Xavier Edwards has been a force at the plate for Fort Wayne. (Photo: TinCaps)
Chihuahuas 17 Sacramento River Cats 6
Key Statistics: CF Michael Gettys, 2-for-5, R, HR (20), 6 RBI; 2B Luis Urías, 1-for-4, 2 R, 2B, BB; 3B Ty France, 3-for-6, 3 R, 2B, HR (19), 4 RBI; RF Jose Pirela, 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI; 1B Aderlin Rodriguez, 2-for-5, 2 R; SS Seth Mejias-Brean, 4-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI; LF Matthew Batten, 2-for-3, 4 R, 2 RBI, SB (4); RHP Robert Stock, 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, K; LHP Paco Rodriguez (W, 3-1) 4 IP, 5 H, ER, 4 K; RHP Steven Wilson, 2 IP, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: El Paso’s vaunted offense went off Thursday night, slamming a pair of home runs and racking up 20 hits in a blowout victory. … Michael Gettys continued his torrid June with a multi-hit game that included his 20th homer of the season. The former second-rounder also set a new career high with six RBI. For the month, Gettys is hitting .300/.363/.644 and has dropped his K rate under 30%. Gettys still isn’t walking much, so it’s difficult to say that the talented outfielder has turned a corner, but it is certainly fun to dream on his immense tools. … Ty France had three hits and bashed his 19th homer of the year. France will join Austin Allen and Luis Urías representing the Chihuahuas in the Triple-A All-Star Game that will take place in El Paso on July 10. … Infielder Seth Mejias-Brean had four hits and drove in a pair of runs Thursday night. The 28-year-old infielder has put up a solid .845 OPS this year and his .335 average ranks in the top ten in the PCL. The former Cincinnati draft pick spent the last two years with the Seattle organization before signing with the Padres in the off-season. … RHP Robert Stock “opened” again and allowed a pair of homers in his only inning of work. Stock has walked just four batters over his last 13 innings pitched. … RHP Steven Wilson threw a pair of scoreless innings, striking out three. Wilson has pitched seven shutout innings for the Chihuahuas, striking out eight while walking just two. Last year’s eighth-rounder struck out 43 batters and walked just four in 29 innings with Lake Elsinore prior to his promotion.
Corpus Christi Hooks 3 Sod Poodles 2
Key Statistics: C Luis Torrens, 2-for-3, R, HR (4), 2 RBI; RHP Kyle Lloyd (L, 2-5) 4.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Evan Miller, 1.1 IP, 2 H, BB; RHP Michel Baez, 2 IP, 5 K.
Prospect Watch: Luis Torrens had both Sod Poodles hits, as they lost to Corpus Christi. … Torrens hit his fourth homer of the year and drove in both Amarillo runs in the loss. The 23 catcher has shown a solid offensive approach this year, albeit without much power. The former Rule 5 pick has an .888 OPS in June, which includes a slugging percentage north of .500. … RHP Michel Baez threw a pair of scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Baez notched five strikeouts — all swinging — without allowing a baserunner. Baez is averaging over 14 strikeouts per nine innings out of the Amarillo bullpen since being activated last month. After a rough outing in his first effort on two days’ rest last time out, Baez went back to the every-four-days schedule he’d been on before. His progress is one of the storylines to watch in Amarillo as we head into July.
Storm 7 Inland Empire 66ers 1
Key Statistics: 3B Allen Córdoba, 1-for-5, 2 R, 3B, 2 RBI, SB (15); CF Jeisson Rosario, 2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI; SS Eguy Rosario, 2-for-5, R, RBI; DH Gabriel Arias, 3-for-5, RBI; RHP Reiss Knehr (W, 2-1) 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 5 K; RHP Franklin Van Gurp, 2 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K.
