The Chihuahuas and TinCaps both won their fourth straight, while the Missions’ four-game winning streak came to a close and the Storm fell on the road.
Chihuahuas 14, Reno Aces 8
Key Statistics: LF Preston Tucker 5-for-5, 2 HR (8), 5 RBI; SS Matthew Batten 2-for-4, HBP; 1B Alfonso Rivas 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI; DH Rangel Ravelo 2-for-5, RBI; RF Taylor Kohlwey 1-for-3, 3B, SB, 2 BB; 3B Jantzen Witte 2-for-5, HR (4), 3 RBI; CF Luis Liberato 2-for-5, 2B; RHP Anderson Espinoza 4.1 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 1 K, 4 BB; RHP Jake Sanchez (W, 1-0) 1.2 IP, 2 K; LHP Jared Koenig 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K; LHP Ray Kerr 1 IP, H
This May, it’s been Preston Tucker’s world. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: Down 7-2 in the fifth inning at home, the Chihuahuas came back with 12 runs for their fourth consecutive victory. Preston Tucker, 32, hit multiple home runs for the second time this month as part of a five-hit attack. He hit well in April at .304/.466/.482, but has been on fire in May at .397/.485/.948 with 15 extra-base hits and eight home runs in 58 plate appearances. He’s now taken the PCL lead with a 1.194 OPS. The older brother of Houston Astros star Kyle Tucker, Preston played three years in the major leagues, posting a .684 OPS. He has only appeared in left field defensively this season, but played some right field in the past. … Matthew Batten, 28, got off to a slow start in April but has rebounded this month. After reaching safely three times Saturday, he has a .406 on-base percentage and a .544 slugging percentage. He’s hit six home runs this month and is well on his way to the career-high 12 he hit last year. Now in his fourth season spent primarily at Triple-A, the utility man has also nearly equaled the 17 doubles he hit last year, with 14 through 45 games. … Ray Kerr, 28, worked the final inning to extend his scoreless appearance streak to 12 games, including two outings for the Padres at the end of April. The lefty dialed his fastball up to 100 and sat north of 98 has he lowered his ERA to 1.10 across 16.1 innings. While his strikeout rate has dropped this year, he has only walked six and allowed 13 hits on the year.
Roster Moves: Righthanders Jake Sanchez, who got the win tonight, and Sean Poppen were reinstated from the Development List.
Amarillo Sod Poodles 1, Missions 0
Key Statistics: LF Daniel Johnson 1-for-3, 2B; SS Ray-Patrick Didier 1-for-3; RHP Duncan Snider (L, 0-3) 5.0 IP, 5 H, R, 4 BB, 2 K; LHP Aaron Leasher 2.0 IP H, BB, K
Duncan Snider matched a season high with five solid innings Saturday. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: Down by a run with two outs in the ninth, pinch runner Ripken Reyes advanced to second on a wild pitch, but when the next pitch bounced, he was thrown out attempting to advance to third base to end the game. The loss ended San Antonio’s four-game winning streak, as they could only manage a pair of hits tonight. … Duncan Snider, 25, went five innings and only gave up a run in one of his better starts this season, but still needed 83 pitches. Following a strong showing with Low-A Lake Elsinore last year after he signed out of the independent American Association, San Diego pushed him to a more age-appropriate level at Double-A this year. While his ERA is improved, he is striking out fewer batters and walking more as more advanced hitters lay off his breaking ball. The 6-foot-7 righty has held opponents to two runs or less in three of his five starts in May, but has also walked 13 batters in 20.2 innings against only 10 strikeouts. Having come into the year with fewer than 50 innings in affiliated ball and working with a new delivery, Snider will get plenty of opportunity to find the zone as a starter in Double-A. … After the shutout, the Missions offense is averaging almost a run less per game than the second-worst offense in the Texas League. The team has a .223/.316/.320 line, each the lowest on the circuit by a wide margin.
Lucas Dunn got the scoring started for the TinCaps. (Photo: Jeff Nycz).
TinCaps 4, Lansing Lugnuts 0
Key Statistics: 2B Lucas Dunn 1-for-3, 3B, RBI; RF Joshua Mears 1-for-2, RBI; 1B Nathan Martorella 2-for-4, RBI; LHP Bodi Rascon (W, 1-2) 5 IP, 3 H, BB, K; RHP Nick Thwaits 3 IP, H, BB, K
Bodi Rascon had one of his best outings of the season (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps have won nine of their last twelve games and, even more impressively, have held Lansing scoreless for the past 27 innings. Lucas Dunn tripled home the first of Fort Wayne’s runs then scored the next one on the first of two TinCaps sacrifice flies. The Summit City squad added two more runs in the eighth, but the pitching staff ensured they wouldn’t be necessary. Bodi Rascon, 22, got his first win of the season with five scoreless innings. Although the lefty only notched one strikeout, he was in the zone often and only issued one walk. The 6-foot-5 Texan, an overslot signee away from Oklahoma State, throws from a three-quarters delivery. He pairs a fastball in the low 90s with a splitter that tunnels off of the fastball when it’s on to go. He can also mix ina changeup and a two-seam fastball. … Nick Thwaits had one of his better outings of the year, only facing 11 batters over three innings. The righty has fought his control this year, walking 14 in 24 innings after giving up just 19 free passes all year in 2022. … Nathan Martorella had the club’s only multi-hit game to continue a strong May. The 22-year-old first baseman is hitting .325/.438/.558 for the month, and the intense former Cal-Berkeley star is second in the league in RBI.
Rancho Cucamonga 10, Storm 6
Key Statistics: CF Samuel Zavala 1-for-3, 2 BB; C Anthony Vilar 0-for-2, 3 BB; DH Albert Fabian 2-for-5, 2B; 1B Griffin Doersching 2-for-4, RBI; RHP Henry Williams 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K, HR; LHP Fernando Sanchez (L, 2-3) 2.2 IP 10 H, 8 R (1 ER), BB, K; RHP Kobe Robinson 1 IP
Prospect Watch: Tied at three in the bottom of the sixth, the Quakes took advantage of a two-out throwing error that opened the floodgates and put seven runs on the board to blow it open. … Samuel Zavala singled and walked twice and has now reached base in 13 of his last 14 games. One of the top prospects in the Padres system, the Venezuelan center fielder has a .306/.451/.468 line for the month. For the year, he has produced about 25 percent above league average as an 18-years-old. … After hitting .378 in April, catcher Anthony Vilar, 24, has had a rough May, hitting just .118. However, with three more walks Saturday, he still has a .361 OPB for the month. … Henry Williams, 21, continued his return from Tommy John surgery with his third start. So far, all is progressing well for the righty, who threw 49 pitches, 29 for strikes, Saturday. Through seven innings so far, he has eight strikeouts against three walks and has allowed two homers. We talked with the Duke product. who is now about 30 pounds heavier than his listed weight, during spring training about the process of coming back from his elbow injury. … After winning the first three games of the series, the Storm will try to claim the series on the road today.
