Albuquerque Isotopes 11, Chihuahuas 10
Key Stats: DH Eguy Rosario 2-for-5; LF Tirso Ornelas 3-for-5, 2B; C Michael Cantu 2-for-5, HR (1), 2B Max Schrock 1-for-4, HR (2); SS Tim Lopes 3-for-5, 2B; RHP Anderson Espinoza 2.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 K, HBP; RHP Moises Lugo 2 IP, 0 H, 2 R (0 ER), 3 K, 2 BB
Michael Cantu connects for the Chihuahuas. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: Albuquerque took advantage of eight walks, six stolen bases, and four El Paso errors in a wild PCL affair in which eight different Chihuahuas scored, and seven drove in a run. Anderson Espinoza got his second start of the series but struggled from the outset. The righty gave up runs in each of the first two frames and then surrendered back-to-back no-doubt homers with one out in the third. His next pitch hit Isotopes hitter Daniel Montano in the helmet, leading to a clearing of the benches and an ejection for Espinoza, who appeared genuinely upset the opposition thought the pitch was intentional. While he is on pace for a career-high in innings pitched, Espinoza’s ERA now sits at 6.30. … Tirso Ornelas, who joined the Chihuahuahuas from Double-A in Albuquerque, had a three-hit day to finish the series at 5-for-25. The corner outfielder earned a second pass at Triple-A after a huge June with the Missions. Ornelas had a pair of RBI singles and smoked a double to center that came off the bat with a 114 mph exit velocity. … Eguy Rosario had two more hits and finished the series at 6-for-22 with four strikeouts as he looks to get some traction during his rehab assignment. … Michael Cantu connected on his first homer since last July to fuel a six-run fourth inning. The 27-year-old catcher, who worked an inning of mop-up relief the night before, has become a fan favorite in El Paso as a backup who has contributed over parts of four seasons.
Frisco RoughRiders 11, Missions 3
Key Stats: 2B Ripken Reyes 1-for-3, 3B, BB; 3B Juan Fernandez 1-for-4, HR (3); RHP Juan Fernandez 1 IP, 1 K; RHP Efrain Contreras 2.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R (6 ER), K; RHP Jason Blanchard 2 IP, 1 H, 5 K
Juan Fernandez continues to contribute for the Missions. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: The visitors didn’t wait for the postgame fireworks, lighting up Missions pitching for 10 runs over the first five innings to run away with it to claim a split of the series. Efrain Contreras, looking to build on two strong outings, instead got hit hard, giving up seven runs over just 2.1 innings. The righty has had a challenging year, posting a 5.57 ERA through 64.2 innings despite 80 strikeouts. … The Missions opened the game with back-to-back triples but managed just three more hits all night. The club has fallen back to the bottom of the Texas League with 340 runs scored in 75 games. … Juan Fernandez capped the Missions’ scoring with a two-run homer in the third, then came back and worked an inning of relief to save the San Antonio bullpen. The 24-year-old has been a do-everything contributor in the organization since 2016, beginning as a catcher but transitioning to infield work this season. The blast was just his 20th in 425 career games, but he’s posted a strong .311/.386/.418 line this year.
TinCaps 10, Lake County Captains 7
Key Stats: SS Jackson Merrill 1-for-4, BB, 3B Marcos Castañon 2-for-5, HR (11), 4 RBI; 1B Nathan Martorella 2-for-5, SB (4), E (8); DH Lucas Dunn 2-for-3, HR (6), BB; 2B Nerwilian Cedeño 1-for-3, SF; RHP Victor Lizarraga 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 K, 1 BB; RHP Henry Henry 2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 K, 1BB; RHP Will Geerdes (S, 2), 1 IP, 1 K
Marcos Castañon connects on another homer for Fort Wayne. (Photo: TinCaps)
Prospect Watch: This game went to the seventh as a well-pitched 2-2 tie, but the offenses took over late. Marcos Castañon capped it off with a two-out, three-run opposite-field homer that brought the TinCaps all the way back after they gave up five in the eighth inning. The blast, Castañon’s 11th of the year, pulled him into a tie for sixth in the Midwest League. The 24-year-old has been more aggressive at the plate this year, cutting his walk rate by almost 40% from last year as he sees about a half pitch fewer per plate appearance. … Victor Lizarraga leveraged a generous strike zone to turn in his best start of the year. The 19-year-old righty, working up effectively, tossed six innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts. After a rough start to the year, Lizarraga has been slowly stabilizing as the season progresses, even as he relies heavily on his fastball and change-up. Over his last six starts, he’s allowed 10 earned runs over 29.2 innings. … Nerwilian Cedeño returned to the lineup after nearly three months on the shelf with a wrist injury. The second baseman went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly to the gap, giving the TinCaps a seventh-inning lead. The 21-year-old switch-hitter, who opened the year on the back end of our Top 20 list, will be asked to contribute significantly in the second half.
The Storm had the night off and will be in Visalia today.
ACL Guardians 16, ACL Padres 12
Key Stats: DH Korry Howell 1-for-3, SB (2); C Lamar King 2-for-6, 3B, SB (4); 1B Romeo Sanabria 3-for-4, 2B, BB; 3B Jose Sanabria 2-for-5, SB (7); RHP Henry Martinez 2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 3 K, 4 BB; Jhosep Chirinos 1 IP, 3 K
Lamar King, Jr. has made plenty of loud contact at the Peoria Sports Complex. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: What do you call a game with 23 walks, 11 wild pitches, eight stolen bases, and a few hit batters played a crisp 3 hours and 58 minutes? Just another Monday in the Arizona Complex League. Righty Henry Martinez, selected out of high school in Miami in the 16th round last year, continued to struggle in his professional debut, giving up six runs over two innings of work. The 19-year-old walked four more hitters Monday, pushing his total to 19 in 15.2 innings on the year. Martinez was a projection pick for the club, hoping to add velocity as he developed. … Catcher Lamar King picked up two more hits, including his second ACL triple. The 19-year-old has missed time several games already this year and has continued to mash when he is in the lineup. He’s put together a .353/.500/.500 line in 44 plate appearances despite a concerning 34% strikeout rate. His advances at and behind the plate since the Padres made him their fourth-round pick last year continue to get rave reviews from personnel across the organization. Lefty slugger Romeo Sanabria is also pounding the ball in the desert. The 21-year-old, an 18th-round selection out of junior college in Florida last year, connected on his team-best ninth double among three more hits Monday. He now sports the league’s fifth-best slugging percentage at .635 and has pushed his OPS up to 1.095, good for third on the circuit.
