Chihuahuas 9, Sacramento River Cats 5
Key Statistics: 1B Nate Mondou 1-for-3, BB; DH Brett Sullivan 2-for-4, 3 RBI; LF Graham Pauley 2-for-4, 2 HR (6), 3 RBI; 3B Eguy Rosario 0-for-2, 2 BB; SS Mason McCoy 0-for-1, 2 BB, SB (8); CF Bryce Johnson 1-for-2, BB, SB (11); RHP Adam Mazur (W, 1-1) 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 8 K, 2 HR; RHP Nick Hernandez 1 IP, H, 2 K; LHP Austin Davis 1 IP, K
Graham Pauley blasted two home runs on Saturday. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas got six innings from Adam Mazur, who picked up his first win in Triple-A, and a pair of home runs by Graham Pauley for their second straight win after dropping the first three at home against Las Vegas. In three starts since being promoted from Double-A San Antonio, Mazur has a 5.82 ERA in 17 innings, with 15 strikeouts against two walks. His starts have come at Las Vegas and now one at home, two of the better hitter’s parks in the notoriously homer-friendly PCL. He’s given up four home runs with the Chihuahuas, two of them Saturday, after allowing five home runs in 96 innings between Fort Wayne and San Antonio last year. Mazur’s four-seam fastball consistently sat 93-95. … Pauley’s two home runs left him tied for second on the team with six, and he is second in OPS with .955, only behind Eguy Rosario at 1.081. The 23-year-old former Blue Devil was in left field Saturday and has been rotating between there and everywhere in the infield, except for shortstop. This week, he got his first start at second base, where he played 15 games in 2023.
Missions 4, Wichita Wind Surge 2
Key Statistics: DH Brandon Valenzuela 2-for-4, RBI; 2B Marcos Castañon 1-for-3, BB; 1B Robbie Tenerowicz 1-for-3, HR (3), 2 RBI; RHP Bobby Milacki (W, 1-0) 3 IP, 2 H, 5 K; LHP Jason Blanchard 2 IP, 3 H, R, BB, K; RHP Josh Roberson 1 IP, BB, K
Bobby Milacki got his first win of the season. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: After nearly a two-hour rain delay in the bottom of the seventh in Wichita, the Missions held on for the win. They have won four out of five games in the series. … The big blow of the game for the Missions was by Robbie Tenerowicz, who had his first home run for San Antonio since signing with the Padres organization earlier this month. The 29-year-old opened the year in the Mariners organization, posting a .748 OPS with the Arkansas Travelers in the Texas League. In 58 plate appearances with the Missions, he has a .180/.276/.280 slash line. … San Antonio is two games over .500 despite being last in the league in team OPS because the pitching staff has worked to an ERA of 3.65 that is good for second on the circuit. San Antonio has a strong starting staff, but has also gotten solid work out of their bullpen. After lefty Omar Cruz tossed three one-run frames as the opener, Bobby Milacki followed and struck out five over three scoreless innings. The Lake Havasu, Arizona native, who briefly joined the Chihuahuas earlier this season, has been solid in San Antonio with a 2.70 ERA and 16:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 16.2 innings. The 27-year-old had pitched in both the Nationals and Twins organizations before signing as a minor league free agent with the Padres before the 2023 campaign.