Prospect Watch: The Storm won their third consecutive game, improving to 6-2 in the second half. … Designated hitter Gabriel Arias extended his hitting streak to five games with a three-hit game. Arias has swung the bat well in June, slugging .477 with three homers. Arias’s biggest flaw is plate discipline — he’s drawn just four walks (one being intentional) in 92 plate appearances this month. Arias’s 93 wRC+ for the year is just below league average. … Jeisson Rosario had two hits, including a double and drove in a run in Thursday’s win. The 20-year-old outfielder has shaken off a brutal April and has been the Storm’s hottest hitter in June, hitting .344/.412/.393 this month. … RHP Reiss Knehr pitched five solid innings to earn his second victory of the year. Knehr, a 20th-rounder in 2018 has been pressed into the Storm rotation after starting the season in extended spring training. The New York native has 24 strikeouts in 19 innings. … The Storm got two scoreless innings from Franklin Van Gurp in relief Thursday night. Van Gurp has pitched a 2.08 ERA, despite allowing 15 baserunners in 8.2 innings. The 23-year-old was acquired from San Francisco, in exchange for Alex Dickerson.
TinCaps 5 South Bend Cubs 2
Key Statistics: 2B Xavier Edwards, 3-for-4, 3 R, HR (1), RBI; 3B Tucupita Marcano, 3-for-4, R, RBI; RF Agustin Ruiz, 2-for-4, R, 3B; C Blake Hunt, 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI; LHP Ryan Weathers, 4 IP, 3 H, 4 K; RHP Carlos Belen, IP, H, K; LHP Cody Tyler (W, 2-1) IP, BB, K; RHP Henry Henry (S, 6) IP, H, K.
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps got the win at home against South Bend. … Xavier Edwards hit his first professional homer as part of a three-hit night. Edwards, 19, had gone almost 500 career plate appearances without a homer before Thursday. Edwards’ big night broke a 6-for-36 slump. Edwards still leads the Midwest League with a .331 average. … Catcher Blake Hunt had two hits to extend his hitting streak to six games. Hunt has improved his OPS every month this season and his defense has been good overall. Subscribers can read John’s profile on the big catcher from Southern California today. … LHP Ryan Weathers threw his longest and best outing in two months Thursday, tossing four shutout innings, striking out four without a walk. Weathers’ velocity sat low-90s, several ticks below what it was before his IL stint and abbreviated outings, but his slider looked excellent. Weathers 63 pitches were the most he has thrown in a game since April 22. … On May 15, converted pitcher Carlos Belen allowed three runs in 1.2 innings to push his ERA to 8.27. He hasn’t given up an earned run since. Belen pitched a scoreless frame Thursday to extend his streak to 15.2 innings. The big righty has pounded the zone this month, throwing more than 70% of his pitches for strikes while striking out 11 and walking two in 10.1 innings.
Dust Devils 6 Spokane Indians 3
Key Statistics: SS Jordy Barley, 2-for-4, R, BB; CF Reinaldo Ilarraza, 1-for-3, R, 2 BB, RBI; 1B Carlos Luis, 3-for-5, R; LF Tyler Benson, 3-for-4, R, RBI; RHP Ignacio Feliz, 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K; RHP Starlin Cordero (W, 1-0) 2.1 IP, 3 H, BB, 2 K; RHP Deivy Mendez (S, 2) IP, 2 K.
Prospect Watch: The Dust Devils won in Spokane to improve to .500. … Shortstop Jordy Barley extended his hitting streak to seven games with a pair of singles. Barley’s performance has been a huge positive in the early season, as Barley’s athleticism is starting to convert in game action. Overall, Barley has .762 OPS in 14 games. … First baseman Carlos Luis had three hits and scored a run Thursday. The 19-year-old spent last season in the desert and hit the ball with authority in limited looks this spring. He has split time at first base with Jason Pineda. … Big Starlin Cordero earned the win, throwing 2.1 innings in relief. The 6-foot-7 righty has spent the last two years in the AZL but he has taken a step forward in the Northwest League this season. Cordero has walked just three in eight innings while striking out 12. Last season in the Arizona League, Cordero walked 16 in 20.2 innings.
Any word on promoting Gore to AA?
Best guess is he’ll go after the Futures Game.