It’s a new week but the results in the minors were less than stellar. The TinCaps cruised to a victory. Every other team lost, including shutout defeats by the Chihuahuas and the ACL squad. With the Padres signing players in their draft class, the ACL squad could look very different by the end of the week.
Luke Westphal pitched well in El Paso’s loss Tuesday. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Tacoma Rainiers 2, Chihuahuas 0
Key Statistics: CF Jose Azocar, 1-for-4, 2B; 2B C.J. Hinojosa, 1-for-2, 2B, BB; LHP Luke Westphal, 3.1 IP, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Evan Miller (L, 3-4) 1.2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, K; LHP Jose Castillo, 1.1 IP, H, BB, 3 K
Prospect Watch: El Paso traveled to the Pacific Northwest to open a six-game set with Tacoma. The Chihuahuas managed just two hits and lost in a low-scoring affair. It was just the second time all season that El Paso was shut out. … After starting 0-for-13 in his return to Triple-A, outfielder Jose Azocar has hit safely in his last three games. He had a double in four at-bats Tuesday and is 7-for-13 over that stretch. … Left-handed pitcher Luke Westphal started and kept the Chihuahuas in the game. He pitched 3.1 innings without allowing a run. He walked two and notched four strikeouts. The 33-year-old has done a nice job for El Paso while bouncing back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. Command has been an issue at times (4.99 walks per nine innings pitched) but his 29% K-rate has helped him limit the damage. He leads the staff with 72 strikeouts in 55.2 innings. … Jose Castillo came on with the bases loaded, but escaped the jam. Overall, he recorded four outs, striking out three. Castillo allowed two runs in his previous two outings so Tuesday’s outing should help him get back on track. He has a 2.13 ERA with El Paso this season.
If you missed John’s interview with Chihuahuas manager Jared Sandberg, it’s got plenty of insights on a number of the key names from El Paso.
Midland RockHounds 7, Missions 4
Key Statistics: SS Connor Hollis, 2-for-4, R, 2B, BB; 2B Domingo Leyba, 3-for-4, 2 R, BB, RBI; 3B Juan Fernandez, 2-for-4, R, 2B; RHP Reggie Lawson, 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, K; RHP Kevin Kopps, 2.1 IP, 5 H, 3 K
Kevin Kopps in action with the Missions. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: The Missions fell behind early and dropped the series opener in Midland. … Connor Hollis delivered with his third straight multi-hit game. The two-hit night extended his hitting streak to nine games overall. San Antonio’s offense has sputtered a bit in July but one can’t blame Hollis. He raised his on-base percentage to .461 this month. Hollis is leading the Texas League with a .323 batting average and his .433 on-base percentage ranks fourth in the circuit. The former Rays prospect played in 12 games last season at the Double-A level. … Hollis’ double-play partner, Domingo Leyba, had three hits of his own and drove in a run. The 26-year-old infielder has been a solid contributor for the Missions this year after signing a minor league pact prior to the start of the season. The three-hit evening raised his OPS with the Missions to .807. … Right-hander Reggie Lawson lasted just 1.2 innings as he battled his command and walked five batters for the second consecutive start. He allowed three earned runs and a pair of hits. Lawson was spectacular in June, pitching to a 1.37 ERA in June. He opened July with arguably the best start of his career – he threw seven innings and allowed just one against Frisco. But over his last two outings, Lawson has walked 10 batters in 4.2 innings. He walked just 11 in 26.1 innings in June. … Kevin Kopps scattered five hits in his 2.1 innings of work but he was able to keep runs off of the board. Kopps didn’t walk anyone and he notched three punchouts. The scoreless outing lowered his ERA to 1.59 in July.
