Chihuahuas 8, Albuquerque Isotopes 5
Key Statistics: C Brett Sullivan 1-for-5, R, HR (8), 2 RBI; 2B Nate Mondou 4-for-5, 3 R, 2 2B; RF Óscar Mercado 1-for-3, R, HR (10), 3 RBI, BB; RHP Gabe Mosser 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K; LHP Paul Fry (W, 2-1) 1.1 IP, 3 K; LHP Austin Davis (S, 6) IP, K
Nate Mondou had a big night at the plate. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: El Paso had 11 hits at elevation in Albuquerque as they evened up their series. … Second baseman Nate Mondou had four hits, including a pair of doubles. He also scored three runs to pace the offense. The versatile veteran has swung a hot bat in June, hitting a blistering .370/.442/.652 with eight doubles, a triple, and a homer. Overall, Mondou ranks ninth in the circuit with 15 two-baggers this season. …. Right fielder Óscar Mercado connected on his tenth homer in the victory. The veteran outfielder struggled in April, but has been a strong contributor since. He’s homered three times in 31 June at-bats, resulting in a .645 slugging percentage. … After Gabe Mosser turned in five innings, veteran southpaw Paul Fry faced four batters, struck out three, and earned his second win of 2024 for his effort. The 31-year-old has functioned as a multi-inning reliever for El Paso this season pitching to a 5.35 ERA in 35.1 innings across 22 games. The veteran has 188 games of big-league experience on his résumé but has not appeared in the show since 2022. … Austin Davis finished off Albuquerque with a scoreless ninth to tally his sixth save of the year. The 31-year-old has been lights out over the last few months and has been a stabilizing force at the back end of the Chihuahuas’ bullpen. The lefty nicknamed “Big Fudge” has pitched to a 1.10 ERA over his last 16.1 innings. Overall, Davis has racked up 32 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.
Corpus Christi Hooks 11, Missions 4
Key Statistics: 1B Robbie Tenerowicz 2-for-2, R, 2 BB; DH Juan Zabala 1-for-3, R, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB; 3B Jarryd Dale 1-for-4, R, HR (1), RBI; RHP Ryan Bergert (L, 1-6) 2.2 IP, 8 H, 9 R (6 ER), BB, 4 K; LHP Omar Cruz 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 7 K; RHP Carter Loewen, IP, BB, K
Robbie Tenerowicz. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: The Missions dug themselves into a 9-0 hole after three innings, and lost big to Corpus Christi. … Righty Ryan Bergert made the start for the Missions and struggled mightily. The University of West Virginia product gave up nine runs (six earned), including two homers in just 2.2 innings of work. He walked one and struck out four. After looking dominant at times in his Double-A debut last season, Bergert has taken a step backward in 2024. The poor outing raised his ERA to 6.26. While the 24-year-old has had some bad luck with balls in play, the Hooks hit the ball hard consistently. Perhaps the most concerning part of Bergert’s issues this year has been the decreased carry on his fastball, which has led to a drastic decrease in strikeouts. After punching 51 batters in 44 Double-A innings last year, Bergert has struck out just 42 in 50.1 frames this year. … At the plate, first baseman Robbie Tenerowicz had a perfect day, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances. He singled twice and drew a pair of walks. The 29-year-old was signed by the organization as a reinforcement for the Missions’ offense in May. After a slow acclimation period, he has swung the bat well in June. He is hitting .303/.368/.485 with two homers and four RBI this month. … Jarryd Dale connected on a solo shot in the third inning for his first homer of the season. The versatile Australian has had a rough go at the plate this season. After missing most of last year with an injury, he opened the year back in Fort Wayne in a reserve role. Since roster needs dictated a promotion to San Antonio, Dale has managed just a .416 OPS in 19 games. … Juan Zabala started at designated hitter and he also swatted his first round-tripper of the year. Zabala has functioned as the Missions’ third catcher this year and has played sparingly. The 24-year-old has a .555 OPS in 27 games.
