With the TinCaps rained out in Fort Wayne, the other affiliates did their best to make up for the lost baseball. El Paso and the Missions won in walk-offs in extra innings, and the Storm continued to bully Visalia in Central California.
Chihuahuas 6, Salt Lake Bees 5 (10 innings)
Key Statistics: DH Adam Engel, 1-for-3, R, BB, 2B, CS; SS José Iglesias, 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI; 3B Tim Lopes, 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (5), RBI, BB, SB (4); LF Preston Tucker, 4-for-5, 2 RBI; RHP Anderson Espinoza, 3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K; RHP Domingo Tapia, IP, H, K; RHP Aaron Brooks, 2 IP; RHP Drew Carlton, H, R
Preston Tucker squares one up. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: Fours were wild early on, as the score was knotted at four after four innings. Things stayed that way until the tenth inning. Salt Lake scored in the top of the tenth to take a 5-4 lead. Outfielder Preston Tucker stroked a two-run single in the bottom half, and the Chihuahuas won in a walk-off. El Paso has won the first four games of the series. … The walk-off single completed a great night at the plate for the former Atlanta Brave. Tucker had four singles to raise his batting average from .239 to .294. It seems fitting that Tucker extended his hitting streak to four games Friday night. … It’s very early in his tenure, but big-league veteran José Iglesias seems to enjoy hitting in El Paso. The shortstop in three games with the Chihuahuas is 7-for-11 with three doubles and three walks. After spending all last year with the Colorado Rockies, Iglesias couldn’t find an MLB offer and signed a minor league pact with the Marlins in March. The Marlins released him on April 20, and he signed with the Padres five days later. Iglesias’ stint with El Paso is the first time he’s played in the minors since the 2016 season. … Righthander Anderson Espinoza made his first appearance in two weeks after being suspended for 10 games for misusing rosin to create too much tack in his last outing. In Friday’s game, he struggled to throw strikes. Espinoza made it through just 3.2 innings, walking five, though he did notch five strikeouts. The one-time top prospect’s return to the Padres organization has struggled. In four starts, he’s walked 14 batters in just 11.2 innings and allowed 14 earned runs.
Roster move: Catcher Pedro Severino, who had to leave the series opener, hit the IL Friday while dealing with a knee issue. Already thin behind the plate, the Chihuahuas got reinforcement, with Alison Quintero joining the squad from the ACL.
Missions 6, Northwest Arkansas Naturals 5 (10 innings)
Key Statistics: CF Daniel Johnson, 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI; C Michael De La Cruz, 2-for-4, 2B, BB, 3 RBI; 3B Luis Aviles Jr., 1-for-3, 2 SB (6, 7); LHP Brian Gonzalez, 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K; RHP Edwuin Bencomo, 3 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 K; RHP Lake Bachar (W, 1-0) 2 IP, R, BB, 2 K
Daniel Johnson has found his stroke for San Antonio. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: After enduring a 65-minute rain delay, the Missions won dramatically late Friday evening. Down 5-4 in the bottom of the tenth, catcher Michael De La Cruz smashed a two-run double to give the Missions the walk-off victory on a jersey giveaway night. … The double was part of a two-hit night for De La Cruz. The veteran singled, doubled, drew a walk, and drove in three runs. The 29-year-old has split time behind the plate with defensive stalwart Chandler Seagle; thus far, De La Cruz has been on the offensive side of the platoon. Over his last three games, the former Blue Jays and Tigers farmhand is 6-for-13. In nine games this season, he is hitting .265/.359/500. … Center fielder Daniel Johnson continues to shake off a slow start and has established himself as one of the best hitters on the San Antonio roster. Johnson had three hits, scored two runs, and drove in a run. Over the last five games, Johnson is 8-for-22 with a pair of homers. The well-traveled veteran played in three organizations last year after seeing big-league time with Cleveland in 2021. … After Brian Gonzalez tossed three innings to open the game, reliever Edwuin Bencomo threw three solid innings of his own. Bencomo allowed a run on two hits, striking out a pair of batters. The 24-year-old doesn’t possess big-time stuff, but he’s been a consistent and reliable option as a multi-inning reliever during his time in the system. This year has been no exception. Bencomo has a 3.95 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .167 average. He’s gone more than one frame in six of seven appearances.
Roster Move: The Missions filled their empty roster spot by adding outfielder Ray-Patrick Didder from extended spring training. The 28-year-old signed with the Padres as a minor league free agent on April 7. This is Didder’s second stint in the Padres’ organization. He signed with the club in 2020 as a free agent but didn’t play in a game, thanks to the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season. The Aruba native has played in 845 career minor league games.
TinCaps Rained Out
After having gorgeous weather in their first homestand, the TinCaps dealt with rain on Friday night, and their game was postponed. They will play a pair of seven-inning games Saturday, starting at noon Eastern.
Storm 6, Visalia Rawhide 3
Key Statistics: CF Samuel Zavala, 1-for-4, BB, SB (1); SS Rosman Verdugo, 1-for-4, 2 R; C Anthony Vilar, 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B; LHP Robby Snelling (W, 2-0) 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 4 BB, 3 K; RHP Ian Koenig (S, 2) 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 K
Robby Snelling continues to deal for Lake Elsinore. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm cruised to another win to run their record to 14-5. They are 7-0 against Visalia this season. … Catcher Anthony Vilar had three of the nine hits for Lake Elsinore, including a double. The former Miami backstop has been one of the biggest surprises in the system this year, and he’s a big reason why the Storm have cruised to start the season. He leads the Cal League with a 1.242 OPS and is just one of two Cal League players with an on-base percentage above .500. On top of the offensive prowess, Vilar has been the primary catcher for a pitching staff that has a collective 2.57 ERA. … Lefthander Robby Snelling battled some command issues but otherwise turned in another impressive start. Snelling pitched five solid innings for the second consecutive start and allowed just one run. He did walk four and strike out just three. Visalia had four hits, but two were infield singles, and the others were not hit hard. Despite the command issues, Snelling still got through five innings on 75 pitches. The young lefty has been impressive with the Storm this season. Through 16 Cal League innings, Snelling has a 1.13 ERA. … Ian Koenig pitched the final four innings, earning his second save. Koenig allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts. The 22-year-old out of Cabrillo Junior College has mostly piggybacked with Snelling and, like most of the Storm staff, he has gotten the job done. The 6-foot-2 righty has walked just one batter in 13 innings while notching 15 strikeouts. Opposing batters are hitting just .188 against him – slightly worse than Texas League hitters are faring against his older brother Jared in San Antonio.
Roster Move: The Storm placed lefthander Javier Chacon on the seven-day injured list with an undisclosed injury. Righthander David Morgan, signed as an undrafted free agent last summer, was promoted from extended spring training to take his place on the active roster.
