix Minjarez 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K, 0 BB
Jordy Barley is one of the more athletic players in the Padres’ system. Photo: Mike Wilson.
Prospect Notes: Tri-City got its first victory of the young season, rallying for five runs late to cash in a strong start from unheralded righty Felix Minjarez. Jordy Barley put the club ahead to stay with a two-out three-run homer in the seventh. The dynamic infielder has collected three extra-base hits in his first four games outside the AZL. Still just 19 years old, the San Pedro de Marcoris native has as electric a combination of speed and twitchy power of anyone in the system but has struggled to turn that into consistent production over his first two years. … Minjarez, 22, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Redlands University a year ago and struck out 39 in 29 AZL innings working exclusively in short relief outings. The big-bodied righty gave up some loud contact, but allowed just two runs over five and struck out six without issuing a walk. … In a nod toward the organization’s preference for versatility, competitive balance pick Logan Driscoll, called as a catcher, started Sunday in right field. The left-handed slugger logged time in center field at school at George Mason. With Driscoll, roaming the outfield grass, Jonny Homza, who started Saturday at third base, got the start behind the plate.
