Las Vegas Aviators 7, Chihuahuas 3
Key Statistics: CF Brandon Lockridge 1-for-4; DH Luis Campusano 1-for-4, R; 2B Nate Mondou 1-for-3, R, BB, RBI; LHP Wes Benjamin (L, 3-5) 4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; LHP Miguel Cienfuegos 2.1 IP, 2 H, K
Nate Mondou contributes around the horn for El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: El Paso had a slow night at the plate, managing just five singles in their second consecutive loss to Las Vegas at home. … Luis Campusano started at designated hitter and singled in four at-bats. The 26-year-old has reached base in all eight July games and has hit safely in seven. He continues to lead the PCL in OPS as he awaits another big league opportunity. … Second baseman Nate Mondou was the only Chihuahuas hitter to reach base more than once. He singled, drew a walk, and drove in a run. The 30-year-old has been a steady contributor, bouncing around the diamond and making frequent contact. He’s struck out in just 15% of his plate appearances, but he’s connected on only one homer in over 300 plate appearances. … Veteran Wes Benjamin struggled to put hitters away as the Aviators put seven balls in play hit 98 mph or harder. Overall, he allowed five earned runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings. He walked two and struck out two. In 18 appearances (16 starts), the former Ranger has pitched to a 5.93 ERA. … Lefty Miguel Cienfuegos pitched well, providing 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. He allowed two hits and punched out one batter. The 28-year-old has delivered back-to-back scoreless outings after allowing six earned runs in three innings back on July 2. He has a solid BB/9 of just 2.2 with the Chihuahuas this season.
Roster Moves: To make room for Ryan Bergert on the big league roster, the Padres sent flame-throwing righty Eduarniel Núñez back to El Paso.
Missions 7, Wichita Wind Surge 2
Key Statistics: 1B Romeo Sanabria 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI; RF Moisés Gómez 3-for-5, R, RBI, SB (7); LF Albert Fabian 3-for-4, 2 RBI; RHP Braden Nett 3.1 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K; LHP Ryan Och (W, 1-1) 1.2 IP, K
Romeo Sanabria. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: The Missions took advantage of 11 hits and cruised to a win against Wichita. … Romeo Sanabria had three hits Friday, as he has shown signs of snapping out of a prolonged funk. The 23-year-old doubled, singled twice, and drove in a run. Over his last six games, the Missions’ first baseman has three multi-hit games. Through the season’s first two months, Sanabria hit to the tune of .340/.385/.500 but limped to a .194 average in June while doubling his K-rate. That trend continued into July, as he struck out three times in consecutive games to start the month. However, over his last 27 at-bats, he’s punched out just three times. … Albert Fabian had three more hits Friday, as he continues to rake in Double-A. The 23-year-old outfielder singled three times and drove in a pair of runs. In five games with the Missions, Fabian is 7-for-17 with two doubles and a homer. His offensive production since missing nearly a year with a leg injury has been impressive. When you include his 13 games rehabbing in the ACL, Fabian has a .912 OPS this season. … Righty Braden Nett pitched 3.1 innings before leaving the game with the trainer after delivering an 0-2 pitch that was fouled off. It wasn’t obvious what the issue was as he didn’t indicate any specific pain in his arm, but Nett walked off the mound abruptly, giving way to reliever Ryan Och. Nett wasn’t particularly sharp when he was in the game; he walked three and threw 71 pitches while recording just 10 outs. At this point, the results are secondary to his health. At 71.1 innings thrown, the 23-year-old has already blown by his previous career-high in innings that he set last year. Hopefully, Friday’s issue isn’t something that hampers him down the stretch.
Roster Moves: Nerwilian Cedeño was placed on the seven-day injured list with outfielder Jacob Campbell coming up from Fort Wayne as a reinforcement. Outfielder Kaden Hollow was sent from Lake Elsinore to Fort Wayne.
