Tucupita Marcano crushed two home runs on Saturday night. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Chihuahuas 15, Sugar Land Skeeters 2
Key Statistics: LF Tucupita Marcano 3-4, BB, 2B, 2 HR (3), 5 RBI; 1b Nick Tanielu 3-5, HR (5) 3 RBI; SS Pedro Florimon 1-5 GS HR (3) 4 RBI; LHP Ryan Weathers (W, 1-0) 5.0 IP 4 H BB 6 K
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas put a season-highs with 15 runs and 15 hits, giving them their biggest victory margin of the year. … Tucupita Marcano had the first two-home run day of his career, as he hit a deep shot to left-center in the third for three runs followed by a solo shot to center in the seventh. Marcano, 21, is nearly six years younger than the Triple-A average, and this season is his first above the A-ball level. He had hit two home runs in 2019 and one in 2018. His three home runs so far and .495 slugging percentage are career highs. San Diego has also not been shy about developing and showcasing his defensive versatility, as Marcano continues to rotate between shortstop, second base and the outfield corners. … Ryan Weathers made his Triple-A debut on Saturday and, despite breaking camp with the big club, was still the youngest player on the roster at 21. After Friday night’s disappointing start by top prospect MacKenzie Gore, Weathers – who, was sent down to El Paso to maintain his starter’s routine – came through. He threw 77 pitches, 52 for strikes and Statcast had his fastball sitting around 94 mph most of the night. He worked quickly and had command of his fastball, change and slider. It’s hard to imagine he’s going to spend a significant amount of time in the minors.
Missions 6, Northwest Arkansas Naturals 5
Jack Suwinski has been one of the best players in the Padres’ system. (Photo: Joe Alexander)
Key Statistics: 1B Kyle Overstreet 2-4, RBI; RF Jack Suwinski 2 2B, 2 RBI; Dwanya Williams-Sutton 2-4, RBI; RHP Reiss Knehr 5.0 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 4 H; RHP Nick Kuzia (W, 1-2) 1.2 IP BB 2 K; RHP Jose Quezada (S, 8) 1.0 IP K
Prospect Watch: The Missions came back from a 5-3 deficit in the seventh inning and moved to five games over .500 on the season. … Jack Suwinski broke out of an 0-10 mini-slump with three hits including two doubles. This year he is the embodiment of an axiom that all players develop on their own timeline. Suwinski was coming off 2019 in Lake Elsinore, when he hit .208/.303/.350 in 471 plate appearances. This year, the 22-year-old is at .290/.390/.677 and is tops the Double-A Central in OPS. He leads San Antonio in nearly every offensive category, including Total Bases with 84, 22 extra-base hits, and walks with 20. … Reiss Knehr continues to pitch well. In four June starts in June, he has given up five earned runs in 15.2 innings for a 2.87 ERA. In our pre-season preview, Sam Geaney identified him as someone who could be in San Diego at some point. … Dwanya Williams-Sutton has gotten off to a fast start since his promotion from Fort Wayne. In his first three games, the 23-year-old outfielder has six hits and a walk for a .538 on-base percentage despite not yet getting hit by a pitch – which for a man that was hit 32 times in 2019 is a little easier on the body. … In honor of Juneteenth, the Missions wore uniforms commemorating the Negro Leagues’ San Antonio Black Aces.
Game 1: TinCaps 7 Dayton Dragons 4 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: LF Tirso Ornelas 2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI; 3B Ethan Skender 1-3, HR (1), SF, 2 RBI; DH Luis Almanzar 2-3, 2B; RHP Anderson Espinoza 3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, HR; LHP Erik Sabrowski (W, 1-0) 2.0 IP, 4 K; RHP Jose Geraldo (S,1) 1.0 IP K.
Game 2: Dayton Dragons 7, TinCaps 1 (7 innings)
Tirso Ornelas already has 17 doubles on the season. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Key Statistics: RHP Moises Lugo 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K; RHP Carter Lowen 0.2 IP 3 H, 4 R 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Prospect Watch: In Game 1, with the score tied in the seventh, the Dragons walked four straight batters to open the frame and give the TinCaps the victory. In the nightcap, the game was once again tied late, but Dayton pulled away. at one in the sixth, but it was Dayton that put up a big inning to split the day. With the bases loaded, Dragons second baseman Jonathan Willems singled on an 0-2 offering from Carter Loewen. The hard line drive caught right fielder Tirso Ornelas in between trying to catch the ball or contain it to a single and rolled to the wall as three runs came across. Dayton added three more in the inning for the game. … Anderson Espinoza had another so-so day in the opener and now sports a 7.88 ERA in 16 innings on the year. Right now, the main goal is to get him used to regularly throwing after a five-year layoff and build up his stamina to go past the fifty pitch mark, which he has struggled with. … Ornelas, 21, hit two more doubles to give him 17 for the season, which leads High-A Central. He has a slash line of .246/.324/.385 with 30 hits on the season and no triples or home runs. .. The TinCaps were held to two hits in the nightcap ruining an excellent pitching performance by Moises Lugo, who struck out a career-high 10 batters. The 22-year-old righty recorded the first nine outs of the game by strikeout, including eight swinging. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Lugo didn’t sign until he was 18 and spent his first two seasons stateside in the AZL before getting three outings in Fort Wayne at the end of the 2019 season. … Offensively, the nightcap was a game to forget for Fort Wayne as the Dragons retired the last 18 batters in a row.
Nick Thwaits got the start for the Storm. (Photo: Mike Wilson)
Inland Empire 66ers 8, Storm 7
Key Statistics: 1B Matt Acosta 2-4, 3B; DH Gilberto Vizcarra 2-4, RBI; LF Angel Solarte 1-4 HR (1), 3 RBI; RHP Nick Thwaits 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K, HR; RHP Miguel Rondon (L, 2-2) (BS,1) 1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR
Prospect Watch: Down 8-3 in the ninth inning, the Storm put four on the board and were down by one with one out in the inning before the 66ers got Robert Hassell III on a lineout to left and a game-ending grounder by Brandon Valenzuela. .. Many in the Padres’ organization consider the Storm the most exciting team in the system because of all the young potential. One of the names is Euribiel Angeles, 19, who was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. Angles has played at second, third and shortstop this season and is slashing .292/.324/.385 and is leading the Storm in hits with 47. .. In 41 games this year, Lake Elsinore has stolen 69 bases on 81attempts as the Low-A limit on the number of times a pitcher can throw over seems to be paying off to increase speed in the game.
