San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: July 16

Las Vegas Aviators 9, Chihuahuas 5

Key Statistics: DH Austin Nola, 1-for-5; RF Taylor Kohlwey, 2-for-5, R; C Luis Campusano, 1-for-4, 2 R, HR (6), RBI, BB; 3B Matthew Batten, 2-for-2, R, HR (3), 2 RBI; RHP Caleb Boushley, 5 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, BB, 3 K; RHP Jordan Guerrero, 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K; RHP Sam McWilliams (L, 2-2) 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB.

Prospect Watch: El Paso dropped their fourth straight game, losing on a 106-degree night in Las Vegas. … Luis Campusano only had one hit Friday night but it left the yard for his sixth homer of the year. The 22-year-old continues to elevate his game after a slow start. Campusano has a terrific .333/.415/.611 slash-line in July and has struck out only four times in 41 plate appearances. … Taylor Kohlwey had a pair of hits in Friday’s game, extending his hitting streak to seven games. The 26-year-old outfielder has five multi-hit games and has struck out just twice during the streak. In 47 plate appearances in July, Kohlwey is hitting a scorching .442/.489/.698 with three homers. … A night after starting behind the plate, Austin Nola was the designated hitter and singled in five at-bats. Nola is hitting .300/.364/.300 in seven games since starting his rehab assignment. Assuming all goes well, he should be activated by the big league club soon. … RHP Caleb Boushley worked five innings but did not factor in the decision. He allowed five earned runs and a pair of homers, walking one and striking out three. Boushley doesn’t possess big-time stuff and he’s been hit around a bit in the Triple-A West. In 26 innings, he’s allowed 36 hits and five homers. He has walked only three batters during that period but his lack of swing-and-miss stuff makes it difficult for him to thrive in a hitter-friendly environment.

Corpus Christi Hooks 4, Missions 1

Key Statistics: CF Jose Azocar, 1-for-3, 2B, BB; RF Jack Suwinski, 1-for-4; DH Michael Curry, 1-for-3; LHP Osvaldo Hernandez (L, 2-6) 5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 4 K; LHP Fred Schlichtholz, 2 IP, 2 K; LHP Joe Beimel, IP, K.

Prospect Watch: The Missions managed just three hits, losing in Corpus Christi. … Center fielder Jose Azocar was the only San Antonio hitter to reach base twice, as he doubled and drew a walk. The former Tigers farmhand has arguably been San Antonio’s best hitter in July, hitting 327/.403/.527. Azocar has displayed a much more patient approach this year and it has taken his game to another level. In Double-A Erie in 2019, Azocar had a paltry 3.9% walk rate which was the third-lowest in the league, among qualifiers. This season, Azocar’s career-high walk-rate is over 10%. The 25-year-old doesn’t have a ton of power, but his increased patience at the plate makes him a name to watch. … Designated hitter Michael Curry singled a day after his seven-game hitting streak ended. Curry hasn’t received a lot of playing time since being promoted to San Antonio but he has been productive in July when given a chance. In 35 plate appearances in July, the 24-year-old is hitting .267/.371/.500. … LHP Osvaldo Hernandez took the loss Friday night to drop his record to 2-6. The southpaw allowed nine hits and four earned runs in five innings. Hernandez has had a bit of an up-and-down season in 2021 after battling injuries back in 2019. He struggled mightily in May, pitching to an ERA of eight. Since then, he has produced better results, including three outings in which he completed five or more innings without allowing an earned run.

West Michigan Whitecaps 4, TinCaps 1

Key Statistics: SS Chris Givin, 1-for-2, 2 BB; 1B Seamus Curran, 1-for-4; 3B Ethan Skender, 1-for-3, RBI; LHP Danny Denz (L, 0-1) 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Austin Smith, 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K.

