Sugar Land Space Cowboys 12, Chihuahuas 5
Jackson Wolf threw six strong innings on Sunday, to no avail. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Key Stats: CF Bryce Johnson 2-for-3, 2 BB, 3 SB (8); SS Matthew Batten 1-for-3, 2B, BB; 1B Kevin Plawecki 2-for-5; LHP Jackson Wolf 6 IP 2 H 1 R (0 ER) 3 K, 2 BB; LHP Tom Cosgrove 0.0 IP 3 H 4 ER BB; RHP Alek Jacob 0.2 IP 4 H 3 ER
Prospect Watch: Jackson Wolf turned in his second strong start of the series, but the El Paso bullpen melted down as this one got away from them over the final three innings. Wolf, 25, allowed only one unearned run over six innings despite not hitting 90 mph with a single pitch on the day. The 6-foot-7 lefty with a funky delivery got whiffs on five of 12 swings against his breaking balls and got weak contact when the curve and slider were put into play. Wolf gave up 11 earned runs in 10 innings across his first three starts. Still, since then, he has allowed just two over 15.2 frames while striking out 17. … Tom Cosgrove, who dazzled as a rookie last year but has paid for leaving both his sweeper and sinker up in the zone more often this season, had a rough go in his first appearance since getting sent down from the big league club. The lefty came in with a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning but gave up a single, homer, double, and walk without retiring a batter before giving way. He’ll get the chance to work on mechanical adjustments to get back to last year’s form while awaiting another opportunity in San Diego. … Switch-hitting outfielder Bryce Johnson had two hits for the second consecutive game and drew a pair of walks. He took advantage of being on base, swiping a season-high three bases. The 28-year-old has bumped his on-base percentage up to .409 and has eight stolen bases in nine tries.
Missions Rained Out
Bad weather scrubbed the final game of the Arkansas series. Because the clubs don’t meet again in the first half, the game will be canceled and not made up.
Lake County Loons 6, TinCaps 0
Francis Pena has been a key part of the TinCaps bullpen. (Photo: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Key Stats: RHP Ruben Galindo 2 IP 2 H 2 ER 3 K, 2 BB; RHP Francis Pena 2 IP, H K 2 BB; CF Homer Bush 1-for-3, SB (12); 3B Devin Ortiz 1-for-3
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps managed just three singles as they dropped their third straight to finish off a losing series in suburban Cleveland. They will continue their two-week road trip in West Michigan. Homer Bush, Jr. had one of the three hits on the day, a line drive to center. The fleet-footed center fielder promptly stole second for his system-best 12th of the year. Bush, who has yet to collect an extra-base hit through his first 94 plate appearances, has also legged out nine infield hits among his 18 on the season. … Righty Ruben Galindo made his first start of the year, allowing a pair of runs over two innings. The 23-year-old righty had posted a 2.84 ERA through 12.2 innings in seven relief appearances. The native of Colombia originally signed back in 2019. He first reached Fort Wayne late last year after a stellar run with Lake Elsinore, where he posted a 1.02 ERA across 44 innings. … Right-hander Francis Pena tossed a pair of scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 0.73. The 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic has only struck out nine through 12.1 innings but is holding opponents to a .190 average.
Game 1: Storm 7, San Jose Giants 6
Key Stats: 3B Jay Beshears 2-for-4; SS Rosman Verdugo 2-for-4, HR (4); RHP Isaiah Lowe 3.2 IP 2 H 2 ER 4 K 2 BB; RHP Xavier Ruiz (S, 3) IP H K
Game 2: Storm 9, San Jose Giants 6
Key Stats: RF Braedon Karpathios 2-for-5; 3B Jay Beshears 0-for-1, 2 BB, SF; 1B Romeo Sanabria 4-for-4, HR (3); C Oswaldo Linares 2-for-3, 2B; RHP Miguel Mendez 3 IP 3 H 2 ER 2 K 1 BB; RHP Keegan Collett 2 IP 1 H 3 K
Rosman Verdugo has made significant strides in his second pass at the Cal League. (Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm got a much-needed sweep of the doubleheader to snap a six-game losing streak before starting the long bus ride home from San Jose. In the opener, Elsinore rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh and final inning, aided by a two-run Giants error. The comeback redeemed the club after they had lost leads of 1-0 and 3-2 early in the game. Rosman Verdugo connected on a two-run homer as part of a two-hit effort then came back with a walk in the nightcap. While his strikeout rate is up slightly from last year, his OPS is now nearly 100 points above what he put together as an 18-year-old in the Cal League. … Jay Beshears continues to be an on-base machine. After collecting two hits in the first contest, then had two walks and a sacrifice in game two. The infielder, who turns 22 on Monday, is still getting on more than 50% of the 120 plate appearances into his season. With the organization needing to move some players around in the wake of Friday’s trade, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Duke product pushed up a level quickly. … After a key sacrifice fly in the early game, Romeo Sanabria came back with a monster performance in the nightcap, going 4-for-4 with his third homer of the year. The slugging first baseman, who leads the club with a .479 slugging percentage, has cut his strikeout rate down to 19.1% this year, helping him to a .319 average that ranks fourth on the circuit. … Isaiah Lowe got through 3.2 innings, allowing a pair of earned runs as he stretched out to a season-high 65 pitches. After managing just 12.1 innings while dealing with shoulder issues last year, the Padres have had the hard-throwing righty on a slow buildup this spring. While he has struck out 16 and held opponents to a .178 average in his 12.2 innings of work, he’s also walked 10 and hit four batters already. … Miguel Mendez, 21, came out as the starter in the finale and tossed three innings in his second start back after having his turn in the rotation skipped on the last homestand. He gave up two runs on three hits, including his first home run allowed on the year.
