Cole Cummings continues his stellar 2022 campaign. (Photo: Dinur Blum)
It was an off day for the Padres, so eyes turned to the farm system, where we saw El Paso get shut out by the Space Cowboys, the Missions nab a decisive win in Frisco, the TinCaps split a doubleheader, and the Storm pull off a victory for the 18+ crowd.
Sugar Land Space Cowboys 7, Chihuahuas 0
Key Stats: SS C.J. Abrams, 2-for-4; RF Nomar Mazara, 1-for-3, 2B; LHP Travis Bergen, 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K; LHP Ray Kerr, 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Prospect Watch: The El Paso bats were quiet, and Frisco rallied repeatedly in a forgettable one for the Chihuahuas. On the plus side, C.J. Abrams is now 5-for-8 in his last two games as he starts to get his stroke back in Triple-A. On the not-so-plus side, he committed a throwing error and was thrown out on the basepaths. … With a double, Nomar Mazara reached base yet again. The outfielder is slashing .342/.442/.570 for El Paso, with five home runs in 114 at-bats. … A scoreless inning from Travis Bergen continues a decent season for the former 2015 seventh-rounder. A free agent from the Blue Jays organization, Bergen has a 3.96 ERA in 38.2 innings of MLB work in his career, and is 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 9.1 innings for El Paso, despite a 2.36 WHIP. … Ray Kerr turned in his second consecutive scoreless outing, striking out a pair. Hopefully, the lefty can get consistent work in Triple-A, where he has a 6.23 ERA. While he’s showing promise with 12 strikeouts, he needs to work through some control issues, as he’s issued seven walks in 8.1 innings.
Chandler Seagle is the system’s best defender behind the plate. (Photo: Joe Alexander)
Missions 7, Frisco Roughriders 3
Key Stats: RHP Thomas Eshelman, 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K; LHP Adrian Morejon, 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K; RHP Angel Felipe (W, 3-0), 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 4 K; 1B Juan Fernandez, 2-for-5, 2 RBI; 3B Connor Hollis, 2-for-5, R, RBI; C Chandler Seagle, 1-for-4, 2B
Prospect Watch: The game went back-and-forth in Frisco until the 10th inning, when San Antonio broke it open, including a single from Juan Fernandez that plated a pair of Missions runs. Fernandez got the start at first base, and also catches and takes turns at the DH spot. The 23-year-old from Valencia, Venezuela is batting .333 with 16 RBI in 75 at-bats in 2022. … Thomas Eshelman started off what remained a pitchers’ duel during regulation. From Carlsbad via Cal State Fullerton, Eshelman was a 2015 second-round pick of the Houston Astros. The righty is 2-2 with a 4.78 ERA and 18 strikeouts in six starts since joining San Antonio. … Connor Hollis added a pair of hits to continue his hot spring for the Missions. The former Rays farmhand is slashing .316/.440/.478 in 136 at-bats. … The Missions won with only one extra-base hit, a double off the bat of Chandler Seagle. Seagle, known for his defense and handling of pitchers, has a home run, and his .650 OPS in 2022 tops his career .572 mark. … Adrian Morejon made his third relief appearance for the Missions on his rehab assignment. The lefty worked two frames to extend his Double-A totals to four perfect innings with five strikeouts. … Angel Felipe finished things off with two scoreless innings of his own. The Dominican righty is now 3-0 with a 2.04 ERA in 17.2 innings for San Antonio, looking like quite the MiLB free agent pickup for the Padres after arriving in the offseason from the Rays organization.
Adam Kerner. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Quad Cities River Bandits 6, TinCaps 2 (Game 1)
Key Stats: RHP Edwuin Bencomo, 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K; LHP Danny Denz, 3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7K; C Adam Kerner, 1-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI
Prospect Watch: Quad Cities carried a 5-2 lead when the game suspended by rain in the third inning on Tuesday resumed. Edwuin Bencomo and Danny Denz each threw three innings to complete the game Wednesday and struck out seven each. Combined with starter Noel Vela‘s five punchouts, Fort Wayne fanned a season-high 19 Quad Cities batters. Bencomo, signed out of Rio Chico, Venezuela in the 2016 class, has a 3.00 ERA in 24 innings with 21 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP. … Denz, signed after the 2020 draft out of Memphis, has struggled mightily with walks, allowing 19 free passes in 19.2 innings with a 10.98 ERA, but his seven strikeouts were a season-high. John Conniff caught up with Denz for a Q&A during his recent run through the Summit City. … Adam Kerner‘s homer was all that kept Fort Wayne in the game. The University of San Diego alum now has a .708 OPS in 24 at-bats. It’s his second pro season, as he was signed after the 2020 MLB Draft.
TinCaps 6, Quad Cities River Bandits 2 F/7 (Game 2)
Key Stats: RHP Efrain Contreras, 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K; RHP Nick Thwaits (W, 1-2), 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2K; CF Corey Rosier, 1-for-2, BB, 2 R, 2 SB; 2B Ripken Reyes, 1-for-3, 2 RBI
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps flipped the score in the second game of the evening, with Efrain Contreras delivering his best start of his rehab assignment so far. The 22-year-old righty, added to the Padres’ 40-player roster in the offseason, set season highs with four innings pitched and seven strikeouts. The native of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, also pitched for Fort Wayne in 2019. … A pair of scoreless innings netted Nick Thwaits his first win of the season. The 2018 draftee has 20 strikeouts in 18.1 innings. … Corey Rosier reached base twice and stole a base each time to reach 17 steals for the season. The former Mariners farmhand was batting second after spending most of the season leading off. … Ripken Reyes notched a pair of RBI in the second to push Fort Wayne out to a 3-0 lead. The Torero spent 2021 split between Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne, with a rehab assignment in Peoria to start the season. … Robert Hassell III, whose OPS for the month is about half of his stellar April production, missed the last two games, but is expected to be back in the lineup shortly.
Bodi Rascon finished his 2021 campaign strong. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Storm 9, Inland Empire 66ers 1
Key Stats: LHP Bodi Rascon (W, 2-2), 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K; 1B Cole Cummings, 3-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI; 3B Lucas Dunn, 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI; CF Justin Farmer, 1-for-2, 2B
Prospect Watch: The “R” in “Rated ‘R’ Night” didn’t stand for “Rascon,” but the announced crowd of 666 adults watched Bodi Rascon make things somewhat hellish for Inland Empire batters. The lefty forced eight groundouts and worked efficiently to the tune of 79 pitches (53 strikes) over a season-high 5.2 innings to earn his second win of the year. … Cole Cummings carried the night with a trio of hits, including a double and a home run, driving in four and scoring a pair himself. The UCSB alum raised his slash line in night games to .271/.416/.508, perhaps embracing Ronnie James Dio’s sage advice, “the moon is just the Sun at night”. … Lucas Dunn had his second two-hit night in a row, raising his average to .321. The Padres’ eighth-round pick out of Louisville last year ranks among the top 10 in the Cal League for each component of his .321/.453/.537 slash line. … Justin Farmer walked twice and hit his third double of the season – and third of May. The Florida International alum signed with the Padres last summer after the draft.
