Chihuahuas 1, Tacoma Rainiers 0
Key Statistics: RF Yonathan Perlaza 2-for-3, R; Mike Brosseau 1-for-3; DH Bryce Johnson 1-for-4; LHP Wes Benjamin (W, 2-4) 6 IP, 6 H, 2 K; RHP Kevin Kopps 2 IP, H, 2 K; RHP Harold Chirino (S, 2) IP, BB
Prospect Watch: A fairly innocuous second-inning sacrifice fly off the bat of Chihuahuas infielder Clay Dungan was enough offense for El Paso to find the win column. … Wes Benjamin earned his second win of the season with a season-high six innings of work. strong. The 31-year-old scattered six hits while keeping the Rainiers off the scoreboard. He didn’t walk a batter and he struck out a pair. Benjamin is the quintessential “crafty-lefty” who sits in the high-80s and needs to pitch to contact in order to be successful. He showed off his six-pitch arsenal, needing just 74 pitches to get through his work. Even after the strong outing, the veteran and former KBO starter has a 7.14 ERA for El Paso this season. … Yonathan Perlaza had a solid game with two singles in three trips to the plate. The former Cubs prospect looked to be on the verge of a call-up after hitting .365/.404/.573 in April. However, the 26-year-old has struggled mightily in May, hitting just .182/.241/.260 with an ugly 36% K-rate. Perlaza connected on 24 homers last season in the KBO but he has just three this year. … Kevin Kopps pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth inning to earn his third hold of the year. The former Arkansas reliever allowed one hit and struck out a pair to lower his ERA to 3.86, but the underlying numbers create a less rosy picture. The 28-year-old has walked 13% of batters faced, slightly down from the 15% he posted last year. His 21% K percentage doesn’t scream dominant. When Kopps was drafted in the third round back in 2021, many experts thought he could be a quick riser, thanks to his dominant slider/cutter combo. However, Kopps has functioned as a component innings-eating reliever who doesn’t profile in the late innings.
Missions 5, Wichita Wind Surge 2
Key Statistics: SS Francisco Acuña 2-for-4, R, 3B, SB (9); 3B Devin Ortiz 2-for-5, RBI; LF Moises Gómez 1-for-3, R, BB, 2B; 1B Romeo Sanabria 2-for-4, R; RHP Enmanuel Pinales 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K; RHP Andrew Moore (W, 1-0) IP; RHP Manuel Castro (S, 6) IP, H
Francisco Acuña serves as a spark at the top of the lineup. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: All the runs scored in this game were plated during the sixth inning. Wichita got two in the top half of the sixth inning to open up a lead, but the Missions immediately stormed back, scoring five runs in the bottom half of the frame to earn the win. … Francisco Acuña had another excellent game, notching two hits, including a triple. He also stole his ninth bag of the season in the victory. The 25-year-old former Pirates farmhand signed in the off-season to provide infield depth has performed very well offensively. Saturday’s outing raised his OPS to .800 – about 80 points higher than his career average. He’s also tied a career-high with six homers, reaching the total in just 32 games. Despite spending parts of seven seasons in the Pirates’ organization, the Colombia native has never played in more than 70 games. Assuming he stays healthy, he should eclipse that total by a wide margin this season. … Romeo Sanabria had a pair of hits, including a double in four at-bats to raise his batting average to a Texas League best .326. The first baseman also ranks fifth in the circuit with a .500 slugging percentage. … After being bludgeoned in his first three Double-A starts, 24-year-old Enmanuel Pinales righted the ship, pitching five shutout innings before running into trouble in the sixth. The righty was chased after the Wind Surge scored a pair of runs, but still had a good day at the office. He allowed two runs in 5.1 innings, walking one and striking out four. Pinales started the year with Fort Wayne but it was obvious early this season that he needed a more advanced challenge. The righty had a 1.40 ERA in five starts with the TinCaps but he allowed 16 runs in his first 7.1 innings as a Mission. Through four starts, Pinales’ Double-A ERA is 12.46 but Saturday provided a glimpse of what the Pinales can do at the higher level.
