Taylor Kohlwey continues his best professional season for El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Las Vegas Aviators 4, Chihuahuas 3
Key Stats: CF Esteury Ruiz 1-for-5, 2 SB (48), 3 K; 1B Taylor Kohlwey 3-for-4, 2B, HR (6); SS C.J. Hinojosa 2-for-4, HR (3); LHP Luke Westphal 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2K, 3 BB; LHP Jose Castillo 1 IP, 1 H, 3 K, HBP; RHP Pedro Avila 1 IP, 1 H, 3 K, 2 BB
Prospect Watch: Former Padres farmhand Adrian Martinez largely kept the Chihuahuas offense in check over 5.2 innings as the Aviators managed a series split in El Paso. Taylor Kohlwey, making his 23rd start of the year at first base, came up a triple shy of the cycle. The 27-year-old, in the midst of his best offensive season, extended his hitting streak to 11 games as he moved into second place in the PCL with a .335 average. He’s been on fire since coming off the COVID list, batting .450/.488/.725 and striking out just three times in 43 trips to the plate. … Esteury Ruiz singled in the first and promptly stole two more bases to push his industry-leading season total to 48. After 60 games, he’s now one off the career high he set in 2018, when he played 117 games. Ruiz did strike out three times for just the third time this year and first since his promotion to Triple-A. After striking out at a stellar 17.2% rate in San Antonio, he’s seen his K rate climb to 25% while otherwise dominating in the PCL. … Both José Castillo and Pedro Avila had to work around traffic, but struck out the side in their respective innings of work. Castillo, who appeared three times in the series, has struck out 11 in his last six innings, but has also given up a hit per frame in that stretch. … After Manny Machado went down in the big league game, C.J. Abrams was pulled out of the Chihuahuas lineup.
Tirso Ornelas is in the midst of a very productive June. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Missions 5, Amarillo Sod Poodles 4
Key Stats: C Yorman Rodriguez 2-for-3; 1B Juan Fernandez 2-for-3, 2B; C Connor Kaiser 1-for-4, HR (4); LF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-3, BB; RHP Thomas Eshelman 6.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 K; RHP Carlos Belen 2 IP, 1 H, K, BB
Prospect Watch: The Missions squandered an early 3-0 lead, but got their second walk-off win of the series on a Conner Kaiser homer to extend to a season-best seven games over .500. Kaiser’s blast, his fourth since signing as a free agent in early May, was one of just two extra-base hits on the day for the Missions, but the club went 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position to maximize their production. … Tirso Ornelas collected his fifth multi-hit game in eight contests since coming off the COVID list to raise his line for the month to .421/.463/.605. The hot streak comes despite a 22% strikeout rate that’s noticeably higher than it was when he managed just a .493 OPS in May. … Yorman Rodriguez, who came into the night just 3-for-27 in June, collected a pair of singles in three trips to the plate. … Carlos Belen picked up the victory in his second straight game with two scoreless innings of work. The righty, who converted to the mound back in 2018, had gone nine innings without a walk until allowing one Sunday.
TinCaps 14, Lansing Lugnuts 0
Key Stats: LHP Robert Gasser 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 8 K, 1 BB; LHP Gabe Morales 2 IP, 2 H, 4 K, 1 BB; LF Corey Rosier 3-for-5, 3B, 2 BB; CF Robert Hassell III 3-for-7, 2B, SB (18); 1B Lucas Dunn 3-for-6, 2B; DH Brandon Valenzuela 2-for-4, 2 BB; SS Jarryd Dale 3-for-6, 2B; RF Agustin Ruiz 4-for-5, 2 2B, HR (3)
Gasser?
That's about right.
No. 8 @Padres prospect Robert Gasser fanned eight over seven innings of no-hit ball for the @TinCaps. pic.twitter.com/tRaB4iG2QY
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 19, 2022
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps dominated in every facet of the game Sunday as Robert Gasser was nearly perfect over seven innings and Agustin Ruiz led a 22-hit attack in a laugher to claim their third series victory – and second over Lansing – of the year. Gasser issued a leadoff walk, then recorded 21 straight outs in his best professional outing. The 23-year-old lefty worked 12 scoreless innings in the series and has allowed just one earned run over 19 frames while striking out 23 in his last three starts. The Padres’ competitive balance pick in last year’s draft is now third in the Midwest League with 80 strikeouts on the year. His 4.10 ERA continues to track more than a run above his FIP. … As stellar as Gasser was, the offense hardly needed it as the club matched a 34-year-old franchise high with 22 hits and had season-bests in runs, doubles and extra-base hits. Ruiz, who came into the day just 3-for-40 since joining Fort Wayne, blasted a three-run homer in the first and added a pair of doubles as part of a four-hit game that improbably raised his Midwest League OPS .242 points. … Six other TinCaps each reached base at least three times Sunday as Robert Hassell III was one of four with three hits to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Hassell now leads the circuit with a .317 average and his .891 OPS is good for seventh. With his 18th stolen base, he pulled even with Corey Rosier for the team lead and into a three-way tie for fifth in the league. … Rosier collected his first three-hit game of the season as he reached base five times. The 22-year-old had been just 4-for-25 since coming off the IL earlier this month. … Lucas Dunn added his third multi-hit game of the series, notching a double among his three hits on the afternoon. After a slow start in High-A, he’s 8 for his last 24 with four extra-base hits.
Nerwilian Cedeño has been a valuable contributor to the Storm offense. (Photo: Dylan Otto)
Storm 7, Modesto Nuts 3
Key Stats: 2B Nerwilian Cedeño 3-for-5, HR (1), SB (7); LF Albert Fabian 2-for-5, HR (7); CF James Wood 2-for-3, 2 BB; SS Max Ferguson 1-for-2, SB (44); RF Charlie Aquino 2-for-5, 3B, SB (8); LHP Jesus Gonzalez 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 5 K, 1 BB
Prospect Watch: The Storm jumped out to a 6-0 lead the cruised to the win to finished off a series victory in the Central Valley. Nerwilian Cedeño got the visitors on the board with a monster 451-foot shot over the batter’s eye in dead center in the first for his first homer of the year. The 20-year-old second baseman’s start to the campaign was delayed by an elbow injury, but he’s making up for lost time with a .288/.376/.425 line through his first 85 plate appearances. The offense-first second baseman added a pair of singles and swiped his seventh base in 10 attempts to lead the Storm Sunday. … Albert Fabian connected on his second homer in as many games and now is one off Justin Farmer‘s team lead with seven. The powerful lefty from the Dominican Republic is hitting .313/.413/.563 for the month. He’s played primarily left field since joining Elsinore in early May, but has also seen time in right and at first base. … James Wood had a pair of singles and walked two more times, raising his on-base percentage to .465 for the Storm. The big man went 5-for-16 with five walks and three stolen bases in four games in Modesto. … Max Ferguson singled, swiped second and advanced to third on a throwing error in the second inning, but came up hobbling. He remained in the game and came around to score on a Cedeño single, but was removed before the bottom of the frame. The speedster’s 44 stolen bases are 10 more than anyone else in the Cal League.