TinCaps 8, Quad Cities River Bandits 6
Key Statistics: SS Brandon Butterworth 3-for-4, 2 R, 3B; C Brendan Durfee 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (2), 3 RBI; Braedon Karpathios 2-for-3, R, HR (11), 3 RBI, BB; LF Kaden Hollow 2-for-4, R, HR (1), 2 RBI; RHP Isaiah Lowe, 5 IP 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; LHP Fernando Sanchez (W, 3-1) 2 IP, H, 2 K
Braedon Karpathios. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps connected on three homers to outlast Quad Cities in front of over 7,200 fans at Parkview Field. … Shortstop Brandon Butterworth had three hits, including a triple, Friday night. The 22-year-old has added outfielder to his resume in recent weeks, but he’s bat has been his calling card in July. Including Friday’s three-hit effort, the NC State product is hitting .342/.375/.632 this month with a pair of homers. … Catcher Brendan Durfee has also hit well this month after a slow start to the season. Durfee had a pair of hits in the victory, including his second homer of the season. The 23-year-old slogged through a miserable May and June that saw him deliver a collective OPS of .533 (including a .214 slugging percentage) with a 27% K-rate. In July, Durfee has delivered a pair of homers and an excellent .946 OPS. He’s also punched out just three times in 31 July plate appearances. … In terms of sleepers, there may not be a bigger one in the Padres’ system than Braedon Karpathios. The former undrafted free agent has gotten stronger year over year and is hitting like a legitimate prospect. The left-handed outfielder had two hits, including his 11th homer of the season, extending his career-high. The 22-year-old has a .776 OPS, just behind team-leader Rosman Verdugo, who sports a .793 OPS. Karpathios has also been remarkably consistent, posting an OPS of at least .758 in every month this season. … Righty Isaiah Lowe pitched well in the win but did not factor in the decision. He tossed five innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He walked a pair and struck out four. Consistency has eluded Lowe this season, but he’s been much better of late, completing at least five innings in four of his last six starts. In each of those longer starts, he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer. Overall, the 22-year-old righty has a 5.67 ERA in 15 starts.
Storm 6, Visalia Rawhide 0
Zach Evans continues to make frequent contact. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Key Statistics: RF Victor Figueroa 1-for-3, 2 BB; 3B Zach Evans 4-for-5, R, RBI; LF Ryan Wilson 3-for-4, 2 R, BB, HR (2), 2 RBI; RHP Maikel Miralles 4 IP, H, 7 K; RHP Johan Moreno (W, 3-4) 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K
Prospect Watch: Three Storm pitchers combined to strike out 13 and issue just one walk as they shut out the Rawhide in Visalia. Righty Maikel Miralles started for the Storm and dominated the Rawhide. The 20-year-old tossed four innings, allowing just one hit while striking out a career-high seven batters. Miralles has spent some time on the injured list this season, but among the international arms currently in Lake Elsinore, he might have the most upside. Friday’s outing lowered his ERA to 5.08 with the Storm. … Johan Moreno tossed the next four innings and earned his third win of the season for his effort. He allowed just two hits, walking one and striking out five. The 22-year-old has worked as a multi-inning reliever out of the Storm bullpen this season. He’s struck out 62 batters in 52.2 innings while walking 30. In 21 outings, he has pitched to a 5.47 ERA. … At the plate, third baseman Zach Evans had his third four-hit game of the season. He singled four times, scored a run, and knocked in a run as well. Evans’ four-hit night also extended his hitting streak to 12 games. The 6-foot-4 third baseman had a slow June, but he’s hitting .378 so far in July. … Ryan Wilson had three hits and connected on his second homer of the year. The 23-year-old has shown solid on-base skills with the Storm over the last two seasons, but he hasn’t hit for much power. Wilson is slugging .333 this season.
ACL Brewers 13, ACL Padres 12
Key Statistics: CF Kasen Wells 2-for-5, 2 R, SB (1), RBI; 2B Luis De Leon 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, RBI; SS Jose Sanabria 2-for-2, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI; 1B Kevin Hacen 2-for-4, RBI, R; 3B Ismael Javier 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI; RHP Luis Maracara 0.2 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, BB, 2 K; LHP Ruben Salinas 3 IP, H, 5 K; RHP Jimmy Reyes (L, 0-1) 1.1 IP, 3 H, ER, K
Ruben Salinas works on his delivery. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres fought back from a seven-run deficit, only to lose in a walk-off in Maryvale. … Center fielder Kasen Wells made his second rehab appearance and had two singles in five at-bats. He also added a stolen base for good measure. The speedy outfielder has been out since fouling a ball off his foot at the end of May. Before he went down, he was hitting .283/.388/.368 for the Storm. … Shortstop Jose Sanabria had a pair of hits, including a double and also drove in three runs. The 22-year-old opened the season with the TinCaps before being shipped back to the desert. Since joining the complex Padres, he has delivered a .931 OPS. … Left-hander Ruben Salinas pitched well in relief, delivering three shutout innings. He allowed just one hit while striking out five. The 22-year-old has struggled in his second season back from Tommy John surgery. He’s pitched in 18 games between the complex and Lake Elsinore, posting a combined 11.85 ERA. His intriguing stuff flashes enough to have 32 strikeouts in 27.1 innings, but opponents are hitting .365 against him.
