Albuquerque Isotopes 9, Chihuahuas 6
Tom Cosgrove is getting back on track. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Key Statistics: LHP Jackson Wolf (L, 2-7), 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 BB; RHP Alek Jacob 2.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R (1 ER), 2 K, BB; LHP Tom Cosgrove IP, 1 K; C Kevin Plawecki, 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI; DH Matthew Batten, 2-for-4, RBI, BB
Prospect Watch: After getting a chance to watch Jackson Wolf‘s stuff his first time in the Padres system, it seemed that promoting the southpaw from San Antonio to the Padres for a spot start and then returning him to the Missions was probably best for his development. Now 25 years old and in his second stint in the organization, Wolf has nothing to learn in Double-A, so he finds himself in the Pacific Coast League, where the thin air does not bode well for a 6-foot-7 lefty who thrives on command and movement. And it has been a tough go for the West Virginia product, who failed to record a strikeout and allowed four runs in three-plus innings Thursday to take his seventh loss of the season. As is typical, he topped out at 90 mph and got just four whiffs while matching his season-high 4 walks to bring his ERA to 7.30. … Speaking of lefties, Tom Cosgrove pitched a perfect inning, striking out one. After a revelatory rookie season with the Padres in 2023, Cosgrove struggled out the gate in 2024 and found himself back in El Paso. The difficulties only grew as he allowed 12 runs over his first three innings for the Chihuahuas. He’s stabilize things of late though, and has made eight consecutive scoreless appearances. He’s getting the results with a wildly different shape on his breaking ball, which is moving much less horizontally but has added vertical tilt. … Veteran catcher Kevin Plawecki hit his first home run of the season while going 1-for-4. The 33-year-old backstop is batting .228 with a .671 OPS in a reserve role for El Paso after spending part of the 2023 season with the club. … One of the most versatile fielders in the organization, Matthew Batten got the start in the designated hitter spot and went 2-for-4. The 28-year-old utility player is slashing .231/.375/.410 in 39 at-bats in the month of June.
Missions 5, Corpus Christi Hooks 1
Jared Kollar continues to get results in Double-A. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Key Statistics: RHP Jared Kollar (W, 5-2), 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K; RHP Bobby Milacki IP, 2 H; RHP Cole Paplham IP, 2 K, HBP; 3B Ripken Reyes 2-for-2, R, 2 RBI; 2B Connor Hollis 1-for-3, R, SB
Prospect Watch: A bright spot in San Antonio’s 2024 season has been the pitching of undrafted free agent Jared Kollar. The 25-year-old righty went six strong innings Thursday and is now 5-2 with a 3.10 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 52.1 innings. The Rutgers alum has been particularly solid in June, posting a 2.16 ERA in three starts. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but he’s only walked 4.5% of the batters he’s faced and his over-the-top delivery induces some poor contact. … Bobby Milacki provided a scoreless inning of relief to drop his ERA with the Missions to 3.70. The 27-year-old righty got his first taste of Triple-A action with a brief five-game stint in El Paso earlier this year, posting a 13.00 ERA in five appearances. … Fellow righty Cole Paplham made his first appearance since coming off the IL and struck out a pair in a scoreless inning. The hard-throwing reliever has struggled to stay healthy since signing in the same class as Kollar, but he has flashed an impressive arsenal. … Ripken Reyes led off and went 2-for-2 with a run scored and two runs batted in. The veteran spark plug is enjoying a strong June, slashing .313/.371/.438 in 32 at-bats for San Antonio. … Connor Hollis singled, stole a base, and scored a run in a much-needed night for the infielder. Since returning from injury, the Houston alum is hitting just .138/.194/.138 in 29 at-bats.
