The Chihuahuas were rained out
The club will make up their game against Sugar Land in a doubleheader Friday at Southwest University Park.
The Missions were postposed by rain
The Missions scored on a Kai Murphy single in the top of the second, but with two outs in the bottom of the frame, the rains opened up in Midland to suspend this game. The clubs will resume the game on Friday and then play the regularly scheduled contest as a seven inning affair. Henry Baez worked and 1.2 innings, allowing one walk and striking out one before the game was called.
TinCaps 7, Great Lakes Loons 1
Key Statistics: RHP Miguel Mendez (W, 4-2) 6 IP, ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K; RP Cole Paplham, 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Ruben Galindo 1.2 IP, 3 K, 2 BB; SS Ryan Jackson 3-for-3, HR (1), 3 RBI, 3 R, BB; CF Braedon Karpathios, 3-for-4, HR (9), 4 RBI, R; DH, Leo De Vries, 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
Miguel Mendez has stayed hot since joining Fort Wayne. (Photo: Ray Nycz)
Prospect Watch: Facing one of the best offenses in the Midwest League, Miguel Mendez was yet again dominant for Fort Wayne. The 22-year-old right-hander worked six innings, allowing one run on five hits as he walked two, and punched out six. For most of the evening, Mendez’s fastball sat 96-98 mph, with his four-seamer topping out at 100. Mendez’s secondaries also shined, on Thursday. His slider sat 84-88 mph with good tilt. Meanwhile, his changeup was in the high 80s with excellent late-arm side fade. In total, Mendez’s stuff generated 16 whiffs, good for a 38% swinging strike rate. Mendez has gotten at least 15 swings and misses in three of his last four starts. Since joining the TinCaps in May, Mendez has a 1.92 ERA and sports a 27.9% strikeout rate. … At the dish, Ryan Jackson did most of the heavy lifting was done out of the leadoff spot. The 23-year-old shortstop from Walnut Creek went 3-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, two runs scored, and a walk. While it has been just seven games, Jackson hasn’t had an issue adjusting to High-A pitching, posting a 1.087 OPS while hitting .375. Jackson’s signature plate discipline has also made the trip to Indiana. He’s continued to draw walks at a 21.1% rate while maintaining an above-average 18.8% whiff rate, and excellent 94.6% contact rate on pitches in the zone that he swings at. … Braedon Karpathios also put together a big night at the dish for the TinCaps, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, four RBIs, and a run scored. Karpathios has hit a hot streak, homering three times over his last seven games while hitting .318, good for a 1.055 OPS and wRC+ north of 170. … A day after putting together a three-hit night that featured a trio of balls hit north of 104 mph, Leo De Vries went 0-for-3 with three punch outs, a walk, and a run scored on Thursday. While the bat hasn’t quite produced the same thunder it did in April, De Vries’s plate discipline remains remarkable, with a 20.8% walk rate in June. … Cole Paplham looked solid out of the bullpen, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, two walks as he struck out two. His two strikeouts came against notable top prospects in the Dodgers system in Josue DePaula and Zyhir Hope. His four-seam sat 96-98 mph and topped out at 99. The sweeper continues to be his best pitch, sitting 85-86 with good depth and ample horizontal break. In total he garnered four whiffs on 15 pitches.
Storm 7, Modesto Nuts 2
Key Statistics: SP Boston Bateman, 5 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 9 K; RP Vicarte Domingo, 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K; 1B Victor Figueroa, 3-for-4, 2 HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R; SS Chase Valentine, 3-for-4, R; Kaden Hollow, 2-for-4, 2 R
Victor Figueroa cuts an imposing figure at the plate. (Photo: Artur Ivanov/Lake Elsinore Storm)
Prospect Watch: Boston Bateman continued his recent run of dominance, as he worked five innings to help lead Lake Elsinore to a 7-2 win. The 19-year-old southpaw allowed two runs on six hits, walked on, and struck out a career-high nine batters. Bateman’s fastball sat 94-96 mph and topped out at 97. Bateman has clearly become more comfortable with his slider. The offering remains in the high 80s, with solid depth. Throughout his outing he not only used it to get swings and misses, but land for strikes when needed which helped Bateman generate a career-high 18 whiffs and a 36.7% whiff rate. Since May 23, the big lefty has made six starts. In his last 29.2 innings, he owns a 2.47 ERA and a 28.4% strikeout rate. Among California League pitchers with a minimum of 50 innings pitched, his 3.30 FIP and 27.1% strikeout rate rank fifth and sixth, respectively. … After a very brief cool down over the last week-plus, Victor Figueroa seems to have caught fire once again. The big six-foot-five first baseman went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and a double to drive in three. Figueroa’s home run in the bottom of the sixth posted an exit velocity of 109.0 mph. Among Cal League hitters who have come to the plate at least 90 times, his .924 OPS and .556 slugging percentage rank fifth and fourth in the California League. For as good as he’s been this season, Figueroa’s 29.7% whiff rate is a bit higher than you’d like. He’ll look to make more consistent contact without costing himself his explosive power. …Out of the bullpen, Vicarte Domingo worked two scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out two. Domingo has established himself as one of the best strikeout artists in the Cal League this season, as he owns a 32.2% K rate. … Lamar King Jr. made a pinch-hit appearance in the eighth and logged a base hit. He then promptly stole his 13th base of the year. While the organization may wait a bit longer given his continued ramp-up from 2023 shoulder surgery, King’s production looks like a player who could soon be getting a call-up. His 130 wRC+ and .394 wOBA each rank seventh in the Cal League among qualified hitters. Additionally, his pure bat-to-ball skills have taken a clear step forward, as he’s posted an 88.2% contact rate against pitches in the zone and has just a 20.1% whiff rate. … Chase Valentine logged a three-hit night for the Storm, going 3-for-4 with a run scored. In 35 games with Lake Elsinore, Valentine has a .522 OPS. … Kaden Hollow went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. Since the start of June, Hollow has been hitting .205 with a .603 OPS.
ACL White Sox 7, ACL Padres 3
Key Statistics: 1B Kale Fountain 1-for-3, RBI, R, SB; RP Yovannki Pascual IP, 3 H; 2B Luis De Leon 1-for-4. R; CF Donte Grant, 1-for-2, BB
Kale Fountain has been making more frequent, loud contact in the desert. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: Kale Fountain went 1-for-3 in the loss, logging a two-strike RBI single in the top of the first and later stole his tenth bag of the season. After 83 at-bats in the ACL, Fountain is hitting .301 with a .834 OPS and 131 wRC+. More importantly, last year’s fifth-rounder made his fifth start of the season at first base and played the entire game in the field. He remains on track to join Lake Elsinore after he’s shown he can play in the field multiple days in a row. … Center fielder Donte Grant, an undrafted free agent out of high school in 2023, went 1-for-2 with a walk. He’s reached base at a .410 clip while significantly cutting his strikeout rate this month. … Luis De Leon went 1-for-4 out of the leadoff spot with a run scored. The 19-year-old has a .740 OPS in 133 at-bats in the ACL league. … The best outing of the evening belonged to Yovannki Pascual. The left-hander worked an inning and didn’t allow a run despite surrendering three hits. He owns a 12.06 ERA between the ACL and Low-A ball this season.
