San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: June 12

Round Rock Express 12, Chihuahuas 3

Key Stats: LHP/SP Omar Cruz (L, 0-3) 5 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP/RP Eduarniel Núñez 1.1 IP, 2 K; SS Clay Dungan 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB; LF Tim Locastro 1-for-4, 2B, DH Yonathan Perlaza, 1-for-4 

Prospect Watch: After quickly getting the first two outs of the first inning, Omar Cruz gave up four runs on three hits, including a pair of homers, and two walks. The left-hander bounced back after that and retired the final 13 batters he faced as he battled through five innings, but Round Rock never relinquished their lead. Whiffs were hard for Cruz to come by, as he generated just an 18.2% whiff rate. As typical, the changeup had solid shape, getting 12.2 inches of horizontal break and 5.9 inches of induced vertical break (iVB), which helped draw a 38.5% chase rate and 31.2% whiff rate on the pitch. Cruz’s fastball averaged only 15.6 inches iVB, more than two inches below quality versions of the offering. While he lacked whiffs, he did generate soft contact as Round Rock hitters posted a .339 xwOBA against Cruz. … Eduarniel Núñez made quite the impression in his El Paso debut. He came in with two on and two out and got out of the inning with a strikeout. He then came back and worked around a walk by getting a double-play grounder, striking out a second batter. Núñez’s fastball averaged 99.1 mph and topped out at 100.5. Núñez, an exceptional supinator, had a wildly impressive slider shape, spinning the pitch at 2935 rpm to get 9.1 inches of armside sweep. He generated three whiffs and a 27.3% whiff rate for his outing while throwing 14 of his 22 pitches for strikes. The Statcast data confirms that Núñez has adjusted his arm slot since joining the organization as a free agent. He was throwing from a 31 degree arm angle Thursday, up from 27 degrees when he was with the Cubs. … At the top of the lineup, Clay Dungan went 2-for-4 and drove in all three of the Chihuahuas’ runs with a bases-clearing double in the top of the fifth. … Tim Locastro, who was in left field for El Paso, went 1-for-4 with a double in the loss. This season with El Paso, Locastro has a 122 wRC+, .404 wOBA, and a .905 OPS.  

Missions 11, Amarillo Sod Poodles 3

Key Stats: RHP/SP Braden Nett (W, 4-3) 6 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 8 K; RHP/RP Andrew Moore, IP, K; RF Ripken Reyes, 3-for-4, 2 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R; C Brandon Valenzuela 2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, 1 R; 1B Romeo Sanabria, 1-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI

Prospect Watch: For just the second time this season, Braden Nett worked six complete innings, showing excellent stuff while pitching in one of the game’s most hitter-friendly parks at 3,662 feet above sea level. The right-hander cruised through his first four innings before allowing three runs in the fifth. On the night, he struck out eight, and, most importantly, did not walk a batter for the first time this season. His fastball sat 95-96 mph and topped out at 98 mph with its usual plus-ride. The low-70s curveball showcased excellent depth. Meanwhile, Nett continued to look more and more comfortable with his changeup. It sat in the upper 80s and flashed quality late arm-side fade. Nett tallied 19 total whiffs and a 41.3% whiff rate while throwing 61 of his 79 pitches for strikes. … Andrew Moore, the reliever acquired from Cincinnati in exchange for Connor Joe, worked a perfect inning and struck out one. He paired a fastball sitting at 96-97 with a tight 86-88 mph slider with sharp break. For the outing, he generated three whiffs on eight swings. … Out of the eight-hole, Ripken Reyes served as a spark plug for the Missions offense, going 3-for-4 with a pair of triples, three RBIs, and three runs scored. Reyes now has bases-clearing triples in back-to-back games and three triples in his last two starts. … Brandon Valenzuela connected for his eighth home run of the year, headlining his 2-for-5 day at the plate that included three RBIs and a run scored. After a red-hot start to the year, the 24-year-old has cooled off quite a bit recently. Dating back to May 17, he is hitting just .197 with an 87 wRC+ and .671 OPS. … The Missions’ leading offensive threat, Romeo Sanabria, went 1-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in the loss. His double on Thursday was his first extra-base hit since the calendar flipped to June. Forty-eight games into the year, Sanabria remains aggressive at the dish, maintaining a career-high 51.4% swing rate, substantially higher than last year’s 42.3% mark. Sanabria hasn’t had to compromise his discipline and bat-to-ball skills, as he still owns an excellent 84.9% in-zone contact rate, 21.3% whiff rate, and a career-best 16.4% strikeout rate.