Cedar Rapids Kernels 12, TinCaps 4
Key Statistics: SS Leo De Vries, 3-for-4, R, 2 2B; LF Kaden Hollow, 1-for-4, R; RF Jacob Campbell, 2-for-4; 1B Ethan Long, 1-for-3, R, HR (2), BB, RBI; RHP Isaiah Lowe (L, 1-5) 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 5 K; LHP Bodi Rason, 2.2 IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Prospect Watch: John Conniff is covering the team in Fort Wayne. Read his recap of the game here.
Storm 7, Visalia Rawhide 1
Key Statistics: DH Kavares Tears 1-for-5, HR (3), RBI; 1B Victor Figueroa 3-for-4, 2 R, HR (2), 3 RBI, BB; C Lamar King Jr. 1-for-4, R, HR (4), 3 RBI; 2B Yendry Rojas 3-for-5, SB (5); RF Colton Vincent 2-for-3, BB; RHP Luis Patiño 3 IP, 3 H, ER, 4 K; RHP Bryan Balzer (W, 1-2) 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K; RHP Adam Conrad 1.2 IP, 2 BB, 4 K
Prospect Watch: This game was tied at one through seven innings before the Storm hit three homers in the final two innings to defeat the Rawhide. … Victor Figueroa is on a type of run that you don’t see too often to start a pro career. The slugging first baseman had three more hits, including his second homer since joining the Storm at the start of the week. He also drew a walk in his five plate appearances. The Florida native has now hit safely in each of his last 15 games after a hitless pro debut in the ACL. Between the ACL and the California League, last year’s 18th-rounder has a staggering 32 hits in 59 at-bats, including seven homers. Despite playing in just five games for the Storm, he is only two off of the team lead in homers. … That team lead is held by Lamar King Jr., who demolished his fourth homer of the year deep over the right field wall in his final plate appearance of the evening. As mentioned in the weekly, King has done a great job with limiting the strikeouts but his offensive production had cratered this month. Now the 21-year-old catcher is breaking back out a bit, extending his hitting streak to six games. After finishing April with an .800 OPS, King is carrying a .691 OPS now. … Second baseman Yendry Rojas tied a season-high with three hits and he notched his fifth stolen base this season. The 20-year-old has had a nice series in Visalia, going 6-for-15 with a double. Rojas hasn’t hit for much power since signing as a professional but he manages the strike zone well and he’s played good defense at second base. He has a .631 OPS this year. … Righty Luis Patiño made his fourth rehab start with the Storm, stretching out to 47 pitches over three innings. The former top prospect and big leaguer has a 2.00 ERA for the Storm. He will likely move up several levels before his next appearance. … Bryan Balzer took over for Patiño and had one of his best outings of the season. The 20-year-old tied a season-high with four innings pitched, allowing just two hits. He walked one, struck out three, and he also hit a batter. The hard-throwing righty has shown some intriguing skills but he’s struggled with consistency. Overall, he sports a 6.98 ERA in his first taste of full-season ball. … Righty Adam Conrad pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless ball, allowing two walks and striking out four. The former undrafted free agent has not surrendered an earned run in 18.2 innings to start his career.
ACL Mariners 14, ACL Padres 6
Prospect Watch: 1B Yoiber Ocopio 1-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI; 2B Luis De Leon 1-for-3, R, BB, RBI, SB (2); C Jesus Castro 2-for-3, 2B, 3 RBI; RHP Ruben Galindo IP, K; RHP Luis Maracara (L, 1-2) 2.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres jumped out to an early 4-0 lead but the ACL Mariners scored five in the fourth inning to pull away and ultimately cruise to a victory. … Switch-hitting catcher Jesus Castro was the only ACL hitter to notch a mult-hit effort. He singled, doubled, and drove in three runs. The 20-year-old is in his fourth season with the organization and his second in the ACL. After hitting just .086 in 58 at-bats in the desert last year, he’s off to a 3-for-10 start this season. … First baseman Yoiber Ocopio followed his three-hit performance Friday with his first double and a pair of RBI Saturday morning. The double helped the catcher/first baseman raise his OPS to .719. … Righty Ruben Galindo made his first appearance of the season on a rehab assignment, working a clean inning and striking out two. The 24-year-old, who had been shut down since last June, has been a solid reliever in the organization over the last few years. In 13 games last year in Fort Wayne, he pitched to a 3.09 ERA.