Lake County Captains 13, TinCaps 6
Key Statistics: LHP Fernando Sanchez 1.2 IP, 9 H, 6 ER; RHP Dwayne Matos 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 3 BB; RHP Tyler Morgan 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K; 2B Nerwilian Cedeño, 1-for-4, HR (3), 2 R, RBI; SS Jay Beshears, 3-for-5, 2B, HR (1), 2 R, 2 RBI; 3B Devin Ortiz, 1-for-3, HR (5), R, 2 RBI
Nerwilian Cedeno squares one up from the left side. (Photo: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps’ offense put up one of its better games of the season, but the pitching staff faltered in a blowout loss. Tyler Morgan was the brightest spot out of the bullpen, allowing an inherited runner to score but throwing two-plus innings without any further damage. The 2024 14th-rounder (who is no relation to David, the other Morgan in the TinCaps bullpen) is 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 39 innings of work in 2024. … Nerwilian Cedeño went 1-for-4 and hit his third home run of the year. The 22-year-old infielder continues to show flashes of potential at the plate but lacks consistency in general. He’s now batting .213 with a .650 OPS in 169 at-bats in 2024. While he’s improved his walk and strikeout rates in his second pass at High-A, he’s also seen a significant drop in his power production. … The latest infielder drafted out of Duke to impress in Fort Wayne, Jay Beshears went 3-for-5 with a double and his first Midwest League home run. The 22-year-old Florida native had a loud start in Lake Elsinore, but has cooled off since his promotion to the TinCaps, slashing .263/.333/.389 in 95 at-bats. … Devin Ortiz hit his fifth home of the season, a much-needed display of power in a June in which the undrafted free agent infielder is hitting .100/.202/.200 in 30 at-bats.
Stockton Ports 4, Storm 0
Key Statistics: RHP Sam Whiting (L, 2-1), 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Will Varmette 2.2 IP, H, 2 K, BB; RHP Xavier Ruiz, IP, 2 H, 2 K; RF Jacob Campbell, 1-for-3, 3B; DH Rosman Verdugo, 1-for-3
Prospect Watch: It was a tough night at the Diamond as the Storm’s pitching staff had an off night and the lineup was held to just three hits. Sam Whiting couldn’t get out of the fifth inning and took his first loss of what has been an excellent season for the righty. The 23-year-old UC Santa Barbara product is 2-1 with a 3.15 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 34.1 innings for the Storm in his first full season in the organization. … Xavier Ruiz gave solid relief, pitching a scoreless inning and striking out two to strand a pair of baserunners. The 21-year-old Dominican righty has pitched to a 2.45 ERA while holding opponents to a .218 average. He has struck out 27 batters in 29.1 innings. … At the plate, the Storm managed just three hits, with Jacob Campbell‘s first first professional triple the highlight. Campbell, a 24-year-old undrafted free agent, has hit .259 with a pair of home runs and an .828 OPS while patrolling the corner outfield positions and playing catcher since joining Lake Elsinore last month. … Rosman Verdugo went 1-for-3 as June continues to be the 19-year-old infielder’s best month offensively thus far. The Ensenada native is slashing .318/.388/.386 in 44 at-bats.
ACL Padres 6, ACL Rangers 4
Kaden Hollow has provided plenty of key hits for the Complex League club. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Key Stiatistics: LHP Yovannki Pascual 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K; LHP Ruben Salinas (W, 3-1), 2 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 1 K, HBP; 1B Kaden Hollow, 2-for-4, R, BB; C Carlos Rodriguez, 1-for-4, 2B, R
Prospect Watch: Left-hander Yovannki Pascual made his first start of the season in his eighth appearance and struck out five batters over three innings of work. The Dominican southpaw has a 3.38 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 16 innings in the desert after impressing last year with a 2.84 ERA in 10 appearances (eight starts) in the Dominican Summer League. … Fellow southpaw Ruben Salinas worked two innings in which he allowed only one unearned run without giving up a hit. Salinas has been working in shorter stints as he comes back from the Tommy John surgery he underwent shortly after making the conversion to pitcher last spring. So far, the 21-year-old native of Baja California who spent the 2022 season as an outfielder with the ACL club, has a strong 12:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 10.2 innings. … Normally a catcher, Kaden Hollow gave his knees a break and got the start at first base and batted leadoff, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and a walk. The Dixie State alum is batting .293 with a .912 OPS in 75 at-bats in 2024. … Fellow backstop Carlos Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with a double. The 21-year-old Venezuelan catcher is batting .245 with a .684 OPS in a season split between the Complex League and Lake Elsinore.