Corey Rosier continues to get on base for Fort Wayne. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
TinCaps 11, Peoria Chiefs 4
Key Statistics: 1B Cole Cummings, 3-for-6, 2 RBI; LF Corey Rosier, 4-for-5, R, 2B, 4 RBI, SB (30); 3B Oliver Basabe, 2-for-4, 2 R; LHP Jackson Wolf (W, 4-6) 5 IP, H, BB, 3 K
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps took their talents into Peoria, Illinois, and scored 11 runs to win the series opener. … Outfielder Corey Rosier had four hits, including a double. He also stole his 30th base of the season for good measure. The four-hit effort extended Rosier’s hitting streak to five games. The 22-year-old has come on in July after a slow start this season. He has a .923 OPS this month. … Joshua Mears made his return to Fort Wayne after being put on the development list back on May 16. Mears was activated on June 6 and has been playing in the ACL since then. Tonight, the troubles continued for the young outfielder. In six plate appearances, Mears drew a walk and struck out five times. It was the second five-strikeout game of Mears’ professional career. The rough evening raised Mears’ strikeout rate to 45.8% with Fort Wayne this season. The 21-year-old outfielder has displayed his immense power with Fort Wayne but he will need to make more contact to have it play in game situations. … First baseman Cole Cummings had three hits and drove in a pair. The 24-year-old first baseman has put up an .801 OPS in 21 games with the TinCaps. He came into Tuesday’s game with a 122 wRC+. The only TinCap hitter to produce a better result this season has been Robert Hassell III. … Left-handed starter Jackson Wolf pitched five shutout innings to earn his fourth win of the year. Wolf allowed just one hit and a walk while striking out three. Wolf’s excellent outing lowered his ERA to 4.55 this season.
Stockton Ports 12, Storm 3
Key Statistics: CF James Wood, 1-for-4, R, 2B; 1B Carlos Luis, 2-for-4, RBI; RF Justin Farmer, 2-for-4; RHP Manuel Castro (L, 1-3) 1.2 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, K; RHP Ruben Galindo, 3 IP, 3 H, BB, 3 K
Prospect Watch: The Storm were doomed by a seven-run second inning, losing their homestand opener to Stockton. … On June 28, righty Manuel Castro struck out 12 batters in 5.2 innings against Inland Empire to earn his first win in the Cal League. Since then, he has struggled immensely and on Tuesday, the Ports took Castro apart. He allowed seven earned runs on nine hits in just 1.2 innings. Over his last three starts, the 20-year-old from the Mexican state of Sinaloa has allowed 20 earned runs in 6.2 innings – good for an ERA of 27.00. He’s flashed swing-and-miss stuff but opposing batters have feasted on him this month. … Righty Ruben Galindo fired the final three innings for the Storm and kept Stockton off of the scoreboard. He allowed a walk and three hits, striking out three. The 21-year-old from Colombia has pitched well in July after struggling a bit in the season’s first three months. He has a 3.38 ERA in seven July outings. … Outfielder Justin Farmer had a pair of singles. The 23-year-old outfielder is hitting .279/.438/.361 in July. He hasn’t shown the same pop he did last month when he slugged .460. However, he has been a consistent on-base machine. Farmer is second in the league with 75 walks.
ACL White Sox 8, ACL Padres 0
Key Statistics: 2B-SS Victor Acosta, 2-for-3, 2 BB; SS Jackson Merrill, 0-for-4; RF Ruben Salinas, 1-for-3, BB; 1B Josttin Diaz, 2-for-4; RHP Robert Suarez, IP, 3 K; RHP Miguel Rondon (L, 1-4) 3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 K
Victor Acosta started slow, but is finding his footing in Arizona. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: It was not a pleasant evening in the desert. The ACL Padres went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and were shut out at Camelback Ranch. … The headlines these days in the ACL revolve around rehabbing players. That was no exception on Tuesday night. Big league reliever Robert Suarez started and worked a scoreless inning, carving up the poor, overmatched ACL Sox. He struck out the side before giving way to Miguel Rondon. … Shortstop Jackson Merrill started and went 0-for-4. Merrill is on his second rehab assignment; Merrill originally was sidelined with a wrist injury before tweaking a hamstring last month. He should be back in Lake Elsinore soon. … Infielder Victor Acosta reached base four times with two singles and a pair of walks. Acosta entered Tuesday’s game in a 3-for-28 slump. Despite the rough stretch, he’s hitting .292/.414/.458 in July.
