Ivan Castillo was 1-2 on the night. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Sugar Land Skeeters 7, Chihuahuas 1 (Suspended, 4th inning)
Key Statistics: 3B Ivan Castillo 1-for-2, R; LHP Daniel Camarena 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K; RHP Evan Miller 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, 4 K; RHP Taylor Williams 1 IP, H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K
Prospect Watch: The skies opened up over Constellation Field in the fourth inning, forcing the contest to be halted. The game will be completed later this year in El Paso. The Chihuahuas got on the board in the first, courtesy of a leadoff single by Ivan Castillo, who later scored on a Taylor Kohlwey groundout. That lead didn’t last as Sugar Land greeted El Paso starting pitcher Daniel Camarena with a leadoff double by rehabbing Astros star Alex Bregman. Camarena threw just nine pitches before he was struck by a line drive off the bat of Norel Gonzalez and had to exit the game. Evan Miller would be summoned to relieve Camarena and was unable to evade danger, giving up a two out grand slam. The 26-year-old former Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne hurler would settle down in the second inning, notching a pair of strikeouts. … Taylor Williams began his rehab assignment, making his first appearance on a mound since mid-April. Williams surrendered a two run home run, but rebounded to strike out the side. The 30-year-old is yet another option to provide some depth down the stretch for a strong Padres bullpen.
Corpus Christi Hooks 6, Missions 3
Key Statistics: RF Esteury Ruiz 3-for-4, SB; C Juan Fernandez 2-for-4, 2B, R; 2B Kelvin Melean 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI; RHP Pedro Avila (L, 0-1) 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Prospect Watch: The Missions’ ninth inning rally fell short and the club dropped the series opener. The main storyline at Wolff Stadium was Pedro Avila, who tossed four innings in his longest outing since blowing out his elbow on August 15, 2019. The 24-year-old from Venezuela, who made his first start of the year the last time out, threw 68 pitches Tuesday, 45 for strikes. The righty opened the year in the San Antonio bullpen before spending a month in El Paso. He’s held opponents to a .228 average across both leagues this season. … Esteury Ruiz led the San Antonio offense with a three hit performance, adding his 20th stolen base of the year. The 22-year-old Dominican Republic native missed most of July with a hand injury, but has logged multiple hits in four of his eight contests since coming off the IL. … Kelvin Melean connected for a pair of hits, tallying three RBI. Melean, 22, has bounced around the organization this season, splitting time at three different levels.
Moises Lugo continues his breakout season for Fort Wayne. (Photo: Jeff Nycz).
Great Lakes Loons 5, TinCaps 3
Key Statistics: RF Tirso Ornelas 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, R; CF Agustin Ruiz 2-for-4, RBI; RHP Moises Lugo 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, BB, 7 K; RHP Sam Williams (L, 3-3) 1 IP, H, 2 R (0 ER), 2 K
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps rallied to tie the game in the top of the eighth, but a costly two-out error in the bottom of the inning opened the door for the Loons, who edged Fort Wayne at Dow Diamond. Moises Lugo got the starting assignment for Fort Wayne, throwing five efficient innings. The 22-year-old from San Cristobal, Dominican Republic has surrendered three earned runs or less in 11 of 15 outings in 2021. Opposing batters are hitting just .199 off the right-hander this season. … Sam Williams took the tough luck loss, evening his record at 3-3. The 25-year-old out of Northern Kentucky University has struck out 44 in 38.2 innings of work this season across two levels. …Tirso Ornelas, coming off a July when he slashed .276/.370/.414, launched his third home run of the season to help springboard the TinCaps offense. The 21-year-old from Tijuana owns a .714 OPS across 68 games as he tries to rebuild his offensive game. Agustin Ruiz tacked on a pair of singles to aid the offensive effort, driving in a run. Ruiz has showcased plenty of power but has struggled to make consistent contact with a strikeout rate hovering over 33%.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 8, Storm 6
Key Statistics: 2B Euribiel Angeles 3-for-4, 3B, BB, 2 SB, 3 R; CF Robert Hassell III 1-for-1, BB, 2 SF; RHP Levi Thomas 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, BB, 5 K; RHP Keegan Collett (L, 0-2) (BS, 2) 1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
Joshua Mears adds another dimension to the Lake Elsinore lineup. (Photo: Dinur Blum)
Prospect Watch: Continuing with the organizational theme, the Storm bullpen faltered late as the Quakes rallied to win at LoanMart Field. Lake Elsinore got some positive news on the injury front as Joshua Mears returned to the lineup as the designated hitter and went 1-for-4 on the night with an RBI single. The 20-year-old Washington native had been out of action since injuring his shoulder on a diving attempt in the outfield last month. Before hitting the IL, he exploded for a 1.347 OPS in July. … Opposing pitchers seemingly have no idea how to get Euribiel Angeles out. The 19-year-old middle infielder tallied his sixth three hit-game of the season and swiped a pair of stolen bases for good measure. Angeles far and away leads the batting title race in the Low-A West circuit with a .349 average and has 31 multi-hit contests in his stateside debut season. … Levi Thomas got the nod for the Storm, matching his season high with five innings. The 2020 fourth-round selection from Troy was tagged for a pair of home runs, but threw well enough to keep Lake Elsinore close. … Keegan Collett, charged with protecting a one run lead in the eighth inning, allowed three earned runs to take the loss. The Florida Gulf Coast product has shown an affinity for strikeouts (33 in just 16.2 innings), but has allowed 18 walks in 2021.
ACL Dodgers 5, ACL Padres 4 (Suspended, 8th inning)
Key Statistics: SS Jackson Merrill 1-for-4, 2B, SB, RBI, R; CF James Wood 1-for-3, BB, 2 SB; RHP Justin Lange 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, BB, 3 K; RHP Alek Jacob 1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 K
Jackson Merrill has reached base in his first eight professional games. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: Big league divisional rivals squared off in Peoria in a game halted in the eighth inning due to an injury. Jackson Merrill extended his streak of reaching base safely to eight in a row with a fifth inning RBI double. The Severna Park, Maryland native is off to a .348/.423/.522 start to his professional career. … Justin Lange made his sixth start in the desert with more mixed results. The big righty allowed four straight hits to open the game and ultimately allowed all four to come around to score. He only issued one walk on the night. Opposing hitters are batting only .209 against Lange, but he has issued 13 free passes in 18.1 innings. … Alek Jacob was the latest 2021 draftee to make his professional debut. The former Gonzaga Bulldog got off to a rocky start, allowing a single and double to put runners on second and third with nobody out before striking out the side to end the threat.
