Chihuahuas 9, Sugar Land Space Cowboys, 7
Key Statistics: 2B Nate Mondou 0-for-2, 2 BB; SS Matthew Batten 3-for-5, 2 2B, SB (10); 3B Eguy Rosario 1-for-4, HR (10), 3 RBI; RF Oscar Mercado 2-for-4; LF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-4, HR (8), 2 RBI, SB (4); LHP Miguel Cienfuegos 2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, K; LHP Luke Westphal 2.2 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 2 K; LHP Paul Fry (W, 3-1) 2.1 IP, H, ER, K, HR; LHP Austin Davis (S,7), 1.0 IP, 2 H, R
Eguy Rosario hit his tenth home run of the season. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: El Paso claimed a come-from-behind victory at home, with Eguy Rosario‘s three-run home run in the fifth inning the big blast to give the Chihuahuas a chance to play for a series split on Sunday. … It was the 10th homer and 23rd extra-base hit, in 36 games since Rosario was sent down in early May. He now owns a career-best 1.022 OPS for El Paso this year, nearly 180 points better than he’d had in 751 plate appearances with the Chihuahuas over the last two seasons. He had an .836 OPS in 52 plate appearances for the big league club despite an uncharacteristic 37% strikeout rate. … Tirso Ornelas hit his eighth home run of the season and continues to do a better job of getting the ball in the air to fuel a .498 slugging percentage. A significant jump in his fly ball rate is producing much better results in his second extended run in El Paso. After posting a 92 wRC+ last year, he’s pushed that up to a 120 wRC+ this season. … Matthew Batten, the longest-tenured Chihuahua in team history with 460 games in the Sun City, celebrated his 29th birthday in style with a pair of doubles and a stolen base. He has a .759 OPS with 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts during the season.
Amarillo Sod Poodles 4, Missions 3 (10 innings)
Key Statistics: 2B Ripken Reyes 1-for-4, 2B, BB; SS Clay Dungan 1-for-4, HR (2), 3 RBI; LF Cole Cummings 2-for-4; RHP Victor Lizarraga 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, BB, 6 K; RHP David Morgan 1.1 IP, 2 BB; RHP Francis Pena (L,0-2) 1 IP 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), K
Victor Lizarraga threw six shutout innings on Saturday. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: Up 3-0 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Missions were rolling. Victor Lizarraga had allowed just three singles, which in Amarillo, is the equivalent of bringing a full gasoline can to a Fourth of July party and not getting burned. Needing one more strike to get through seven scoreless innings for the first time in his career, he walked a batter on a full count, then gave up a single to former Padre Matt Beaty. That brought El Paso native and former University of Texas star Ivan Melendez to the plate, and he launched a three-run home to left-center on the first pitch he saw. … Despite giving up the home run, Saturday was a signature pitching performance by Lizarraga, who continues to succeed with a well above-average changeup, breaking pitches he can throw for called and swinging strikes, along with solid command of his low 90s fastball. This year, he has been much more comfortable throwing a sweeper and a curve, something he couldn’t do in Fort Wayne in 2023. … Clay Dungan connected on a three-run homer to extend his on-base streak to 22 games. The left-handed hitter opened the year in El Paso, but was sent back to San Antonio after an IL stint in early May. He was just 3-for-31 in his first eight games with the Missions, but has reached base at .414 clip this month. The 28-year-old continues to play well defensively all over the field, logging time at six different positions in his first season in the organization.
Homer Bush, Jr. takes another bag. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 7, TinCaps 4
Key Statistics: CF Homer Bush Jr. 2-for-5, SB (31); C Ethan Salas 2-for-5, RBI; 2B Anthony Vilar 0-for-2, 3 BB, SB (6); DH Griffin Doersching 2-for-3, 2B, BB; RHP Dylan Lesko (L, 1-5) 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 2 HR; LHP Jackson Smeltz 2 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K
Dylan Lesko with the Fort Wayne Tenderloins. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: Although he took the loss, Dylan Lesko had season highs with six innings pitched and seven punchouts, while continuing to cut his walk rate. In three of his four starts in June, Lesko has gone five or more innings with, as Thomas Eshelman, his pitching coach, noted to us this week, they have increased his focus on throwing his fastball and changeup in the zone. The one side effect is he’s also getting hit more, as Midwest League batters have a .295 average against him this month after hitting under .200 in April and May. … Ethan Salas‘s bat is slowly coming around, as a pair of hits Saturday extended his hitting streak to six games. The 18-year-old is 10-for-23 with five strikeouts and three walks in the streak, pushing his average for June up to .250. … Homer Bush Jr. reached base twice and stole his 31st base in 36 attempts, which is third in the Midwest League. … Although he didn’t get a hit, Anthony Vilar reached base three times via walk. For the year, the Miami native has an on-base percentage of .346 and an OPS of .706, which is fourth on the team, as he continues to rotate defensively between second, first, and catcher. … Saturday finished Fort Wayne’s alternate identity run as the Hoosier State Tenderloins during the season as the club will retire the uniform pictured above for the season.
Visalia Oaks 10, Storm 3
Key Statistics: CF Nick Vogt 4-for-4, 2B, HR (4); 1B Kaden Hollow 2-for-4, 2 2B; RHP Miguel Mendez (L, 0-3) 3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K; RHP Alejandro Lugo 2 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 K
Nick Vogt had a career night on Saturday. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: After winning the first game in Visalia, the Storm have dropped four straight. … Nick Vogt had four hits and came up a triple short of the cycle as he continues to feast in the series. He’s 9-for-18 with a pair of doubles and homers in two straight games. Vogt, 23, was taken in the seventh round of the 2022 draft out of UC Santa Barbara, where he played alongside current Missions Marcos Castañon and Cole Cummings, and pitcher Sam Whiting, who was just promoted from Lake Elsinore. … Kaden Hollow, 23, had a pair of doubles in his second game since a promotion from the desert. The left-handed hitter signed as an undrafted free agent out of Dixie State (now Utah Tech), had a .911 OPS in the ACL this year. He will see action at first, the corner outfield spots, and maybe even a little behind the plate.
ACL Padres 8, ACL Dodgers 3
Key Statistics: DH Lamar King, Jr. 3-for-3, 2B, BB, 3 RBI; CF Spence Coffman 1-for-3, 2B, BB; 1B Addison Kopack 2-for-4, RBI; C Carlos Rodriguez 1-for-2, 3B, RBI, 2 BB; RHP Kleiber Olmeido 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K; RHP Miguel Valdez (W, 1-2), 2.2 IP
Spence Coffman has begun to grow into his frame. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres opened the game with six runs in the first inning, led by Lamar King Jr.‘s three-run double. King, drafted out of high school in Baltimore in the fourth round in 2022, is returning from shoulder surgery that has limited him to designated hitter duties. While he likely won’t see any action behind the plate this year, he could get some innings at first base before the end of the ACL season. He finished the day a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk, pushing his line for the year to .270/.403/.365 in 72 plate appearances. … Spence Coffman doubled to extend his hitting streak to nine games and drew a walk to lift his on-base percentage to .400. The 20-year-old Mississippi native was taken in the 19th round in 2022 out of high school. Originally drafted as a shortstop, he’s made all but four of his starts this year in the outfield. Coffman has put on needed weight, but is still working on getting stronger as just 5 of his 37 hits have gone for extra-bases. He has 11 stolen bases in 13 attempts.
