The action on the field was not the primary story of the night for the Padres’ farm system as the club reportedly moved four more prospects in a trade for Luis Arraez. You can read here for all the details of the organization’s second trade to acquire an All-Star in the last six weeks.
Sugar Land Space Cowboys 9, Chihuahuas 6
Key Statistics: 2B Clay Dungan, 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, HR (4), RBI; 3B Matthew Batten, 1-for-4, R, BB, RBI; DH Nate Mondou, 1-for-4, R, HR (4), RBI; RF Tim Locastro, 2-for-4, R; RHP Nolan Watson, 4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Bobby Milacki (L, 0-1) 2 IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB, K; RHP Kevin Kopps, IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB
Clay Dungan connected for his fourth home run of the year. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: El Paso led at two different points in this one but Sugar Land scored the final four runs of the game to win against the Chihuahuas. El Paso can win the series with a pair of wins this weekend. … Clay Dungan drew a walk and connected on his fourth homer of the season. Last season with Triple-A Omaha, Dungan hit three homers in 271 at-bats. He already has four in just 112 at-bats in his first taste of the PCL. The 27-year-old from Muncie, Indiana has been a great find after the Padres plucked him from the Royals organization in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. In 29 games, Dungan is hitting .277/.381/.527. … Veteran Nate Mondou connected on a homer for the second consecutive night. Like Dungan, it was Mondou’s fourth homer of the season. The former Oakland Athletic signed with the Padres in the offseason after spending most of last year in Triple-A with the White Sox organization. In 26 games, Mondou is hitting .292/.343/.500. … Nolan Watson has generally pitched well this season but Friday night marked his worst start of the year. The righty allowed five runs on four home runs in his four innings of work, walking a pair and striking out four. Southwest University Park has given Watson a lot of fits this year. In four starts on the road, he has a sparkling 3.18 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP. In three starts at home, those numbers jump to 8.36 and 1.64. While ERA is not the best indicator of pitcher production in the Pacific Coast League, Watson will need to find a way to limit the damage against him at home.
Roster Move: Before Friday’s game, catcher Chandler Seagle was placed on the development list. The 27-year-old has played in eight games for the Chihuahuas this season.
Cole Cummings takes over as the the Missions’ OPS leader. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Game One: Missions 4, Arkansas Travelers 3 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: LF Cole Cummings, 2-for-3, R, HR (2), 2B, 2 RBI; DH Brandon Valenzuela, 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI; Ray-Patrick Didder, 2-for-3, 2 2B; LHP Robby Snelling (W, 1-1) 5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; LHP Omar Cruz (S, 2) 1.1 IP, BB, 3 K;
Game Two: Arkansas Travelers 14, Missions 2 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: 1B Nathan Martorella, 1-for-2; RF Robert Perez Jr., 2-for-4, 2B, RBI; RHP Ryan Bergert (L, 0-2) 0.2 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, K; RHP Raul Brito, IP, H, 2 K
Nathan Martorella was 1-2 in his last game with the Padres organization. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: The Missions played two in North Little Rock Friday, winning the first game before losing the second game under bizarre circumstances. Nathan Martorella and Jakob Marsee were pulled from the game shortly after Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the Arraez trade. … Martorella went 1-for-2 in what will be his final game as a San Antonio Mission. In 25 games this season, he hit .292/.393/.427. … In the first game of the day, Cole Cummings delivered his second homer of the year, a double and a pair of RBI. He went 0-for-2 in the nightcap. Among qualifiers, Cummings had the second-highest OPS on the Missions this season, trailing just Martorella. The former UC Santa Barbara slugger has a troubling 31% K-rate but he’s supplied solid power; he ranks second in the circuit with eight doubles. With Martorella moved, Cummings should get regular reps at first base. … Robby Snelling earned the win in game one, pitching around heavy traffic. In 5.2 innings, Snelling allowed eight hits and three walks but just three runs, two of them earned. He notched four strikeouts and walked three. In five starts, Snelling has pitched to a 3.68 ERA. His 5.2 innings pitched were a season-high. … In game two, Ryan Bergert turned in arguably the worst start of his professional career. The West Virginia product recorded just two outs and allowed six runs on four hits, walking two and striking out one. It was the first time in his professional career that he failed to complete at least one inning. The rough outing on Friday ballooned Bergert’s ERA to 7.13.
