Salt Lake Bees 5, Chihuahuas 3
Graham Pauley continues to rebound in July. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Key Stats: RF Cal Mitchell 2-for-5, 2B, HR (11); 2B Graham Pauley 2-for-4, 2B; RHP Carl Edwards Jr. 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 3 BB; LHP Tom Cosgrove 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K
Prospect Watch: El Paso dropped their 10th straight and are at risk of falling into the basement of the PCL standings. Left fielder Calvin Mitchell led the offense, clubbing a double and his eleventh homer of the year while hitting second in the lineup. At 25, the left-handed outfielder is producing 10% above league average in his first season in the organization while showing solid tools across the board. … Graham Pauley, playing at second base for the afternoon, had a pair of hits, including a double. After a stellar first campaign last year, the 23-year-old has scuffled this season following his early-season debut in the big leagues. He’s dramatically cut his strikeout rate this month, helping him to a much more productive .291/.435/.436 line for July. He’ll look to re-assert himself over the season’s final months. … Long-time big league reliever Carl Edwards Jr. continued to work as a starter for El Paso, allowing three runs over four innings. The 33-year-old righty, who last was in a rotation in 2014, has allowed opponents to hit .304 in three appearances for the Chihuahuas after signing as a minor-league free agent this month.
Midland RockHounds 7, Missions 5
Key Stats: 2B Ripken Reyes 2-for-4; DH Brandon Valenzuela 1-for-4, 2B; LF Cole Cummings 1-for-4, HR (9); C Juan Zabala 2-for-3; RHP Ryan Bergert 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 K; RHP Francis Pena 2 IP, K, BB; RHP Ethan Routzahn IP
Prospect Watch: San Antonio dropped their third straight to lose the series in West Texas. Ryan Bergert, slowly building up after being held out of the rotation for a month to try to get his season back on track, continued to show some encouraging signs of progress. The 24-year-old allowed one run over three innings, striking out four with only one walk. Bergert, whose fastball and sweeper had both taken a step back this year as he continued to drop is release point, threw 33 of his 46 pitches for strikes and is looking more comfortable on the mound. A rebound over the final six weeks of the season would be a good thing for the righty, who would be Rule 5 eligible after this season. … Francis Pena continued his breakout season with two more scoreless innings. The lanky righty, who signed just before he turned 21 in 2022, only struck out one, but induced four more grounders. His heavy fastball and slider have helped him hold Texas League hitters to a .176 average across 23.2 innings. His emergence after signing for a $10,000 bonus has been a major success for a club that has worked to identify older international free agents in recent years. … Cole Cummings extended his on-base streak to 10 games with a three-run homer he pulled deep to right on a full-count pitch. The lefty out of UC Santa Barbara has posted an impressive .272/.335/.500 line away from the power-sapping confines of Wolff Stadium.
Dayton Dragons 8, TinCaps 6
Griffin Doersching has been making more consistent contact. (Photo: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Key Stats: RF Kai Murphy 1-for-4, 2B, BB; LF Griffin Doersching 2-for-4, 2B; RHP Tyler Morgan 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 K, 3 BB; RHP Dwayne Matos 2 IP, K, BB, LHP Jackson Smeltz IP, 4 H, 3 ER, K
Prospect Watch: Forced to an impromptu bullpen game after scheduled starter Dylan Lesko headlined the trade package to land reliever – and one-time Padres farmhand – Jason Adam, the TinCaps almost pulled off a come-back victory before the Dragons put up a three-run eighth inning to ice the series. Seven different TinCaps threw, including reliever Bradgley Rodriguez, who appeared in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. The righty, who was called on with two on and two outs, gave up a hit to plate both inherited runners before he recorded an out to avoid more damage. … Righty Dwayne Matos tossed a pair of hitless innings as the 23-year-old continued a solid month out of the pen. Matos, who worked as a swingman for the TinCaps in 2022 before injuries pushed him back to Lake Elsinore for all of last season, has allowed just one run on three hits in eight innings this month. … Griffin Doersching, making his third professional appearance in left field, had two hits including a double. The big slugger has struggled to tap into his power this month while working to make more consistent contact, but the approach change has helped him strike out just eight times in 58 trips to the plate. He’ll look to get to his immense raw power more consistently while maintaining the improved contact.
Storm 8, Visalia Rawhide 6
Isaiah Lowe gets big extension in his delivery. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Key Stats: CF Braedon Karpathios 1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, CS; DH Lamar King Jr. 1-for-3, BB; SS Wyatt Hoffman 1-for-1, 2 BB, HBP; 1B Ethan Long 0-for-2, 3 BB; RHP Isaiah Lowe 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 4 K, 3 BB; LHP Harry Gustin 1.1 IP, H, K
Prospect Watch: The Storm keep on rolling, taking their fifth straight win over the Diamondbacks affiliate and extending their lead as the Cal League’s most productive offense in the second half, averaging more than 6.5 runs per game. This time, Elsinore took advantage of 10 walks and a pair of hit batters to walk away with the victory despite going just 3-for-15 with runners on. Braedon Karpathios, already the league leader, drew two of the free passes and also collected a double. The left-handed outfielder, who has had 49% of his plate appearances end in either a walk of a strikeout, has cut his punchout rate significantly in July while also collecting more extra-base hits than in any month of the season. Just 21, the 2022 undrafted free agent has shown an interesting mix of tools in his first season in full-season ball. … Lamar King Jr., who joined the Storm on Saturday, made his first appearance outside the complex and had a hit and a walk in four trips to the plate. A fourth-round draftee in the Padres’ already productive 2022 class, the powerful catcher’s career has been slowed by a series of injuries, but he’s shown a good approach and fast hands at the plate in the ACL this year while working back from shoulder surgery. The 20-year-old will look to get back behind the plate in this fall’s instructional league. … Righty Isaiah Lowe – who is now the top pitching prospect active on the Single-A rosters – fought his command more than typical, but still rolled through the first five innings allowing just one run to a solid lineup. The 21-year-old from North Carolina needed 81 pitches, striking out four while issuing three walks. He’s pitched to a 3.00 ERA over 72 innings in a stellar bounce-back year after dealing with shoulder issues through 2023.
