Chihuahuas 5, Reno Aces 4 (10 innings)
Key Statistics: 3B Eguy Rosario 2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI; DH Matthew Batten 2-for-5, RBI; SS Clay Dungan 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (6), RBI; RHP Matt Waldron 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 K; LHP Jayvien Sandridge 2 IP, 2 H, 5 K; LHP Austin Davis (W, 4-4) 2 IP, 2 K
Matt Waldron is finding the strike zone more for El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: This one was tied at four after five innings, but then both offenses went quiet until El Paso pushed across a run in the 10th inning to defeat the Aces in Reno. … Third baseman Eguy Rosario had a pair of hits, including a double. He scored a run and also drove in the winning run. Rosario struggled immensely for the first few weeks of August, but has swung the bat well again the last couple of weeks. In five September games, Rosario is hitting .263/.318/.632, better than his overall .915 OPS. … Shortstop Clay Dungan also connected on two hits, including his sixth homer of the year. He has now homered in back-to-back games. The minor league free agent had a red-hot April but hasn’t done much offensively since. He’s hit .244 or worse in every month outside of April, but his defensive versatility is quite valuable. He can play short, second, third, and moonlighted as a center fielder during his stint with the Missions earlier this year. With eight homers this season, Dungan is just two away from a new career-high. He hit nine homers in 2021and 2022 in the Royals’ organization. … Matt Waldron made his second start back in Triple-A and pitched reasonably well. Working on five days’ rest, he threw five innings and allowed four earned runs on six hits. He struck out four batters without issuing a walk. The 27-year-old knuckleballer has not allowed a free pass in 9.2 innings since he was demoted after a poor outing against the Twins on August 21. Waldron’s 5.59 ERA isn’t impressive but it’s passable in the hitter-friendly PCL. … The Chihuahuas bullpen gave the offense the opportunity to pull out the victory by tossing five shutout innings. Jayvien Sandridge, Logan Gillaspie, and Austin Davis combined to allow just two hits and strike out eight.
Missions 9, Tulsa Drillers 3
Key Statistics: 2B Ripken Reyes 2-for-4, R, RBI; CF Connor Hollis 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, RBI; DH Robert Perez Jr. 2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI; RF Joshua Mears 1-for-4, R, HR (4), RBI; RHP Henry Baez (W, 4-1) 6 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Raul Brito (S, 2) 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER
Henry Baez has posted solid results in his first taste of Double-A. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: The Missions’ offense broke out a bit, scoring nine runs to cruise to their third straight win over the Drillers. … Connor Hollis continued to swing a hot bat, as the San Antonio center fielder had a double, two singles, a walk, and an RBI. The former Texas League batting title winner has had better results over the last month, but he hasn’t found the same success that he did in 2022. He has hit safely in each of the last four games he has started, pushing his average up to .241. … For the second straight game, powerful Joshua Mears connected on a homer. It was the Washington native’s fourth home run in 12 games with the Missions and 15th overall this year. Unfortunately, he has punched out at least once in 13 straight games and at least twice in 10 of those contests. At 23, he owns a career .453 slugging percentage, but that comes with a 39% strikeout rate. … Righty Henry Baez pitched well Friday night, earning his fourth Double-A win for his effort. He completed six innings and allowed a run on four hits. He walked one and struck out two. Baez has gotten good results for the Missions, posting a 3.30 ERA in eight starts. If there is a cause for concern, it’s that the 21-year-old hasn’t missed bats in Double-A the way he did in High-A. In 76.1 innings with the TinCaps, Baez punched out 78 hitters. With the Missions, he’s struck out just 27 batters in 43.2 innings as more advanced hitters can catch up with a fastball that doesn’t have great life on it. Coming into Friday’s outing, hitters were batting .250 on balls in play. If Baez can’t miss bats more consistently, his ERA is bound for regression. He should get one more start to add to his career-high 120 innings before the Missions’ season concludes next week.
TinCaps 4, South Bend Cubs 1
Key Statistics: CF Kai Murphy 1-for-2, R, 2 BB; C Ethan Salas 1-for-3, RBI; RF Jacob Campbell 2-for-4, 2B, 3B, RBI; RHP Braden Nett 4 IP, 3 H, R, 5 BB, 5 K; LHP Fernando Sanchez (W, 3-4) 3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Manuel Castro (S, 12) 1.1 IP, K
Braden Nett has impressed through the second half of the year. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps scored three runs in the fifth inning to defeat the Cubs in front of over 8,000 in the final Friday night game of the season at Parkview Field. … Jacob Campbell had a double and a triple and drove in a run. The catcher-turned-outfielder had strong results during his time in Lake Elsinore, showing off impressive power despite learning to play the outfield on the fly. Campbell, 24, got off to a miserable start after being promoted to Fort Wayne but things have picked up as of late. Over his last seven games, Campbell is 7-for-24 with a homer, two doubles, and a triple. In 72 games with the Storm and TinCaps, the former University of Illinois catcher has a .738 OPS. … In his final start of the 2024 season, Braden Nett flashed his usually excellent stuff, but struggled with command. In four innings, Nett allowed just one unearned run on three hits. He struck out five batters and walked five before departing. Despite the struggles to locate his fastball, Nett finished the season on a high note. He allowed three earned runs or less in each of his final eight appearances, pitching at least five innings in five of those outings. He made only three starts in April, posting an 11.12 ERA and walking six in five innings, then spent May on the IL. But since his return at the start of June, he’s delivered a 3.29 ERA with with 62 strikeouts against 29 walks in 54.2 frames across 15 appearances. … Manuel Castro recorded the game’s final four outs to earn his 12th save of the season. The 22-year-old from Gusave, Mexico ranks second in the circuit, converting 12 out of 13 chances. In 56.2 innings, he’s struck out 68 batters while pitching to a 3.49 ERA.
Inland Empire 66ers 4, Storm 2
Key Statistics: DH Kai Roberts 2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI; CF Braedon Karpathios 1-for-4, SB (5); SS Chase Valentine 2-for-4, R, SB (6); RHP Kleiber Olmedo 4 IP, 0 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, HBP; RHP Alejandro Lugo (L, 6-2) 3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, K
Kleiber Olmedo has shown some building blocks for development. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm bats were quiet as the club lost their second straight game to the 66ers. At first pitch, the temperature was a scorching 109 degrees. … Designated hitter Kai Roberts had a pair of doubles and drove in both of the Storm runs. The former University of Utah outfielder has hit safely in 11 straight, including six multi-hit efforts. Overall, the 23-year-old is hitting .351/.420/.485 in his first 23 professional games with the Storm. … Kleiber Olmedo carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before departing. He rolled through the first four innings, punching out six hitters. The righty, who had only worked past three innings once this year, opened the fifth by hitting a batter and issuing a walk before being pulled. Both of those runs came around to score giving Olmedo a weird line of two earned runs allowed without a hit. In eight games with the Storm after an inconsistent run in the desert, the 20-year-old has a 4.58 ERA.
