Chihuahuas 6, Salt Lake Bees 1
Key Stats: RHP Randy Vásquez 6 IP, 2 H, 8 K, 2 BB; LHP Tom Cosgrove 1IP, H, K; LHP Paul Fry IP, 2 K, BB; RF Cal Mitchell 2-for-3, 2B, SF, 3 RBI; SS Eguy Rosario 1-for-3, 2B, BB, SB (17); 1B Kevin Plawecki 2-for-4
Prospect Watch: Randy Vásquez turned in a gem as the Chihuahuas topped Salt Lake. John Conniff has all the details from the Borderlands.
Springfield Cardinals 3, Missions 2
Ryan Bergert reestablished himself in the second half. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Key Stats: RF Joshua Mears 2-for-4, HR (6), 2 RBI; DH Marcos Castañon 2-for-3, 2B, BB; RHP Ryan Bergert 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R (2 ER), 4 K; RHP Raul Brito 3 IP, 4 K, 2 BB
Prospect Watch: Ryan Bergert turned in another quality start, allowing three runs – only two earned – over six innings, but it wasn’t enough as the Missions offense came up short. Bergert, 24, finished his Double-A campaign with a 4.78 ERA across 98 innings, but that hardly tells the whole story of his year. The 2021 sixth-rounder got hit hard and struggled with pitch location through the first half of the season, and his ERA ballooned to 6.26 with a brutal outing on June 14. The righty then took a month-long reset, working on the side but never coming off the active roster. After giving up a pair of runs in a one-inning tune-up when he returned to action in mid-July, Bergert posted a 2.89 ERA for the rest of the season. While his strikeout rate hasn’t fully returned to where it was in 2023 and before, he has cut his walk rate significantly down the stretch. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get another regular season start in El Paso and then head to the Arizona Fall League for additional work. He will be Rule 5 eligible this winter. … Joshua Mears homered for the second straight game and now has six round-trippers in 69 plate appearances since joining the Missions. The big man also had his third Double-A single as he notched his second multi-hit game. Mears now improbably sports a .477 slugging percentage and 47.8% strikeout rate in the Texas League. … Marcos Castañon had a walk and a pair of hits including his 19th double of the year batting out of the two-hole. The 25-year-old infielder has hit .233/.358/.465 in 12 games this month. No matter what happens in the season finale on Sunday, September will go down as his most productive month of the year.
