Tacoma Rainiers 10, Chihuahuas 5
Jantzen Witte with the El Paso Strawberry Margaritas. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Key Statistics: 3B Jantzen Witte, 3-for-4, 2 R, HR (10), 2 RBI; CF Jose Azocar, 1-for-4, HR (4), RBI; 1B Alfonso Rivas, 1-for-4, R, RBI; RHP Pedro Avila, 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 6 K; RHP Drew Carlton, IP, 4 H, 4 ER, K; RHP Eric Hanhold (L, 3-2) IP, 2 H, 2 R, ER
Prospect Watch: El Paso held a 5-1 lead in this one before surrendering six runs in the seventh inning to lose their second straight to Tacoma at home. In a rare occurrence, neither team drew a walk all night … On the mound, El Paso got another solid outing from righty Pedro Avila. Avila threw the first five innings, keeping the Rainiers’ offense at bay. He allowed just one run on three hits, striking out six. Aside from a poor outing last week, Avila has thrown the ball well in June. In his last 17 innings, the former big leaguer has walked just one batter while holding opponents to a .261 average – a nice feat considering the PCL is full of launching pads. He has pitched to a 4.76 ERA this month. … At the plate, third baseman Jantzen Witte continues to pace the El Paso offensive attack. The 33-year-old veteran had three hits, including his tenth homer of the season. Witte has hit in seven straight games, including four consecutive multi-hit affairs. His three-hit night raised his June slashline to an impressive .318/.374/.566 with five homers and 18 RBI. The nine-year minor league veteran hit a career-high 19 homers in 2021 before spending a year in Japan. … Center fielder Jose Azocar hit his fourth homer of the year in the loss. Over the last two seasons, Azocar has accumulated 271 plate appearances without a homer in the big leagues, but he has connected on four in 85 plate appearances with the Chihuahuas. Overall, the former Tigers farmhand is hitting .293/.318/.476 since being optioned to the Sun City.
Missions 4, Midland RockHounds 3
Key Statistics: RF Tirso Ornelas, 3-for-5, 2 RBI; LF-CF Daniel Johnson, 2-for-4; 3B Jake Perez, 2-for-4, 2 R; LHP Daniel Camarena, 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB, 3 K; LHP Aaron Leasher, IP, 2 BB, K; RHP Jose Quezada (W, 2-1) 1.1 IP, H, K
Prospect Watch: There was a palpable buzz in the air in San Antonio Friday. No, it wasn’t the arrival of potential superstar basketball Victor Wenbenyama’s arrival in the city; it was Mark Wilkens and John Conniff arriving in the Alamo City. Read their game story here.
TinCaps 6, South Bend Cubs 4
Jakob Marsee has crossed the plate more than any Midwest League hitter. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Key Statistics: SS Jackson Merrill, 1-for-5; CF Jakob Marsee, 2-for-3, 3 R, 2 BB, 2B, 2 SB (21, 22); 3B Marcos Castañon, 2-for-4, R, HR (8), 3 RBI, BB; 2B Lucas Dunn, 2-for-4, BB; DH Carlos Luis, 2-for-4; RF Joshua Mears, 1-for-4, R, HR (6), RBI; LHP Bodi Rascon (W, 2-2) 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 5 K; RHP Nick Thwaits (S, 3) 2 IP, 3 H, ER, K
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps used a pair of homers to beat South Bend again on the road to open the second half with a win. They have an opportunity to improve to .500 overall on the year with a win on Saturday after a dreadful start to the year. … Jakob Marsee was the spark plug that kept the Fort Wayne offense moving Friday night, contributing a pair of hits, two walks, and a pair of stolen bases. In addition, he scored three of Fort Wayne’s six runs. Marsee has been excellent at the top of the lineup all season for the TinCaps. However, his best work has come in June. Marsee has a .854 OPS this month while scoring 22 runs. The former Central Michigan star leads the Midwest League with 53 runs scored and ranks fifth with 22 stolen bases. … Third baseman Marcos Castañon had two hits, including his eighth homer of the year. The 24-year-old has had a solid but not necessarily spectacular season in the Midwest League. He has cut his strikeout rate to 21.7% in High-A, down slightly from the 23.5% mark he posted last year in the Cal League. The power has not been as frequent, but he is capable of hitting homers in bunches, much like he did with Lake Elsinore last year. In June, the former UCSB star is hitting .300/.356/.450. … Right fielder Joshua Mears connected on his sixth homer of the year in the Fort Wayne win. The powerful outfielder has struggled mightily in June, hitting just .125 (5-for-40) with 25 strikeouts in 50 plate appearances. … Left-handed starter Bodi Rascon pitched well and earned his second victory of the season. It was the third time this season that the Texas native completed five innings. He allowed two runs (one earned), walking two and striking out five. Overall, Rascon has pitched to a 4.97 ERA this season.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 4, Storm 0
Key Statistics: RF Kai Murphy, 1-for-2, BB; 3B Devin Ortiz, 1-for-3, BB; LHP Miguel Cienfuegos (L, 0-1) 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K; RHP Henry Baez, 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K
Prospect Watch: The Storm had a rough one in Rancho, as they managed just three singles in a loss. … Right fielder Kai Murphy, who singled and drew a walk, was the only member of the Storm to reach base twice. The former ASU Sun Devil, who raised his batting average to .282, has been a solid contributor offensively for the Storm after signing as an undrafted free agent last summer. In June, Murphy is hitting .324/.395/.412 with six doubles and 11 RBI. … Lefthander Miguel Cienfuegos made the start and pitched relatively well in his four innings of work. He allowed a pair of runs on three hits, walking one and striking out three. The 26-year-old began the season with the TinCaps but went on the injured list in April. He made a pair of outings in the ACL before joining the Storm. Technically, Cienfuegos is still on a rehab assignment, so his next start could come with Fort Wayne next week. … Righty Henry Baez took over Cienfuegos and pitched to a very similar line as his teammate. In four innings, the 20-year-old Baez allowed two runs on five hits, walking one and striking out a pair. Overall, Baez has pitched to a 4.44 ERA with Lake Elsinore this season.
ACL White Sox 8, ACL Padres 3
Zack Qin went from MLB’s development program in China to the Padres in 2022. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Key Statistics: DH Oswaldo Linares, 2-for-3, R, 2 BB, 2B; RF Braedon Karpathios, 1-for-3, 2B, R, 2 BB; C Jacob Campbell, 1-for-4, SB (1); RHP Braden Nett (L, 0-1) 1.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 BB, K; RHP Gabe Mosser, 2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, ER, BB, 3 K; LHP Zack Qin, 4 IP, H, 3 BB, 3 K
Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres went down in the desert, losing to the ACL White Sox. … Oswaldo Linares had a pair of hits and drew two more walks in the loss. The 20-year-old has swung a hot bat in the desert after playing sparingly with the Storm earlier this season. The backstop has a fantastic 1.176 OPS in 12 games with the ACL team. He’s drawn a remarkable 18 walks in 55 plate appearances and has made loud contact when he’s gotten pitches in the zone. … Righties Braden Nett and Gabe Mosser each made another rehab appearance as they ramp up to join a full-season squad. Mosser pitched 2.1 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) before departing. The 27-year-old has made five appearances in the desert, throwing a total of nine innings. The sinker-baller started five games for the Missions last season before going down with an injury. … Young lefty Zack Qin made his third appearance his best one yet. The 18-year-old from China pitched four shutout innings, allowing just one hit. He walked three and struck out three. In three outings with the ACL squad, Qin has a 5.59 ERA in 9.2 innings.
