Chihuahuas 6, Oklahoma City Baseball Club 2
Luke Westphal continues to provide innings in his third stint in affiliated baseball. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Key Statistics: RHP Nabil Crismatt (W, 2-2), 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K; LHP Luke Westphal (H, 2), 2 IP, 1 H, 3 BB; LF Brandon Lockridge, 3-for-3, 2 BB 2 SB; CF Jose Azocar, 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB
Prospect Watch: El Paso managed six runs without an extra-base hit and defeated their rivals in OKC and rehabbing big leaguer Walker Buehler thanks to some solid pitching. Nabil Crismatt pitched into the sixth inning against his former teammates, allowing two runs while striking out six. For Crismatt, it marked his longest start since rejoining the Padres organization and his second straight appearance going five innings or more. The veteran righty posted a 3.86 ERA in July, his first full month of being stretched out into a starter, and continues that momentum into August. … Southpaw Luke Westphal delivered two innings of one-hit ball to earn a hold. Although he walked three without a strikeout, the 35-year-old kept runs off the board. The Wisconsin native is 1-2 with a 7.27 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched in 2024. … First impressions don’t get much better than Brandon Lockridge‘s El Paso debut. The newest outfielder in the Padres organization, Lockridge was acquired from the Yankees at the trade deadline. He went 3-for-3 with a pair of walks and two of the club’s 10 stolen bases while batting leadoff. The 27-year-old is batting .305 with an .807 OPS in his first full season of Triple-A action in 2024. … Jose Azocar went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to seven games. The veteran center fielder has gone 11-for-30 in the span.
Frisco RoughRiders 1, Missions 0
Key Statistics: LHP Austin Krob (L, 3-8), 5.2 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; RHP Raul Brito, 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K; SS Ripken Reyes, 1-for-1, BB, SB; CF Zach Reks, 1-for-1
Austin Krob bounced back from a pair of rough starts. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: In a chippy, ejection-filled game, the Missions’ offense was stifled and failed to back up a pitching staff that scattered 10 hits and allowed only one run. The hard-luck loss went to lefty Austin Krob, who pitched into the sixth inning and struck out five while allowing the one run on nine hits. The 24-year-old is 3-8 with a 5.32 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 86.1 innings pitched in 2024. … Raul Brito was brilliant in long relief, allowing just a hit and a walk while striking out four in three-plus innings of work. The 27-year-old has been effective for San Antonio in 2024, going 2-3 with a 3.86 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 35 innings of work. … Ripken Reyes did his best to spark the offense from the top of the order, going 1-for-1 with a walk and a stolen base before being ejected from the game. The 27-year-old infielder is batting .216 with a .629 OPS in 287 at-bats while playing nearly every position on the field in 2024. … Zach Reks went 1-for-1, collecting the only other San Antonio hit in the game. The 30-year-old outfielder, a former 10th round pick of the Dodgers in 2017, has struggled mightily in his lone season in the Padres organization, batting .127 with a .486 OPS in 197 at-bats in the 2024 season.
West Michigan Whitecaps 5, TinCaps 4
Braden Nett shows off his changeup. (Photo: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Key Statistics: RHP Braden Nett 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K; LHP Jackson Smeltz IP, K; CF Joshua Mears 3-for-4, HR (7), 2 R, RBI; LF Griffin Doersching 1-for-3, HR (10), R, RBI;
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps got some power from their big bats in the lineup but came up just short in an attempt at a late rally. Braden Nett cruised through the first four innings, allowing just one walk and a single, but erasing both of those runners on double-play grounders. He worked around a pair of walks and a single in the fifth to keep West Michigan off the board, but couldn’t escape damage after two infield singles in the sixth as he showed signs of fatigue while trying to match his longest career outing. He ultimately was charged with three earned runs in 5.2 innings, striking out five while walking three. His second full professional season has been a struggle for Nett, who dealt with arm soreness early in the year and continues to fight for control of his impressive arsenal. Overall, he owns a 6.61 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 31.1 innings pitched. … Reliever Jackson Smeltz continues to shine in his first professional season as the lefty threw a perfect inning of relief. The 25-year-old has struck out 21 batters and walked three in 13.2 innings since being promoted to the TinCaps. After dealing with a series of major injuries and health issues dating back to high school, the Indiana native is running his fastball up to the mid-90s with ease this year. … Joshua Mears conjured up most of the offense for Fort Wayne, going 3-for-4 with his seventh home run of the season. It has been a forgettable 2024 for the former second-round pick as Mears hasn’t hit over .200 in any single month of the year and owns a .182 average in 137 at-bats for the season. … Griffin Doersching got his fourth career start in left field and hit his 10th home run of the season. The 25-year-old, who fits more reasonably at first base, has delivered a .690 OPS in 2024 and has struck out 75 times in 250 at-bats.
Storm 4, Fresno Grizzlies 1
Key Statistics: RHP Eric Yost (W, 4-2), 6 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 6 K; LHP Harry Gustin (S, 1), IP, BB, 3 K; SS B.Y. Choi, 3-for-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI; 1B Ryan Wilson, 1-for-2, 3B, RBI, BB
Prospect Watch: The Storm won a low-scoring affair thanks largely to Eric Yost, who picked up his fourth win of the season with six innings of one-run ball, striking out six. The 21-year-old righty, a 17th-round pick in 2023, has had an up-and-down year in his first full campaign, posting a 4.89 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 81 innings of work. Thursday’s outing was his fourth quality start in his last seven starts. … Harry Gustin finished off an impressive effort from the Lake Elsinore bullpen by striking out the side to earn the save. The Hawaii product, a 2023 18th-rounder, is 2-3 with a 4.01 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 42.2 innings this year. … B.Y. Choi has continued to swing a hot bat since his promotion from the Arizona Complex League. After a 3-for-5 performance, he’s 5-for12 with a pair of walks in his first three games in full-season ball. The 22-year-old infielder, the Padres’ 20th-round pick last year, put up an .829 OPS in the desert, showing an intriguing mix of power and speed. … Ryan Wilson hit his third triple of the season, driving in a run. The 22-year-old was selected in the ninth round of last year’s draft out of Davidson and owns a .657 OPS in 273 at-bats for the Storm in the 2024 season.
