Chihuahuas 14, Albuquerque Isotopes 3

Key Statistics: SS Matthew Batten, 2-for-5, 3 R, BB; RF Luis Liberato, 4-for-4, 4 R, 2 2B, HR (19), 2 RBI; 3B Brandon Dixon, 2-for-4, 3 R, BB, HR (3), 4 RBI; C Brett Sullivan, 2-for-4, R, BB, 2 RBI; LF Taylor Kohlwey, 2-for-5, R; 1B Kyle Martin, 3-for-5, R, HR (14), RBI; CF Thomas Milone, 1-for-5, HR (2), RBI; LHP Jay Groome (W, 1-2) 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 6 K; RHP Craig Stammen, 2 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 K; RHP Pierce Johnson, IP, K

Jay Groome fought his command but picked up the win Tuesday. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)

Prospect Watch: El Paso slugged four homers in a blowout win over their Southwestern rival from New Mexico. … Right fielder Luis Liberato had another monster game, as the veteran came up one base short of the cycle. Liberato had a single, two doubles, and his 19th homer of the season. The former Mariners prospect struggled mightily in the first two months of the season but has thrived since. Liberato is second on the team in homers, trailing current big leaguer Eguy Rosario by just two. … Third baseman Brandon Dixon continued his assault on PCL pitching with another multi-hit effort. Dixon doubled, homered, drove in four runs, and scored three runs as well. Dixon, 30, is our reigning MadFriars Player of the Week, after putting up a 1.364 OPS in his first week as a Chihuahua. He has hit safely in all eight games since joining the roster. … First baseman Kyle Martin had three hits, including his 14th homer of the season. The big first baseman has shown a lot of power in his time with El Paso, which has included some impressive homers. His overall production has been a bit below average, thanks in part to a hefty 32% K-rate. … LHP Jay Groome had a bit of an uneven performance but it was still good enough to earn the victory. Groome allowed just two earned runs in five innings but he lived dangerously. Groome allowed five walks and six hits but he used six strikeouts to limit the damage. The former Red Sox prospect has a 3.56 ERA in six starts since joining the Padres organization. … Rehabbing big leaguers Craig Stammen and Pierce Johnson each saw action in the contest. Stammen gave up ground ball singles to the first three batters he faced, then settled in and worked two frames with three strikeouts. Johnson followed with his fourth straight perfect inning. The righty has struck out six over five innings.

Roster Moves: The Chihuahuas received a pair of players from the Summit City prior to Tuesday’s game. El Paso received utility man Reinaldo Ilarraza and catcher Adam Kerner from the TinCaps to round out their bench.

Missions 8, Springfield Cardinals 4

Key Statistics: SS Connor Hollis, 2-for-5, R, HR (8), 3 RBI; LF Tirso Ornelas, 3-for-4, BB; CF Joshua Mears, 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB; DH Jorge Oña, 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR (8), 5 RBI; RHP Nolan Watson, 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Grant Gavin (W, 2-0) 1.1 IP. H, BB, 3 K

Jorge Oña has had a rough year in San Antonio (Photo: John Moore)

Prospect Watch: Deuces were wild for the Missions on Tuesday night. San Antonio scored a pair of runs in four different innings to double up the Cardinals in Springfield. … Left fielder Tirso Ornelas had three singles and drew a walk in the Missions’ win. The 22-year-old Ornelas is hitting a career-high .292 and his OPS of .769 is the highest mark he’s produced since his pro debut in the ACL way back in 2017. However, Ornelas has just six homers this year and his offensive output has been roughly league average due to the lack of home run power. He has punched out in a career-low 18% of his plate appearances in 2022. … Shortstop Connor Hollis had a pair of hits, including his eighth homer of the year. Hollis has a slight edge in the Texas League batting title race over Justin Dirden of Corpus Christi. The former Rays prospect finished the night with a one-point advantage over Dirden with five regular season games left. … Jorge Oña had his best game of the season for the Missions, as he finished a triple shy of the cycle. Oña singled, doubled, hit his eighth homer of the year, and drove in five runs to cap off an amazing evening. It was the first time since May 7 that Oña had two extra-base hits in a game. The 25-year-old has battled injuries throughout his time in the Padres system but he has shown flashes of the power that inspired the Padres to invest nearly $14 million to sign him in 2016.

