Chihuahuas 9, Sacramento River Cats 5
Key Statistics: 1B Trenton Brooks, 4-for-5, 2B, HR (9), 2 RBI, 3 R; RF Yonathan Perlaza, 1-for-4, R, HR (4), RBI, BB; LF Tirso Ornelas, 2-for-5, R, HR (2), 2B, 4 RBI; DH Tim Locastro, 2-for-5, 2B, SB (7); LHP Jackson Wolf (W, 1-0) 5 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 9 K; RHP Bryan Hoeing, 0.1 IP, H, 2 BB, K; Harold Chirino, 1.1 IP, K
Trenton Brooks was 4-for-5 on the night. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: El Paso made their first trip to take on the other baseball team that plays in Sacramento, and it was a success. El Paso connected on three homers and was able to outlast the River Cats in front of an announced crowd of 2,864. … After a scorching April, El Paso slugger Trenton Brooks has struggled badly for most of May, but he’s finally starting to mash again. The 29-year-old went 4-for-5, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. The homer Brooks hit was his ninth of the year. After opening the season with a .319/.431/.593 slash-line through April, the El Paso slugger had just a .698 OPS – good for a wRC+ of 68. Despite the prolonged slump, Brooks still ranks tenth homers, and his .926 OPS ranks eighth. … Tirso Ornelas had a pair of hits, including his second homer of the season. The home run left his bat at nearly 112 mph. He also drove in a team-high four runs. Ornelas has been remarkably consistent the last few years, continuously putting up a roughly 10% walk rate and a K-rate around 19%. This year, he’s walked in 11.2% of his plate appearances and struck out at a 19.7% clip. However, coming into Tuesday’s game, his ISO of .068 was the lowest he’s produced since 2019 when he split time between then-High-A Lake Elsinore and the complex league. As we’ve mentioned before, Ornelas’ approach has looked the same, but he is not hitting the ball as hard as he did last year. His fly balls that left the yard last year haven’t been resulting in homers. Overall, Ornelas’ offensive output has been 17% below average this year. If Ornelas can display the power he did last year going forward, he could get another shot for a big league club that badly needs a solution in left field. … Jackson Wolf is very quietly having his best campaign as a professional. That trend continued Tuesday when he earned his first Triple-A win of the season. He tossed five innings and allowed just one run on two hits. He uncharacteristically walked three but made up for it with nine punchouts. Wolf doesn’t light up a radar gun – he sits in the high 80s, occasionally hitting 90 mph with his four-seam fastball, but in 10 outings (nine starts) between El Paso and San Antonio, the former Pittsburgh Pirate has a 3.35 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 11 walks in 45.2 innings. Wolf made one big league start for the Padres in 2023 and has reestablished himself as a starting pitching depth option for the big league team. … Bryan Hoeing had his rehab assignment transferred to El Paso and he pitched Tuesday night with mixed results. He threw 20 pitches – just 10 for strikes and he recorded just one out, He allowed one hit and walked a pair of batters.
Roster Moves: Utilityman Ripken Reyes was transferred to El Paso from San Antonio. Cody Roberts joined him as part of a wave of catching movement in the system behind Luis Campusano‘s promotion to the big league club.
Missions rained out
Tuesday’s game against the Arkansas Travelers was postponed due to rain. The two clubs will play a doubleheader Wednesday in Little Rock.
Roster Moves: Righty Luis Patiño’s rehab assignment was transferred from Lake Elsinore to San Antonio. In addition, the Missions received catcher Addison Kopack from the TinCaps, and infielder/outfielder Wyatt Hoffman was activated from the development list.
Great Lakes Loons 5, TinCaps 1
Key Statistics: CF Kai Roberts, 1-for-5, 2B; SS Leo De Vries, 1-for-4, BB; C Brendan Durfee, 1-for-4; RHP Ian Koenig (L, 1-3) 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; RHP Josh Mallitz, 3 IP, 2 H, 5 K
Le De Vries takes off from first. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps drew seven walks and had five hits, but the squad went just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and as a result, they lost their series opener to Great Lakes. … Shortstop Leo De Vries reached base twice Tuesday with a single and a walk. De Vries, still just 18, has looked better at the plate in recent days after a brutal start to May. Despite the struggles early on, De Vries has a .350 on-base percentage this month. He has not homered since April 29, but he has three doubles in his last seven games. Overall, the prized shortstop is hitting .250/.350/.309 in May. … Kai Roberts had a double in five plate appearances. The former Utah Ute reached base six times in his first two games with Fort Wayne but was 0-for-12 over his next three, including a four strikeout contest Saturday. Roberts is off to a 3-for-20 start in six games with the ‘Caps. … Right-hander Ian Koenig had a bit of an uneven start for the TinCaps and took the loss. The 24-year-old managed to pitch five innings, but he allowed four earned runs, including a pair of homers. The righty has looked good at times this season, but he’s been prone to the big inning, which has greatly inflated his ERA. Overall, he has a 6.63 ERA.
