Reno Aces 12, Chihuahuas 3
Key Statistics: RF Brandon Lockridge, 2-for-4, R, BB, RBI; LF Tirso Ornelas, 1-for-4, 2B, RBI; SS Mason McCoy, 2-for-3, R, BB, RBI, SB (25); RHP Nabil Crismatt (L, 2-3) 4 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; LHP Jackson Wolf, 2 IP, BB, 2 K
Mason McCoy has turned it up in August. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: The Aces scored in bunches, putting up four runs in the third inning, five in the seventh, and finally three runs in the ninth to blow out the Chihuahuas in El Paso. … Newly-acquired Brandon Lockridge reached base three times in five plate appearances, including a pair of singles. He also drove in a run. The former Yankee farmhand has struggled since joining the organization at the deadline, in exchange for Enyel De Los Santos. Through 10 games, he is hitting .216/.341/.297 with El Paso. With Scranton-Wilkes Barre, the Pensacola, Florida native was hitting .283/.395/.370. … After a pair of hitless games, shortstop Mason McCoy broke out of a mini-slump Tuesday with a pair of singles. McCoy, 29, had a nine-gamehitting streak earlier this month after struggling all year with the bat. August has been another story, as the former Orioles draftee who got a brief stint in the majors with the Blue Jays last year is hitting .457/.500/.657 with six stolen bases this month. … Righty Nabil Crismatt pitched three clean innings but a poor fourth did him in. Crismatt allowed three consecutive hits to start the frame. When the dust settled, he allowed four runs and took his third loss of the season. The former big leaguer has put up a 5.16 ERA in eight games (seven starts) for El Paso this season, after seeing time with Round Rock (Rangers and Oklahoma City (Dodgers) this season at the Triple-A level. Crismatt doesn’t miss bats – he has just 21 strikeouts in 29.2 innings – but he has generally kept El Paso in every game he’s pitched. … Lefty Jackson Wolf, who pass through waivers unclaimed and was outrighted to the Chihuahuas last week, threw two scoreless innings. It’s been a rough campaign for the 25-year-old, who the Padres acquired back from the Pirates after he was designated for assignment as the season began. The West Virginia University product has yielded a 7.04 ERA with just 73 strikeouts in 85.2 innings as he’s dealt with the challenging conditions of the Pacific Coast League.
Amarillo Sod Poodles 5, Missions 0
Key Statistics: Robbie Tenerowicz, 1-for-4, 2B; RF Robert Perez Jr., 1-for-2, 2B, 2 BB; LHP Austin Krob (L, 3-10) 3 IP, 6 H, R, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Jose Geraldo, 2 IP, BB, 5 K
Austin Krob. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: The Missions’ offense never got going, as they managed just four hits in a shutout loss. They’ve fallen back into the Texas League basement with a .638 team OPS. At the plate, Robert Perez Jr. reached base three times with a double and a pair of walks. The former Mariners farmhand has struggled in his first season in the Padres’ organization. Last season in the Texas League while playing with Arkansas, Perez connected on 17 homers. That came on the heels of his 2022 when he homered 27 times, playing at both levels of A-ball. This season, Perez Jr. has the ninth-lowest wRC+ in the league, with his production being 17 percent below the league average. Perez has connected on just six homers and he currently sports a slugging percentage of just .304. … Austin Krob only allowed one unearned run in three innings but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The left-hander had heavy traffic on the bases all night, allowing a staggering eight baserunners as he labored through 67 pitches. The former TCU starter has had some good moments this season but overall, he’s struggled in his first full season of Double-A baseball. In 94.1 innings, Krob has a 5.34 ERA – with a more encouraging 3.93 FIP. Krob generates a lot of grounders but many of those have turned into hits. Coming into Tuesday’s start, Krob’s .349 BABIP was the highest mark in the league. … Jose Geraldo continued his recent run of strong pitching with two scoreless innings, striking out five of the seven batters he faced. He did allow a walk. The 25-year-old righty has not surrendered a run in eight consecutive outings, including his first two as a Mission. Over that span, Geraldo has pitched 14 scoreless innings, striking out 18 batters.
