Albuquerque Isotopes 9, Chihuahuas 2
Key Statistics: 2B Pedro Florimon 2-3, BB; 3B Nick Tanielu 1-4 HR (14), RBI; P Daniel Camarena 2-2; PH Taylor Kohlwey 1-1; LHP Daniel Camarena (L, 3-6) 4.0 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; LHP Luke Westphal 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Taylor Kohlwey is fifth in hitting in Triple-A West. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: The Isotopes rode a six-run fifth inning when they sent 10 batters to the plate to another win as El Paso has lost seven of their last eight games. … Nick Tanielu hit his second home run in three days to give him 14 on the year; third-best on the team. The minor league free agent signee has slugged .415, but only reached base at a .299 clip. … Daniel Camarena had a tough day on the mound, allowing six runs over four innings. Over three outings since he returned to Triple-A, the lefty has given up 16 earned runs on 20 hits in just 11.1 innings. After collecting two hits Saturday, he is 4-for-10 with a walk on the year. … Taylor Kohlwey had a pinch-hit RBI single which moved his batting average up to .335, fifth-best in Triple-A West.
MacKenzie Gore was back on the mound in Double-A. (Photo: Grant Wickes)
Frisco RoughRiders 7, Missions 4
Key Statistics: CF Esteury Ruiz 1-3 HR (10), RBI; LF Dwanya Williams-Sutton -1-3 HR (4) 3 RBI; LHP MacKenzie Gore 5.) IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 5 BB 8 K; RHP Henry Henry 2.0 IP R ER BB 2 K; LHP Sam Williams (L, 2-2) 1.0 IP 2 H 4 R 4 ER BB K 2 HR
MacKenzie Gore was very good through five innings but walked three in the sixth. (Photo: Grant Wickes)
Prospect Watch: The Missions were up 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth and seemed to be cruising. MacKenzie Gore had looked good for most of the game, Dwanya Williams-Sutton had hit a majestic home run to left field in the second inning and Esteury Ruiz added his 10th homer the next inning. Then came the eighth inning, when Frisco jumped Henry Henry and Sam Williams for five runs to claim the victory. The RoughRiders got to Williams – who had allowed only two home runs since the start of July – for a pair of round-trippers. … The big story of the night was Gore, making his fifth start – and second with a full-season affiliate – since a two-month layoff to rework his mechanics. Through five innings, Gore had tossed a solid game. The lefty showed good command of the fastball and flashed a plus slider, giving up one run on three hits and a pair of walks while striking out eight. Having already thrown 81 pitches, Gore came back out for the sixth inning, but walked three batters on just 16 pitches to end his night. Looking beyond the final line in the box score, Gore had a solid night, but faded when the Padres got aggressive with his workload. … Gore benefited from having Chandler Seagle, one of the better receivers in the system, behind the plate. … After hitting .292/.380/.519 in August, Esteury Ruiz has just a .588 OPS this month. Even with the reduced production, he’s kept his strikeout rate in check and overall, he has put up some numbers with 36 stolen bases in 42 attempts and 26 extra-base hits on the year.
Noel Vela put up another strong outing. (Photo: Jeff Nycz).
TinCaps 9, Lansing Lugnuts 7
Key Statistics: DH Robert Hassell III 1-5, HR (4), 3 RBI; RF Tirso Ornelas 2-5, RBI; 1B Zack Mathis 2-4, RBI, BB; LF Angel Solarte 4-5, 2B, 2 R; 2B Chris Given 2-4, RBI; 3B Euribiel Angeles 1-4, BB, SB (1); CF Reinaldo Ilarraza 1-3, 3B, RBI, BB; LHP Nola Vela 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K; LHP Ramon Perez (W, 3-0) 2.0 IP 3 H R ER 2 K; RHP Kevin Kopps (S, 3) 1.0 IP 2 BB 2 K
Robert Hassell III has stayed hot since his promotion to High-A. (Photo: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Prospect Watch: Down 3-0 in the fourth inning, the TinCaps put six runs on the board to break open the game. Robert Hassell III had the big blow, a three-run homer to center. Hassell’s fourth home run in only 12 games since he arrived in High-A was enough to move up to fifth on the home run-challenged Fort Wayne club. Between Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne, Hassell has 11 home runs on the year. … Angel Solarte collected four hits in his third game with the TinCaps, and is now 6-for-12 since his promotion to High-A. The 20-year-old Venezuelan hit .306/.351/.407 with the Storm and has edged his walk rate up throughout the summer. … In Tirso Ornelas went 2-for-5, and is slashing .358/.452/.528 over his last 15 games. The 21-year-old corner outfielder is exactly at the league average in offensive production. … Zack Mathis reached base three times and has his OBP up to .361 in 30 games with Forth Wayne. An undrafted free agent out of LSU last summer, Mathis was at first base Saturday, but has primarily played third and has also caught. . … Lefty Noel Vela turned in another solid outing, striking out eight over four frames. The 22-year-old has held High-A Central batters to a .223 batting average and sports a 2.97 ERA in 30.1 innings since joining the TinCaps. His ERA is down a full run from his stint with Lake Elsinore, in part because he has started to improve his walk rate.
Visalia Rawhide 7, Storm 5
Key Statistics: SS Jarryd Dale 2-4; 3B Cole Cummings 2-2, BB; C Gilberto Vizcarra 2-3, HR (5) 2 RBI; RHP Jesus Lugo 1.0 IP 2 K; RHP Nick Thwaits (L, 2-9) 0.2 IP 2 H 5 R 5 ER 3 BB K; LHP Ryan Och 1.0 IP 2 K
Cole Cummings has been making the most of his opportunities in the ACL and Low-A West. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The struck first on the road, but Visalia put up seven runs in the second inning to put the game out of reach. … After so many promotions to High-A, Storm players are getting more opportunities to show what they can do. None are doing more with the opportunity than catcher Gilberto Vizcarra. In eight games in September, the 22-year-old backstop, is slashing .375/.412/.563. The Mexicali native spent 2017 in the Dominican and took two seasons in the AZL before he’d grown enough to let his solid bat-to-ball skills play offensively. While he was solid as Brandon Valenzuela‘s understudy through the first three months, his offense has taken a step forward as the primary catcher, even as he continues to throw out 44% of would-be base-stealers. … Cole Cummings, an undrafted signee from UC Santa Barbara, is doing his best to earn himself regular playing time in 2022. The corner infielder has hit .300/.404/.500 in 99 plate appearances across the ACL and Low-A West.
ACL Mariners 6, ACL Padres 1 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: RF Justin Farmer 1-2, HR (3) RBI; RHP Adam Smith 3.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K; RHP Jose Luis Reyes 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K
Prospect Watch: Outfielder Justin Farmer collected the Padres’ only hit of the night, but made it count with his third homer in 38 professional plate appearances. The 22-year-old went undrafted out of Florida International, but quickly signed with the Padres in July after leading the Panthers in homers this spring. In two seasons with Florida International, he posted a .303/.378/.525 line. … Jose Luis Reyes, who the Padres signed out of the Tijuana Toros organization last fall, struck out four in two innings of work. The righty, who turned 19 last month, has held opponents to a .203 average, but has issued 11 free passes and hit four batters in 18.2 innings.
