Matthew Batten had two of El Paso’s four homers Wednesday afternoon. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Chihuahuas 8, Salt Lake Bees 4
Key Stats: RHP Jared Kollar 6.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R (3 ER), 4 BB, 4 K; RHP Ethan Routzahn (W, 3-1) 0.1 IP LF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-4, HR (20), 2 R, RBI; RF Cal Mitchell 2-for-4, HR (17), 2 R, 3 RBI; 2B Matt Batten 3-for-4, 2B, 2 HR (8,9) 2 R, 3 RBI
Prospect Watch: Matthew Batten delivered a career day, collecting a pair of home runs and a career-best ten total bases to lead El Paso’s offense in a come-from-behind win. After hitting five home runs through the first five months of the season, Batten now has four in already in September. The 29-year-old former Padre is hitting .333/.412/.767 in eight games this month. … Another hitter who has been in the Padres organization for seven years also pulled off a first; Tirso Ornelas reached 20 home runs for the season. The now 24-year-old had already secured a career-high in RBIs and his .501 slugging percentage is also on-track for a career best. After a multi-hit game Wednesday afternoon, Ornelas has an OPS of .876, nearly 50 points higher than his previous top mark. Overall, he’s been almost 20 percent better than league average at the plate in the PCL this season. … On the mound, Jared Kollar delivered a solid outing. The former Rutgers hurler pitched into the seventh inning before giving way. Kollar allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits over 6.2 innings. He walked four and struck out four. The 26-year-old has had a fantastic season for the organization this year, throwing a career-high 124.2 innings between San Antonio and El Paso and posting a 3.04 ERA. His 4.75 mark in El Paso is more than respectable for the PCL. The former undrafted free agent doesn’t possess swing-and-miss stuff, but he’s been able to pound the zone and induce consistently weak contact. He will provide the organization with a depth option heading into 2025.
Austin Krob has been a consistent contributor all year for San Antonio. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)
Springfield Cardinals 2, Missions 1
Key Stats: LHP Austin Krob 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 5 K, WP; RHP Manuel Castro 2 IP, 2 H, 4 K, 2 IBB, WP; SS Ripken Reyes 2-for-4, 2B; RF Lucas Dunn 2-for-3, R
Prospect Watch: The Missions had just six hits, went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and left seven runners on to lose a pitchers’ duel. Lefty Austin Krob was saddled with his lead-leading 11th loss of the season despite turning in another quality start. The 24-year-old has been a true workhorse for the Missions; he is sixth in the league in both innings pitched (124) and strikeouts (120). The innings are a new career high, and he is four strikeouts away from matching his total from last year. He’s posted a 4.43 ERA, with underlying performance that has his FIP at 3.60. … Manuel Castro, who was promoted from Fort Wayne roster earlier in the day, made his first Double-A appearance and recorded four strikeouts over two scoreless innings. He had to work around traffic as he allowed a pair of hits and issued an intentional walk in each of his frames, but the 22-year-old with a riding fastball froze Jeremy Rivas with a full-count strike to leave a pair and close out the ninth inning. Castro, who signed out of Mexico in 2021, has punched out 29% of the batters he’s faced in each of the last two seasons, and has a stellar six percent walk rate. … While most of the offense didn’t show up, Ripken Reyes was the one prospect who brought it. The 27-year-old collected his fourth multi-hit game of the month and had a double for the club’s only extra-base hit. After a miserable first half in which Reyes barely kept his average above .200, he is now enjoying a .308/.379/.577 line in September.
The Storm hold a 1-0 lead in the best of three playoff series against Visalia. They play at home Thursday evening for a chance to punch their ticket to the California League finals.