Prospect Watch: A day after being shutout in both games of a doubleheader, the TinCaps scored just one run, losing again to the Whitecaps. … Shortstop Chris Givin reached base three times – the only TinCap to reach base multiple times. The former Xavier star has made some loud contact this season but doesn’t have the results to show for it. He’s clubbed two homers and walked eight times in 47 plate appearances since being sent to Fort Wayne a few weeks ago from the Missions. … After a pair of hitless games, Seamus Curran singled in four at-bats. He supplied a lot of power during the TinCaps last homestand after making a swing adjustment. He is slugging .514 for Fort Wayne this month. … LHP Danny Denz got the starting assignment in a planned bullpen game and allowed two earned runs in 2.2 innings. The former Memphis Tiger signed with the Padres as an undrafted free agent last year and entered the rotation after the club skipped Moises Lugo‘s start last weekend. The lefty sits 88-90 mph with the fastball and flashed a decent curve. … RHP Austin Smith pitched a pair of scoreless frames, walking one and racking up a pair of strikeouts. The 25-year-old is in the midst of one of his best stretches as a professional. The former second-rounder has not allowed a run in eight July outings, spanning 8.1 innings. He has allowed just two hits in that stretch while striking out 11. Smith’s fastball sits in the high-80s but his breaking ball has improved greatly this season and has become a strikeout pitch. Smith will be eligible for free agency this winter, so this could be his swansong in the organization.

Visalia Rawhide 8, Storm 5

Key Statistics: CF Robert Hassell III, 3-for-5, R; RF Joshua Mears, 2-for-4, BB, RBI; LF Matthew Acosta, 1-for-4, R, RBI; RHP Connor Lehmann (L, 0-2) 3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, BB, 5 K; RHP Chase Walter, 1.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 5 K.

Prospect Watch: The Storm lost at home to Visalia. .. Outfielder Robert Hassell III had three hits – all singles and scored a run in the loss. Hassell is third in the circuit with 76 hits and his 21 doubles rank second. After a solid first two months, Hassell has torn apart the Low-A West in July, hitting .417/.470/.550 with eight doubles. He has yet to homer in July but his approach at the plate continues to impress. It may not be long before he is promoted to High-A. … Infielder Euribiel Angeles went hitless at the plate, ending his 21-game hitting streak. … A night after hitting a couple of lasers for homers, Joshua Mears added two more hits to the ledger Friday, including a double. Mears has put up video game numbers in July and has reduced his strikeout numbers to a more manageable level. Mears has six homers this month and is slugging .900. … RHP Connor Lehmann started and was hit around in his three innings of work. The Saint Louis University product allowed five runs and seven hits although he did strike out five. The 24-year-old has bounced back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen for the Storm and has a 6.75 ERA overall in 17.1 innings.

ACL White Sox 3, ACL Padres 2

Key Statistics: 2B Luis Paez, 1-for-3, R; 1B Anthony Nunez, 1-for-4, 2 RBI; RHP Jairo Iriarte, 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB, K; RHP Blake Baker, 2.1 IP, BB, 3 K; LHP Hazahel Quijada, IP, H, BB, K; RHP Luarbert Arias, 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K.

Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres managed just two hits and lost to the ACL White Sox. … Anthony Nunez knocked in both runs with a single – his only hit of the night. Nunez, 20, was a 29th-rounder in 2019 out of high school in the Miami area. He’s been one of the hottest hitters in the desert this year in a limited sample. He has seen most of his action at first base and is hitting .250/.432/.393 overall. … LHP Hazahel Quijada made his first rehab outing of the year and tossed a scoreless frame. The 23-year-old is from San Bernadino was drafted in the 17th-round out of UC Riverside but has battled injuries throughout his career. He threw just 2.2 innings in 2019. He could be a candidate to join the Storm in the near future. … RHP Luarbert Arias also turned in a scoreless outing, tossing two innings Friday night. The 20-year-old has worked in four games in the desert this year but has yet to exceed two innings. He worked primarily as a starter in 2019 with the AZL Padres before advancing to Tri-City. He possesses the stuff necessary to start so it could be working on getting stretched out.