The big club had all the magic in the standings tonight with a big walk-off win in front of an unrestricted crowd at Petco Park, while the affiliates all took all the losses.
Tucupita Marcano had his first home run of the season. (Photo: Jorge Salgado).
Sugar Land Skeeters 8, Chihuahuas 5
Key Stats: RHP Evan Miller, 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K; 2B Tucupita Marcano, 2-for-5, 2B, HR (1), 2 R, RBI; CF Brian O’Grady, 2-for-5, 2B, SB; C Luis Campusano, 2-for-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI; DH Gosuke Katoh, 3-for-4, HR, R, RBI, SB
Prospect Watch: This one was 4-0 El Paso when Evan Miller left the game after four no-hit innings. Miller, a 22nd round pick in 2016 out of Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, made his longest appearance of the season in his fourth start. Those four starts are the only ones of his professional career, as the organization continues to seek length from pitchers this season after the chaos of last year’s pandemic. … Tucupita Marcano is on the board with his first home run of the season, and fourth of his professional career. His first-inning shot came in his 123rd at-bat of the season. His career-high was the two homers he hit for Fort Wayne in 2019 in 460 at-bats. He also had a double on the night. Marcano has hit safely in eight straight games, hitting .444/.500/.639 during the stretch. … Brian O’Grady continues to scorch Triple-A pitching. with his third straight multi-hit game. O’Grady is slashing .361/.403/.708 for El Paso, a barrage in which he’s batted .389 in June after a .333 average in May. … Luis Campusano added a home run and a double along with a stolen base. Campusano, who’s been on the radar of Padres fans ever since he was drafted in the second round in 2017, is slashing .327/.397/.596 in June, a welcome sight after a slow start to the season in San Diego, as well as in El Paso when the Triple-A season began. … Gosuke Katoh got the start in the DH spot and had a three-hit night. The Poway native and graduate of Rancho Bernardo High is batting .417 in home games. The 26-year-old Katoh joined his hometown organization as a free agent from the Marlins organization in the off-season.
Osvaldo Hernandez in action with the Flying Chancalas. (Photo: Joe Alexander)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals 10, Missions 3
Key Stats: LHP Osvaldo Hernandez, 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K; C Juan Fernandez, 1-for-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB, DH Kyle Overstreet, 1-for-3, RBI, BB;
Prospect Watch: Similar to El Paso, the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio started with a lead for their starting pitcher, with Osvaldo Hernandez working strong into the 6th inning. An Allen Cordoba error started the first rally for Northwest Arkansas, leading to the three unearned runs for Hernandez via a home run. The 23-year-old Cuban southpaw has a 15-14 record and 3.24 ERA in his four seasons in the Padres organization. … For only the third time this season, CJ Abrams is hitless in two straight games. Starting tonight at shortstop, Abrams went 0-for-3. … Juan Fernandez hit his third home run of the season, and second in the past week. The 22-year-old Venezuela native is slashing .333/.400/.722 in June. … Kyle Overstreet added his 20th RBI of the season. A second baseman at the University of Alabama, he was converted to a catcher after he was drafted in 2015 but has mainly seen time on the infield corners. This year he has split his time between first and third, along with some duty at DH. Overstreet played for the Missions in 2018 with Fernando Tatis, Jr., the last time the Padres were affiliated with them, as well as for the Amarillo Sod Poodles during their Double-A 2019 season.
Dayton Dragons 2, TinCaps 0
Key Stats: C Adam Kerner, 1-for-3, SB; LHP Cody Tyler, 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K; RHP Felix Minjarez, 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Adam Kerner had one of the few good offensive nights for the Tin Caps on Thursday. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: On a day the Reds and Padres squared off in San Diego, their High-A affiliates met in Dayton, with the TinCaps being held to three hits in a shutout defeat. Adam Kerner stole his first professional base, a steal of second base in the 5th inning. Kerner, a former Torero, joined the Padres as a free agent after the 2020 draft. While he is batting .133, four of his six hits have gone for extra bases. … Cody Tyler threw two innings of one-hit ball in relief, striking out three and walking none. A 32nd round pick in 2018 out of Wichita State, Tyler made it as high as El Paso in 2019, making two appearances for the Chihuahuas. After a brutal start to the season, Tyler has put up back-to-back scoreless outings. Through 17 innings, Tyler has an ERA just shy of 13. … Felix Minjarez also threw two scoreless to finish things out for the TinCaps, striking out three and also successfully picking off a runner at first base to end the 8th inning. The 24-year-old Minjarez signed with the Padres in 2018 out of the University of Redlands. In his minors career, primarily as a reliever, Minjarez is 10-4 with a 2.90 ERA in 51 appearances.
All 6-foot7 of Connor Lehmann. (Photo: Mike Wilson)
Inland Empire 66ers 4, Storm 3
Jordy Barley had a good night. (Photo: Mike Wilson)
Key Stats: RHP Connor Lehmann, 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K; SS Jordy Barley, 1-for-4, 2B, 2 R, BB, SB; 2B Euribiel Angeles, 1-for-4, 3B, R, RBI, BB, CF Robert Hassell III, 1-for-5, 2 RBI; LF Matthew Acosta, 2-for-4; C Brandon Valenzuela, 1-for-2, 2 BB
Prospect Watch: The Storm rallied back, with a Robert Hassell III single in the 7th bringing Lake Elsinore to within a run of their regional rivals, but it wasn’t enough. Hassell III, back in action after two nights off, is slashing .345/.377/.586 in June as he continues to excel in his first professional season. The Padres’ 2020 top pick is batting .311 with runners in scoring position. … Connor Lehmann returned from the IL and pitched two scoreless innings. The 6-foot-7 righty and former Saint Louis University Billiken was taken by San Diego in the 7th round of the 2019 draft and shined in 12 appearances (six starts) for the Tri-City Dust Devils that same year, going 1-1 with a 3.03 ERA and striking out 26 batters in 29.2 innings of work. … Jordy Barley doubled, scored two runs, and swiped his 20th bag of the season, tied for the Low-A West lead. Barley, signed by the Padres in 2016 out of the Dominican Republic, has stolen 12 of his bases at home, despite having 15 more at-bats on the road. … Euribiel Angeles hit the third triple of his young professional career. The 19-year-old infielder from Higuey, Dominican Republic, has a .291/.338/.374 slash line in 326 professional at-bats. … Matthew Acosta added a pair of singles. The 2019 12th round pick out of USC is getting on base at a .356 clip for the Storm. … Brandon Valenzuela continues to flash an improved bat in 2021 to go along with solid play behind the dish. In 139 at-bats for the Storm, Valenzuela’s .273 average and .750 OPS show good development from his .248 and .689 marks in 145 at-bats for the AZL Padres in 2019.
