Dinelson Lamet makes his first rehab appearance. Joshua Mears, Agustin Ruiz, and Allen Cordoba help power the system to a clean sweep.
Chihuahuas (32-44): El Paso has the night off on Wednesday. The Chihuahuas open up a road trip in the California State Capital tomorrow.
After playing multiple positions in Lake Elsinore in 2019, Allen Cordoba has mainly been at third for the Missions. (Photo: Joe Alexander)
Missions 3, Corpus Christi Hooks 2
Key Stats: LHP Osvaldo Hernandez 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; SS Eguy Rosario 1-for-4, RS, 3B, SB (21); 3B Allen Cordoba 2-for-3, 2 2B
Prospect Watch: Wednesday night featured a pitcher’s duel in San Antonio with the Missions coming out on top on a delayed double steal of home by catcher Juan Fernandez to give them a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning. The vicotory broke San Antonio’s three-game losing streak. Lefty Osvaldo Hernandez got the start, and once again kept the Missions close. While his 3-6 record and 4.28 ERA isn’t spectacular, he has been a different pitcher over the last two months. Hernandez allowed 16 earned runs in 18 May innings but has been a different pitcher over the last two months. Since June 1, Hernandez has allowed just 19 earned runs in his last 55.2 innings (3.07 ERA). Hernandez — the former Midwest League ERA champion (2018) — has never been a strikeout pitcher but instead has success in generating weak contact. … Allen Cordoba spent all of 2017 with the Padres as a Rule 5 pick. Four years removed from that season, and Cordoba is now more of a prototypical third baseman. His four home runs already put him one off of his career-high, despite only playing in 45 games. His 13 doubles, including two tonight, raised his OPS to .818. While Cordoba does not qualify as a prospect, he is still an intriguing player if he can stay healthy and continue to add power.
Grant Little stole a franchise-record five bases on Wednesday night. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
TinCaps 12, Great Lakes Loons 7
Key Stats: LF Grant Little 2-for-4, 3 RS, 5 SB (14), RBI, BB; RF Agustin Ruiz 1-for-3, HR (15), 3 RS, 3 RBI, 2 HBP; DH Tirso Ornelas 1-for-3, 2 RS, 2 BB; 2B Ethan Skender 2-for-4, RS, 2 RBI, BB
Agustin Ruiz was 4-5 on the night. (Photo: Jeff Nycz).
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps scored four runs in the first inning thanks to four walks and a hit batter. During the inning, left fielder Grant Little stole second, third, and home to create a run by himself. Little swiped two more bags later in the game and ended the night with five stolen bases; a new career-high. Five steals is a lot for anyone, but even more so for someone who stole six in his last full season. (70 games in 2019). At the plate, the former Texas Tech star has started to hit and has raised his OPS each month. He went from an abysmal .580 in May, to a better .682 in June, before a passable .738 in July. … When outfielder Agustin Ruiz gets hot, he is one of the best players in the High-A Central. The outfielder hit his team-leading 15th home run of the season (third in the league). The three-run blast tonight gives him 56 RBI on the season (fifth in the league), Over his last six games, Ruiz is 13-for-27 with two doubles, three homers, nine runs scored, and 10 RBI. … Not to be outdone, designated hitter Tirso Ornelas also reached base three times and scored two runs. He already leads the league in doubles and is slowly adding more power and on-base skills. His .780 OPS in July was his best month since June of 2018.
Joshua Mears has seen a few leave the yard recently. (Photo: Mike Wilson)
Storm 12, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7
Key Stats: RHP Dinelson Lamet IP, H, ER, BB, 2 K; CF Robert Hassell III 2-for-5, HR (5), 2 RS, 2 RBI, BB, 3 K; 2B Euribiel Angeles 2-for-6, 2B, RS, RBI; DH Josh Mears 3-for-5, HR (14), 2 RS, 4 RBI; 3B Jarryd Dale 2-for-5, RS; 1B Carlos Luis 3-for-4, 2B, 2 RS, RBI, BB; LF Sean Guilbe 2-for-5, 2 RS, RBI, 2B
Carlos Luis has big bat-to-ball skills. (Photo: Dinur Blum)
Prospect Watch: The excitement of the game was supposed to be Dinelson Lamet making his first appearance in over a month. Instead, Josh Mears stole the show with one swing. While Lamet was warming up in the pen, the Storm loaded the bases, and Mears unloaded them. Mears hit his 14th home run in grand fashion tonight. In doing so he raised his OPS to a team-leading .957 (third in the league). Mears still strikes out a lot (35.8%), and there are worries that those numbers will increase as he moves up the ranks, but Mears might have the highest ceiling of any prospect not named CJ Abrams. … After Mears stole the show, Dinelson Lamet came in and gave up a one-out, home run of his own. He then struck out a batter, walked a batter, and struck out a batter on a total of 11 pitches. Lamet should get another rehab outing or two before rejoining the Padres. … Robert Hassell III contributed to the party with a homer of his own. The blast was his fifth home run of the season. He remains the most consistent Padres prospect in the minors and brought his season slash-line up to an impressive .315/.409/.464. He currently ranks fifth in the league in average and second in OBP. … Currently leading the league in average by 20 points is 19-year-old infielder Euribiel Angeles. After slowing down due to an injury, Angeles is clearly healthy now. The injury caused him to go on a “disastrous” 2-for-18 stretch. Since being back, he has had four straight multi-hit games. …
Arizona Padres have the day off. While none of the 2021 Padre draft picks have enough plate appearances to appear on the league leaderboard, the current league leader in OPS is former Padre 2020 draft pick, Owen Caissie. He’s hitting .373/.532/.712 in 19 games for the Cubs.
