
Yorman Rodriguez came through big on Thursday night. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
We technically have a system sweep, since no affiliate lost. The Storm had the most fun one can have in Modesto, the TinCaps cruised in Lansing, the Complex League Padres excelled, and the Missions had a dramatic, walk-off victory while paying tribute to a grieving Texas community.
El Paso Chihuahuas – Game Suspended
Esteury Ruiz is very fast, but even he is not safe with lightning in the area. Thursday’s game was suspended in the bottom of the seventh and will be resumed prior to Friday’s game. Kevin Charity will have the final wrap on this game, as well as Friday’s regularly scheduled programming.
Roster Moves: The Chihuahuas made a pair of roster moves before the start of Thursday’s game. The Padres organization released big league veterans in outfielder Shogo Akiyama and left-handed reliever Ian Krol. It is expected that Akiyama will return to his native Japan. The 34-year-old hit .343/.378/.529 in 16 games with El Paso. … Krol, 31, was one of the Padres’ last cuts during spring training. in 24 games with El Paso, Krol pitched to a 7.46 ERA in 25.1 innings. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Krol is nearing a deal to pitch overseas. … Ryan Weathers rejoined the Chihuahuas after his spot start in Chicago and reliever Felix Minjarez was sent to bolster the bullpen.

Moises Lugo. (Photo: Joe Alexander)
Missions 4, Amarillo Sod Poodles 3
Key Stats: RHP Moises Lugo, 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 5 K; LHP Tom Cosgrove (W, 6-1) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K; DH Yorman Rodriguez, 1-for-4, RBI; C Chandler Seagle, 2-for-4, RBI; LF Tirso Ornelas, 1-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI
Prospect Watch: The sight of jubilant players in the burgundy jerseys of the Uvalde High School Coyotes was the highlight of the night in the organization. The Missions will auction off the custom jerseys to benefit the Robb School Memorial Fund. It was a team effort to ensure they were worn victoriously, with Moises Lugo keeping the Missions in the game with three innings of one-hit ball. Lugo struck out five batters and didn’t walk anyone. It was just the third time in 14 appearances that Lugo did not allow a free pass. The 23-year-old righty is having a banner year in the San Antonio bullpen, as he is now 4-0 with a 2.43 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 29.2 innings pitched. … Tom Cosgrove pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the win and move to 6-1 with a 2.74 ERA. One has to wonder if Krol departing the organization opens a spot for a lefty in El Paso in due time. … Chandler Seagle‘s third multi-hit game this month not only came with an RBI single in the second, but his single in the bottom of the ninth started the rally, with pinch-runner Ripken Reyes scoring the winning run in his place. … The walk-off came courtesy of Yorman Rodriguez, who lined a decisive sacrifice fly to right-center to send the announced crowd of 5,824 fans into a frenzy. The 24-year-old also singled on the night for his first hit after missing nearly two weeks on the COVID list. Rodriguez will look to get back into a groove after an impressive .333/.370/.505 slash line in May. … Of course, this all would be for naught had Tirso Ornelas not launched his third home run of the year into the San Antonio night. His eighth-inning homer tied the game at three and continued a fiery June for the Tijuana native after a tough start to the season. Ornelas is slashing .379/.379/.621 in 29 June at-bats.

Jackson Wolf delivered on Thursday. (Photo: Jeff Nycz).
TinCaps 9, Lansing Lugnuts 4
Key Stats: LHP Jackson Wolf (W, 3-3), 7 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K; SS Jarryd Dale, 2-for-6, 2B, 2 R; DH Robert Hassell III, 1-for-4, BB, SB, 2 R; CF Matthew Acosta, 3-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB; 3B Lucas Dunn, 2-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI;
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps got offense up and down the order, and 96 pitches from big Jackson Wolf to cruise to victory in Michigan. Wolf provided seven innings of work, allowing eight hits, but he walked just one batter. The 2021 fourth-round pick is now 3-3 with a 4.37 ERA with 73 strikeouts against 23 walks in 59.2 innings pitched. … Jarryd Dale, hitting at the top of the order, reached base twice including a double, and scored a pair of runs. After a cold start to June, Dale recorded his second two-hit night in three games, boosting his average for the month to .160. … Robert Hassell III got a start in the DH spot and showed how he can impact a game even when not hitting for extra bases. The 19-year-old smacked a single, stole his 16th base of the season, worked a walk, and scored a pair of runs for Fort Wayne. Hassell has a hit in each of the four games played since returning from the COVID IL, and he is 6-for-16 (.375) in that span. … Matthew Acosta provided three hits and a pair of RBIs, as he continues to contribute nicely to the TinCaps offense since being promoted from Lake Elsinore. The USC alum is batting .271 in 48 June at-bats. … A pair of hits including a double, a pair of runs, and two runs batted in made for deuces wild for Lucas Dunn, who is now 5-for-10 in his last two games.

