Mason Thompson. (Photo:Jorge Salgado)
Round Rock Express 5, Chihuahuas 2
Key Stats: CF Brian O’Grady 2-for-3, BB; 2B Gosuke Katoh 2-for-4, 2B; DH Michael Cantu 1-for-3, HR (1); RHP Evan Miller 2.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R (2 ER), 4 K, 2 BB, HBP, WP; RHP Parker Markel 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, 1 BB
Prospect Watch: One-time Padre Wade LeBlanc held the Chihuahuas to two runs over six innings and Yohel Pozo, who was in the Padres system for about a month last winter, clubbed two homers as the Express topped El Paso for the third straight night. A day after coming up a single short of the cycle, Brian O’Grady collected a pair of singles and a walk in four trips to the plate. With the big league club looking for options in the outfield, the left-handed batter has gone 13-for-35, slugging .686, since returning to El Paso. He would be eligible to be recalled again Monday. … Playing just down the road from where he was a key contributor for the University of Texas, Michael Cantu connected on a laser beam to center for his first homer of the year. The 25-year-old backstop, serving as the designated hitter Sunday, has seen limited action, but with Webster Rivas in the Majors, he’s made three straight starts for the first time this season. … Evan Miller, who made his first professional start last weekend, got the nod again Sunday. The righty worked around an error and walk in the first, but yielded a two-run blast by Pozo and had one unearned run come across on a grounder in the third. The 26-year-old righty from Indiana sports a 2.61 ERA as he continues to assert himself as a potential relief option for the Padres. … Mason Thompson struck out two in a clean inning of work in his hometown. The big righty has whiffed seven in three innings over the last week.
Missions 9, Springfield Cardinals 2
Key Stats: Jose Azocar 2-for-4, 2B, BB; SS CJ Abrams 2-for-5; 3B Eguy Rosario 2-for-5, SB (6), PO/CS (1), E; RF Jack Suwinski 1-for-4, HR (7), SF, OF Assist; LHP Aaron Leasher 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 6 K, 1 BB; RHP Henry Henry 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, 0 BB
Jack Suwinski has pushed his slugging percentage up to .615 . (Photo: Reynaldo Holguin)
Prospect Watch: The Missions plated six runs in the seventh inning to run away with the win and get back to a .500 record on the season. Lefty Aaron Leasher had to wait through almost an hour-long rain delay to start the game, but bounced back from the series opener with five scoreless innings. While he allowed at least one hit in every inning, the only real jam Leasher faced was in the fifth, but he got back-to-back strikeouts to escape and finish his game. The 25-year-old, who posted strong walk rates in 2019, came into the night having issued 11 free passes in 15.2 innings, but only gave up one walk Sunday. … Seven different Missions hitters reached safely at least twice, including each of the first five hitters in the lineup. Jose Azocar, in the leadoff slot, had a pair of singles and drew a walk while Eguy Rosario capped a stellar series with two more hits to finish the week in Missouri with an 1.179 OPS. After starting the year ice cold, the 21-year-old has raised his average to .253. … One at-bat after almost going opposite field for a grand slam – he settled instead for a sacrifice fly – Jack Suwinski capped the Missions’ scoring with a towering homerun to right. The Chicago native is up to seven homers on the year, all against righthanders and his .972 OPS is, by a significant margin, the best among qualified hitters in the system.
Cedar Rapids Kernels 11, TinCaps 3
Key Stats: DH Jonny Homza 1-for-4, 2B; RF Agustin Ruiz 3-for-5, 2B, HR (8); LF Tirso Ornelas 1-for-4, 2B; RHP Moises Lugo 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 4 BB
Moises Lugo is getting solid results in his first taste of High-A. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps took a 3-1 lead into the sixth before Cedar Rapids jumped on Austin Smith for six runs. Smith, now 24, was the first draft pick of the AJ Preller era. The righty now owns an 8.59 ERA and opponents are hitting .348 against him in 14.2 innings in his second shot at High-A. … Agustin Ruiz continues to make loud contact, collecting a double and his eighth homer to lift his slugging percentage on the year to .538. Encouragingly, the 21-year-old left-handed slugger has struck out just seven times in his last 31 plate appearances, though his K-rate for the season still sits over 30 percent. … The late-game meltdown for the TinCaps squandered another solid start by Moises Lugo. Lugo surrendered just one run over four innings despite allowing a season-high seven baserunners. The 22-year-old righty is holding opponents to a .187 average through six starts despite coming into the year with just 5 innings of full-season ball experience.
Storm 9, Stockton Ports 7
Key Stats: 2B Jordy Barley 1-for-4, HR (5), BB; SS Euribiel Angeles 3-for-5, 2B; CF Robert Hassell III 3-for-5, 2 2B, SB (11); 1B/3B Sean Guilbe 1-for-1, BB, R; LHP Gabe Morales 2 IP, 5 H, 5 R (4 ER), 1 K, 0 BB, 2 HBP, WP; RHP Michell Miliano 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 K, 1 BB, WP
Prospect Watch: The Storm jumped out to a 7-1 lead, but Gabriel Morales had his roughest outing of the year to let Stockton back into it. Elsinore ultimately held on for a victory to split the series in Northern California. Morales, who came in with a 2.08 ERA, surrendered four earned runs in two taxing innings that included a pair of hit batters. The 22-year-old lefty came in with a 13.2 K/9 rate, but struck out just one. … While Morales struggled, the offense did plenty of damage. Euribiel Angeles and Robert Hassell III, the two youngest players on the active roster, each collected three hits. Hassell connected on a pair of doubles to move into a tie with teammate Jack Stronach for second on the circuit, while Angeles – who had a two-bagger of his own – now sits one hit off the league lead. … Jordy Barley homered in his third straight game and drew his sixth walk of the season out of the leadoff slot. The dynamic infielder’s .238/.261/.714 slash line so far this month highlights his strengths and weaknesses as a player. … Michell Miliano earned his second straight save with 1.2 scoreless innings, relying on his nasty split-fingered fastball to record four strikeouts. The righty, the highest-profile Dominican pitcher in the Padres’ 2016 signing class, struggled in three seasons in the AZL, but has struck out 37 through 17.2 innings for the Storm to offset the 15 walks he’s issued.
