Sacramento River Cats 7, Chihuahuas 3
Key Stats: 3B Graham Pauley 1-for-3, R, BB, E; CF Óscar Mercado 2-for-4, HR (3), 2B, 2 R; 1B Nate Mondou 2-for-3, RBI, BB; LHP Jay Groome 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K; LHP Adrian Morejon IP, BB; RHP Kevin Kopps (L, 0-1) IP, H, ER, BB, K; RHP Alek Jacob IP, 2 H, 4 R (1 ER), 3 BB
Jay Groome has yet to allow a hit in 2024. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: 3B Graham Pauley made his Triple-A debut and walked then was almost immediately picked off. Pauley would later single and score, giving him a solid but not spectacular first game. Between his time and San Diego and Wednesday night in El Paso, Pauley has 15 plate appearances in 14 games. … Pauley scored thanks to a towering home run by center fielder Óscar Mercado. The 29-year-old was one of the last cuts in Spring Training this year and had been slumping entering the game but raised his slugging percentage over 100 points. Small sample sizes are a lot of fun. … Southpaw Jay Groome came off a brief stint on the IL to make the start and continued to struggle with location. Of the 31 pitches he threw, only 15 were for strikes. His fastball is still averaging just over 90 mph, although he did reach back for 93 to strike out his final batter of the game. On the bright side, in four innings this season Groome has yet to allow a hit and has struck out five. … Adrian Morejon continues to be the biggest enigma in the Padres system. He walked the first batter on four pitches, missing badly each time. Then retired the next three batters on seven pitches -five strikes – where every swing looked uncomfortable. He generated two weak grounders and a popup, pairing a 98 mph sinker with an 82 mph slider that wasn’t fair to hitters. His velocity and spin rate were up more than anyone on either side of the ball this. Morejon looked like a man among boys. If Morejon can consistently throw strikes, he will help out the big league team.
Roster Moves: Daniel Camarena was placed on the development list to make room for Groome’s return from the IL.
Marcos Castañon connects a party of a big night at the plate. (Photo: Ashley Monjaras)
Missions 6, NW Arkansas Naturals 2
Key Stats: RHP Jared Kollar (W, 1-0) 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 5 K; RF Connor Hollis 3-for-4, 2 SB (2), R, RBI; CF Jakob Marsee 0-for-4, BB, SB (4), R; 2B Ripken Reyes 1-for-2, 2B, 2 R, RBI; 3B Marcos Castañon 3-for-4, 2 2B, SB (2), RBI
Prospect Watch: After taking their first loss of the year Tuesday, the Missions rode to victory behind strong pitching and two fantastic performances on offense. Third baseman Marcos Castañon collected three hits including two doubles. The 25-year-old, coming off a strong 2023 when he posted an .813 OPS between Fort Wayne and San Antonio has reached base safely 11 times in the first five games. Possibly more impressive for a player who has been asked to focus on improving his athleticism, after entering the year with one career stolen base, Castañon already has two in five games this year. … Two years ago, second baseman Connor Hollis was arguably the best player in San Antonio. He won a batting title and had a .901 OPS. Last year, he struggled to stay healthy, and his OPS dropped over 200 points. This year, Hollis is hoping for another chance at health. After an 0-for on Opening Day, Hollis now has five hits in his last three games, doubling his average Wednesday from .167 to .313. … Undrafted free agent signee Jared Kollar posted a stellar 1.67 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP for Fort Wayne early last year to earn a promotion to San Antonio, but had mixed results for the Missions in the second half. Wednesday, Kollar showed exceptional control and generated a good amount of swing-and-miss while allowing just one run on three hits. He doesn’t light up the radar gun, but he can land his pitches in any quadrant and keeps hitters guessing.
TinCaps rained out
Fort Wayne’s second game hosting Lake County was postponed due to rain. They’ll play a doubleheader on Saturday. Lefty Jagger Haynes will have to wait one more day to make his season debut.
Storm 8, Modesto Nuts 5
Key Stats: CF Dillon Head 3-for-6, 2B, SB (2), R; SS Jay Beshears 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB; 1B Romeo Sanabria 3-for-5, 2 R, BB; RF Braedon Karpathios 2-for-6, 2 2B, 2 R; DH Ryan Wilson 4-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, SB (1); LHP Javier Chacon (W, 1-0) 4 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 4 K
Prospect Watch: The Storm had 16 hits and nine walks to win despite going just 4-for-20 with RISP and leaving a staggering 16 runners on base. Top prospect Dillon Head had his first three-hit game as a professional on his way to a new career high with four total bases. While he is off to a tepid 6-for-27 start, three of his hits have gone for extra bases. He has not walked yet while striking out at least once in every game. … Hitting right behind him, shortstop Jay Beshears reached base four times. Not only does the former Duke Blue Devil have a five-game hitting streak to start the year, but he has also walked in each contest on his way to a red-hot .692 OBP in the early going. By contrast, Beshears hit just .179/.250/.238 with seven walks in 31 games after the Padres drafted him last summer. … Entering The game, last year’s ninth-round pick out of Davidson, Ryan Wilson, was hitting .125 with a .592 OPS. After a 4-for-4 night, the 22-year-old outfielder bumped his OPS by more than 400 points. The North Carolina native also swiped his first professional stolen base as the organization pushes aggressive play on the bar paths. … The Padres signed Cuban LHP Javier Chacon back in January of 2021. In the three seasons since, Chacon has thrown a total of 67.2 innings, missing large portions of each season due to injury. Finally healthy, Chacon looked great in his first multi-inning outing of the year. While injuries have been an issue, Chacon has averaged 11.9 K/9. If he can stay healthy the 21-year-old can become another pitching prospect to keep an eye on.
Roster Moves: The Storm placed righty Jonney Rosario on the IL after he made just one appearance. Righthanded pitcher Xavier Ruiz was brought up to fill his spot. Ruiz, 21, split last season between the ACL and Lake Elsinore, struggling to a 9.28 in six games with the Storm. Ruiz pitched the ninth inning on Wednesday and notched the save.
Charlis Aquino was released from the Storm roster, ending his five-year tenure in the organization. To fill his roster spot, the club promoted fellow utility man Chase Valentine from the ACL. Valentine, 21, played in 38 games for the Storm last year, hitting .161/.261/.218.
In addition, outfielder Juan Murillo was released from the ACL roster. The 21-year-old hit .303/.366/.477 in two seasons in the Arizona Complex League but he was unable to make the Storm roster in each of the last two seasons.
