Las Vegas Aviators 7, Chihuahuas 6
Key Stats: C Kevin Plawecki 3-for-4, HR (3); SS Matthew Batten 2-for-4, 2B; LF Preston Tucker 2-for-3, 2 BB; CF Jose Azocar 2-for-5, SB (1); RHP Matt Waldron 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 5 K, 2 BB; RHP Nabil Crismatt 1 IP, 1 H; RHP Moises Lugo 1 IP, 2 H, 1 K, 1 BB; RHP Angel Felipe 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, HB, WP, K
Matthew Batten was 2-4 on the day. (Photo: Jorege Salgado).
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas took a lead to the bottom of the ninth, but the Aviators took advantage of a sloppy inning from Angel Felipe to walk off with a win and earn a split of the series. Felipe, who was still pumping fastballs at 97-98 on Sunday, hit the leadoff batter, uncorked a wild pitch on strike three, and was victimized by a pair of stolen bases before a single plated the winning run. The massive righty has struck out 32 in 20 innings of work, but has allowed 13 free passes as he continues to struggle to find a consistent release point with his long release. His 7.20 ERA is nearly double the mark that earned him a spot on the 40-player roster last summer. … Kevin Plawecki, who enjoyed the wonders of having Las Vegas as a home ballpark coming up as a Mets prospect last decade, connected on his third homer in nine games since signing with the Padres organization last month. The 32-year-old, who has a .654 OPS in more than 1400 big league plate appearances, has a .956 mark with only two strikeouts in 34 at-bats for the Chihuahuas after starting the year in the Pirates and Nationals systems. … Righty Nabil Crismatt, who can spend up to 10 more days on his rehab assignment, worked a scoreless inning. He’s allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits in 9.2 innings since joining El Paso in mid-May and could be hard pressed to find a spot again in what has been a productive big league bullpen.
Cole Cummings has a .954 OPS with San Antonio. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Frisco RoughRiders 8, Missions 7
Key Stats: DH Michael De La Cruz 3-for-4; LF Cole Cummings 1-for-4, HR (2); 2 B Ripken Reyes 2-for-4, 2 SB (10); RHP Nolan Watson 3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 3 BB; RHP Jason Blanchard 2 IP, 1 K, 1 BB; RHP Alek Jacob 1 IP, 1 K
Prospect Watch: A five-run fourth inning by the home team sunk the Missions in the series finale Sunday. Nolan Watson, who has been incredibly effective at keeping runs off the board all year, had a rare loss of his command in the big inning, issuing three walks, all of which turned into runs. Watson, 26, allowed only five free passes through his first 28.1 innings of the season, but has issued three each in his last two starts. The one-time Royals first rounder out of high school has posted a 4.75 ERA in 140 Double-A innings since signing with the Padres as a minor league free agent before last season. … Cole Cummings continued to enjoy his transition to the Texas League, connecting on his second homer in nine games since his promotion. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter has a .954 OPS in his first 30 at-bats with the Missions. He impressed at the plate in the first half of last season, his first full year of professional baseball after the Padres signed him as an undrafted free agent out of UC Santa Barbara in 2021. … Alek Jacob tossed another scoreless inning, extending his streak to 10.1 frames over seven outings. The 24-year-old righty has posted an impressive 14:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in that stretch. His funky movement and unique movement on his pitches have led to an eye-catching 125:21 mark in 93 career innings.
TinCaps 8, South Bend Cubs 2
Victor Lizarraga turned in five strong innings on Sunday. (Photo: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Key Stats: CF Jakob Marsee 2-for-4, SB (16), CS (5); LF Justin Farmer 3-for-4; RHP Victor Lizarraga 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 1 BB; RHP Chris Lincoln 1.2 IP, 1 BB
Prospect Watch: Victor Lizarraga picked up his first win of the season as he got stretched back out to five innings for the first time in almost a month after a stomach bug set him back. The 19-year-old righty only recorded two strikeouts, but induced plenty of weak contact. He faced just two men over the minimum through the first four innings before allowing a homer and an infield single in the fifth, but finished the frame with a K and groundout. Lizarraga continues to work to find a consistent breaking ball, and has a 4.83 ERA in just 31.2 innings of work so far this year. … The TinCaps strung together five hits and a walk as part of a six-run seventh inning to claim the win. Juan Zabala and Jakob Marsee each drove in a pair of runs and scored during the rally. Marsee, who finished the day with a pair of hits, also swiped his organization-best 16th base in the contest. … Outfielder Justin Farmer paced the club with three hits to cap a strong series against the Cubs. The 24-year-old, acquired as an undrafted free agent in 2021, hit in five of the six games in the series, going 7-for-21 with a pair of doubles.
Visalia Rawhide 7, Storm 5
Prospect Watch: DH Graham Pauley 2-for-5, 2 2B; CF Samuel Zavala 1-for-2, 3 BB, 2 SB (8); SS Rosman Verdugo 2-for-4, 2 2B; RHP Miguel Mendez 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 K, 1 BB; RHP David Morgan 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 1 BB
Prospect Watch: Visalia rallied for four runs in the seventh inning to claim the victory and secure a split of the series. Graham Pauley continued his strong campaign for the Storm, connecting on a pair of doubles in five trips to the plate. The Padres’ 13th-round pick out of Duke in last year’s draft, Pauley leads the Cal League with a .444 on-base percentage. A left-handed batter, Pauley has hit in each of the first four slots in the lineup, showing versatility to be both a table-setter and a run producer. Thanks to his high baseball IQ, he’s swiped 12 bases in 14. … Rosman Verdugo snapped out of a 1-for-20 skid with a pair of doubles of his own Sunday. Just 18 years old, the Storm shortstop is – his famously-younger teammate notwithstanding – incredibly young for the league. The Ensenada, Baja California, native has struck out at a 30% clip, but has shown surprising line drive pop with the room for more when he does make contact. He now leads the circuit with 16 doubles among his 31 hits. … Starter Miguel Mendez, who was stellar in his first two appearances after joining the club mid-May, had his first hiccup Sunday, allowing three earned runs while laboring a bit through his four innings of work. The righty has added an inch or two and filled out since signing a few months before his 19th birthday in 2021, and has shown good feel for a balanced arsenal in the early going.