Lake County Captains 3, TinCaps 2 (10 innings)
Key Statistics: DH Devin Ortiz 2-for-4, R; RF Kai Murphy 1-for-3, BB, RBI; Nerwilian Cedeño 1-for-3, 2 BB; RHP Henry Baez 5.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 4 BB, 3 K; RHP Manuel Castro 2.1 IP, H, 2 K; RHP David Morgan (L, 1-1) 1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), BB, 4 K
Henry Baez delivers a knuckle curve (Photo: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Prospect Watch: It was another heartbreaking loss for the TinCaps, as they relinquished a late lead and lost in extra innings. The TinCaps have played a minor-league high 12 extra-innings games this season, going 5-7 (h/t to TinCaps announcer Jack Gordon). … Devin Ortiz started at designated hitter and had a pair of singles. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent, Ortiz has been the TinCaps’ most reliable hitter this season, posting a team-best .733 OPS. However, Ortiz started June in a 0-for-21 slump but he’s 5-for-13 over his last four games. … Righty Henry Baez pitched well but he did not factor in the decision. He fired 5.2 innings to match his season high and allowed one run on three hits. He struck out three and walked four. While the 21-year-old is still issuing more walks than last year, he’s seen improved results over his last four starts, pitching to a 2.04 ERA with 17 strikeouts over 17.2 innings pitched. … After Baez departed, righty Manuel Castro kept the Captains off the scoreboard for 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two. The 22-year-old from Sinaloa, Mexico It has not allowed an earned run over his last six innings. In 9.2 innings over that stretch, Castro has struck out 13 batters while walking just three batters.
Storm 5, Stockton Ports 2
Key Statistics: SS Leo De Vries 1-for-2, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, SB (4); 1B Romeo Sanabria 2-for-3, R, BB, RBI; RF Ryan Wilson 2-for-4, R, 3 B; Jose Sanabria 2-for-3; RHP Ian Koenig 3 IP, 3 H, BB, 4 K; RHP Eric Yost (W, 1-2) 5 IP, 4 H, BB, 4 K
Ian Koenig started his rehab in the desert this year. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The Storm jumped out to 2-0 lead in the first and beat the Ports at home to even up the series. … The Storm got a big night from prized shortstop Leo De Vries who doubled high off the right field wall, drew two walks, and stole his fourth base of the year. The switch-hitting shortstop has looked much more comfortable at the plate in recent weeks and he’s made tremendous progress, even if his stat line doesn’t back it up yet. He’s hitting just .208 in June but he’s drawn nine walks to five strikeouts this month – with three of those strikeouts coming in one game. Thanks to his patient approach, he has a .380 on-base percentage in June. … Romeo Sanabria delivered another multi-hit game, as the big first baseman singled twice and drew a walk. The effort raised Sanabria’s batting average to .317 – second on the circuit. … Righty Ian Koenig continues to stretch out as a starter, and Friday marked his best effort yet. The 23-year-old pitched three scoreless innings and allowed three hits and a walk while striking out four. The former Cabrillo JC hurler is building his way back from Tommy John surgery last May. In three outings for the Storm, he’s pitched to 3.68 ERA, walking two and striking out 10. … After Koenig departed, Eric Yost took over and fired five shutout innings to earn his first win of the season. Yost allowed just four hits as he walked one and struck out four. The former Northeastern hurler has shown some promise in his first full professional season but has struggled with consistency as he works to trust his fastball more consistently. After allowing 20 earned runs in 22.1 innings last month, the 21-year-old has allowed just one earned run in 11.1 June innings while posting a strong 13:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
ACL Dodgers 10, ACL Padres 9
Key Statistics: 1B Kaden Hollow 2-for-4, 3 R, 2B, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB; LF Spence Coffman 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, SB (9); RF L.J. Jones 3-for-5, R, HR (4), 5 RBI; SS B.Y. Choi 1-for-3, R, 2 BB, RBI, SB (5); RHP Abraham Parra 2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, K; RHP Jesus Lopez 3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K; RHP Maikel Miralles (L, 1-2) 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 BB
Kaden Hollow has helped the ACL club on all sides of the game. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres allowed six runs in the ninth inning to lose to the hated ACL Dodgers in a crisp four hour and two minutes affair. … First baseman Kaden Hollow continues to punish ACL pitching. The first baseman had two hits, including his first homer of the year. He scored three runs as well. The former Dixie State (now Utah Tech) star leads the ACL squad with a .972 OPS; a mark that ranks 13th in the circuit. … At this point, it’s clear that organizational newcomer L.J. Jones is ready for his next challenge. The outfielder had three more hits and connected on his fourth homer of the year. He also drove in five runs. The 24-year-old has only played in eight games this season but he’s already tied for sixth in the league for homers. He has a 1.286 OPS in a limited sample as he works back into shape after getting released by the Cardinals organization out of spring training. … Left fielder Spence Coffman had another multi-hit game Friday as he singled twice, drew a walk, and stole his ninth bag of the year. The 20-year-old from Mississippi has raised his average to .304. … Jesus Lopez pitched three shutout innings and allowed two hits. He walked one and struck out three. The 18-year-old has shown some swing-and-miss stuff this season but has struggled with consistency – not unexpected from a teenager pitching stateside for the first time. In 14.2 innings, he’s struck out 19 batters but has allowed a .300 average and walked 10 while pitching to a 6.75 ERA.
