Las Vegas Aviators 14, Chihuahuas 4
Key Stats: LF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-5; RF Yonathan Perlaza 2-for-4, 2 K; 1B Trenton Brooks 1-for-2, 2B, 2 BB; RHP Jared Kollar 2.1 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 2 K, BB; LHP Austin Krob 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K, 2 BB, WP, HBP
Trenton Brooks is looking to get back on track for El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: Las Vegas jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as they claimed the series win. Jared Kollar got hit hard in his ninth outing of the year, giving up eight runs over 2.1 innings. The 2022 undrafted free agent has always relied more on a unique release point and tunneling his fastball and cutter than on big velocity, which caps his strikeout potential. Opponents have benefited from a .348 average on balls in play this year. Kollar relied heavily on his cutter and fastball Sunday, throwing them 81% of the time. … Outfielders Tirso Ornelas and Yonathan Perlaza both had a pair of hits to lead the offense. After starting the year very hot, Perlaza has struggled this month, going just 10-for-65 with only three extra-base hits. The 26-year-old, who returned from Korea on a minor league contract with the Padres last winter, is striking out at a 27.3% rate and only walking 5.8% of the time, both well off from his career norms. … First baseman Trenton Brooks, who also had a torrid start before turning cold, turned things around in Sin City. His double Sunday was his fifth extra-base hit in the last four games after he’d gone more than two weeks without one. Overall, he’s hitting .267/.378/.500 on the year.
Midland RockHounds 10, Missions 1
Key Stats: Francisco Acuña 2-for-4, 2B; CF/RF Joshua Mears 1-for-3, HR (5), BB; RHP Enmanuel Pinales 3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 5 K, 2 BB; RHP Stephen Jones IP, K; RHP Sam Whiting 3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 K, 3 BB, HBP
Francisco Acuña has been a key contributor for San Antonio. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: The RockHounds ran away with this one to claim the series win and drop the Missions below .500 on the year. The lone San Antonio run came on Joshua Mears‘s fifth homer. The big man is slugging a career-low .330. … Francisco Acuña had a pair of hits in two trips to the plate. In three games since returning from a brief stint on the IL, the 25-year-old is 4-for-13 with a pair of walks and two doubles. Acuña never topped 70 games in a season in the Pirates system before joining the Padres as a minor league free agent in the offseason. He’s on track to blow past that at his current rate. … Enmanuel Pinales put up stellar numbers to open the year in Fort Wayne, but his transition to Double-A has been rough. The righty gave up five earned runs over three innings on Sunday, which represents progress from his first two Texas League starts. The 24-year-old now sports an 18.78 ERA, having gotten through only 7.2 innings total. One ray of hope is that he’s struck out 11, but opponents are hitting .450 and have drawn six walks. … Stephen Jones worked a clean inning of relief and was the only Missions pitcher not to surrender a run. The 27-year-old minor league free agent signee sports a 1.08 ERA through his first 14 appearances this year. He last worked at the Double-A level in early 2023. … The RockHounds offense was led by Euribiel Angeles and Junior Perez, who both began their careers in the Padres system. Angeles, part of the Sean Manaea trade in April, 2022, is trying to put it together at the Double-A level for the third straight year. Perez, who was a player to be named in the deal that brought Jorge Mateo to the Padres in 2020, has a .960 OPS in his second pass at the Texas League.
West Michigan Whitecaps 3, TinCaps 2
Key Stats: 2B Nerwilian Cedeño 2-for-5, SB (5); RF Jacob Campbell 1-for-4, 2B; RHP Eric Yost 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R (1 ER), 5 K, 3 BB, HBP; RHP Garrett Hawkins 2 IP, H, 4 K
Eric Yost has quietly been one of the top performers for the TinCaps. (Photo: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps outhit Western Michigan 3-2, but left nine men on base as the Whitecaps held on for the win. Starter Eric Yost was impressive, carrying a no-hitter into the fifth and a shutout into the sixth, but was saddled with the tough-luck loss. The righty out of Northeastern opened the sixth by hitting rehabbing big leaguer Wenceel Pérez, who is part of a deep big league outfield for the Tigers. After getting Max Clark to ground into a fielder’s choice, Yost got another grounder, but Nerwilian Cedeño, who has been playing mostly center field this year, threw the ball away from second base, putting two runners in scoring position. They both came around immediately on a double. Yost allowed three more runners to reach before giving way after a season-high 86 pitches. The 22-year-old owns a 1.82 ERA across 34.2 innings to open the year. … Cedeño, who had another error earlier in the game, was the only TinCaps batter to collect a pair of hits. The 23-year-old switch hitter is hitting a career-best .273 and has cut his strikeout rate down to just 16% after punching out at more than a 25% rate over the last two years.
Storm 12, Fresno Grizzlies 3
Key Stats: 3B Zach Evans 4-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB (5); SS Cobb Hightower 1-for-3, 2 BB; 2B Ryan Jackson 3-for-5, SB (10); DH Kavares Tears 1-for-4, 2B, BB; LHP Boston Bateman 2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5 K, BB; LHP Luis Gutierrez 6 IP, H, R (0 ER), 8 K, BB
Luis Gutierrez has shown swing-and-miss stuff at times. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm bounced back for a big win Sunday afternoon, after dropping four of the first five games in the series. Boston Bateman, who was scratched from his regular Thursday start because he was under the weather, made an abbreviated appearance on what normally would be his bullpen day. The big lefty tossed two innings, striking out five but allowing a pair of earned runs. He should be on track for a full start again on the next turn through the rotation. … Luis Gutierrez followed him and turned in a dominant six-inning, eight-strikeout performance to pick up his first victory of the year. The 21-year-old had gotten through 5.2 frames in two of his first five outings, but Sunday was the first time he was able to finish his sixth inning. Gutierrez allowed only one unearned run on one hit and one walk. Opponents are hitting just .189 on the year, but after the Venezuelan lefty dialed in his command well last year, he’s walking 12% of opponents so far this season. … Third baseman Zach Evans had a four-hit game to lead a Storm offense that scored double-digits for the first time in exactly one month. The upstate New York native, who the Padres drafted as a senior sign in the ninth round last year, raised his average to .331, good for fourth in the Cal League. He’s provided solid, balanced production in his first professional action, striking out at a 20.2% clip with a .090 Isolated Power (IsoP) rate. … Ryan Jackson had three more hits to lift his OPS to .929, which is fifth on the circuit.
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