Ruben Galindo delivers for the Storm. (Photo: Dinur Blum)
Storm 5, Modesto Nuts 2
Key Stats: RHP Ruben Galindo (W, 2-2), 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, BB, 4 K; RHP Aaron Holiday (H, 2), 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K; 1B Cole Cummings, 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI, BB; DH Carlos Luis, 2-for-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB; SS Max Ferguson, 2-for-3, RBI, BB, SB
Prospect Watch: The Storm brought a pair of outstanding pitching performances to Modesto, beginning with five innings of one-hit ball from Ruben Galindo for his second win of the season. Galindo, making only his fourth start in 12 appearances for the Storm, was thus limited to 59 pitches, but he cruised, throwing 37 of them for strikes, only walking one. Galindo, a native of Colombia, signed with the Padres in the summer of 2019. … Next up was Aaron Holiday, the other piece of the Sean Manaea trade, and he, too, only allowed a pair of baserunners in three sterling innings of work. The 22-year-old Holiday is 3-2 with a 2.73 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 26.1 innings in his first full season of professional baseball. … The big hit of the night was a homer courtesy of Cole Cummings, who has slugged 11 of his 31 hits for extra bases, including six home runs. The Orange, California, native grew up rooting for the Padres, then signed with the club after playing his collegiate baseball at UC Santa Barbara. … Also providing some pop was Carlos Luis, whose two hits included a double. Luis is slashing a hefty .341/.413/.463 in 41 at-bats in June. … Max Ferguson not only roped a pair of hits and drove in a run, but he also stole his 41st base of the season as he tries to close the gap between himself and Esteury Ruiz atop the sport’s leaderboard. … James Wood went 0-for-5 in his return to the Storm from a wrist injury that kept him out almost the entire month of May, and June up to this point.

Rosman Verdugo shows an advanced feel for the bat. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
ACL Padres 7, ACL Rangers 1
Key Stats: RHP Adrian Luna (W, 1-0), 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, K; RHP Riley Yeatman (S, 1), 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; RF Joshua Mears, 2-for-5, HR, 2 R, RBI; CF Edwin Rojas, 2-for-2, 2B, R RBI, BB; 2B Rosman Verdugo, 1-for-1, HR, R, 2 RBI ;
Prospect Watch: It was an adventurous outing at times, but Adrian Luna managed to scatter a half dozen walks, as well as three hits to the tune of only one earned run for the win. Complex League baseball is its own brand of chaos at times, but Luna stuck it out, worked out of jams, and made a fairly rare four-inning outing in the desert. The 20-year-old righty from Porlimar, Venezuela, went 4-0 with a 3.19 ERA in 14 appearances (three starts) for the DSL Padres in 2021. … One of the highlights of the night is seeing Riley Yeatman get back on the horse and earn his first professional save. Yeatman, an 18-year-old right-handed pitcher from Adelaide, Australia, took the loss in his stateside debut, recording one out and giving up six runs. His short memory is to be commended, as he managed seven outs in his second appearance, allowing one hit, two walks, and keeping things scoreless. … Joshua Mears hit his second home run in his ACL stint as he starts to regain his form. The 21-year-old started off red-hot in Fort Wayne before seeming to get out of sync, leading to the outfielder being added to the Development List and heading to Peoria to get things going again. … Edwin Rojas also contributed a two-hit night, including a double. The center fielder from Maturin, Venezuela, signed in the summer of 2018, and is in his second year of action in the desert. … Rosman Verdugo entered the game in the fourth as a defensive substitute at second base and hit his first home run since signing with the Padres in January. The 17-year-old infielder is a native of Ensenada, and was regarded as one of the better hitters in this year’s international free agent class.
[…] three games ahead of Frisco with a 34-27 record. They took a series win over third place Amarillo, including an emotional walkoff win while representing the Uvalde Coyotes. The standout in this series was Texas League Player of the Week, Domingo Leyba. Signed as a free […]