Las Vegas Aviators 10, Chihuahuas 4
Key Statistics: LF Tim Lopes, 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B; DH Preston Tucker, 1-for-3, BB; RF David Dahl, 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI; RHP Anderson Espinoza, 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 4 K; RHP Jake Sanchez (L, 1-1) IP, 6 H, 6 ER, K; LHP Jose Castillo, IP, K
Tim Lopes had a multi-hit game Friday night. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: El Paso led 4-3 in the sixth, but Las Vegas used a six-run inning to pull away with the win. … Versatile Tim Lopes started in left field and had a pair of hits to push his batting average back over .300. The 29-year-old has played five different positions this season while posting a solid .882 OPS. … Preston Tucker followed up his four-hit night Thursday with a double and a walk on Friday. Tucker’s 1.172 OPS ranks second in the circuit. He sports a fantastic .475 on-base percentage, ranking fourth in the hitter-friendly PCL. … Outfielder David Dahl singled, doubled, and drove in a pair of runs Friday night. The pair of hits extended his modest hitting streak to four games. Dahl opened the season on the Padres roster but, after a stint on the injured list, was optioned to El Paso on May 18. Overall, Dahl has a .722 OPS with the Chihuahuas. … Righty Anderson Espinoza struggled with command but was in a position to win before he was pulled. Espinoza fired five innings and allowed 11 baserunners, including five walks. He notched four strikeouts as well. The 25-year-old starter has shown flashes this season, but his inconsistency has undermined his overall line. In 40 innings, Espinoza has walked 31 batters.
Frisco RoughRiders 8, Missions 7 (10 innings)
Key Statistics: CF Daniel Johnson, 3-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 SB (8, 9, 10); SS-3B Connor Hollis, 1-for-3, R, HR (3) RBI, 2 BB, 4 RBI; LF Jorge Oña, 1-for-4, R, HR (2), RBI; RHP Duncan Snider, 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, BB, 6 K; RHP Michel Baez, IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, K; RHP Kevin Kopps (L, 3-1) 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB, K
Duncan Snider turned in his best start of the year for San Antonio. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: The Missions looked to have this one in the bag, but a late rally by Frisco led to heartbreak for San Antonio. Going into the ninth, the Missions held a 7-2 lead, but Frisco scored five times to tie it, and they scored in extras to pull out the win. … The implosion by the Missions bullpen prevented starter Duncan Snider from his first win at Double-A. The 25-year-old turned in his finest start of the season, working into the sixth inning, allowing two unearned runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out six. The Iowa native has done a good job preventing runs in his first crack at the Double-A level. In 10 starts with the Missions, Snider has a 3.38 ERA. Importantly for Snider, he struck out a season-high, landing his big breaking ball for called strikes often enough that he also was able to get batters to chase. … Outfielder Daniel Johnson had a monster night to pace the Missions’ offense. The former Indians big leaguer reached base five times with three singles and a pair of walks. Once he got on base, he added three stolen bases to his ledger. … The 27-year-old also extended his hitting streak to six games in the process. Johnson hasn’t shown the power he has in the past, but his speed can be game-changing if he can reach base. He started slowly in April, but his big night at the plate pushed his season OPS above .700. … Connor Hollis socked his third homer of the season and drove in four in the loss. The 2022 Texas League batting champion got off to a slow start this year but has shown some signs of life over the last few weeks. He finished May with a .356 on-base percentage after posting a .309 mark in April. … Michel Baez and Kevin Kopps were tagged for the game’s final six runs. After working out of a two-on, two-out jam for a scoreless eighth, Baez returned out of the ninth. The big righty, who was moved off the 40-player roster in spring training and moved down from El Paso last month, gave up a double and two walks before giving way. Kopps hit the first batter he saw to plate a run, then gave up a grand slam to tie the game. The 26-year-old righty has done an excellent job of cutting his walk rate and increasing strikeouts this season, but opponents’ slugging percentage is up almost 100 points from last year.
TinCaps 4, South Bend Cubs 3
Key Statistics: SS Jackson Merrill, 3-for-4, R, 2B; DH Carlos Luis, 2-for-4, 2 RBI; RHP Ryan Bergert (W, 3-1) 6 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 5 K; RHP Bobby Milacki (S, 1) 1.2 H
Ryan Bergert dominated again on Friday. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps scored four runs in the third to defeat the Cubs. … Jackson Merrill had three hits, including a double. It was the fourth multi-hit effort in five games for the 20-year-old shortstop. Merrill seems to be hitting his stride after shaking off an illness that caused him to miss time in April and May. Over his last six games, he is 12-for-22 with a double and a homer. … Carlos Luis started as the designated hitter and singled twice with a pair of RBI. The 23-year-old has shown power in batting practice but has had trouble translating it to game situations. Luis has continued to improve at the plate, and while the power hasn’t shown up, he’s striking out in just 15% of his plate appearances while walking a career-high 12% of the time. Overall, Luis has produced league-average offense. There’s still a lot of untapped potential in Luis’ bat, and it will be interesting to see his progression throughout the summer. … Righthander Ryan Bergert dominated once again as his breakout was in full effect. Bergert worked six shutout innings and allowed just two hits. He walked three and struck out five. Over his last 24 innings, Bergert has allowed just two earned runs while racking up 26 strikeouts. Walks can still be a problem sometimes, but Bergert is starting to get results matching his potential on the mound. Friday’s outing lowered his ERA to 1.42.
Visalia Rawhide 12, Storm 8
Key Statistics: 3B Graham Pauley, 3-for-5, 3B, RBI; RF-LF Nick Vogt, 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B; LF-CF Kai Murphy, 2-for-4, R; RHP Henry Baez (L, 3-1) 4.2 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; LHP Adrian Morejon, 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 K
Prospect Watch: Kevin Charity was on-site covering a rough one in Lake Elsinore.
