Chihuahuas 6, Oklahoma City Baseball Club 4
Key Statistics: SS Clay Dungan 3-for-5, RBI; LF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-5, R, 2B; 3B Eguy Rosario 2-for-5, R; 1B Kevin Plawecki 1-for-3, R, HR (8), RBI, BB; C Chandler Seagle 3-for-4, R, 2 2B; RHP Carl Edwards Jr. 3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, K; RHP Ethan Routzahn (W, 1-1) 1.1 IP; LHP Omar Cruz IP, BB, K; RHP Francis Pena IP, BB, K; LHP Austin Davis (S, 9) IP, 2 H, ER, BB
Chandler Seagle’s work behind the plate remains his calling card. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas offense broke out on Friday with 13 hits, defeating OKC on the road. … Shortstop Clay Dungan had three hits – all singles and an RBI out of the leadoff spot. With Mason McCoy in San Diego and Matthew Batten in DFA limbo, Dungan figures to get plenty of reps at shortstop in the near term. The former Royals draft pick has struggled in August, hitting just .196/.339/.275. … Catcher Chandler Seagle matched Dungan’s three hits although he provided a bit more pop. Seagle socked a pair of doubles and added a single for good measure. The 28-year-old backstop has played sparingly this season, conceding most of the playing time to Brett Sullivan. When he’s been in the lineup, he hasn’t hit much and Friday’s three-hit night raised his OPS to .523 – just below his career mark of .561. … Eguy Rosario seems to have awakened from a brutal slump in August. The El Paso third baseman had a pair of singles in five at-bats to extend his hitting streak to four games. Over the four-game stretch, Rosario is 6-for-16. The multi-hit night raised his season OPS back above .900. … After Carl Edwards Jr., who re-signed with the organization earlier in the week, gave El Paso 3.2 innings of three-run ball, the bullpen did a great job to preserve the win. After pitching six innings on August 11, Omar Cruz has made his last two appearances out of the bullpen as the organization kept him available as a big league spot starter option. The lefty pitched a scoreless inning on Friday, walking one and striking out one. The 25-year-old has been virtually unhittable in August. In 16.1 innings, opposing hitters are batting just .135 and he’s carrying a 0.73 WHIP. … Righty Francis Pena worked a scoreless inning and picked up his first strikeout in five appearances since his promotion to El Paso. The hard-throwing reliever, who opened last season in the complex league, has been absolutely dominant across three levels this season, posting a 1.39 ERA and racking up ground balls at every stop.
Frisco RoughRiders 10, Missions 4
Key Statistics: 1B Romeo Sanabria, 1-for-3, 2 RBI; CF Joshua Mears, 1-for-4, R, HR (1), RBI; RF Robert Perez Jr. 2-for-3, R, BB; RHP Sam Whiting (L, 0-2) 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; LHP Jackson Wolf, 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, ER, 5 K
Joshua Mears has some major power. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: The RoughRiders jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, cruising to a win over the Missions. … Center fielder Joshua Mears connected on his first homer since joining the Missions earlier in the week. The power-hitting outfielder has 12 homers overall this year with 10 of them coming during his time with the TinCaps. The 23-year-old has struggled with strikeouts throughout his career but he was able to make more frequent contact in his final few weeks with Fort Wayne. He’s punched out four times in two games with the Missions. Mears played for San Antonio back in 2022, hitting five homers in 24 games. … Right fielder Robert Perez Jr. had a pair of singles and a walk while hitting ninth in the order. Perez has multi-hit games in each of his last two starts. Overall, the former Mariners prospect has struggled with the Missions this year, hitting .212/.331/.321. … Righty Sam Whiting made the start and took the loss. Although he worked exclusively as a starter in his three year career at UC Santa Barbara, the Padres have stretched him out to develop as a starter in his first full season in the organization. The 23-year-old has thrown 65.1 innings while working for three affiliates this season, well beyond his entire collegiate workload. In 2.2 innings Friday, he allowed three runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out three. In 10 innings for the Missions, he’s pitched to a 5.40 ERA.
