MacKenzie Gore puts away Texas League batters. (Photo: Grant Wickes)
Las Vegas Aviators 20 Chihuahuas 11
Key Statistics: CF Travis Jankowski, 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B, SF; LF Boog Powell, 3-for-5, 2 R; RF Josh Naylor, 4-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI; DH Aderlin Rodriguez, 1-for-3, 2 R, HR (10), 3 RBI; 2B Matthew Batten, 2B-P, 2-for-5, 2B, R, RBI; RHP Emmanuel Ramirez, 4.1 IP, 11 H, 9 ER, 2 K; LHP Brad Wieck, 1.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 4 K.
Prospect Watch: This game made the record books, as the Chihuahuas allowed a PCL-record 11 homers Friday night. All five El Paso pitchers whoappeared allowed at least one homer, including utility man Matthew Batten who threw in the ninth inning. … Center fielder Travis Jankowski had his best game of the year Friday night. The fleet-footed outfielder had a pair of doubles and scored two runs out of the leadoff spot. Jankowski is 9-for-19 during a current four-game hitting streak. … Right fielder Josh Naylor had four hits and drove in three runs in the El Paso loss. Naylor is 11-for-22 since being optioned back to Triple-A. He has drawn three walks and struck out just once in those 25 plate appearances. … LHP Brad Wieck was knocked around Friday, as the big lefty allowed four homers and five earned runs in his 1.1 innings of work. Long balls have been an issue for Wieck this year, both in San Diego and in El Paso but his strikeout numbers will continue to give him opportunities. While Wieck’s PCL ERA rose to 6.75 with Friday’s poor outing, he’s struck out 32 batters in 16 innings of work.
Sod Poodles 2 Springfield Cardinals 1
Key Statistics: CF Edward Olivares, 2-for-4; 1B Brad Zunica, 1-for-3, 2B, BB; LHP MacKenzie Gore (W, 2-0) 5.1 IP, 4 H, BB, 6 K; RHP Carlos Belen, 1.2 IP, 3 K; RHP David Bednar (S, 7) IP, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: The Sod Poodles rode an excellent outing by MacKenzie Gore to a win in Springfield. … Gore earned his second Double-A win of the year by hurling 5.1 shutout innings in the victory. The prized lefty didn’t have great command of his fastball, but his curveball looked sharp. Gore struck out six batters and walked just one. In two road starts, the 20-year-old has not allowed a run in 11 innings. He also chipped in with his first hit as a professional. … RHP Carlos Belen relieved Gore and recorded five outs, three via the strikeout. The 23-year-old reliever was promoted last week from Fort Wayne and the early results in Double-A have been encouraging. The former infielder has allowed just one run in 5.2 innings with Amarillo. Belen has been clocked in the mid-90s with his fastball. He will be Rule 5 eligible this winter, so it makes sense that the Padres have exposed him to a higher level. … Edward Olivares had his eleventh multi-hit game of the month. He now ranks among the top five qualified Texas League batters in virtually every offensive category.
Storm 8 Inland Empire 66ers 7 (10 innings)
Key Statistics: SS Xavier Edwards, 3-for-6, R, BB, 2 RBI; 3B Gabriel Arias, 2-for-4, R, HR (10), 2 RBI; RF Jack Suwinski, 2-for-4, 2 R, 3B, BB, RBI; CF Jeisson Rosario, 2-for-5, R; LF Esteury Ruiz, 2-for-4, R, BB, RBI, SB (32); RHP Caleb Boushley, 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K; RHP Javier Guerra, 1.1 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 K; RHP Jordan Guerrero (W, 1-3) 2.1 IP, H, R, 2 K.
Jack Suwinski is heating up in Lake Elsinore. (Photo: Cherished Memories)
Prospect Watch: The Storm won their series opener in extra innings. … The winning hit came off of the bat of Xavier Edwards, who had three hits on the evening. The 19-year-old infielder has been swinging a hot bat. His big night extended his hitting streak to five games, during which he is 11-for-23. Edwards has struck out just three times in his last 44 plate appearances. In 16 games with the Storm, he is hitting .328/.375/.358. … Right fielder Jack Suwinski extended his hitting streak to six games with a single and a triple Friday night. The 20-year-old outfielder got off to a hot start but struggled to make contact in May and June. Over his last 10 games, the Chicago native is hitting .351 with a pair of homers. Last season, he heated up just before his birthday – which is coming up Monday – and finished the season with a monster August. He’ll need another big surge to match last year’s .336 wOBA. … RHP Caleb Boushley gutted out five innings, allowing two earned runs. The 25-year-old threw a season-high 104 pitches. The right-hander made the Cal League All-Star team and has been a valuable arm who has bounced back-and-forth between the rotation and the bullpen this season. Boushley has thrown 81.2 innings, trailing only Aaron Leasher (96 innings) in innings thrown for the Storm. … Even with Edwards at shortstop Saturday, Esteury Ruiz stayed in left field rather than sliding back to the infield. He’s made 11 of 13 starts since Edwards’ arrival on the grass, finally beginning a transition many have expected for some time. The wiry-strong speedster has struggled offensively in the midst of the change, putting up an anemic .163/.212/.184 line. The organization will hope that his second consecutive two-hit game is a sign he’s getting resettled.
