Round Rock Express 10, Chihuahuas 5
Graham Pauley will look to build on a solid day Saturday. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Key Stats: RF Jose Azocar 2-for-5, 2B, SB; 1B Matthew Batten 2-for-5; 2B Graham Pauley 1-for-3, 2B, HBP; C Kevin Plawecki 1-for-4, HR (3); LHP Ryan Carpenter 2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB; RHP Kevin Kopps IP, H, ER, 2 K, 2 BB; LHP Jayvien Sandridge 1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, K, 2 BB
Prospect Watch: After holding the home team to only three runs over the previous three contests, the El Paso pitching staff struggled through Saturday night’s loss. The Chihuahuas still have a chance to claim a series victory Sunday. … Veteran backstop Kevin Plawecki connected on a two-run homer against top Rangers pitching prospect Jack Leiter, but that was all the damage El Paso managed against the righty in five innings. Plawecki, 33, had a brutal 6-for-37 stretch last month, but has gotten back on track with an .895 OPS in June. He’s struck out just three times in his last 39 trips to the plate. … Graham Pauley, in the lineup at second base, had a double and was hit by a pitch in four trips to the plate. The 23-year-old, has hit in five of his last six games, but still has a sub-.500 OPS for the month as he’s seen a spike in his strikeout rate and drawn just three walks in 94 trips to the plate. The Duke alum has typically generated double-digit walk rates since the Padres drafted him in the 13th round in 2022. … Lefty Jayvien Sandridge got hit hard, surrendering three doubles and a home run over just 1.1 innings. The hard-throwing reliever has continued to rack up strikeouts since his promotion from Double-A, but he’s struggled more with both control and command within the zone. PCL opponents are hitting .370 while drawing six walks in as many innings.
Midland RockHounds 4 Missions 0
Austin Krob has found a groove over his last several appearances. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Key Stats: C Brandon Valenzuela 1-for-4, 2B; RF Robert Perez Jr. 1-for-4, 2B; LHP Austin Krob 5.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 7 K, BB, HBP; LHP Jason Blanchard 2 IP, 4 K, BB
Prospect Watch: The Missions managed just two hits as they were shut out for the fifth time on the year. Brandon Valenzuela had a double and is now 6-for-20 with four extra-base hits in the series. The 23-year-old switch-hitting backstop has posted a .305/.383/.537 line for the month. Valenzuela also threw out two of three would-be base stealers on the night. He’s cut down 36% of runners on the year as he continues to show promise on both sides of his game. … Coming off his best start of the year, Austin Krob picked up where he left off, striking out the side in the first. Through the first five innings, the lefty allowed only one run on two singles and one hit batter, but after setting down 11 in a row, he gave up a walk and two singles with one out in the sixth. With the bases loaded, Krob got a grounder, but his defense couldn’t convert the double-play and he was chased after 95 pitches. The 24-year-old finished the day charged with three earned runs with seven strikeouts. He’s allowed only six hits over 12.2 innings in his last two starts with a stellar 19:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Dayton Dragons 3, TinCaps 0
Dylan Lesko is getting back on track. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Key Stats: RHP Dylan Lesko 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 2 BB, HBP; RHP Keegan Collett 1.1 IP, K, BB; SS Jay Bashears 1-for-3; LF Nick Vogt 1-for-2, BB, SB (1)
Prospect Watch: Top prospect Dylan Lesko turned in his most complete effort of the year, allowing just one run over 5.2 innings while striking out a career-best nine batters. After largely shelving his breaking pitches over the last four outings to get back on track, Lesko broke out his slider effectively on Saturday, getting several ugly swings with it. Aiming for his third straight start of six innings, he carried a two-hitter through five, but Dayton opened the sixth with their second bunt hit of the game before a Sal Stewart double broke the scoreless tie. Lesko promptly picked Stewart off second and got a grounder to first, but when he issued his second walk of the game on his 96th pitch, the 20-year-old was done for the day. After struggling through the first two-plus months of the season, Lesko has started to put things together of late, posting a more sustainable 20:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last 17.2 innings. … The TinCaps offense could do nothing to support Lesko, managing just two hits on the day. Outfielder Nick Vogt, who was promoted from Lake Elsinore on Saturday after a torrid month, had a single and drew the club’s only walk of the day hitting out of the nine spot in the lineup. The 23-year-old had a rather pedestrian .760 overall OPS for Lake Elsinore, but he’s had a stellar month since coming off the IL, hitting .313 with five homers in 22 games. The UC Santa Barbara product also converted on 17 of 19 stolen base attempts in the Cal League, and converted on his first try for the TinCaps.
Storm 6, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 3
Key Stats: 1B Ethan Long 3-for-3, HR (2), BB, 4 RBI; RHP Miguel Mendez 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 K, 3 BB, HBP; RHP Maikel Miralles 3 IP, H, 3 K, BB
Prospect Watch: Perhaps inspired by the presence of his fellow Sun Devil John Conniff, Ethan Long had a huge night to fuel a Storm victory. John has the full story here.
ACL Padres 2, ACL Royals 1 (8 Innings)
Key Stats: CF Spence Coffman 1-for-4; DH Lamar King Jr. 1-for-3; LHP Zack Qin IP, 2 H, 2 K; RHP Kleiber Olmedo 5 IP, 2 H, 3 K; RHP Miguel Valdez 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 K, BB
Zack Qin has been slowed by injuries this year. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: This one was scheduled to go seven innings on Saturday morning, but both clubs were scoreless through regulation, so they went to an extra eighth inning. A two-out fielding error by B.Y. Kim allowed the Royals’ Manfred Man to come around for the lead, but they gave it right back with a fielding error of their own in the bottom of the frame before Spence Coffman came through with a two-out single to clinch a Padres a walk-off win. Coffman finished a terrific month hitting .352/.400/.380 with only seven strikeouts in 81 trips to the plate. He was successful in all eight stolen base attempts for June as well. … Lefty Zack Qin, who was held back from his second rehab appearance last week, got back to work with an inning to open the game. The 18-year-old struck out the first two batters he faced before allowing a pair of hits, but was able to get a grounder to finish off his frame. He’ll likely be part of the planned “bridge league” in the desert after the draft. … Kleiber Olmedo had his strongest outing yet, tossing five innings of two-hit ball without issuing a walk. The 19-year-old righty signed last spring and showed some promise in limited work in the DSL. He got hit hard in a few relief outings earlier this year, but has given up just three earned runs with 15 strikeouts over his last 14.1 innings.
