Jordy Barley has made plenty of loud contact early in the Tri-City season. (Photo: Mike Wilson)
Tacoma Rainiers 7 Chihuahuas 4 (10 innings)
Key Statistics: DH Ty France, 2-for-4, R, HR (17), 2 RBI; C Austin Allen, 3-for-4, 2B, R; SS Seth Mejias-Brean, 2-for-4, RBI; RHP Robert Stock, 2 IP, BB, 2 K; LHP Jerry Keel, 4 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Steven Wilson, 2 IP, 3 K; RHP Trevor Megill (L, 2-1) 0.2 IP, H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, K.
Prospect Watch: El Paso lost in dramatic fashion, as Trevor Megill allowed a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the tenth. … Designated hitter Ty France had a pair of hits, including his 17th homer of the year. France homered for the second consecutive game, a week after hitting a home run in five straight games. The 24-year-old has a ridiculous 1.311 OPS in 161 Triple-A plate appearances. … Catcher Austin Allen had three hits — his first multi-hit game since being optioned to El Paso. Allen is 5-for-11 in his return to the Sun City with a pair of doubles. … RHP Robert Stock was deployed as the opener Monday and he threw two scoreless frames to start things off. Stock has struggled with command in El Paso this year but he has thrown four scoreless innings pitching as the opener. The club has largely had the 29-year-old working on an every-fourth-day schedule over the last month. … RHP Steven Wilson pitched two scoreless innings to get the game to extras. Wilson, an eighth-round pick last year was recently promoted from Lake Elsinore where he pitched to a 0.93 ERA. The 24-year-old righty hasn’t allowed a run in five innings with El Paso, though his 5:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio looks pedestrian compared to the 43:4 ratio in 29 Cal League innings.
Sod Poodles off
Amarillo has reached the all-star break. The Texas League All-Star Game is Tuesday night. Edward Olivares and Owen Miller highlight seven Sod Poodles on the roster.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 10 Storm 6
Key Statistics: SS Allen Córdoba, 3-for-5, 2 R, 3B; CF Jeisson Rosario, 2-for-4, R, BB, RBI; DH Gabriel Arias, 2-for-4, RBI; LF Olivier Basabe, 2-for-4; RHP Elliot Ashbeck (L, 3-1) 4.1 IP, 11 H, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; RHP Nick Kuzia, 2.1 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: The Storm jumped out to an early lead but a four-run fifth inning by the Quakes was the difference in this one. … Allen Córdoba had three hits, including a triple Monday night to extend his hitting streak to seven games. The former Cardinal and Rule 5 pick is 20-for-44 over his last ten games and his OPS for June is up to .875. The 23-year-old has never surpassed 250 at-bats in any of his seven seasons as a pro but he should blow past that in 2019, as long as he continues to stay healthy. … Center fielder Jeisson Rosario had a pair of singles and drew a walk Monday. Rosario has gotten hot in June, albeit without displaying much in the way of power. Rosario is hitting .346/.424/.385 with a 15.5% K rate. … Elliot Ashbeck struck out 15 batters in his last start but he had no such luck against the Quakes. The 25-year-old allowed eight earned runs in 4.1 innings. The former Bradley star has been solid overall for the Storm, but Monday’s rough outing saw his ERA rise from 2.11 to 3.33.
TinCaps night off
The TinCaps had the night off. They will open a homestand Tuesday against South Bend. Earlier in the day, LHP Joey Cantillo was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. The 19-year-old struck out 10 batters while throwing six shutout innings last Thursday to earn the award.
Eugene Emeralds 5 Dust Devils 3
Key Statistics: SS Jordy Barley, 2-for-5; 3B Carlos Luis, 2-for-3, BB; 1B Jason Pineda, 1-for-3, R, 2 BB; RF Mason House, 1-for-4, RBI; LHP Jason Blanchard (L, 0-1) 1.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 3 K; LHP Ramon Perez, 3.2 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 4 K.
Prospect Watch: The Dust Devils lost the series finale in Eugene. … Shortstop Jordy Barley had two hits — his first multi-hit game since opening night. Through 43 plate appearances, Barley is hitting .256/.313/.419. His 18 total bases currently lead the squad – as do his 13 strikeouts. … First baseman Jason Pineda reached base three times with two walks and a single. Pineda, 19, was a 17th-round pick in 2017 out of high school in the Bronx. The first baseman posted a 15% walk rate in the AZL last year while striking out in 33% of his plate appearances. Through his first eight games in the Northwest League, Pineda has a .794 OPS well above league average. While he continues to walk at a double-digit rate, his strikeout rate continues to hover around a third. … LHP Jason Blanchard got the start and took the loss. Blanchard, the Padres’ ninth-round selection in this year’s draft has allowed five earned runs in two innings in two appearances. … LHP Ramon Perez pitched well in relief, allowing just one run in 3.2 innings. Perez spent most of the year in Fort Wayne but he struggled to throw strikes consistently. In two starts with Tri-City, Perez has notched 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings.
AZL Padres-1 8 AZL Dodgers Mota 2
Key Statistics: SS C.J. Abrams, 1-for-5, R; 2B Chris Givin, 3-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI; RF Joshua Mears, 2-for-5, 2 R, SB (1); 3B Victor Nova, 3-for-4, R; LF Tyler Malone, 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Luarbert Arias, 4 IP, 4 H, R, 4 K; Edwuin Bencomo (S, 1) 3 IP, 2 H, 5 K
AZL Padres 2 8 AZL Dodgers Lasorda 6
Key Statistics: CF Angel Solarte, 1-for-4, R, HR (1), 3 RBI; 3B Jarryd Dale, 2-for-4, R; 2B Ripken Reyes, 1-for-4, 2 R, RBI; RHP Bryan Mitchell, 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; RHP Jeferson Garcia (W, 1-0) 3.2 IP, 6 H, ER, 6 K; RHP Koty Fallon (S, 1) IP, 2 BB, K.
Prospect Watch: Both AZL Padres beat up on their Dodgers counterparts Monday night. … Right fielder Josh Mears had a pair of singles and stole a base in Monday’s victory. Mears is off to a .200/.273/.200 start in his first 22 plate appearances of his pro career. … Left fielder Tyler Malone had a pair of hits and scored two runs for the AZL Padres. Malone, 21, struggled during his junior year at Oregon State before being drafted in the 27th round by the Padres in this year’s draft. … Center fielder Angel Solarte homered and drove in a pair of runs Monday night. The 18-year-old has an .875 OPS in his first 24 plate appearances in the desert. While he’s repeating the level, he’s added strength to a wiry frame over the last year. While his numbers as a 17-year-old last year weren’t impressive, his underlying approach and tools showed promise and are playing up now that he’s begun to mature physically. … Third baseman Victor Nova had three hits for the AZL Padres, as he continues to hit well in the early part of the season. Nova, 19, signed with the Padres in April of 2017. Last year in the DSL, he had a nice 33:30 walk-to-strikeout ratio, despite hitting just .197/.370/.291. Through 21 plate appearances in the desert, Nova is hitting .563/.636/.563 with five walks and three strikeouts. … RHP Jeferson Garcia earned the win for AZL Padres-2, allowing just one run in 3.2 innings while striking out six. Garcia, 19, put up good strikeout numbers in the AZL a year ago before making an appearance in the Northwest League. In two outings this year, Garcia has walked just one in 7.2 innings, to go with eight punch outs. … RHP Koty Fallon pitched the ninth in his professional debut and earned the save by tossing a scoreless inning. Fallon is the first 40th-rounder to sign and appear in a professional game in the organization since the draft decreased to 40 rounds in 2013.
