The Padres won 3-2 over the Miami Marlins on Friday night. The good vibes in the organization stopped there, as all four minor league teams found the loss column. El Paso got rocked by the Space Cowboys which is now a baseball team and not just a mediocre Clint Eastwood film. The Missions and TinCaps couldn’t muster enough offense and the Storm were one-hit on Fireworks Friday. But hey, the big league club won!
Sugar Land Space Cowboys 9, Chihuahuas 1
Key Statistics: 1B Luke Voit, 0-for-4, 4 K; SS Eguy Rosario, 2-for-4; C Luis Campusano, 1-for-3, R, HR (2), RBI, BB; DH Nomar Mazara, 2-for-4; RHP Kyle Tyler, 3 IP, BB, 5 K; RHP Yusmeiro Petit (L, 0-1) 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, BB; LHP Ray Kerr, IP. BB, 2 K
Luke Voit had a tough night. (Photo: Sugar Land Space Cowboys)
Prospect Watch: Things got ugly in Sugar Land as El Paso struck out 14 times and scored just one run against the Astros’ top affiliate. … Rehab assignments aren’t supposed to be about results but one can’t help to be concerned about Luke Voit. The hulking slugger made a start at first base and earned the Golden Sombrero by striking out in all four of his plate appearances. In four games with the Chihuahuas, Voit is 0-for-13 with seven punchouts and a pair of walks. Voit hit .143/.315/.167 in 13 games with the Padres, so the lack of contact in Triple-A is certainly concerning. Voit will probably need more at-bats before the Padres activate him from the injured list. … Catcher Luis Campusano was responsible for all of the El Paso offense when he homered in the first inning. The blast was the second of the year for the Georgia native. In three games since returning to Triple-A, Campusano is 3-for-8. … RHP Kyle Tyler started his second game of the season and looked impressive in his three innings of work. The former Angel draft pick walked just one batter and struck out five. Tyler has had a whirlwind 2022 season that saw him get designated for assignment four times, including once by the Padres. For now, Tyler has a spot on the 40-man roster and represents a potentially valuable depth piece for San Diego. … RHP Yusmeiro Petit made his Padres organization debut and got rocked. Petit allowed four earned runs on three hits, recording just two outs. The 37-year-old veteran reliever signed a minor-league pact with the Padres earlier this week. The well-travelled veteran doesn’t miss many bats anymore but he’s pitched in 515 big league games and is capable of chewing up innings. Petit didn’t sign with a club this spring so hopefully, he is just working out the kinks in the Pacific Coast League.
Connor Hollis is finding his stride at Double-A. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Corpus Christi Hooks 7, Missions 4
Key Statistics: 3B Connor Hollis, 1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI; LF Tirso Ornelas, 1-for-4; RF Korry Howell, 1-for-2, 2 R, HR (3), RBI, 2 BB; RHP Gabe Mosser, (L, 0-1) 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, K; RHP Moises Lugo, 2 IP, BB, 5 K.
Prospect Watch: Even down a level, the Astros organization got the best of the Padres. The Hooks jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back. … Connor Hollis doubled and drew two walks for the Missions, extending his hitting streak to a modest four games. The former Ray is 10-for-16 during the stretch, raising his average from .203 to .288 in the process. Hollis was signed as a minor league free agent in April after he was released by Tampa. … Korry Howell also reached base three times with two walks and a home run, his third of the year. The 23-year-old is currently riding a six-game hitting streak, although he doesn’t have a multi-hit game to his credit during that run. Howell was acquired by the Padres from Milwaukee as a prospect in the Victor Caratini deal. The versatile Howell hit 16 homers last season in the Brewers system. He’s struggled to make contact since joining the Missions (34% K-rate) but thanks to a healthy walk rate, his .197/.367/.475 slash-line is slightly above league average. … RHP Moises Lugo threw the final two innings and struck out five batters. The 23-year-old has worked out of the bullpen this year and struggled out of the gate but he’s looked better as of late. He has not allowed a run in five of his seven outings. Lugo’s biggest issue has been his command; he’s walked 12 batters in 12 innings pitched. On a positive note, he has struck out 16 batters, so the stuff can play if he can find the strike zone more consistently.
Adam Kerner made the most of his opportunity on Friday. (Photo: Jeff Nycz).
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3, TinCaps 2
Key Statistics: LF Corey Rosier, 2-for-4, R, RBI, CF Robert Hassell III, 1-for-5; C Adam Kerner, 3-for-4; RHP Efrain Contreras, IP, 3 BB, ER, K; RHP Brandon Komar, 4.2 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Nick Thwaits (L, 0-2) 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps bats were cold in Appleton, Wisconsin, as Fort Wayne failed to tally an extra-base hit in a close loss. The setback dropped the TinCaps record below .500. … RHP Efrain Contreras made his first appearance since the 2019 Cal League playoffs. The 22-year-old started and lasted just one inning. The 22-year-old didn’t allow a hit but he walked three and allowed an earned run. Contreras is coming back from Tommy John surgery with Friday’s outing being his path back to development. The organization added him to the 40-man roster last off-season so they are obviously bullish on the righty. … Corey Rosier had two hits and scored a run. Rosier has done his part at the top of the lineup, remaining consistent even though the Fort Wayne offense has been in a slump over the last two weeks. Rosier is sixth in the Midwest League with an 18.9% walk rate. He’s had some bad luck with balls in play (.214 BABIP) but he’s been as advertised since joining the Padres’ organization in the Adam Frazier deal with Seattle. … After Contreras left, Brandon Komar took over and didn’t allow a run over 4.2 innings of work. The 22-year-old Komar is back for his second stint with the TinCaps after reaching Double-A last year. After a poor start to the season, Komar has allowed three runs in 9.2 innings. He has worked mostly as a multi-inning reliever in his time with the organization. … Former USD backstop Adam Kerner had a career-high three hits on Friday night. The 23-year-old has played extremely sparingly this season, as Friday’s start was just his third all year. In fact, Kerner’s last appearance came on April 23. He is an excellent defensive catcher but he struggled offensively last season as the primary backup to Jonny Homza. This season, he’s playing behind Brandon Valenzuela so the opportunities for playing time may not be abundant.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 4, Storm 0
Key Statistics: 2B Marcos Castanon, 1-for-2; RHP Garrett Hawkins (L, 1-1) 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K; LHP Jose Castillo, 1.1 IP, 2 R, K; RHP Matt Swilley, IP, BB, K.
Prospect Watch: It wasn’t pretty in Lake Elsinore. I could go further into detail but David Jay has all the grisly details in his game story.
