Sugar Land Space Cowboys 8, Chihuahuas 6
Eguy Rosario is racking up extra-base hits. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Key Stats: RF Eguy Rosario 3-for-4, 2 2B, BB; CF Jose Azocar 3-for-4, 3B, SB (7), CS (2); C Kevin Plawecki 2-for-4, 2B; RHP Adam Mazur 4 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 4 K, 2 BB; LHP Jackson Wolf IP, 2 H, 2 ER; LHP Jayvien Sandridge IP, 2 K, 2 BB; RHP Lake Bachar 2 IP, 3 K, 2 BB
Prospect Watch: Sugar Land jumped out to an early lead against Adam Mazur and then held on despite some late offense from El Paso. Mazur, making his first post-demotion appearance after a 10-day layoff, had a strong 34% whiff rate for the night, but seven of the 14 balls put in play were hits, including several loud extra-base knocks. The 23-year-old had trouble landing his fastball in the zone, but finished the outing with 47 of his 76 pitches for strikes. Mazur will look to get back on track after a rough two-month stretch between Triple-A and the big leagues. … Lefty reliever Jayvien Sandridge continues to pair devastating stuff and serious command issues. The hard-throwing 25-year-old worked around a pair of walks to record a scoreless frame with a pair of strikeouts. In 12 outings since his promotion to El Paso, the Maryland native has racked up 23 strikeouts in just 12.2 innings, but he’s also walked 17. Triple-A hitters have largely been able to lay off his lively slider because he hasn’t been landing it in the strike zone, but Saturday night both of them were taken as called strikes. If he can use that pitch in the zone more consistently, he will be a tough match-up for any batter. … Eguy Rosario collected three hits and a walk out of the leadoff spot as he made his fourth start in right field for the Chihuahuas. Rosario caught two routine fly balls and almost came up with his second outfield assist with a big throw on a ball that got into the right field corner. He’s gone 5-for-9 with four extra-base hits in the abbreviated series, holding his OPS over 1.000 on the year.
Arkansas Travelers 8, Missions 5
Carter Loewen has emerged in the Missions bullpen. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)
Key Stats: 1B Robbie Tenerowicz 2-for-3, SF; 2B Ripken Reyes 1-for-3, 2B, 2 HBP; CF Connor Hollis 1-for-3, BB; LHP Austin Krob 3.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 K, 3 BB; RHP Raul Brito 1.1 IP, H, 3 K, BB; RHP Carter Loewen 1.1 IP, H, K
Prospect Watch: Austin Krob labored through his first start in nine days, giving up five runs over just 3.2 innings and giving the Travelers a lead they would never relinquish. Krob, 25, has had some dominant outings, but has also been hit hard at times in an up-and-down season. Overall, the sinker-reliant lefty sports a 5.13 ERA on the year, but his underlying numbers have been much better. He’s kept his walk rate in the single digits while increasing his strikeout rate as the season progresses. … Big righty Carter Loewen recorded the last four outs of the game, allowing just one single along the way. The 25-year-old, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2021 following an injury-filled career at the University of Hawaii, has a career-best 32.3% strikeout rate in his first taste of Double-A baseball, but has also walked 13.8% of opposing hitters. His fastball-slider arsenal profiles for a big league relief role if he can rein in the command a bit. … Ripken Reyes reached base three times out of the leadoff spot, once again getting hit by a pair of pitches. The pesky switch-hitter set the all-time minor league record by getting plunked 49 times in 528 trips to the plate last season. This year, he’s “only” been hit 23 times across 322 appearances. The ability to take one off his body has helped keep the Washington native’s career on-base percentage at .389 despite an otherwise down year for the Missions.
Lake County Captains 10, TinCaps 4
Braden Nett had a rough outing Saturday. (Photo: Dylan Sinn/The Journal Gazette)
Key Stats: LF Joshua Mears 1-for-3, HR (5), BB; RF Kai Murphy 1-for-3, 2B, BB; RHP Braden Nett 0.2 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB; RHP Manuel Castro 2 IP, 2 K
Prospect Watch: Starter Braden Nett couldn’t get out of the first inning as he walked the final three batters he faced. The righty dialed it up to 98, but only got 16 strikes among the 35 pitches he struggled through. Things got ugly quickly after his departure as Keegan Collett gave up a grand slam to put the TinCaps down by five before they got to the plate. In all, Nett was charged with five earned runs, pushing his ERA up to 8.71 on the year. He’s made it beyond three innings just once in 11 appearances, yielding 13 free passes in 20.2 innings. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022 after almost no in-game action in a two-year junior college career, Nett continues to show very impressive raw stuff, but has struggled mightily to turn that into results as a professional. … After the TinCaps were no-hit through the first five innings, Homer Bush opened the sixth with a single before he was immediately erased on a double play grounder. They finally got on the board in the seventh when the Captains’ reliever walked the first two batters he faced before Joshua Mears launched a three-run homer to left off the very end of the bat. Now 23, Mears has prodigious power, but continues to struggle with pitch recognition and making regular contact. Remarkably, his 36.7% strikeout rate this year is the best he’s posted in four years of full-season ball.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 4, Storm 3
Braedon Karpathios is finding the balance between patience and passiveness. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Key Stats: CF Braedon Karpathios 1-for-2, HR (4), 3 BB; 2B Chase Valentine 2-for-4, 2B; 1B Ethan Long 1-for-3, 2 BB; LHP Tom Cosgrove IP, 2 K; RHP Miguel Mendez 2 IP, 2 K, BB; RHP Xavier Ruiz 1.1 IP, K, BB
Prospect Watch: After surrendering an early lead, the Storm loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but couldn’t come up with a big hit to complete their comeback. … Lefty Tom Cosgrove opened the game with a rehab appearance for Lake Elsinore, recording a pair of strikeouts in a one-two-three inning. After a nightmare start to the year, Cosgrove had found his footing again in June to get back to the big leagues, but had soreness in his third appearance and hit the IL. He’s been off for more than three weeks, so likely will get at least one more outing before a decision on whether he’s ready to rejoin the big league bullpen. … Miguel Mendez followed with a pair of hitless frames to extend his scoreless innings streak to eight. Mendez, who generates premium velocity despite a rail-thin stature, has struck out 22 and allowed only nine hits over his last 18 innings. The 22-year-old didn’t sign until 2021 and only got to full-season ball for the first time last year. The Padres will hope that another offseason on their training program will help Mendez take things up another notch. … Braedon Karpathios connected on his fourth homer of the year and drew three more walks to extend his Cal League lead. The 21-year-old lefty, who sees more pitches per plate appearance than any other Padres prospect, has been exactly league average at the plate despite a 31% strikeout rate. The organization continues to work with him to be more aggressive on pitches he can hit hard.
Krob is 24 until September