Chihuahuas 6, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 5
Key Statistics: RF Matt Beaty 1-2, RBI, BB; LF Taylor Kohlwey 1-3, 2 BB; SS Eguy Rosario 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 BB; CJ Hinojosa 2-5, RBI; 2B Reinaldo Ilarraza 1-3, 2 RBI, BB; RHP Thomas Eshelman 3.0 IP 7 H 5 R (3 ER), K, 2 HR; LHP Aaron Leasher (W, 3-6) 3 IP, H, BB, 2 K; LHP Tom Cosgrove 2.0 IP, H, 3 K; RHP Reiss Knehr (S,1) 1.0 IP, BB, K
Eguy Rosario is putting up numbers in El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: Down 5-1 on the road, El Paso put up five runs in the fifth inning to take a three games to two lead in the series and move to 47-36 on the season. As a team, the Chihuahuas have a slash line of .289/.374/.493. … Taylor Kohlwey, 27, continues to have even a better season than he did last year for El Paso with a slash of .324/.417/.504. He is tied with Eguy Rosario for the lead in overall hits with 83, but more importantly, has seen his walk rate improve from 9.7% in 2021 to 12.5%, and more significantly, his strikeout rate has dropped from 21.9% to 13.5%. He is fourth in the league in batting average, second in on-base percentage and ninth in OPS. The left-hander can play corner outfield positions, first base, and a little center. … With a pair of hits tonight, Rosario continues his hot month with a slash line of .341/.447/.753 with 11 doubles and eight home runs. He leads the league with 22 doubles. … Reiss Knehr got his first save of the year and fifth of his career as he has only had one start since June and is now pitching out of the bullpen. Knehr’s biggest problem this season has been control. He is still striking out a batter an inning with 60 strikeouts in 59 innings, but the 42 walks has helped to give him a 7.63 ERA.
Frisco RoughRiders 6, Missions 0
Key Statistics: Connor Hollis 1-3; RF Edwin Rojas 1-2; LHP Ben Krauth 3.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, BB, K 2 HR; RHP Lake Bachar 2.0 IP, H, BB, 5 K
Lake Bachar in one of the Missions’ Thor jerseys for Marvel Comics Night. (Photo: David Michael)
Prospect Watch: For Marvel Comics night, the Missions wore custom Thor jerseys but had an un-Thor-like performance with the bats as they could only muster a pair of singles. After winning the first half, the Missions are now 3-8 in the second half. … Ben Krauth, 28, recently released by the Cleveland Guardians organization, made his first start in the organization and struggled. He was primarily a reliever and had a 4.43 ERA in 22.1 innings with their Triple-A affiliate. … The only player who did resemble Thor tonight for San Antonio was Lake Bachar, 27, with long flowing locks and five strikeouts in two innings. Bachar, coming back from Tommy John surgery last year, has a 25:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 28.2 innings for a 5.34 ERA.
Game 1: TinCaps 3, Lake County Captains 2 (F/8 Innings)
Key Statistics: SS Max Ferguson 0-2, 2 BB; 2B Jarryd Dale 1-2, BB, RBI; LHP Robert Gasser 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, BB, 10 K; RHP Sam Keating (W, 2-2) 2.0 IP, 3 BB
Game 2: TinCaps 6, Lake Country Captains 3 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: SS Max Ferguson 1-3, BB; CF Matt Acosta 1-3, 2B, 3 RBI, BB; DH Cole Cummings 2-3, HR (2) RBI; RF Agustin Ruiz 1-1, 2 BB; 1B Jack Stronach 1-2, 2 RBI; RHP Ryan Bergert 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB 4 K HR; RHP (W, 2-1) Seth Mayberry 1.1 IP 4 K; LHP R Perez 1.0 IP, H, 2 K
Seth Mayberry has flashed an impressive fastball for Fort Wayne this season. (Photo: Jeff Nycz).
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps won both games of the doubleheader to give them three in a row, even with Robert Hassell III sitting out both games due to soreness which, according to the team, has him day-to-day. … In the first game, Fort Wayne was an out away from being shutout when Corey Rosier’s single put runners on first and third, and Jarryd Dale’s single moved them to within a run. Rosier scored on a passed ball to tie the game, then Matthew Acosta’s bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning gave the home team the win in the opener. In the nightcap, Fort Wayne put four runs on the board in the second inning and didn’t look back. … With Hassell out, the big story was another stellar pitching performance by Robert Gasser. The lefty’s 10 strikeouts were one off of his season-high of 11. In his last six starts, he has given up six earned runs, and in four of the outings he hasn’t given up a run. In his last two starts, he has 15 strikeouts in 12 innings against four walks and has given up a pair of runs. … Catcher Brandon Valenzuela leads the Midwest League with 20 runners thrown out attempting to steal. … Ryan Bergert didn’t get the win in the nightcap but had a strong bounceback from his last start when he gave up nine earned runs in 2.1 innings. Tonight, 55 of his 88 pitches were for strikes. … WIth four strikeouts, Seth Mayberry, 22, now has 43 in 27 innings against 16 walks with a 5.00 ERA. Mayberry was selected in the 39th round from Dinwiddie, Virginia. Like his teammate, Noel Vela, he was a low draft selection out of high school who elected to work his way through the Complex Leagues as a teenager rather than going the college route.
Storm 10, Visalia Oaks 7
Key Statistics: CF James Wood 2-4, RBI, BB; DH Albert Fabian 2-6, 2B, 2 RBI; LF Justin Farmer 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB; C Juan Zabala 3-5, RBI, BB, 3 SB; SS-1B Kervin Pichardo 2-5, HR (2), 2 RBI; RHP Victor Lizarraga (W, 4-1) 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, BB, 3 K; RHP Alan Mundo 1.0 IP, H, 2 K
Justin Farmer is starting to put it together. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The Storm put five runs on the board in the second inning and got another strong start from Victor Lizarraga to beat the Oaks on the road. … James Wood, 19, has now played 35 games in the Cal League with 167 plate appearances with a slash line of .321/.437/.562 with 11 steals in 14 attempts and has struck out 28 times against 26 walks. … In his first seven games in July, Justin Farmer has a .360/.543/.480 slash line. Tonight, he stole three more bases to add to his total of 29, which is good enough for third in the California League. Farmer, 23, signed a minor league free-agent deal with the Padres in 2021 and hit .302/.415/.581 in 16 games and 53 plate appearances last year in the ACL. He posted good on-base numbers in his first three months but struggled to make consistent contact. This could be the start of a turnaround. … Juan Zabala continues to impress for the Storm with three hits and three stolen bases tonight, which is not often that we write that about a catcher.
ACL Padres 9, ACL Mariners 3
Key Statistics: LF Juan Murillo 3-3, 3 RBI, SB; RF Jake Perez 2-4, 3 RBI; DH Gilberto Vizcarra 0-1, 2 BB; SS Victor Acosta 1-4, BB; C Colton Bender 1-2 BB; RHP Miguel Rondon 4.2 IP, 4 H 3 R (2 E), 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Evan Sweeting (W, 2-0) 2.1, 2 H, R, 3 K
Prospect Watch: There are always exciting things going on in the sun-baked environs of the Arizona desert in the ACL, and one of them is Juan Murillo, 19, who the Padres have been putting in the outfield. The Cuban native was seen as a sleeper by Baseball America’s Ben Badler and is considered a plus-plus runner with some pop. He has a .415/.455/.561 slash line in 17 games and 44 plate appearances.