Peoria Chiefs 6, TinCaps 4
Key Statistics: CF Tyler Robertson 3-for-5, SB (12) R; C Ethan Salas 1-for-4, R; 2B Nerwilian Cedeño 3-for-4, R, 2B; 3B Wyatt Hoffman 2-for-4, R, HR (1), 3 RBI; LHP Jagger Haynes 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 7 K; RHP Will Varmette (L, 0-1) 0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, K
Wyatt Hoffman has played all over the field since joining Fort Wayne. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps led 4-2 going into the seventh inning but they allowed four runs in the frame, losing to Peoria. The club has now lost nine straight. … Tyler Robertson had three singles and he scored a run in Fort Wayne’s heartbreaking setback. The 24-year-old missed nearly two months with a hamate injury, but he’s looked good going 5-for-14 in three games in the series against Peoria since returning. … Wyatt Hoffman had a pair of hits including his first homer at the High-A level. Hoffman, 25, has enjoyed a very good August at the plate. With Friday’s multi-hit effort, the former University of the Pacific infielder is hitting .281/.378/.500 for Fort Wayne this month. In addition to providing speed and versatility, Hoffman has produced a career-high .696 OPS while playing in 86 games between Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne which is also a career-high. … Ethan Salas extended his hitting streak to eight games with a single in four at-bats. Salas, 18, is ending the season on a high note after struggling offensively for most of the season. The talented backstop is hitting .253/.317/.453 this month. … Nerwilian Cedeño had his first three-hit game since May 22 in the loss. The switch-hitting infielder is repeating High-A this year and overall, he’s struggled offensively. He has hit under .200 in four of the five full months this year. The 22-year-old had a promising offensive season for the Storm in 2022, delivering a .762 OPS. However, that mark has dropped to .690 and .619 respectively in the last two seasons. On the plus side, Cedeño has played in a career-high 93 games in 2024. … Lefty Jagger Haynes made the start and pitched well, delivering six solid innings. He allowed two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out seven. The outing represented a milestone, as Haynes surpassed 100 innings for the season. Entering the year, the 21-year-old had thrown just 25.1 innings since the Padres drafted him out of high school in 2020 thanks to a myriad of injuries, including Tommy John surgery. The southpaw has been solid for Fort Wayne, especially after a rough April. Since May 1, Haynes has had a 3.25 ERA while making a start every week throughout the entire season. Over his last 13 games, he’s posted a 79:35 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 69 innings.
Storm 1, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 0
Key Statistics: C Brendan Durfee, 2-for-4, 2B, RBI; 2B Ryan Jackson, 2-for-3, SB (1); SS Chase Valentine, 1-for-2, BB; LHP Wandy Peralta, IP, K; RHP Ian Koenig, 3.1 IP, 3 K; RHP Xavier Ruiz (S, 6) 2 IP, 2 BB, 4 K
Ian Koenig during his rehab stint in the desert. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: In a league known for offense, the Storm scored a run on an RBI single in the first and made it hold up to defeat the Quakes again in Rancho Cucamonga. … The Padres’ 2024 draft class featured prominently once again for Lake Elsinore as catcher Brendan Durfee had a pair of singles, including the first-inning hit that turned out to be the game-winner. Selected out of UC Santa Barbara in the 14th round, the big left-handed hitter has swung the bat well, hitting .304/.404/.500 with a homer in 12 games. … Second baseman Ryan Jackson added his first two hits as a professional while stealing his first base as well. Jackson, 22, was drafted in the 17th round out of USC, where the Walnut Creek, California native had a .407 on-base percentage in his final college season. … Lefty Wandy Peralta started his path toward returning to the Padres in time for September. The rehabbing big leaguer pitched a scoreless first inning, notching a strikeout. Peralta will likely make a few more outings after he was shut down in early July with a left adductor strain. … Ian Koenig took over for Peralta, retiring all 10 hitters he faced, three by strikeout. Over his last three games spanning 14.1 innings, the 23-year-old has allowed three runs on just six hits, walking three and striking out 15 batters. Overall, he has a 3.44 ERA in August as he continues to work back from Tommy John surgery last spring.