Roster Moves: The Missions received a pair of arms for the stretch run. Righty Jordan Guerrero was activated from his rehab assignment and transferred from Lake Elsinore to San Antonio. Left-hander Jackson Wolf was promoted to the Missions’ roster from Fort Wayne. Wolf will finish his run in Fort Wayne with a 7-8 record, with a 4.01 ERA. He’s been especially effective over the last two months.

Bodi Rascon pitched well on Tuesday night.(Photo: Tim Phillis/@TCPPhotoCLE)

TinCaps 6, Lake County Captains 5

Key Statistics: C Brandon Valenzuela, 2-for-4, R, HR (8), RBI; 3B Josttin Diaz, 1-for-3, 2 R, BB, HR (2), RBI; DH Albert Fabian, 1-for-4, R, HR (4), 3 RBI; LHP Bodi Rascon (W, 1-2) 6 IP, 2 H, ER, 6 K; LHP Ramon Perez, IP, K; RHP Wilton Castillo (S, 1) 0.1 IP

Prospect Watch: The TinCaps traveled to Ohio for their last series of the year. They hit three homers and rode an excellent outing from Bodi Rascon to victory. In what is likely his final outing of the season the 21-year-old left-hander earned his first High-A win, pitching six innings while allowing just a run on two hits. He didn’t walk anyone and he notched six strikeouts. After giving up a staggering 15 runs in his first two starts with the TinCaps, Rascon has bounced back to allow just two over his last 11 innings pitched. While his overall ERA at High-A landed at 9.37 ERA in four appearances, he showed incredible perseverance to overcome a dreadful start with the TinCaps. … Catcher Brandon Valenzuela had a pair of hits, including his eighth homer of the year. The 21-year-old catcher has struggled offensively this season after breaking out last season in Lake Elsinore. His production really suffered during the summer months. After posting a solid .728 OPS in June, Valenzuela produced just a .594 OPS in July and August combined. During that time frame, he had a 17.7% walk rate but didn’t produce much hard contact. He is 5-for-19 during the first week of September. … Third baseman Josttin Diaz drew a walk and he homered for the second time since joining the TinCaps roster. The switch-hitting infielder hit .246/.317/.413 with a pair of homers in 139 plate appearances in the ACL this season. Since joining the TinCaps, he has two in 12 trips to the plate.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 10, Storm 6

Key Statistics: CF Jakob Marsee, 2-for-5; SS Jackson Merrill, 2-for-4; 1B Nathan Martorella, 2-for-5, R, HR (1), 2 RBI; RF Samuel Zavala, 2-for-4, R, HR (5), 2 RBI, SB (16); RHP Duncan Snider, 4 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Dylan Nedved (L, 0-1) IP, 4 H, 4 ER; LHP Ben Miller, IP, K

Jackson Merrill had a pair of hits on Tuesday. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)

Prospect Watch: The Storm traveled 40 miles up the I-15 to take on the Quakes in their final series of the regular season. The Quakes used a four-run, fifth inning to pull away. … Two days after his nine-game hitting streak came to an end, shortstop Jackson Merrill started a new one with a pair of singles. The multi-hit game raised Merrill’s OPS to .889 with the Storm. … First baseman Nathan Martorella had a pair of hits, including his first homer as a member of the Storm. The former Cal first baseman has hit well in Lake Elsinore, bouncing between first base and the outfield. In 13 games in Lake Elsinore, he is hitting .306/.404/.449. … Samuel Zavala had two hits and connected on his fifth Cal League homer in the loss. The 18-year-old has been impressive since joining the Storm in August, showing power, speed, and the ability to play center field. He is hitting .243/.350/.476 in 28 games with the Storm. … Right-hander Duncan Snider started for the Storm and struggled a bit. He allowed five hits and five runs in four innings, walking a pair and striking out four. The righty from Muscatine, Iowa has pitched well overall for the Storm. He has a 6-1 record, with a 4.31 ERA in 11 games (six starts).

Roster Moves: Lefty Jesus Gonzalez was put on the IL, ending his season. Reliever Carter Loewen, who has fought his command since joining Elsinore on a rehab assignment, was transferred back to the ACL. Righty Manuel Castro was moved up from the ACL to the Storm roster.

Posted by Kevin Charity

Kevin Charity has written for MadFriars since 2015 and has had work featured on Fox Sports San Diego. He is a lifelong San Diego native and is looking forward to seeing the current wave of prospects thrive in San Diego.

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