Albuquerque Isotopes 11, Chihuahuas 8
Key Statistics: CF Cal Mitchell 1-for-2, 2B, BB; DH Donovan Solano 1-for-3, RBI, BB; 2B Nate Mondou 2-for-5, 2B, HR (1) RBI; RF-CF Oscar Mercado 2-for-5, HR (4) 3 RBI; SS Mason McCoy 2-for-5; LF Tirso Ornelas 1-for-5, HR (1) 3 RBI; RHP Gabe Mosser (L, 0-1) 0.1 IP, 5 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, K; RHP Alek Jacob 2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 K; LHP Paul Fry IP, BB
Oscar Mercado went deep again Saturday. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: Despite being down 7-0 before they even had a chance to hit, the hometown Chihuahuas did make a game of it before falling short. The Isotopes have taken three of the first five games. … Donovan Solano, 36, made his Padres organization debut with a sacrifice fly in the third inning for the first El Paso run and later walked and singled. Last year with the Minnesota Twins, he hit .282 with an OPS of .760, playing the majority of his games at first base, with a few at second and third. … Tirso Ornelas hit his first home run of the season, a three-run shot to left field. It’s been a slow start for the Tijuana native as he attempts to put the ball in the air more. Four of his seven hits have been for extra bases. .. Gabe Mosser, 27, who pitched last year with Lake Elsinore and San Antonio, made his Triple-A debut and only managed to get one out, ending up with an ugly 189.00 ERA.
Roster Moves: RHP Logan Gillaspie returned from San Diego, while fellow right-hander Randy Vásquez got the start with the big club. Graham Pauley also rejoined the Padres, with Matthew Batten and Solano backfilling the Chihuahuas.
Missions 8, Corpus Christi Hooks 4,
Key Statistics: 1B Nathan Martorella 2-for-5, 2 RBI; C Brandon Valenzuela 2-for-4, RBI, BB; 3B Connor Hollis 2-for-5, RBI; CF Jakob Marsee 1-for-3, 2 BB, RBI; SB DH Robert Perez, Jr. 1-for-4, BB, RBI; SS Ray-Patrick Didder 1-for-4, HR (3), 2 RBI, SB; RHP Ryan Bergert 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K; RHP Reggie Lawson (W, 1-0) 1.1 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 K; RHP Carter Loewen 2 IP, H, 1 R ( 0 ER), 2 BB, 3 K; LHP Jayvien Sandridge 1 IP, BB, 2 K
Nathan Mrtorella has been hammering the baseball this year. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)
Prospect Watch: The Missions put five runs on the board in the second inning and tacked on two in the ninth to take their second game of the series. They will try for the split Sunday. … Ryan Bergert came up an out shy of getting the win as he left after collecting his fourth strikeout on his 77th pitch of the game. The 24-year-old has pounded the zone with 17 strikeouts against a single walk in three starts and 12.2 innings so far this year. He has yet to give up a home run. … Nathan Martorella continued his strong start with two more hits to give him 19 on the season, good for third in the league. He owns a .358/.462/.491 line through 65 plate appearances. … Jakob Marsee reached base three times with a hit and two walks. Despite a .148 batting average, thanks in part to 12 walks, he leads the league with eight stolen bases in nine attempts. Saturday was his first game this season without a strikeout. He has 20 in 66 plate appearances. … It was nice to see Reggie Lawson, 26, get his first win since returning to baseball. The former second round pick retired in 2022 because of shoulder problems, but decided to mount a comeback over the offseason after finally feeling healthy. The numbers aren’t where he would like them to be yet, but the 6-foot-5, Victorville, California native still shows flashes of his potential.
Devin Ortiz had the big hit Saturday. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
TinCaps 7, Dayton Dragons 5
Key Statistics: C Ethan Salas 1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB; 1B Albert Fabian 3-for-4, 2 2B, BB; 3B Devin Ortiz 3-for-5 HR (2), 3 RBI; CF Lucas Dunn 2-for-5, HR (1), 2 RBI; RF Kai Murphy 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI; SS Nik McClaughry 1-for-3, BB; RHP Dylan Lesko 5 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 2 WP; RHP Ruben Galindo 2 IP, 2 H, K; RHP Manuel Castro (S, 2) 1IP, K
Ethan Salas reached base three times on Saturday. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps won their third straight game in Dayton when Devin Ortiz crushed a two-run home run in the ninth inning to put Fort Wayne over the top. Ortiz, 25, an undrafted free agent from the University of Virginia, spent most of last year with the Storm, seeing time at first and third base while posting an OPS of .703. He is off to a hot start with a .316/.395/.526 line. .. Dylan Lesko matched his career high by throwing five innings, although he needed 75 pitches to get there. The top righthanded pitching prospect in the organization has shown plenty of stuff through three starts, but his control remains spotty. He’s struck out 11, but issued 10 walks and hit a pair in 12 innings. Opponents have managed just three hits against him for a microscopic .086 average. … Ruben Galindo needed only 23 pitches to make it through two innings. The Colombian native has pitched well in his country’s winter leagues and put together a solid run with the Storm last year, posting a 1.02 ERA and 49 strikeouts against only 12 walks in 44 innings. He’s off to a strong start this season in Fort Wayne with seven strikeouts in six scoreless innings against only a single walk. … Ethan Salas had a solid day at the plate with a double and a pair of walks to push his slash line to .222/.345/.311. … After going hitless in the first two games of the series, Kai Murphy now has six hits, including three doubles, in the last two. … Manuel Castro picked up his second save in two nights.
Storm 5, Visalia Rawhide 3
Key Statistics: CF Dillon Head 2-for-4, HR (1); 1B Romeo Sanabria 2-for-3, HR (2), BB; RHP Isaiah Lowe 2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K; LHP Javier Chacon (W, 2-0) 2.2 IP, H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K; RHP Breck Eichelberger 1.1 IP, H; RHP Xavier Ruiz (S, 2) 1 IP, H, K
Isaiah Lowe is on the mound for the Storm. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm won their fourth in five games against the Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate at the Diamond. They were led by a pair of solo home runs by Romeo Sanabria and Dillon Head. After getting off to a rough start, Head is starting to pick it up and has five extra-base in 12 games. Sanabria, 22, who dominated the Arizona Complex League in 2023, is off to a swift start with his .367 batting average good enough for second in the Cal League, and an OPS at 1.007. We chatted with him in the Spring, and he discussed his transition from catcher to first base and how much more comfortable he is this year The lefthanded hitter can drive the ball to all fields and is pulling the ball more effectively as he grows more into a 6-foot-2, 225-pound frame. … Isaiah Lowe, 21, is slowly ramping up, but a 1.50 ERA in his first six innings with eight strikeouts is a nice sign. Lowe has walked six but still only allowed one run in three games.
