It was not a good night in the Padres system as the four clubs combined for six runs and the Missions were no-hit at home.
Albuquerque Isotopes 7, Chihuahuas 2
Key Statistics: LF Brett Sullivan, 1-for-4, RBI; 3B Nate Mondou, 1-for-3, BB, 3B; RHP Ryan Bergert, 4 IP, 4 H, ER, 4 BB, K; LHP Omar Cruz (L, 0-1) 1.2 IP, H, 4 R (0 ER), 4 BB, 3 K; RHP Francis Pena, IP, ER, 2 BB
Ryan Bergert will look to show consistency for El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: It was a rough one in El Paso, as the Chihuahuas managed just four hits and committed four errors to lose to the Isotopes. … Third baseman Nate Mondou reached base twice with a triple and a walk in four plate appearances. The 30-year-old is back for his second season in the Padres’ system. After a decent year with the Chihuahuas in which he posted a .771 OPS. he re-signed with the Padres on February 17. Mondou has exactly one game of big league experience; he received a pair of plate appearances for the Athletics back in 2022. … On the mound Ryan Bergert did not have his best stuff, but he kept the Chihuahuas in the game. The former West Virginia hurler tossed four innings and allowed one run on four hits. He walked a season-high four while striking out just one. While his slider and sweeper were both effective, he landed just 39% of his fastballs in the zone and Albuquerque was disciplined in not chasing. In his previous three starts, Bergert walked three batters combined. Overall, the righty has a respectable 4.50 ERA in four PCL starts and has punched out 20 batters in 18 innings this season. … Omar Cruz took over for Bergert and got through the fifth inning unscathed before falling apart in the sixth. After a one-out walk, he got a strikeout and a grounder to third, but Mondou made a poor throw to extend the inning. Cruz then walked three consecutive batters. Cruz then compounded his problems. When he got the ball back, he tuned out and Isotopes runner Aaron Schunk kept going after he reached third and stole home. By the time Cruz realized what was happening, Jordan Beck broke from second to third and Cruz threw the ball away to allow Beck to come all the way around to score and clear the bases. All four runs go down as unearned, but Cruz was certainly his own worst enemy.
Roster Moves: Former big leaguer and San Diego native Andrew Bellatti, who signed a minor league free agent deal late in spring training, was activated by El Paso, giving the organization another experienced depth option.
NW Arkansas Naturals 3, Missions 0
Key Statistics: DH Brandon Valenzuela, 0-for-3, BB; C Ethan Salas, 0-for-1, BB; RHP Victor Lizarraga (L, 0-1) 3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Stephen Jones, 2 IP, H, 3 K; RHP Jose Geraldo, 2 IP, H, 3 K
Victor Lizarraga threw six shutout innings on Saturday. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: It was a dismal evening offensively for the Missions, as they were no-hit by the Royals’ Double-A affiliate. The club managed just two walks against five different Naturals pitchers. … Righty Victor Lizarraga couldn’t match Naturals starter Ryan Ramsey and took his first loss of the season. Lizarraga, 21, allowed three runs on six hits over three innings. He walked two and struck out three. Lizarraga has allowed six earned runs in seven innings this season – good for a 7.71 ERA. If there is a silver lining, the righty has a four-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio in a small sample. … Righty Stephen Jones tossed a pair of scoreless innings in relief for the Missions, allowing just one hit. He struck out three and didn’t walk a batter. Jones, 27, signed with the Padres after a pair of miserable seasons pitching in the Rockies organization. Over the last two seasons, Jones appeared in 49 games for Triple-A Albuquerque. During that span, Jones allowed a staggering 79 earned runs on 80 hits in just 52.2 innings – good for a 13.50 ERA. The former Samford hurler has a 1.59 ERA in four games for the Missions this season.
Lake County Captains 9, TinCaps 1
Key Statistics: SS Leo DeVries, 1-for-1, 3B; CF Nerwilian Cedeño, 2-for-3, SB (2); RHP Ian Koenig, 4 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 3 K; LHP Fernando Sanchez (L, 0-1) 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, K; RHP Xavier Ruiz, 1.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 BB, K
Nerwilian Cedeno squares one up from the left side. (Photo: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps and Captains were locked in a pitcher’s duel, with the score tied at one apiece going into the seventh. Lake County then plated three in the seventh and five more in the ninth to cruise to a blowout win at Parkview Field. … Shortstop Leo De Vries tripled in his only at-bat of the night. Fort Wayne used a pinch-hitter for De Vries in the second, making fans speculate if De Vries was hurt. After the game, manager Lukas Ray told Dylan Sinn of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette that De Vries was healthy and he expected to play him on Wednesday. Ray did not go into detail as to why De Vries was removed from the game. … Nerwilian Cedeño had a pair of singles and stole his second base of the season in the loss. The versatile Cedeño has mostly played on the dirt during his tenure in the Padres’ organization, but he’s added center field to his resume this season. The 23-year-old has hit safely in his last four games, going 6-for-15. … Lost in the blowout loss was another solid outing from Ian Koenig. The 24-year-old out of Cabrillo Junior College tossed four innings, allowing just a run on two hits. He walked two and struck out three. Koenig returned from Tommy John surgery last year to mixed results with the Storm. In two outings this season, opposing hitters are batting just .154 against the right-hander. He has a 1.13 ERA in eight innings this season.
Fresno Grizzlies 4, Storm 3
Key Statistics: DH Lamar King Jr., 2-for-5, R; RF Kavares Tears, 2-for-4, R, HR (1), 2 RBI; LF Alex McCoy, 1-for-3, R, BB, 2B; 3B Zacb Evans, 2-for-4; LHP Kash Mayfield, 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; RHP Johan Moreno (L, 0-2) 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Prospect Watch: The Storm opened their series on the road with a loss in Fresno, dropping their record to 2-8. … After a three-game hiatus, Lamar King Jr. returned to the lineup, starting at designated hitter. King had a pair of singles in five plate appearances. The young catcher was hit in the thigh by a pitch on Thursday and sat out the rest of the series. King has hit well this season, putting together a .990 OPS in the early going. … Kavares Tears made his long-anticipated professional debut, and he did not disappoint. The former Tennessee slugger had a pair of hits, including a majestic homer that bounced off the Storm’s team bus. According to the Fresno broadcast, it left the bat at 106 mph and traveled 436 feet. The 22-year-old also struck out twice. The former fourth-round pick has dealt with hamstring issues in camp. Tears has immense power potential but will need to keep working to make more consistent contact. He will be one of the top names to watch this season in Lake Elsinore. … Alex McCoy joined Tears on the roster and reached base twice in his pro debut. The huge outfielder – he is listed at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds slugged a double into the left-center gap that left the bat at 117 mph. McCoy signed as an undrafted free agent out of Hofstra University, where he hit .306 with 11 homers for former big leaguer Frank Catalanotto. … Lefty Kash Mayfield pitched well in his second start. He allowed an early homer and balked in a run in the second inning but looked stronger in his final two innings. Overall, the 20-year-old allowed two runs on four hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out five. Through two starts, Mayfield has pitched to a 2.57 ERA.
Roster Moves: The Storm made many roster moves coming into Tuesday. Here is a quick breakdown.
Released: OF Daniel Montesino, OF Spence Coffman
Promoted from the ACL: Tears and McCoy, RHP Miguel Mendez, LHP Bodi Rascon, RHP Will Varmette, and RHP Adam Conrad
Sent back to Extended Spring Training: LHP Igor Gil, RHP Jesus Lopez, LHP Braian Salazar, RHP Miguel Valdez
