Chihuahuas 5, Tacoma Rainiers 3
Key Stats: CF Brandon Lockridge 2-for-4, HR (2), 3 RBI, SB (4); DH Yonathan Perlaza 1-for-3, HR (12), BB; LF Tim Locastro 3-for-4; LHP Jackson Wolf 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 9 K, BB; RHP Eduarniel Núñez (S, 4) IP, H
Eduarniel Núñez has a unique release point and big stuff. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas salvaged the final game of their three-game series in Tacoma behind a strong showing from Jackson Wolf while a pair of homers fueled the offense. Wolf tossed five innings of one-run ball after getting 10 days between appearances coming out of the All-Star break. The 26-year-old lefty ran into a rough stretch through June and early this month, but has now turned in back-to-back strong outings. Wolf struck out nine batters for the third time in 18 games this year, inducing a stellar 50% whiff rate. He was especially dominant with his breaking balls. He got seven strikes on 10 offerings of his curve without a ball being put in play, and threw 19 sliders, getting seven whiffs on 11 swings. After posting stellar results with San Antonio to open the year, Wolf has a 6.55 ERA in 12 starts for the Chihuahuas. … Righty Eduarniel Núñez tossed a scoreless inning to pick up his second save in as many appearances since being optioned back out to El Paso. One of several under-the-radar offseason acquisitions who has paid off well for the Padres, Núñez sat 96-97 with his fastball and showed the ability to get both swinging and called strikes with his slider. He’ll likely get another opportunity to contribute to the big league club this year. … Yonathan Perlaza homered for the fourth consecutive game as he remains white hot for the Chihuahuas. The switch-hitter crushed a laser to right-center to open the scoring. He also walked and has now reached base in 22 consecutive games. In 15 contests this month, he’s hitting .357/.478/.714. … Brandon Lockridge hit his second homer in 13 games since being sent out to El Paso. The right-handed outfielder has started 12 games for the Chihuahuas and reached in 11 of them, posting a .941 OPS.
Missions 2, Amarillo Sod Poodles 0
Key Stats: SS Francisco Acuña 2-for-4, 2B, 2 SB (17); 1B Romeo Sanabria 3-for-4, RBI; CF Kai Murphy 2-for-3, BB, SB (7); LHP Jagger Haynes 4 IP, 2 H, 4K, 2 BB, 2 WP; RHP Steven Jones (W, 3-3) 2 IP, H, K; RHP Ethan Routzahn (S, 4) IP, K, BB
Jagger Haynes continues to perform well at home. (Photo: Kirby Milam)
Prospect Watch: After being shut out in the first two games of the series, the Missions turned the tables on Amarillo Sunday afternoon, blanking the visitors on just four hits. Jagger Haynes got things started for San Antonio, working around two hits and a pair of walks to throw four scoreless frames. The lefty wasn’t especially sharp, throwing 39 of 68 pitches for strikes and allowing the leadoff batter to reach in each of the first three innings, but his stuff was nasty enough to induce four strikeouts. He’s been especially effective at home this year, posting a 2.55 ERA and has allowed only three homers over 42.1 innings at the Wolff. … Romeo Sanabria eliminated any risk of a third straight shutout in the first inning, when he lined an RBI single the other way to drive in Francisco Acuña. Sanabria added two more hits to finish with his third three-hit game in his last six contests. The big first baseman endured his first extended professional slump through June, but has righted the ship this month to the tune of a .327/.364/.481 line. … Acuña, who had singled and stole the first of two bases on the night before scoring, also added a double in the game. The minor league free agent signee has slowed down a bit this month after missing a week with a leg injury, but has been a solid contributor all year.
Lake County Captains 7, TinCaps 5
Key Stats: SS Leo De Vries 2-for-4, HR (7), BB; 3B Ryan Jackson 1-for-2, 2B, 2 BB; RF Braedon Karpathios 0-for-2, 3 BB; LHP Luis Gutierrez 4.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 ER), 6 K, 2 BB; RHP Travis Barnett (L, 0-1) IP, 1 R (0 ER), HBP, WP
Leo De Vries has all but one of his homers from the left side this year. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps led in the middle innings of this one, but gave up runs in four consecutive innings to drop the game and the series in the Cleveland suburbs. Shortstop Leo De Vries had a big day at the plate, connecting on his seventh homer of the year as part of a three-hit game. The 18-year-old was one of the top performers in the game in April, but fell of in May and June. He has picked up the pace again significantly this month, putting together a .558 slugging percentage and cutting his strikeout rate back down to a very strong 16.3% clip. The switch-hitter has done most of his damage from the left side this year, hitting .256/.371/.820. … Ryan Jackson, who was in the lineup at third base Sunday, had a hit and drew two more walks. The 23-year-old leads all of minor league baseball with 72 free passes on the year. While his average and power production have fallen off significantly since his promotion to Fort Wayne, he’s still reaching base at a .394 clip. … Righty Sean Barnett was the hard-luck loser, giving up an unearned run without a hit or walk. With one out, he hit a batter who then advanced to second on catcher’s interference and to third on a fly out before Barnett uncorked a wild pitch to plate the run. It’s been a rough conversion to the mound for Barnett, who has walked 14, hit five and allowed six wild pitches in just 10.2 innings.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 11, Storm 2
Key Stats: 1B Lamar King Jr. 4-for-5, 2 2B; 2B Zach Evans 2-for-3, 2 2B, BB; DH Victor Figueroa 1-for-4, 2B; RHP Abraham Parra 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 4 K, BB, WP; LHP Igor Gil 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, K, 2 BB
Lamar King Jr. has found the barrel early and often in 2025. (Photo: Artur Ivanov)
Prospect Watch: This one seemed to be shaping up as a pitchers’ duel through three scoreless innings, but Rancho exploded for five runs in the fourth inning and then turned it into a laugher with six more runs in the seventh. Starter Abraham Parra cruised through the first turn in the Quakes’ lineup, striking out three and facing the minimum thanks to a double-play grounder. In the fourth, though, the visitors clearly had the BABIP gods on their side as they put together five ground-ball singles as they batted around. Parra did come back for a clean fifth inning. The 19-year-old has fallen victim to a .344 average on balls in play in the Cal League as he struggles to develop enough of a repertoire to finish off opponents. … Lamar King Jr. had a four-hit game including a pair of doubles to edge his line for the year back up to .298/.386/.436. He now leads the league with 24 two-baggers on the year as he continues to make frequent, loud contact. The 21-year-old has now caught three times as many games this year as he did in his first three seasons combined and is showing what he’s capable offensively while healthy. … Zach Evans, who made his fourth appearance at second base, also added a pair of doubles and drew a walk. A senior sign out of Division II Lenoir-Rhyne last year, Evans has had a loud July, hitting .339, but he had only collected two extra-base hits through his first 66 plate appearances of the month.
