Reno Aces 11, Chihuahuas 8
Key Statistics: RHP Randy Vásquez (L, 0-4), 3.1 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K; LHP Jackson Wolf 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB; C Brett Sullivan 2-for-3, 2B, 3 R, BB; 3B Eguy Rosario 1-for-5, 2B, RBI; CF Brandon Lockridge 2-for-4, HR (2)
Eguy Rosario keeps showing a hot bat. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: It was a tough night for a couple of pitchers with big league experience. Randy Vásquez, making his first start since he was optioned from the Padres, allowed six runs in three-plus innings, including a pair of home runs. While the 25-year-old righty has turned in serviceable performances as the Padres’ fifth starter, his tenure in El Paso has been less than outstanding, as he’s posted an 8.74 ERA and opponents have tagged him for a .979 OPS in six games with the Chihuahuas. … Jackson Wolf allowed three runs on two hits and two walks in just two-thirds of an inning. The lefty, recently outrighted off the Padres’ 40-player roster, owns a 7.30 ERA in a troublesome 2024 for the former fourth-round pick. … Once the game was well out of hand, righty Alek Jacob made his third straight scoreless appearance since being sent down to Triple-A, working 1.1 perfect innings. Lefty Tom Cosgrove followed with his sixth straight outing without an earned run. He’s allowed four hits in seven frames while striking out nine during the stretch. … Brett Sullivan went 2-for-3 with a double and a pair of runs scored. After posting a .941 OPS in June, the veteran catcher logged a .619 mark in July but has bounced back some with a .738 OPS midway through August. … Eguy Rosario slugged a double and drove in a run. The 24-year-old now owns a .925 OPS in Triple-A play. Originally a shortstop, Rosario has made 48 starts at third base and seven in right field as he tries to find a path back onto the Padres roster.
Ryan Bergert threw six perfect innings and punched out nine. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Missions 8, Amarillo Sod Poodles 0
Key Statistics: RHP Ryan Bergert (W, 2-7), 6 IP. 9 K; RHP Bradgley Rodriguez 1.2 IP, 1 BB, 2 K; LHP Ryan Och 1.1 IP; DH Romeo Sanabria 3-for-5, 5 RBI; 1B Robbie Tenerowicz 2-for-3, 2B, BB, SF
Bradgley Rodriguez anchored the middle innings with 1.2 innings. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: Three Missions pitchers combined for the Padres organization’s third no-hitter of the year against the visiting Sod Poodles. Ryan Bergert carried the bulk of the work, throwing six perfect innings while striking out nine batters. It continues an outstanding bounce-back for the 24-year-old, who threw six innings for the first time since May 28 and showed his best form of the year. The season started with the righty being seen as a dark horse prospect for the Padres, but his strikeout rate nosedived and opponents posted a .315 average against him in the first half. In mid-June, the righty shut things down in game action, then returned a month later. Since then, he’s gradually built back up across six starts. The results have been much better, with Bergert logging a 2.25 ERA, striking out 22, and holding opponents to a .197 average across 20 innings. … Bradgley Rodriguez followed to record the next five outs in his fourth scoreless appearance since being promoted to San Antonio. While he allowed a walk to break up the perfect game, he also struck out the final two batters he faced. He’s punched out six of the 13 batters he’s faced in the Texas League. The 20-year-old righty has hit the fast track after beginning the season in Lake Elsinore and owns a 2.32 ERA in 50.1 innings split between three levels. … Ryan Och collected the final four outs while not allowing a base runner to seal the no-hitter. The 26-year-old lefty has a 4.02 ERA in 47 innings pitched in 2024 after missing all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he’s struck out 34.2% of opposing hitters. … At the plate, the big game belonged to Romeo Sanabria, who went 3-for-5 and drove in five runs. The 22-year-old first baseman is batting .414 in his first 29 at-bats of Double-A action.