South Bend Cubs 10, TinCaps 1

Key Statistics: RHP/SP Miguel Mendez (L, 2-2) 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K; RHP/RP Bodi Rascon 1.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 4 BB; RF Jake Snider, 1-for-1, RBI; C Oswaldo Linares, 1-for-2, BB, R; LF Braedon Karpathios 1-for-4

Prospect Watch: On a forgettable night for the TinCaps, 22-year-old Miguel Mendez was anything but as the right-hander dominated in his shorter outing. Working just four innings, Mendez allowed one run on three hits, walked two, and struck out six. For much of the night, Mendez’s fastball sat 96-97, but it topped out at 100 and hit 99 a handful of times. The slider also showed plus depth as he racked up 19 total whiffs and a 45.2% whiff rate after posting 18 in his last outing. Since arriving in Fort Wayne, the 22-year-old owns a 2.77 ERA and 32.1% strikeout rate. … Following Mendez, left-hander Bodi Rascon struggled with command as he allowed four runs on four hits and four free passes over 1.1 innings. Coming back from Tommy John surgery at the end of 2023, Rascon has limped to a 9.00 ERA in 16 Midwest League innings this year. … Luis German didn’t fare much better in relief. The hard-throwing 23-year-old right-hander worked two innings and allowed three runs on two hits and one walk but did punch out four. … At the plate, Fort Wayne did not collect their first hit until the sixth inning and tallied just four singles. Jake Snider, who entered the game when the TinCaps went to a position player to pitch in the eighth inning and lost Leo De Vries as their DH, had an RBI single to drive in Fort Wayne’s lone run scored in their last two games. … Catcher Oswaldo Linares was the lone TinCap to reach base multiple times, going 1-for-2 with a single and a walk.

Storm 5, Visalia Rawhide 2

Key Stats: LHP/SP Boston Bateman (W, 5-3) 5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 4 K; C Lamar King Jr. 3-for-4, 2B, RBI; SS Ryan Jackson, 2-for-5 R; 2B B.Y. Choi 2-for-3, 2 R, BB; CF Chase Valentine, 2-for-4 HR, RBI, 2 R

Prospect Watch:  Padres 2024 second-round pick Boston Bateman seems to improve with each start. Entering the night, the left-hander already owned a 3.79 ERA. That number improved on Thursday as the 6-foot-8 southpaw worked 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out four without giving up a walk. Bateman’s fastball sat 94-96 for most of the outing, topping out at 97. The slider sat in the low to mid-80s with decent depth. While he battled his changeup command at times, it did show solid fade and generated a pair of whiffs. Overall, his arsenal induced 10 whiffs on 40 pitchers. Over 19.2 innings in his last four outings, Bateman has posted a 2.36 ERA while striking out 24.3% of the batters he faced. … At the plate, Lamar King Jr. remained red hot, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Since May 17, King has flipped a switch, going 27-for-74 with a 152 wRC+, .917 OPS, and a .434 wOBA. In this hot streak, King has struck out just six times in 81 plate appearances. For the year, he owns a career-best 17.5% K rate, well down from his 25.0% mark last year. King Jr. also continues to find consistent contact in the zone, posting an 88.3% z-contact and a solid 20.5% whiff rate. … Ryan Jackson once again collected a multi-hit night, going 2-for-5 with a run scored. It is already his fifth multi-hit game in June. He owns a 158 wRC+ and an absurd 20.7% BB% for the year. … Kavares Tears continues to try and find his rhythm at the plate as he put together a 1-for-4 day at the dish. Over his last 33 at-bats, the former Tennessee Volunteer has logged just two hits and has punched out 13 times. … At the bottom of the Storm lineup, B.Y. Choi went 2-for-3 with a walk and scored two runs. Meanwhile, out of the eight spot, Chase Valentine went 2-for-4 with his first home run in 31 games this season. 

ACL Rockies 12, ACL Padres 3

Key Statistics: DH Albert Fabian, 2-for-4, R; RHP/RP Jimmy Reyes 2 IP, H, 2 BB, K; RHP/RP Roberto Burgos 1.1 IP, 2 BB, 1 K; RHP/SP Adan Moreno (L, 0-1) 0.1 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 1 K

Prospect Watch: ACL Padres pitchers struggled to find the zone Thursday, issuing 11 combined walks on the evening. Roberto Burgos, 21, turned in one of the few quality outings, working 1.1 scoreless innings despite two walks. The righty, who signed his first professional contract last June, is holding opponents to a .105 average, but has walked 18 in only 10.2 innings. … Jimmy Reyes followed Burgos and also posted a solid outing. The 19-year-old allowed one hit and two walks while striking out one in two scoreless innings. He was briefly with Lake Elsinore earlier this season, but was hit hard there. Overall, he sports an 8.31 ERA at two levels this year. … At the dish, Albert Fabian continued his rehab assignment, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. As he has in all five games so far, the left-handed slugger exited before the end of the game. … Center fielder Gustavo Marquez also put together his second multi-hit game of the year, going 2-for-4 with an RBI single. The 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic spent his first two seasons in the DSL.