Lake County Captains 6, TinCaps 4
Key Statistics: RF Kai Murphy, 2-for-4, 2B, BB; DH Ethan Salas, 1-for-5, SB (4); C Anthony Vilar, 3-for-4, R, HR (1), 4 RBI; RHP Henry Baez (L, 0-2) 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP David Morgan, 3 IP, 3 H, ER, K
Kai Murphy continues to perform well in the leadoff spot. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps took a 2-0 lead early but a five-run third inning from the Captains gave Lake County all the runs that they’d need. … Right fielder Kai Murphy had another solid game out of the leadoff spot. He singled, doubled, and drew a walk in five plate appearances. Over his last four games, the former Oregon State Beaver and Arizona State Sun Devil is 6-for-13, with three doubles and a triple. Murphy and fellow undrafted free agent Devin Ortiz have been the best hitters for a struggling TinCaps lineup this season. Both players rank in the top 20 for OPS in the Midwest League. Murphy bumped his OPS to .833. … Anthony Vilar had a three-hit game for the first time since April 28, 2023, when he was with the Storm. The 25-year-old out of the University of Miami has played sparingly this season as the primary backup for Ethan Salas. He was 3-for-26 coming into Friday’s start. … Henry Baez showed flashes on Friday night but Lake County scored five runs (four earned) off him in the third inning. Outside of that, Baez pitched well and gutted out five innings. He walked two and struck out four. The 21-year-old can run his fastball up to 97 and shows an above-average changeup, but he’s often had one poor inning that leads to a messy box score. Baez has completed five innings in both of his last two starts, but has allowed eight runs (seven earned) with all the runs coming in two of those innings. The righty has displayed the stuff to start but he will need to find a way to avoid the big inning.
San Jose Giants 4, Storm 3 (10 innings)
Key Statistics: 3B Jay Beshears, 2-for-4, R, BB; 1B Romeo Sanabria, 2-for-4, R, BB; DH Rosman Verdugo, 2-for-5, R, HR (3), 2 RBI; C J.D. Gonzalez, 1-for-5, RBI; RHP Eric Yost, 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Dwayne Matos (L, 1-2) 2 IP, 2 H, R, K
Rosman Verdugo has been hitting with more power. (Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm led early but the Giants pushed across the Manfred runner in extras to beat Lake Elsinore in dramatic fashion. The Storm have lost six straight games and nine of their last ten. … Rosman Verdugo had a pair of hits, including his third homer of the year. The developing power is a welcome sight for the 19-year-old, who is in his second season with the Storm. Last season, the Ensenada native hit three homers in 113 games; he’s equaled that total in just 14 games. He spent a week on the injured list but has homered twice since returning on April 26. Overall, Verdugo is hitting .211/.292/.404 this season. … Jay Beshears had two more singles and a walk. The 6-foot-4 infielder has been one of the bright spots on a struggling Storm team. His performance against San Jose increased his OPS to .972 which ranks fourth in the league. He also ranks second in the league with a .520 OBP. … Romeo Sanabria also reached base with a pair of singles and a walk. The Miami native has hit well out of the gate for the Storm, showing power and a good eye at the plate. Sanabria has six doubles, two homers, and 12 RBI. His .430 on-base percentage ranks tenth in the California League. … Righty Eric Yost pitched well again for a struggling Storm pitching staff but he did not factor in the decision. The 21-year-old from Northeastern worked a career-high six innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out four. In three starts since moving to the rotation, Yost has pitched to a 2.63 ERA in 13.2 innings. He’s walked four during that span with 15 strikeouts. After Friday’s loss, the Storm pitching staff has pitched to a 5.29 ERA – the third-worst in the league.
Roster Moves: The Storm placed hard-throwing reliever Luis German on the seven-day Injured List. Righty Johan Moreno was promoted from the desert to take his place. In addition, Adan Moreno, who hit the Injured List after he left his outing on April 26, underwent Tommy John surgery and was transferred to the full-season IL.