Dayton Dragons 14, TinCaps 3
Key Statistics: RHP Isaiah Lowe (L, 1-2), 4.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Will Varmette 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; DH Ethan Salas 1-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB; RF Joshua Mears 2-for-4, 2B, RBI
Ethan Salas raised his August OPS to .710. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps fell behind early and stayed there as Dayton rolled to a victory in Fort Wayne. Isaiah Lowe took his second loss after being promoted to Fort Wayne, getting tagged for six runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings. The 21-year-old righty was 5-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 17 appearances for Lake Elsinore prior to his promotion. He’s posted a 4.73 ERA in the three appearances since, with just eight strikeouts and 10 walks in 13.1 innings. After throwing just 12.1 innings last year because of shoulder injuries, Lowe has tossed 85.1 frames this year. He’s lost a bit of velocity in recent outings. … Will Varmette put up the best line of the night for Fort Wayne’ pitching staff, allowing one run on two hits and two walks in 1.2 innings of relief. The 21-year-old went 4-4 with a 6.13 ERA in 28 appearances for the Storm prior to being called up to Fort Wayne, where the righty owns a 7.71 ERA in a pair of outings. The hard-thrower, who signed out of junior college last summer, has racked up 69 strikeouts in 49.1 innings of work this year, but has walked 36 as he works to harness his electric stuff more consistently. … Ethan Salas worked a walk and drove in a pair of runs with a double to raise his August OPS to 710. It’s his best monthly mark of the season, but he is still batting just .196 for the month. The 18-year-old has a .589 overall OPS in 338 at-bats for Fort Wayne in 2024, though he has healthy strikeout (21.4%) and walk (11.1%) rates on the year. … After going 2-for-4 with a double, Joshua Mears is slashing .360/.373/.600 in 50 August at-bats. He’s cut his strikeout rate to 26% this month and is on track to finish with a K rate under 39% for the first time since his first professional summer in the complex league back in 2019.
Storm 5, Inland Empire 66ers 4
Key Statistics: RHP Maikel Miralles 5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 K; LHP Braian Salazar 1 IP, 2 K; CF Braedon Karpathios 2-for-4, HR (7), 2 R, 3 RBI, BB; LF Ryan Wilson 2-for-4, R
Prospect Watch: The Storm walked it off in 10 innings against Inland Empire, but before the dramatic ending, they got a solid start from Maikel Miralles. The 19-year-old righty gave Lake Elsinore five innings of one-run ball, striking out three and walking none. The native of Venezuela owns a a 5.26 ERA and has 46 strikeouts in 39.1 innings in 2024, split between the Arizona Complex League and the Storm. He spent all of last season, his first after signing as an 18-year-old, in the complex league. … 19-year-old lefty Braian Salazar added a scoreless inning of relief and struck out a pair of batters. Salazar has struck out nine batters in his first three appearances with Lake Elsinore and has yet to allow a run at the level. … With the Storm trailing 2-1 going to the bottom of the ninth, Braedon Karpathios lined a single that skipped past the shortstop to open the frame. A walk and hit batter loaded the bases with two outs before Kai Roberts hit a slow chopper to second base that Bronx baseball legend Randy Flores couldn’t handle, allowing the tying run to score. After Inland Empire put up two runs in the top of the 10th, Karpathios came up with two on and two outs in the bottom of the frame and demolished a breaking ball over the wall in dead center to claim the extra-inning victory for Lake Elsinore. The 21-year-old outfielder has been on fire since the All-Star break, posting a 1.197 OPS while significantly cutting his strikeout rate. The 2022 undrafted free agent out of junior college has hit seven home runs and owns a .766 OPS overall in 361 at-bats for the Storm this year. … Ryan Wilson went 2-for-4 and scored a run. The first baseman/outfielder from Davidson is slashing .286/.429/.393 in August for Lake Elsinore.
[…] nine strikeouts. He only needed 87 pitches, of which 65 were strikes as he led a pair of relievers to the Missions’ first no-hitter since May, 2022. It was only the second time in an up-and-down year that he has gone that deep into […]