Roster Moves: With Kopack moving up, catcher Victor Duarte was transferred from Lake Elsinore to Fort Wayne. The Storm received catcher Carlos Rodriguez from the ACL.
Storm 3, Stockton Ports 0
Key Statistics: CF Kasen Wells, 1-for-3, RBI; 2B Yendry Rojas, 1-for-3, R; RF Colton Vincent, 1-for-3, R; RHP Will Varmette (W, 2-2) 6 IP, H, BB, 4 K; LHP Igor Gil, 1.2 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Bernard Jose (S, 2) 1.1 IP, H, 2 K
Victor Figueroa made his home debut at the Diamond on Tuesday and was 0-for-3 with a walk. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm managed just three hits, but they managed to ride three pitchers to a shutout of Stockton at The Diamond. … Kasen Wells made just his second appearance in 10 games, going 1-for-3. His presence in the lineup was welcomed, as the Storm missed his speed at the top of the order. … Will Varmette pitched very well again, despite not having dominant stuff. The righty tossed six shutout innings, allowing just one hit. He walked one and struck out four. The 22-year-old has had a strange season, to say the least. Varmette has had three nightmare outings in which he has allowed a staggering 15 earned runs in 5.1 innings. In his other five games, spanning 19 innings, Varmette has allowed one earned run. In 21.1 innings in May, he’s allowed just seven hits, with four of those coming in one outing. The Alabama native will finish May with an incredible 0.66 WHIP. Varmette figures to continue to get an opportunity to work as a starter. … The bullpen slammed the door Tuesday as Igor Gil tossed a scoreless 1.2 innings and Bernard Jose recorded a four-out save – his second of the year. Gil, 24, signed with the Padres in September of 2023. At 22, he was significantly older than your traditional international free agent. The lefty has had command issues, but he’s pitched to a 2.77 ERA for the Storm. … Jose, 22, has allowed just one earned run over his last four outings, spanning 6.1 innings. In 14 outings for the Storm, the Dominican righty has a 4.18 ERA.
ACL Dodgers 11, ACL Padres 10
Key Statistics: CF Donte Grant, 2-for-3, 3 R, 2B, SB (6), BB, RBI; LF Eguy Rosario, 1-for-6, RBI; C Jesus Castro, 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI; DH Alcides Hernandez, 2-for-5, RBI; RF Gustavo Marquez, 2-for-5, R, RBI; LHP Yovannki Pascual, 0.2 IP, H, 2 ER, BB; RHP Jordan Valenzuela, 2.1 IP, 2 BB, K; RHP Manuel Davila (L, 0-2) 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Donte Grant bears down on third base. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres played a wild one at the Dodgers’ complex in Glendale. The team overcame a couple of deficits and scored four in the top of the ninth to take a lead, but the Dodgers scored a pair in the final frame to steal a victory. … Donte Grant swung the bat well out of the leadoff spot, as the center fielder notched a pair of hits, including a double. He also drew a walk and got hit twice, and was able to add his sixth stolen base of the season. The 20-year-old from Puyallup, Washington, is in his third season in the ACL after signing with the organization as an undrafted free agent out of high school. Grant missed most of last year with a shoulder injury, playing in just 11 games. This season, he has already played in a career-high 17 games. The young outfielder has a .680 OPS. … Left-handed hitting catcher Alcides Hernandez started at designated hitter, and he came through with two singles and a run batted in. Hernandez, 20, has spent the last two years in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) before coming stateside this season. In eight games with the ACL team, he is 3-for-24. … Righty Jordan Valenzuela pitched well, throwing 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball. He walked a pair, striking out one. The 20-year-old struggled in the DSL the past couple of years, pitching to an 8.22 ERA in 30.2 innings last year. He has pitched well so far in his stateside debut. In three complex league outings, he’s allowed just one earned run in 5.1 innings.
