Alek Jacob continues to work to stabilize his year for the Chihuahuas. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Round Rock Express 6, Chihuahuas 3
Key Stats: LHP Kyle Hart 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, BB, 3 K; RHP Carter Loewen 1.1 IP, K, BB; RHP Alek Jacob IP, 2 K; CF Bryce Johnson 1-for-4, 2B, RBI; DH Trenton Brooks 1-for-4; C Rodolfo Duran 3-for-4, RBI, SB (2)
Prospect Watch: Kyle Hart couldn’t deliver the start he was hoping for, getting tagged for three singles and a home run as part of a four-run second inning. The lefty settled in a bit after that, but gave way after allowing a two-out single in the fifth having thrown 76 pitches. As is typical, Hart used a five-pitch arsenal. He had good success with his off-speed stuff and sinker, giving up just two balls in play above 85 mph and none above 90. However, Express batters saw his four-seam fastball five times and jumped on it for three hits – including the homer – with exit velocities between 97 and 102 mph. He didn’t throw a pitch above 90 mph all night. … Carter Loewen made his Triple-A debut, coming on in relief of Hart. He walked the first batter he saw before stranding an inherited runner, then came back and had a strikeout in a clean sixth inning. After allowing five runs in his first five appearances of the year, the Canadian righty by way of the University of Hawaii has allowed just one run over 16.2 innings since April 20. Like many relievers, he works primarily with a mid-90s fastball low-80s slider. … Alek Jacob tossed a perfect inning with two strikeouts in his fourth appearance since being sent down. The righty got hit hard in one outing, but in the other three has allowed just one baserunner while striking out five. …Ten-year minor league veteran Rodolfo Duran had his best season last year, hitting .282/.323/.467 in the Royals organization. While he hasn’t matched the same success this year in El Paso, the backstop has gotten hot in June. He led the Chihuahuas offense with three hits Wednesday and is now 8-for-19 (.421) this month. He has not struck out in two weeks, but the 27-year-old also has not collected an extra-base hit since May 16.
Missions 8, Amarillo Sod Poodles 2
Luis Patiño is getting good results in San Antonio. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Key Stats: RHP Luis Patiño 3.2 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 3 K; RHP Enmanuel Pinales 4 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Tyson Neighbors IP, H, ER, K; SS Francisco Acuña 2-for-5, RBI; C Brandon Valenzuela 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB; RF Ripken Reyes 2-for-4, 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI; CF Nerwilian Cedeño 1-for-4, HR (1), 3 RBI
Prospect Watch: In his third start since joining San Antonio, Luis Patiño finally gave up an earned run on a two-out solo home run in the first. The righty settled down, though he had to work around a baserunner in each inning. For the second start in a row, the 25-year-old Patiño was working on a pitch count of 60. While the righty appeared to want to stay in when manager Lou Montz came to get him with two outs in the fourth, his inability to generate his typical whiff rate on the fastball had pushed his pitch count to high. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, his fastball is sitting 93-95 mph, but it’s been the offspeed stuff that has impressed so far. In 11.2 Double-A innings, Patiño has allowed just one run on nine hits and three walks while striking out. … Piggybacking with Patiño for the third straight outing, Enmanuel Pinales once again got strong results, tossing four scoreless innings. The 24-year-old got hit hard in his first three appearances for San Antonio, but has gotten back on track recently. Over his last 18.1 innings, Pinales allowed five earned runs on 15 hits with a solid 19:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. … When Tyson Neighbors‘ very first Double-A pitch drifted in, slugger Ivan Melendez jumped it for a home run. Neighbors quickly bounced back and set down the next three batters, striking out one. It was just the second home run Neighbors has allowed in 28.1 professional innings. … Entering the game, Nerwilian Cedeño was mired in a 3-for-23 slump over his last six games and had not homered since coming up from Fort Wayne. But when he came up with two on and two out in the second, the 23-year-old hit a moonshot deep to right to give the Missions a lead they would never relinquish. The switch-hitter, who continues to see almost all his time in center field, has a .537 OPS in 17 games since his promotion.
