Oklahoma City Baseball Club 5, Chihuahuas 3
Key Prospects: LF Tirso Ornelas 3-for-4, BB; SS Matthew Batten 1-for-5, HR (5); 2B Clay Dungan 2-for-3, 2B, BB; RHP Jared Kollar 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 K, BB; LHP Jayvien Sandridge 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, K, BB; RHP Francis Pena 0.2 IP, 0 H, 2 ER, K, BB; LHP Tom Cosgrove 0.2 IP, H
Matthew Batten connected in his return to El Paso (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: Oklahoma City pulled away late to finish off a series victory over the Chihuahuas. Before a rally against the bullpen, Jared Kollar turned in a solid five innings of work, allowing just one run while striking out five. The righty bounced back nicely after getting roughed up in the series opener, when he was tagged for a season-high seven runs in just 1.1 innings. Kollar, 26, has posted a 3.57 ERA across 111 innings between San Antonio and El Paso, with 100 strikeouts while walking only 28 batters. His 6% walk rate is in the top 15 among all pitchers who’ve thrown 100 innings in the upper minors this year. … The bullpen, which has been a strength for El Paso all year, had an uncharacteristic hiccup, giving up four runs over the final three innings. Jayvien Sandridge and Francis Pena were charged with two runs each. After getting a ground out to open the eighth, Pena walked a pair before giving way to Tom Cosgrove, who worked back-to-back outings for the first time since joining the Chihuahuas off the IL last month. Cosgrove allowed a two-out double to plate both those runners and give OKC the lead. Cosgrove hadn’t allowed an inherited runner to score before Sunday. … Tirso Ornelas reached base four times in a contest for the first time this month. While he’s cooled off in August, the 24-year-old is still carrying a career-best strikeout rate and continues to pull the ball in the air more than ever. While the organization has been reticent to bring him up in the middle of a pennant race, the decision to move him onto the 40-player roster last month reflects their belief that he can be a contributor at the big league level. … Matthew Batten, who cleared outright waivers and was assigned to El Paso earlier in the day, connected on a two-run homer. It was the fifth blast of the year for the 29-year-old infielder.
Frisco RoughRiders 6, Missions 3
Key Stats: RF Robert Perez Jr. 2-for-4, 2B; CF Joshua Mears 1-for-3, 2B, BB; 1B Romeo Sanabria 1-for-3, BB; RHP Henry Baez 5.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 K, 2 BB; RHP Bradgley Rodriguez 1.2 IP, 1 H, K; LHP Ryan Och 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, K, 2 BB
Henry Baez has looked solid in his first taste of Double-A. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: The Missions staged a pair of late rallies, but came up short in their effort to split the series in Frisco. Starter Henry Baez gave up more than two runs for the first time in three months, a span of 10 starts. The 21-year-old surrendered a massive home run to Abimelec Ortiz, just the ninth he’s allowed in 110 innings of work. The year has been an unmitigated success for the 21-year-old, who has held his ERA under three all season while drastically cutting his walk rate and – Ortiz’s shot notwithstanding – limiting hard contact. … Baez gave way to Bradgley Rodriguez after allowing a pair of runners to reach with one out in the sixth. Ortiz greeted the hard-throwing reliever with a double deep into the right field corner to plate both runs. It was just the second hit Rodriguez has allowed in seven Double-A outings. He then settled down and recorded five straight outs as he worked 1.2 innings for the third time in his last four outings. The 20-year-old has thrown 54 innings in 40 appearances this year. … Lucas Dunn, who’s had a rough season of injuries and struggles at the plate, drove in a pair of runs with a two-out, bases-loaded single in the seventh to get the Missions on the board. The 25-year-old utility man, who has appeared at six different defensive positions this year, has reached base at only a .255 clip in full-season ball this season. … Romeo Sanabria singled and walked in four trips to the plate, a performance that actually lowered his Texas League on-base percentage slightly to .514. The 22-year-old first baseman has reached in all but one of the 17 games he’s batted in since joining the Missions.
TinCaps 8, Peoria Chiefs 5
Key Stats: LF Jacob Campbell 2-for-4, HR (1), SB (1), OF Assist; 3B Rosman Verdugo 1-for-4, HR (1), BB; CF Nick Vogt 3-for-4, 2B, SB (9); RHP Eric Yost 3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 2 BB; RHP Jose Luis Reyes 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 K
Prospect Watch: Fort Wayne had to rally three different times to take the lead, but ultimately outlasted Peoria to claim just their second win in their last 12 games. The TinCaps, who came in with the second-lowest home run total in the Midwest League, got a pair of round-trippers in the contest. Rosman Verdugo closed an early 3-0 deficit with a two-run shot in the third inning, his first homer since joining Fort Wayne. The 19-year-old from Baja California has struck out in 30% of his plate appearances since his promotion. Verdugo struggled with strikeouts early in the year for Lake Elsinore before finding his timing and making more consistent contact through the summer. … Left fielder Jacob Campbell capped the scoring with a solo shot in the ninth, playing just up the road from his alma mater, the University of Illinois. The blast was his first extra-base hit in limited action since joining the TinCaps. … After a rough start from Eric Yost, Joan Gonzalez and Jose Luis Reyes held the Chiefs’ offense in check while the TinCaps pulled away. Reyes, 22, has moved into a multi-inning relief role this month, giving the staff four straight outings of at least three innings out of the bullpen. The righty gave up a run after coming on in the sixth inning, but – with help from a strong throw from Campbell to cut down an attempt to stretch a single into a double – retired the final 10 batters he faced.
Storm 8, Rancho Cucamonga 3
Key Stats: LF Braedon Karpathios 1-for-4, 2B, BB; C Colton Vincent 2-for-4, 3B, BB, 5 RBI; RF Sean Barnett 1-for-5, 3B; RHP Johan Moreno 4.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 2 BB; RHP Kleiber Olmedo IP, 2 K, 2 BB
Nick Vincent has hit well at three levels this year. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The Storm topped the host Quakes for the third straight game Sunday, extending their season-long dominance. They’ve now won 17 of their last 21 against the Dodgers’ Cal League affiliate. After being held to just two hits through the first five innings, Elsinore batted around and scored five in the sixth inning, then blew it open in the ninth when Colton Vincent hit a bases-clearing triple. The 24-year-old backstop, who came into the game with four RBIs in his first 10 Cal League games, had a two-run single earlier in the contest. After spending much of the season in the complex league, the Florida State product has continued to produce for Lake Elsinore, putting together an .833 OPS. Vincent appeared to injure his left hand diving head-first into third base and had to give way for the final inning behind the plate. … Braedon Karpathios had another double and drew a walk as he remains red hot. The left-handed slugger from Pennsylvania sports a .347/.451/.587 line in 91 trips to the plate this month and has his strikeout rate under 20%. … Johan Moreno, 21, worked 4.1 innings as the first of six Storm pitchers in the game. The Venezuelan righty had to navigate traffic as he allowed four singles and a pair of walks, but only one run came across. Moreno hadn’t gone more than four innings all year, but he’d only tossed 69 pitches through four, so he came back out to start the fifth. After a strikeout and walk, his outing was finished.
