Luke Voit got in some swings in his first rehab game with El Paso. (Photo: Sugar Land Space Cowboys)
Chihuahuas 5, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 3
Key Stats: DH Luke Voit 0-for-2, BB; RF Nomar Mazara 1-for-4; SS Matthew Batten 2-for-3, 2B, HR (2); RHP Reiss Knehr 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 7 K, 3 BB; LHP Ramon Perez 2 IP, 2H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB
Prospect Watch: El Paso put together a five-run first inning, then made that outburst hold up for the rest of the game as they won the series opener. Matthew Batten‘s three-run homer proved the decisive blow in the game. The 26-year-old infielder also added a double and a walk on the night to bump his season line to .318/.392/.459. Each component of the slash line is above his career-high. … Luke Voit joined the team on a rehab assignment. The big slugger drew a walk in his first plate appearance, then recorded outs on his next two trips to the plate. … Starter Reiss Knehr matched his season-high with seven strikeouts over 5 innings. The righty with big league experience has allowed six homers in 24.1 innings of work on the year.
Missions 9, Corpus Christi Hooks 7
Key Stats: CF Esteury Ruiz 3-4, 2B, 2 HR (5) 3 RBI; 1B Yorman Rodriguez 1-3, HR (3) 2 RBI; 3B Connor Hollis 2-3, HR (2) RBI; C Chandler Seagle 2-4 HR (1) 3 RBI; RHP Dwayne Matos 3 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2, K 2 HR; RHP Kevin Kopps (W, 1-0) 1 IP, 2 K
Kevin Kopps got his first victory on Tuesday night. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: The Missions blasted five home runs which accounted for eight of their nine runs on the night to take the opener on the road in Corpus Christi. The story for the Missions this year continues to be the dramatic turnaround of outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who overshot the cycle Tuesday. His 15.5% walk rate is nearly double his previous career-best 7.9% and coincides with a strikeout rate of 14.6 %, a mark he hasn’t seen since his days in the DSL. Last year in San Antonio, he posted a mark of 20.7%. He has 14 extra-base hits in 22 games and a slugging percentage of .696. With a pair of home runs today, he is halfway to his total of ten from last year in a third of the plate appearances. … Yorman Rodriguez, 24, is quietly having a solid year with a .284/.316/.473 slash line. The Padres selected him from the Blue Jays organization in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft prior to last season and got contributions from him at three different levels. This season he has been seeing time equally at third, first and catcher. … Chandler Seagle pushed his slash line to .229/.327/.354 with his first homer of the year. Seagle, who will always be known for his stellar defense behind the plate, has gotten a hit in eight of his last ten games.
Jarryd Dale is finding his groove in Fort Wayne. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 9, TinCaps 0
Key Stats: C Brandon Valenzuela 2-4; SS Jarryd Dale 2-4 SB (6); RF Joshua Mears 1-4; LF Corey Rosier 1-4, SB (8); RHP Ryan Bergert (L, 0-3) 4.2 IP 6 H 6 R 6 ER 2 BB 6 K
Prospect Watch: The tough times continue for the TinCaps. After dropping five of six on their recent homestand they suffered their worst loss of the year, outdoing their 8-0 defeat Sunday. … Jarryd Dale had a pair of singles and swiped his sixth stolen base of the year, which puts him just outside of the top ten in the league. The athletic Australian is now playing shortstop every day for TinCaps. Last year with the Storm he hit .269/.330/.369. He’s only 21 and has been stateside since he was 17. … Corey Rosier extended his on-base streak to 17 games, the third-longest active streak in the Midwest League. …… Joshua Mears‘ single in the ninth inning broke an 0-33 hitless slump. … Ryan Bergert gave up only five earned runs in 15.1 innings through a strong April. Tuesday, he gave up six. After getting the first two batters he faced in the fifth, he went double, single, walk, single before giving way at 91 pitches.
Roster update: Righty Efrain Contreras, who had Tommy John surgery after instructs in 2020, has joined the TinCaps and will make his first start on Friday. The 22-year-old righty was added to the 40-player roster last November as a precaution against a Rule 5 draft that never happened.
Justin Farmer was in the middle of several Storm rallies Tuesday. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5, Storm 4
Key Stats: RF Justin Farmer 2-for-5, 2 RBI, E (2); 3B Lucas Dunn 1-for-3, BB, 2 SB (6); SS Max Ferguson 0-for-3, 2 BB, SB (19); RHP Levi Thomas 4 IP, 2 H, 6 K, 3 BB; LHP Jose Castillo 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K
Prospect Watch: An error on a fly ball that would have ended the top of the ninth allowed the Quakes to push across the winning run and win the opener of the series between the top two teams in the South division of the Cal League. … Justin Farmer, who dropped the deciding fly ball as he backpedalled on the warning track, had started the game’s scoring with a rocket single to left with the bases loaded earlier in the game and legged out an infield single in the bottom of the ninth. The 23-year-old, who signed as an undrafted free agent last summer, had a six-game hitting streak snapped Sunday. … Righty Levi Thomas delivered his best outing of the year, working four scoreless frames and striking out a season-high six batters. The Padres’ fourth-round pick in the abbreviated 2020 draft, Thomas lowered his ERA on the year to 3.07, a significant improvement on his showing in Elsinore last season. … Jose Castillo continued his rehab assignment with another scoreless inning. The big lefty allowed one single and struck out a batter. His breaking ball continues to look sharp out of the bullpen.
Roster Note: Padres starter Blake Snell will make a second rehab appearance with the Storm Wednesday evening.
