Reno Aces 12, Chihuahuas 4
Key Stats: SS Mason McCoy 2-for-5, 2B, E (5); RF Yonathan Perlaza 2-for-5; C Luis Campusano 3-for-5, 2B; LHP Kyle Hart 4 IP, 9 H, 9 R (7ER), K, BB, WP, HBP, Balk; RHP Jose Espada 2 IP, 2 K
Prospect Watch: John Conniff closes out coverage from El Paso with the story on this rough loss for the Chihuahuas.
Frisco RoughRiders 8, Missions 1
Key Stats: RHP Luis Patiño 2.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 K, 3 BB; LHP Ryan Och 2.1 IP, 2 K; LHP Andrew Moore 0.2 IP, K, 2 BB; RHP Tyson Neighbors IP, 2 H, 2 ER, K, BB, WP; RHP Manuel Castro IP, 3 H, ER, K
Prospect Watch: Clark Fahrenthold has the report from San Antonio’s missed attempt to lock up a playoff spot.
Dayton Dragons 12, TinCaps 11
Key Stats: SS Leo De Vries 2-for-5, BB, 3 RBI, E (15); CF Braedon Karpathios 2-for-5, HR (8), HBP; RF Jacob Campbell 2-for-4, BB, 3 RBI; 3B Ryan Jackson 0-for-3, BB, 2 HBP; LHP Luis Gutierrez 1.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 K, 2 BB, HBP; RHP Sean Barnett 0.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R (4 ER); RHP Cole Paplham 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER), 3 BB; RHP Sam Whiting 1.1 IP, H, 2 K
Braedon Karpathios has balanced power and patience at the plate for Fort Wayne. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps blew an 11-4 lead when the Dragons put up an eight-spot in the sixth inning, sending the guests to a loss to end the first half of the season. Dayton got a run on an infield grounder in the first, but Fort Wayne came back with four two-out runs in the second to jump out to a lead. Jacob Campbell drove in the first of his three runs with a single that just got past Victor Acosta at second. He drew a bases-loaded walk in the following inning and then smashed a line drive single that the third baseman knocked down to keep on the infield to plate one more in the fourth inning. The 25-year-old, who signed out of the University of Illinois as an undrafted senior back in 2022, has had three straight multi-hit games after enduring a 0-for-20 stretch with nine strikeouts earlier this month. Campbell, who we just featured this week, was one of five TinCaps batters to reach base three times on the afternoon. … Shortstop Leo De Vries had a pair of hits and drew a walk for the second straight day, bouncing back from a brutal 1-for-27 run over the previous week. The Padres’ top prospect is batting only .175 this month. After a stellar April, his production has fallen off enough that his OPS is at .727 for the year. … The TinCaps reached double digits in runs when Braedon Karpathios launched a monster 423-foot two-run home run over the batter’s eye in center in the fifth inning. For Karpathios, who also had a single and got hit by a pitch, the game nudged his OPS for the month up to .799. … TinCaps pitching couldn’t take advantage of the big output from their lineup. Starter Luis Gutierrez limped through 1.2 innings, as his pitch count got up to 54 before he had a chance to escape the second inning. The lefty, who dazzled in his Midwest League debut last Sunday, was only charged with one run this time out, but gave up three hits, two walks, and a hit batter while facing 11 batters. Gutierrez, 21, has made major strides with his command over the last two years, but still has outings where his feel isn’t there. … Things came off the rails for the TinCaps in the sixth when Sean Barnett and Cole Paplham each made it through just one-third of an inning. Barnett, making his sixth professional outing on the mound, gave up hits to the first three batters he faced and ultimately gave way after an error and another hit. Paplham came on with two runners on and allowed both to score while allowing three hits and three more walks of his own. Fort Wayne ultimately had to go to Sam Whiting to finish the rough inning. The big righty from UC Santa Barbara came back and tossed a scoreless seventh inning in his second outing since moving down to join Fort Wayne.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6, Storm 3
Key Stats: C Lamar King Jr. 4-for-4, 2 2B; RF B.Y. Choi 2-for-3, 2B, BB, 3 RBI; RHP Will Varmette 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 5 K, 2 BB; RHP Braian Salazar 1.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, K, 2 BB; RHP Vic Domingo 2.2 IP, 5 K, BB
B.Y. Choi sets up at the plate for the Storm. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: Not much went right for the Storm as they dropped the final game of the first half to their neighbors up the road in San Bernardino County. Catcher Lamar King Jr. had a huge game at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles. The six total bases matched a season high for the 21-year-old backstop, who extended his on-base streak to 18 games. King, who finished the first half just eight plate appearances behind his total from all of last year, ranks among the top 10 offensive performers among catchers his age or younger across minor league baseball with a .289/.376/.441 line. Defensively, things remain a work in progress 19 months after his shoulder surgery. The Quakes swiped five bases on Sunday afternoon, dropping King’s caught stealing percentage to just 10% in 34 games behind the plate. Even when the Padres drafted him in the fourth round in 2022, the second-generation professional athlete was seen as a development project behind the plate. After the time he’s lost to injury throughout his career, logging the sort of innings he has this season is critical to his development. … B.Y. Choi had two of the Storm’s other three hits in the contest, including a bases-clearing double the other way to give the club a brief lead in the fourth inning. The 23-year-old South Korea native has raised his OPS by more than 100 points over his last nine games, going 13-for-31 with just five strikeouts. Choi has also been a Swiss army knife of a defender, logging time at every defensive position except catcher and shortstop. … Starter Will Varmette continued his roller coaster ride through the season, allowing three earned runs on four hits and a pair of walks in only 3.2 innings of work. The righty, who posted back-to-back shutout appearances at the end of May and start of June, has given up 10 earned runs in 7.2 innings across three starts since. … Righty Vicarte Domingo kept the game from completely getting away late, throwing 2.2 scoreless frames. The Canadian native struck out five of the nine batters he faced, walking one along the way. In his first professional season, Domingo has struck out 32.7% of the batters he has faced and held opponents to a .200 average. He’ll continue to work to rein in his 15% walk rate.
