Two games were postponed, while Missions played a doubleheader. In Triple-A, CJ Abrams leads an offensive explosion as the team scored 16 runs on 17 hits.
Luis Campusano has had plenty to celebrate in the early going for El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado/El Paso Chihuahuas)
Chihuahuas 16, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 8
Key Statistics: RHP Reiss Knehr 4 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 6 K; RF Matt Beaty 4-for-5, 2B, HR (1), 4 R, 3 RBI; C Luis Campusano 1-for-4, 3 RBI, 2B; SS CJ Abrams 3-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB (4); CF Luis Liberato 3-for-4, HR (5), 2 R, 2 RBI
Prospect Watch: There were a lot of positives in this game; unfortunately Reiss Knehr was not one of them. Knehr was routinely throwing a flat fastball that was being taken down the left-field line. Over his last three starts, he has allowed 15 earned runs in 14.1 innings. … Now onto the good news. After three innings, El Paso had only one run on one hit. They then exploded with 15 runs over the next four innings. The comeback was started by none other than CJ Abrams. The shortstop collected his first of three hits in the fourth. He would later steal third and score on a sacrifice fly. In addition to sparking a rally, it also broke a 1-for-19 slump he had been in for the last week. Abrams is still hitting .214/.279/.393 with El Paso, but Wednesday’s game saw his OPS climb 75 points. … Not to be outdone was rehabbing outfielder Matt Beaty. The former Dodger collected four hits including a home run in the first. This is only his second rehab game, and with the addition of Robinson Canó, the MLB roster does not have a lot of excess room. It would not be surprising to see him stay down for another week or so. … After being Tuesday night’s hero, left fielder Brent Rooker left the game with an injury when he tried to rob a home run in the third inning. The initial statement was day-to-day, but we will report more as information is made available. Shogo Akiyama came on for the injured Rooker and went 2-for-4, with two runs.
Matt Waldron in action with the Missions. (Photo: John Moore)
Game 1: Missions 8, Frisco RoughRiders (7 innings)
Key Statistics: Esteury Ruiz 2-for-4, 2B, HR (6), 2 RS, RBI, SB (30); 2B Connor Hollis 3-for-4, 3B, HR (4), 3 RS, 2 RBI; 1B Yorman Rodriguez 2-for-4, HR (5), 2 RS, RBI; RHP Matt Waldron 4 IP, H, R, K; RHP Michel Baez (W, 3-0) 2 IP, 2 H, BB, K; RHP Dinelson Lamet IP, H, 3 K
Game 2: Frisco RoughRiders 6, Missions 1 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: Esteury Ruiz 1-for-3; 1B Yornan Rodriguez 1-for-3, RS; RHP Reggie Lawson 2.2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K; RHP Kevin Kopps, 0.1 IP, K
Prospect Watch: The last time Matt Waldron was slated to start, he was scratched and his replacement came in and threw the first half of a combined no-hitter. He might not have reached the same level of mastery, but he did manage to allow only one baserunner to reach safely, over four extremely efficient innings as the knuckler led to nine groundouts. As good as Waldron was, his replacements might have been better. Rehabbing major league pitcher Michel Baez threw two scoreless frames. While he was often wild, throwing nearly as many balls as strikes, mid- to upper-90s coming at you from his height looks unhittable. Baez has now thrown five scoreless innings since joining San Antonio. … Saving the best for last was Dinelson Lamet. The former Cy Young finalist looked like he was toying with his food. Lamet faced four batters. After striking out the first on three pitches, he gave up a first-pitch single to center. Then proceeded to strike the next two out on three pitches each. 10 pitches, three strikeouts, and a hit. The radar gun wasn’t the issue with Lamet as much as it was finding location and fixing his unbelievably dominant slider. … One person that does not need fixing, is center fielder Esteury Ruiz. After seeing his on-base streak snapped on Sunday, Ruiz started anew with three hits in the doubleheader including a double and a home run. Nearly 150 at-bats into the season, Ruiz still has an on-base percentage of nearly .500. Words cannot accurately describe just how valuable Ruiz has been, especially when you also add in his 30th stolen base on the season which leads the Texas League.
Quad Cities River Bandits 5, TinCaps 2 (suspended in the bottom of the third)
Noel Vela’s threw three innings in a suspened game on Wednesday. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Key Statistics: Noel Vela 3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5K; C Adam Kerner 1-for-1, HR (1), 2 RBI
Prospect Watch: This game was suspended in the third inning, and will be picked back up tomorrow and will be seven innings. It will be followed by another seven-inning affair.
The Storm were postponed due to unsafe playing conditions. A seven-inning doubleheader is scheduled for Sunday. The two teams are slated for business as usual on Thursday.