South Bend Cubs 5, TinCaps 0
Key Statistics: SS Leo De Vries 0-for-3, BB; DH Rosman Verdugo 1-for-2, 2 BB; CF Kai Roberts 1-for-4, SB (11); RHP Clark Candiotti IP, H, 2 ER, 3 BB; TWP Sean Barnett 1.2 IP, H, BB, K; RHP Garrett Hawkins 2 IP, BB
Most attempts to catch Kai Roberts have been futile. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps could do nothing offensively, going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position to squander five singles and six walks. They left nine runners on base. Rosman Verdugo reached base three times with a triple and two walks as the DH. The 20-year-old has been showing more patience at the plate recently, drawing 13 walks in his last 10 games for a .489 on-base percentage. Encouragingly, he has also dropped his strikeout rate below 30% in that stretch. He’ll look to continue to consolidate his progress heading into the season’s second half. … Kai Roberts had a single and swiped his 11th base in 17 games for the TinCaps. Last year’s seventh-round draft pick in now 30-for-31 in attempts as a professional, showing both elite speed and exceptional instincts on the bases. The center fielder has a .342 OBP with only one Midwest League extra-base hit against 26 strikeouts. … On Tuesday, designated hitter Sean Barnett walked once, got a hit, and struck out once. Wednesday, reliever Sean Barnett gave up a nearly identical line, walking one, giving up a hit, and striking out one. Barnett worked a perfect first inning, then for the first time in his young pitching career, came back out for another frame. While he recorded two outs, he also put two runners on and threw a wild pitch before being giving way after a new career-high 31 pitches. The 21-year-old now has worked 3.1 scoreless innings, and owns a .271/.380/.449 line at the plate. … Garrett Hawkins continues to dominate Midwest League batters, tossing two scoreless innings for his first multi-inning appearance in a month. The 25-year-old, who is slowly coming back from Tommy John surgery, has not allowed a run since April 23, a span of 16.1 innings in which he has struck out 21 against only four walks. Hawkins needed only 21 pitches Wednesday, and is likely the next reliever in line for a promotion.
Storm 4, Visalia Rawhide 3
Key Statistics: LHP Kash Mayfield 3 IP, 6 K; RHP Kannon Kemp 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), BB, 2 K; SS Ryan Jackson 2-for-4, 2 SB (15), BB; LF Kaden Hollow 2-for-3, R, RBI, BB; 3B Zach Evans 1-for-5, 2B, R, RBI, SB (6); 1B Lamar King Jr. 1-for-3, 3B, RBI, BB; DH Kavares Tears 1-for-3, RBI, BB
Prospect Watch: Nearly a month ago, Kash Mayfield walked off the mound at the start of the second inning with shoulder discomfort. After he cleared medical exams and worked well on the side, the club’s top 2024 draft pick returned to action last week with four strikeouts across two strong innings. The lefty was even more dominant this week, generating nine whiffs over three perfect innings to strike out six. He got up to 39 pitches, 28 for strikes, in the outing, finishing out by striking out the side in the third. The 20-year-old has not allowed a baserunner over his last six innings while striking out 13. … Newly-promoted Kannon Kemp came on to relieve Mayfield. While he did not generate nearly the same whiff rate, he turned in five innings, giving up two earned runs as he threw 77 pitches for the first time since pitching at Weatherford High School in Texas. The 2023 eighth-round pick finally got underway professionally this year after dealing with shoulder issues last season. … With Cobb Hightower nursing a knee injury since May 20, 23-year-old Ryan Jackson continues to make the most of his opportunities. The former USC Trojan paced the offense with two hits, added one more walk to his league-leading total of 55, and stole two more bases Wednesday. After his fourth multi-hit game in nine June appearances, he is hitting .344/.432/.406 this month. By reaching base three times, Jackson retook the league lead with a .460 OBP. … After a brief stint in Fort Wayne, Kaden Hollow has been back with the Storm since stolen base leader Kasen Wells injured his foot. Since his return, Hollow has just kept hitting, going 11-for-38 with four doubles and four walks. After spending most of his first two years at catcher, the undrafted free agent has split time between left field and first base this season, hitting .282/.383/.373.
ACL Padres 15, ACL D-backs 11
Key Statistics: DH Kale Fountain 2-for-4, 3 R, BB; 2B Luis De Leon 1-for-4, R, RBI, BB, SB (6); 1B Albert Fabian 2-for-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB; CF Donte Grant 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB (8); LF Emil Turbi 3-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B
Prospect Watch: The Padres won a nearly four-hour slugfest in which the two two clubs combined for 27 hits, 15 walks, six wild pitches and three balks. The Padres sent seven pitchers to the mound; none escaped without allowing a run. … Albert Fabian, who had 42 extra-base hits between Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne in 2023, collected a double for his first extra-base knock as he works back from last year’s knee injury. The 23-year-old is seeing action at first base, but his has yet to play all nine innings in one of his first four games back and has been getting days off between appearances. When he is fully recovered, Fabian should join the TinCaps. … Kale Fountain, who has only played DH while rehabbing from last October’s Tommy John surgery, reached base three times. After losing another two weeks to a hamstring issue last month, the slugging right-hander is hitting .350/.462/.600 in six games this month. … Last year, outfielder Emil Turbi had six hits in 14 games in the ACL. Wednesday alone, he tallied three for a new career one-game high. The 20-year-old from Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, collected his first double since May 6.
