Chihuahuas 7, Oklahoma City Dodgers 4
Ray Kerr has shown much better control this year. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Key Statistics: LF Alfonso Rivas, 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI; C Yorman Rodriguez, 1-for-4, RBI; 3B Tim Lopes, 1-for-4, R. HR (6), 2 RBI; RHP Julio Teheran (W, 3-2) 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K; RHP Michel Baez, IP; LHP Ray Kerr (S, 2) IP, 2 K
Prospect Watch: El Paso scored six runs in the second inning and cruised to their third consecutive win against the Dodgers’ top farm club. … In the six-run second, Tim Lopes connected on his sixth homer of the year – a two-run shot. In 73 games last year, Lopes hit a career-high 11 homers, a total he looks poised to eclipse in 2023. The 28-year-old has hit four of his six homers at home, although his OPS on the road (1.007) is higher than it is at home (.936). … A night after launching a go-ahead grand slam, Alfonso Rivas settled for a two-hit game that included a double. Defensively, Rivas made his first start in left field. He appeared in three games in the outfield for the Chicago Cubs last year. Rivas’ bat has reached another level this season. In previous minor league seasons, Rivas has never slugged better than .423 – a mark he reached way back in 2019. This year, Rivas is hitting a robust .309/.434/.642 with six homers. His previous career-high in homers was nine. … Earlier in the week, right-hander Julio Teheran opted out of his contract with the Padres, briefly becoming a free agent. However, the former Major League all-star signed a new pact with the organization just in time to start Friday’s game. Teheran pitched well, earning his third win of the season. He allowed a pair of runs in five innings, walking four but striking out seven. Teheran has a 6.30 ERA in six starts, but he’s averaged five innings a start. In 30 innings, he’s punched out 36. … Ray Kerr tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his second save of the year. Kerr breezed through the ninth and struck out a pair of OKC Dodgers. Kerr has picked up two saves in the series, striking out five of the six batters he has faced. He last walked a batter a month ago in his season’s second outing.
Game One: Tulsa Drillers 4, Missions 0 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: 3B Connor Hollis 1-for-3, 2B; RF Tirso Ornelas 1-for-3; RHP Efrain Contreras (L, 0-4) 4 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 3 K
Game Two: Tulsa Drillers 2, Missions 1 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: 2B Ripken Reyes 1-for-3; RF Tirso Ornelas 1-for-3, 2B; DH Jorge Oña 1-for-2, R; RHP Nolan Watson (L, 0-2) 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K
Efrain Contreras has been locked in over his last two starts. (Photo: Joe Alexander)
Prospect Watch: The Missions managed just one run on seven hits in 14 innings of baseball Friday. As a result, they were swept in the doubleheader by Tulsa. San Antonio has lost six games in a row. … Outfielder Tirso Ornelas was the only Missions batter to hit safely in both games. He had a single in game one and doubled in game two. Ornelas came into the doubleheader mired in an 0-for-20 stretch. The 23-year-old is tied for fifth in the league with 18 walks, but outside of a keen eye, he hasn’t contributed much on offense. His .289 slugging percentage is the eighth-lowest mark in the circuit. … On a positive note, the Missions received another solid outing from Efrain Contreras. The right-hander took the loss, but he allowed just one run on two hits over four innings, walking one and striking out four. The 23-year-old got off to a brutal start this year, but he’s been terrific the last two times out. Contreras has only allowed one earned run and two hits in his last nine innings. … Nolan Watson pitched well again in the nightcap, but the Missions offense couldn’t put anything together, and he was the hard-luck loser. Watson pitched into the sixth and allowed a pair of runs on four hits, walking one and striking out a pair. The 26-year-old isn’t missing many bats this year but has kept hitters off-balance. Texas League batters are hitting just .177 off of the Indianapolis native. In 22.1 innings, he has an excellent 1.21 ERA, despite notching just 14 strikeouts.