Bowling Green Hot Rods 4 TinCaps 2
Key Statistics: RF Dwanya Williams-Sutton, 3-for-4, 2B, RBI; LF Michael Curry, 1-for-4; LHP Omar Cruz, 5.1 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K; RHP Henry Henry (L, 7-5) 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps lost in Bowling Green Friday night as Henry Henry got tagged for three seventh-inning runs to take a blown save. … RF Dwanya Williams-Sutton had three hits, including a double. Williams-Sutton has had three consecutive multi-hit games raising his batting average 15 points. Overall, Williams-Sutton is hitting .245/.409/.356 in 65 games. Williams-Sutton’s .409 on-base percentage would lead the circuit if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. … LHP Omar Cruz turned in a strong start, pitching 5.1 scoreless innings. The 20-year-old southpaw didn’t rack up the strikeouts that he typically does but he bounced back nicely after suffering through a poor outing last time out. Overall, Cruz has a 3.70 ERA in five starts with the TinCaps. Cruz has averaged more than 80 pitches and fewer than five innings per outings since joining Fort Wayne as he continues to work to refine his command with his breaking ball-heavy repertoire.
Everett Aquasox 5 Dust Devils 4
Key Statistics: SS Jordy Barley, 2-for-5, 3B, R, SB (10); CF Reinaldo Ilarraza, 1-for-2, R, 2 BB, SB (17); 2B Kelvin Alarcon, 1-for-3, BB; LHP Ethan Elliott, 3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 K; RHP Felix Minjarez, 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K; Dom DiSabatino, IP, 2 H.
Prospect Watch: The Dust Devils lost their series opener in Everett. They loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth, but could only push one run across as they fell short. … Shortstop Jordy Barley had two hits, including a triple. The talented shortstop had been mired in a 1-for-18 slump coming into Friday’s game. Overall, the 19-year-old shortstop is hitting .235/.294/.364 in his first taste of action outside of the AZL. … Reinaldo Ilarraza singled and drew two more walks Friday night. He also stole his 17th bag of the season. The 20-year-old leads the Northwest League with 35 walks which have contributed to a bizarre .200/.397/.267 slash-line. While he’d never played off the infield dirt before this season, the 20-year-old made his 11th start in center Friday. … RHP Felix Minjarez came out of the bullpen and tossed a pair of scoreless frames. The Riverside, California native has a 2.73 ERA in 29.2 innings with the Dust Devils in 2019. He was signed last June as an undrafted free agent.
AZL White Sox 10 AZL Padres-1 8
Key Statistics: SS C.J. Abrams, 3-for-5, R, 2B, RBI; RF Tirso Ornelas, 2-for-5, 2 RBI; DH Yerry Landinez, 2-for-4, 3 R, HR (3), BB, RBI; CF Hudson Head, 3-for-4, R, HR (1), 2 RBI; RHP Jacob Nix, 1.2 IP, H, R, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Koty Fallon, 1.1 IP, 3 K; RHP Pedro Avila, 1.2 IP, H, 2 K; LHP Dylan Hoffman (L, 0-1) 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, BB, K.
AZL Rangers 14 AZL Padres-2 8
Key Statistics: 2B Ripken Reyes, 3-for-5, RBI; RF Junior Perez, 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, BB; SS Yeison Santana, 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR (2, 3), 4 RBI; 1B Emmanuel Guerra, 3-for-4, R; RHP Jeferson Garcia, 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; RHP Jose Geraldo, 2 IP, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: The AZL teams lost a pair of high-scoring affairs Friday night. … Death, taxes, and C.J. Abrams destroying AZL pitching; they are all guarantees. The young infielder had three more hits, including a double. The sixth overall pick has 53 hits in 28 games; 21 of them going for extra bases. Overall, Abrams is hitting an absurd .417/.457/.677 in the desert this year. … Third-rounder Hudson Head had three hits, including his first professional homer. He finished a triple short of the cycle. Going into Friday’s game, Head was hitless in his last 18 at-bats. The 18-year-old outfielder has shown intriguing tools and great bat speed in his brief pro career. … RHP Jacob Nix and RHP Pedro Avila both made rehab appearances, as they make their way back from arm injuries. After he was shut down in spring training, it looked like Nix might be headed for Tommy John surgery, but he opted for PRP therapy instead and has been on a good progression since. Nix threw 1.2 innings and allowed an unearned run, striking out three. Avila also recorded five outs and allowed just one hit, striking out two. The pair should get a few more outings before working their way into viable options at the big league level. … Shortstop Yeison Santana had three hits and socked two homers for the AZL Padres-2. The 18-year-old shortstop signed with the Padres in the international signing class of 2017. In 126 plate appearances, Santana is hitting .348/.405/.513.