Lucas Dunn was 4-for-4 in Game 1. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Game 1: TinCaps 4, Lansing Lugnuts 3 (Suspended Game)
Key Statistics: RF Kai Murphy 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB, SB (5); 3B Jay Beshears 2-for-3, 2B, BB; LF Lucas Dunn HR (2) 4-for-4, 2 RBI; RHP Ruben Galindo (W, 2-2) 1.2 IP 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Manuel Castro 2.2 IP, B, 3 K; RHP Francis Pena (S, 2) 2.0 IP, 3 H, R, 2 K
Game 2: TinCaps 7, Lansing Lugnuts 1 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: DH Kai Murphy 1-for-4, BB; C Ethan Salas 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI; CF Homer Bush, Jr. 2-for-4, 2B, SB (23); SS Jay Beshears 1-for-2, RBI, BB; LF Tyler Robertson 2-for-3, RBI, 2 SB (9); RF Lucas Dunn 1-for-2, 2 RBI, BB; RHP Dylan Lesko (W, 1-2) 5 IP, 2 H, R, 3 BB, 6 K, HBP; LHP Ryan Och 1 IP, 2 K
Kai Murphy reached base five times on Saturday. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The red-hot TinCaps swept a doubleheader on Dino Night at Parkview Field and have now won 12 of their last 13. After a wretched start, the Padres High-A squad is only two games under .500. … The first game picked up with the bases full of Lugnuts in the top of the second inning after rain cut it short Friday night. Reliever Ruben Galindo got a strikeout to avoid any further damage. He and the TinCaps bullpen held Lansing to just one unearned run over 7.1 innings striking out 10. … Lucas Dunn had a huge day as the University of Louisville alum rapped out two doubles and a homer as part of a 4-for-4 showing in the first game. He added another hit and drew a walk in the nightcap, adding 154 points to his OPS on the day. While the 25-year-old has struggled at the plate, he’s continued to provide value by being able to play nearly anywhere on the field. He has seen most of his time in the outfield this season. … Kai Murphy also had a big day, reaching base five times in the two games. He has an OBP of .358 on the year, third among qualifiers on the team. … In the nightcap, top pitching prospect Dylan Lesko continued to right the ship with five innings of one-run work. It was the second straight game the righty has made it through five, though he continued to fight his command with three walks and a hit batter. The 20-year-old worked almost exclusively with his fastball and impressive changeup, landing 50 of his 85 pitches for strikes. After Lansing managed just two hits against him, the Midwest League is hitting just .160 against Lesko, but he’s walked 30 and hit eight in 29 innings.
San Jose Giants 12, Storm 3
Key Statistics: 2B Jose Sanabria 1-for-3, 2 RBI; RF Jacob Campbell 0-for-2, 2 BB; SS Wyatt Hoffman 1-for-3, BB; RHP Isaiah Lowe 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K; Keegan Collett 2.1 IP 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K; LHP Javier Chacon IP, 3 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, K; RHP Chase Valentine 1.2 IP, K
Prospect Watch: Not a lot went right for the Storm against the San Francisco Giants affiliate as Lake Elsinore was held to three singles, and Isaiah Lowe gave up five earned runs, more than he had in his previous three starts combined. Lowe worked around a double to strike out the side in the first, then allowed a run on two hits in the second. The wheels came off in the third as he gave up four hits, walked two and allowed runs on both a balk and wild pitch. The 21-year-old gave up a season-high seven hits and saw his ERA jump nearly a run and a half to 4.26. … Things were rough enough for the Storm that the pitching line of the night came from infielder Chase Valentine, who threw an inning and two-thirds of scoreless ball. Valentine, his high school team’s closer, appeared on the mound made two mop-up appearances for San Antonio earlier in the year. When we asked then how he defined a good performance, he said if he could save some arms and get everyone in early for food, it would be a good night. By that standard, Chase had a good evening.
ACL Padres 9, ACL Brewers 5
Key Statistics: RF Joshua Mears 0-for-3, HBP, 3 K; DH Lamar King Jr. 0-for-1, BB, 2 HBP; C Carlos Rodriguez 2-for-3, BB; 3B Yendry Rojas 0-for-1, 3 BB; RHP Ian Koenig 2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, K; RHP Yerry Landinez 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, K; RHP Aldo Leija IP (W, 1-0) 0.1 IP
Prospect Watch: David Jay wraps up this stint in the desert with this on-site report:
How do you score nine runs on four hits? Well, even by Arizona Complex League standards, the Brewers pitching staff had a rough one. In seven innings, they walked seven, hit six, and uncorked eight wild pitches – including back-to-back pitches that hit the backstop on the fly to allow a pair of runs in the fifth inning. The only run the Padres scored on a ball in play came in the sixth, when Brewers’ third baseman Eric Bitonti fielded a chopper and threw it away down the line for a three-base error, allowing Carlos Rodriguez to come all the way around from first. Rodriguez, who turned 21 earlier this month, had a nice day at the plate, collecting a pair of hits and a walk from the left side. After a rough start in limited action with Lake Elsinore to open the year, the catcher is hitting .316 despite 14 strikeouts in 44 ACL plate appearances. … On the mound, the Padres ran out five guys in various stages of rehab. Righty Ian Koenig made his third outing since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, stretching out to two innings for the first time. He showed a four-pitch mix as he works to get ready to head out to Lake Elsinore later this summer. Righty Yerry Landinez, 23, continues to show big velocity off the mound, but struggled with command. The converted infielder has allowed seven runs and as many walks over 7.1 innings in six appearances as he comes back from his own TJ procedure.