TinCaps 8, Lake County Captains 3
Nathan Martorella has found his stroke for the TinCaps (Photo: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Key Statistics: SS Jackson Merrill 2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI; LF Nathan Martorella 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 HR (4, 5), 5 RBI, BB; C Brandon Valenzuela 1-for-3, 2 R, HR (3), RBI, 2 BB; RHP Jairo Iriarte (W, 1-2) 5 IP, H, 3 BB, 7 K; RHP Adam Smith 1.2 IP, H, 3 K
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps socked three homers and cruised to a win on the road in Eastlake, Ohio. … Much of the offense was provided by left fielder Nathan Martorella. The former Cal Bear hit two homers and drove in a career-high five runs in his first professional multi-homer game. Martorella is tied for second in the Midwest League with five home runs thanks to his power outburst on Friday night. In addition to the power, Martorella has walked (14) more times than he has struck out (12). Overall, Martorella is hitting .268/.367/.524. … Catcher Brandon Valenzuela homered for the third straight game and appears to be breaking out after a slow start. Valenzuela has shared time behind the plate with Juan Zabala and Colton Bender but his power surge should lead to more playing time for the 22-year-old. After a trying season offensively last year, Valenzuela is currently hitting .281/.378/.656 in 37 plate appearances. … The offense may have grabbed the headlines, but righthander Jairo Iriarte had his best start of the season, earning his first win of 2023 in the process. Iriarte held Lake County scoreless in five splendid innings, allowing just one hit. He walked three but struck out seven. The 21-year-old battles command issues at times, but his fastball/slider combo can be exceptionally nasty. He’s walked 11 batters in 18 innings which is concerning, but he’s also racked up a remarkable 30 strikeouts. Iriarte is one of the most exciting pitchers in the entire system.
Roster Moves: The TinCaps placed outfielder Joshua Mears on the seven-day injured list with an undisclosed injury. He was a late scratch Sunday and didn’t play in either game Thursday. Taking his place on the roster is infielder Devin Ortiz. The 24-year-old Ortiz signed as an undrafted free agent after playing his college ball at the University of Virginia. He was a two-way player last year in college but appeared exclusively as a position player last season in the ACL.
Storm 12, Rancho Cucamonga 5
Key Statistics: 3B Graham Pauley 3-for-4, 3 R, RBI, BB; SS Rosman Verdugo 2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, BB, 2 RBI; 2B-SS Chase Valentine 2-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI; RF Charlis Aquino 2-for-5, RBI; LHP Robby Snelling (W, 3-0) 5 IP, H, BB, 9 K
Prospect Watch: After a pair of one-run losses, the Storm came back with a vengeance and jumped out to a 12-0 lead to cruise to a win at home against Rancho Cucamonga. The win improved Lake Elsinore’s record to 17-7 and moved them back into a first-place tie with the visiting Quakes. … Lefthander Robby Snelling dominated once again, tossing five innings for the fifth consecutive start. He held the Quakes scoreless and allowed just one hit, and one walk while setting a new career-high with nine strikeouts. In 21 innings with the Storm, Snelling has a 0.86 ERA to go with 26 strikeouts. … Third baseman Graham Pauley had three more singles and scored three runs to raise his batting average to .378 – good for second in the California League. Pauley also ranks second in the circuit with 21 runs scored. … Shortstop Rosman Verdugo had a pair of hits and drove in two runs. The 18-year-old Verdugo has yet to homer as a member of the Storm, but he is third in the circuit with nine doubles. He’s struck out in 27.7% of his plate appearances which is actually down from his stint in the ACL. Verdugo has produced a respectable .727 OPS so far this season. … Chase Valentine reached base four times with a single, a double, and a pair of walks. The 21-year-old was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Central Arizona Junior College last season. Overall, Valentine is hitting .207/.319/.276 with the Storm this season. … Tyler Robertson, who has been a key contributor to the Storm offense, appeared to injure his right hamstring and left the game in the sixth inning after coming up short trying to go first-to-third on a single. The 22-year-old outfielder leads the Cal League with 12 stolen bases and has a .839 OPS on the year.
Roster Moves: The Storm made a pair of roster moves before the game. Promising right-hander Isaiah Lowe was placed on the seven-day injured list. In addition, catcher Oswaldo Linares was sent back to the Arizona League. Former Auburn backstop Jacob Campbell was promoted from the ACL to take Linares’ place on the Storm roster.