TinCaps 4, Dayton Dragons 1
Key Statistics: C Ethan Salas, 1-for-4, R, 2B; CF Joshua Mears, 2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI; RF Nick Vogt, 1-for-3, 2 R, SB (7); RHP Braden Nett (W, 3-1) 6 IP, 3 H, R, 9 K; LHP Fernando Sanchez (S, 1) 3 IP, H, BB, 4 K
Braden Nett has showed upside when he can stay in the zone. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps rode excellent pitching to an easy win at Parkview Field. … Righty Braden Nett turned in arguably the best start of his pro career, earning his third win in the process. The righty pitched six innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits. He struck out nine batters without issuing a walk. The Missouri native has come on late in the season, giving the Padres an intriguing power arm who is capable of touching the upper-90s with his heater and shows a promising four-pitch mix. Nett had a brutal outing on July 20, when he allowed five runs while recording two outs. Since then, the righty has allowed just four earned runs over 20.2 innings. Nett still struggles with command at times but he has been an incredible find for the organization since signing in 2022 as an undrafted free agent. … After Nett departed, Fernando Sanchez pitched the final three innings, notching his first save since 2019. Sanchez allowed just one hit and one walk while notching four strikeouts. The 23-year-old from the Mexican state of Sonora has been a bit of an organizational arm throughout his time in the system but he’s been quite good in 2024. He began the year in the Storm rotation and has thrived as a multi-inning reliever for the TinCaps. In 34.2 innings for Fort Wayne, Sanchez has struck out 39 batters while pitching to a 3.63 ERA. … Center fielder Joshua Mears had a pair of doubles and was the only TinCaps hitter to have a multi-hit night. The 23-year-old has hit well in August after a slow start to the season. In 43 plate appearances this month, the Washington native is hitting .357/.372/.619 with three homers and six RBI. He’s punched out 12 times this month but when he puts the ball in play, he can hit the ball as hard as anyone in the game – minors or majors. As long as Mears continues to hit the stuffing out of the ball, he will get opportunities to tap into his raw ability.
Inland Empire 66ers 5, Storm 3
Key Statistics: DH Lamar King Jr. 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI; 2B Brandon Butterworth, 2-for-4, R; LF Braedon Karpathios, 2-for-4, RBI; LHP Luis Gutierrez (L, 2-3) 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R (2 ER), BB; LHP Zack Qin, 1.1 IP, 2 K
Prospect Watch: The Storm offense was largely held in check until a ninth inning rally, when they closed the gap and put the tying runs on base with one out. Jose Sanabria, who has had a rough month at the plate, struck out, setting up Leo De Vries for a potential star turn, but the 17-year-old hit a hard grounder up the middle that the 66ers second baseman dove to grab and turned into a game-ending forceout. … The club’s quiet night at the plate and some late inning messiness from the bullpen cost Luis Gutierrez a shot at a victory despite making it through seven innings for the first time in his career. The lefty, who works a lively changeup off a fastball in the low-90s, had a weird night, allowing eight hits and failing to record a strikeout, but still holding a weak Inland Empire squad to two earned runs. The 21-year-old has been inconsistent since joining Lake Elsinore at the start of June, but has shown flashes. Overall, he’s been too hittable, as Cal League opponents have posted a .311 average against him. … The Storm’s ninth inning rally was fueld by doubles from Lamar King Jr. and Braedon Karpathios, who have both been showing off power strokes of late. King, the 20-year-old catcher still waiting to get behind the plate after offseason shoulder surgery, has an .802 OPS in his first 10 games out of the complex as he starts to get to some of his impressive raw power more consistently in games. Karpathios, 21, has been on fire since the all-star break, adding 78 points to his season OPS. The lefty continues to show an exciting mix of speed and power and has been making much more consistent contact. … While De Vries finished the night 0-for-5 with a pair of strikeouts at the plate, he showed off defensively until a late error on a play when his feet got away from him and he shorthopped a throw to first. The 17-year-old made an impressive sliding, over-the-shoulder catch on a pop fly behind second base in the third inning. Perhaps more encouraging was a heads-up play he made as the cutoff man on a double into the left field corner. As the runner from first base came around to score, De Vries started to make the throw with little chance of cutting him down, then held onto it and caught the batter making too wide a turn around the bag. The club executed a perfect run-down and cut off the 66ers’ building rally. [Contributed by David Jay]
