Williams-Sutton had two homers Thursday night. (Photo Jeff Nycz)
Salt Lake Bees 6 Chihuahuas 3
Key Statistics: CF Travis Jankowski 4-for-4, BB; SS Seth Mejias-Brean 2-for-4, 2B; RF Michael Gettys 3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI; 2B Matthew Batten 2-for-4; RHP Bryan Mitchell 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Trevor Megill IP, H, 2 K; RHP Gerardo Reyes (L, 4-2) 0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, BB.
Prospect Watch: El Paso lost a heartbreaker as Gerardo Reyes allowed four runs without recording an out in the ninth inning. They’ll head into their final four-game series trailing Las Vegas by two. … Center fielder Travis Jankowski reached base with four singles and a walk. The 28-year-old outfielder has been red-hot in the series against Salt Lake, going 9-for-14 with a walk and just one strikeout in the three-game series. Jankowski has a .397 on-base percentage for the Chihuahuas this season. … RHP Bryan Mitchell turned in his best start of the year but ended up notching the no-decision. Mitchell worked into the sixth and allowed just two runs on four hits. The 28-year-old hurler has had a miserable season in El Paso, pitching to a 9.41 ERA in 44 innings.
Tulsa Drillers 14 Sod Poodles 9
Key Statistics: CF Taylor Trammell 2-for-5, R; SS Ivan Castillo 3-for-5, R, 2 2B, RBI; RF Edward Olivares 2-for-5, SB (34); 2B Owen Miller 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI; C Luis Torrens 2-for-3, 3 R, HR (14), 2 BB, 2 RBI; LF Buddy Reed 3-for-5, R, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 SB (22, 23); RHP Kyle Lloyd (L, 8-7) 7 IP, 10 H, 9 ER, BB, 2 K.
Ivan Castillo is pacing the Texas League in batting average. (Photo: Grant Wickes)
Prospect Watch: Amarillo lost at home to the Dodgers’ Texas League affiliate. Sod Poodles pitching allowed seven homers. … Thursday was a bit of a mixed bag for Taylor Trammell. In the positive column, he had a pair of singles and scored a run. In the negative column, he struck out three times. Trammell has started to heat up a bit, as two of his three multi-hit games have come in the last week. The talented outfielder has a 29% K-rate since joining the Padres’ organization. Trammell isn’t slated to play in the Arizona Fall League, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he ends up taking part in instructs which begin in early September. … Shortstop Ivan Castillo had three hits, including two doubles. The infielder’s .315 batting average is still leading the league as we approach the final weekend of the season. … Owen Miller also had three hits and he scored two runs in the Sod Poodles’ loss. Miller’s big night extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Overall, Miller is hitting .280/.345/.410 in August. … RHP Kyle Lloyd gutted out seven innings despite being hit pretty hard. The veteran allowed six homers and was touched up for nine earned runs. Lloyd has generally been quite good for the Sod Poodles but he has had a few clunkers recently. He has thrown 110 innings this year for Amarillo, impressive considering he opened the year in the bullpen and made just two appearances in April.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7 Storm 5
Key Statistics: SS Xavier Edwards 3-for-5, 3 R, 2B, SB (12); CF Jeisson Rosario 3-for-4, R, 3 RBI; C Jalen Washington 1-for-4, R; RHP Garrett Richards (L, 0-1) 1.2 IP, H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K; RHP Caleb Boushley 6.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 4 K.
Prospect Watch: The Storm were swept in Rancho Cucamonga. They return home tomorrow to open up the final four-game homestand of the year. … RHP Garrett Richards made his first rehab appearance since leaving a start with shoulder pain more than three weeks ago and struggled with his command. Richards showed good velocity on his fastball, but had the issues locating it that plagued him before the shutdown. He walked four batters in 1.2 innings and allowed four earned runs. With the minor league season winding down, Richards’ next outing could come with the big club. … Center fielder Jeisson Rosario had three hits and drove in three runs. Rosario has swung a hot bat in August, as he has finally started to flash a little power. Rosario is hitting .295/.446/.443 this month with seven extra-base hits, including a pair of homers. Rosario has drawn 83 walks, which leads the Cal League. … RHP Caleb Boushley relived Richards and pitched the final 6.1 innings. The 25-year-old has been a bit of an unsung hero for the Storm this year. He has bounced back-and-forth between the rotation and the bullpen, putting up good numbers. Boushley’s K/BB ratio of 6.25 is second in the Cal League among pitchers who have thrown at least 90 innings this season.
TinCaps 9 South Bend Cubs 4
Key Statistics: DH Michael Curry 1-for-3, R, 2B; LF Dwanya Williams-Sutton 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (7, 8), 4 RBI, BB; 1B Chris Givin 2-for-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI; C Chandler Seagle 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI; LHP Jesus Gonzalez (W, 1-0) 5 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Franklin Van Gurp 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps used an 11-hit attack to blow out South Bend at home. … Outfielder Dwanya Williams-Sutton blasted two homers and drove in four homers. Williams-Sutton has been an on-base machine for the TinCaps but he hasn’t gotten to much game power in Fort Wayne this year. It was the first multi-homer game of his career. The outfielder is listed at six-foot-two and 225 pounds, so he certainly has the frame of a player capable of hitting homers. While he is slugging just .366, his on-base percentage of .411 is quite impressive. … Chris Givin had a pair of doubles and drove in three runs while playing first base. Givin, a 19th-rounder in June, hit well in the Arizona League but struggled early on after a promotion to Fort Wayne. The former Xavier infielder is 4-for-11 during a three-game hitting streak. … LHP Jesus Gonzalez made his Midwest League debut and threw five innings to earn the victory. The 18-year-old southpaw is now the youngest player in the Midwest League. He had a 5.20 ERA in the Arizona League before being promoted to Fort Wayne. Relying primarily on a fastball that currently sits around 90 and a big curve, the Venezuelan hurler posted a 46:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in Arizona.
Dust Devils 13 Vancouver Canadians 12 (11 innings)
Key Statistics: C Logan Driscoll 2-for-4, BB, 2B, 2 RBI; RF Jack Stronach 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, BB, 3 RBI; 3B Jonny Homza 2-for-5, 3 R, 2B, 3B, BB, RBI, SB (2); LF Tre Carter 3-for-4, R, BB, RBI, 2B; 1B Luke Becker 2-for-6, 2B, 4 RBI; RHP Nick Thwaits 2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, K; LHP Dan Dallas 1.2 IP, 2 H, BB, K; RHP Chris Lincoln (W, 2-0) 2 IP, H, 1 R (0 ER), BB, K; RHP Sam Keating (S, 1) IP, K.
Prospect Watch: The Dust Devils overcame a five-run deficit to beat Vancouver. The win gave the Dust Devils a one-game lead over Everett for the division’s final playoff spot. … Third baseman Jonny Homza doubled, tripled and scored three runs in the Dust Devils’ victory. The 20-year-old has bounced back-and-forth between third base and catcher and has shown flashes offensively. He is still a very raw player but the organization has been patient with him. Homza hasn’t homered but he does have 13 doubles. … Outfielder Tre Carter came off of the bench and had three hits, including a double. The 22-year-old is in his third stint in the Northwest League and while he hasn’t been able to put it together for any extended period, he has shown tremendous athleticism. … RHP Chris Lincoln threw two shutout innings out of the bullpen to earn his second victory with Tri-City. The 21-year-old Anaheim native played his college ball at UC Santa Barbara. He was the Padres’ fifth-rounder in June. Lincoln has thrown six shutout innings for Tri-City, having allowed just two hits while striking out six.
