Omar Cruz is working effectively out of the bullpen in El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Chihuahuas 5, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 2
Key Stats: RHP Matt Waldron 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; LHP Omar Cruz 2 IP, H, 4 K; C Cody Roberts 2-for-4, HR (2), 2 R, 2 RBI; CF Brandon Lockridge 2-for-5, 2B, R; DH Luis Campusano 0-for-4, 2 K; SS Mason McCoy 2-for-3, 2 SB (11), R, BB
Prospect Watch: Matt Waldron continues be effective throwing the knuckleball. He threw it 59% of the time, generating a 30% whiff rate with the pitch. Waldron allowed four hits, including two solo home runs to the Space Cowboys, but none of the four hits were on his showcase pitch. When he can throw it for strikes, he can make any hitter look foolish, but opponents have been trying to wait it out to hunt his other offerings. … The joy of catching Waldron fell to 29-year-old Cody Roberts. Roberts, who the Padres signed during the offseason, limited Waldron to only one wild pitch, which is a small victory. Offensively, he hit his first home run since June 6. … Lefty Omar Cruz followed Waldron with two scoreless innings and four strikeouts. The 26-year-old’s last three appearances have all come out of the bullpen, where he appeared during a brief stint with the big league club in April. … While Luis Campusano went 0-for-4 at the plate, he was responsible for the hardest hit ball in Triple-A, and the second hardest hit ball in all of baseball on Wednesday. His 114.0 mph rocket was a thing of beauty had it not been directly where the left fielder was positioned. The erstwhile catcher still boasts a .992 OPS on the Triple-A season.
Tyson Neighbors is making waves in San Antonio. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Midland Rockounds 5, Missions 0
Key Stats: RHP Jared Kollar 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; RHP Tyson Neighbors 2 IP, BB, 3 K; 1B Devin Ortiz 2-for-3, BB; DH Addison Kopack 1-for-2, 2B, BB
Prospect Watch: In five games since returning from the All-Star Break, the Missions have scored a total of two runs, both of which came in a 2-0 win on Sunday. The other four games have all resulted in shutouts, in which they’ve managed just 15 hits total. Coming out of the break, Brandon Valenzuela has gone 0-for-18, including an 0-for-4 Wednesday. After a lot of conversations about whether the 24-year-old catcher would be promoted, he has hit .129/.200/.210 in July. … Devin Ortiz led the way on offense, reaching base three times for the first time since June 13. The 26-year-old has a .653 OPS for the Missions. … The lone bright spot for San Antonio was Tyson Neighbors. Last year’s fourth-round pick has found his groove in Double-A after a rough start. The hard-throwing righty allowed runs in four of his first six outings in San Antonio. Since then, he has not allowed an earned run in 10 inningsposting a a 0.90 WHIP and 9.9 K/9. Between High-A and Double-A, Neighbors has a 1.99 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 40.2 innings.
Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, TinCaps 4
Key Statistics: Leo De Vries 2-for-5, 2B, RBI; CF Kai Roberts 1-for-3, 2 R, HBP, BB, 2 SB (18); RF Braedon Karpathios 2-for-4, 2 RBI; SS Ryan Jackson 1-for-4, 3B, RBI; RHP Clark Candiotti IP, H, K; RHP Sam Whiting 3 IP, K, 2 BB, HBP; RHP Sean Barnett 0.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB; LHP Fernando Sanchez 3 IP, 2 K, 2 HBP
Fernando Sanchez has put up plenty of zeroes in Fort Wayne. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The Kernels scored a pair to claim a walk-off win Wednesday afternoon. Clark Candiotti came off a month-long stint on the IL to throw a scoreless inning. He needed 14 pitches, throwing 9 strikes. A senior-sign pick last year, the 24-year-old has a 5.23 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP in his first professional season. … Leo De Vries had a multi-hit game, including his third double in his last seven games. He has a modest four-game hitting streak and has reached base in all but one game this month. The 18-year-old sports a .911 OPS for the month. … Kai Roberts reached base three times and stole two bases. While the 24-year-old has struggled to a .220 average and .254 slugging percentage this month, he has walked 15 times over his last 18 games and has a respectable .352 OBP. … Lefty Fernando Sanchez came on with two on and no out in the fifth and got a strikeout and double-play grounder to escape the jam. He then added two more scoreless frames, working around a pair of hit batters. The 24-year-old has allowed one run over his last 13.2 innings and has pitched to a 2.09 ERA in 43 innings for the Tin Caps this season.
Kash Mayfield remains on a strict pitch limit. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Storm 6, Stockton Ports 4
Key Statistics: LHP Kash Mayfield 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Vic Domingo 3 IP, H, 6 K; RF Victor Figueroa 1-for-4, BB; 2B Zach Evans 2-for-5, R, RBI; 1B Lamar King 3-for-5, 2 R; DH Kavares Tears 1-for-4, R, RBI, BB; 3B Kale Fountain 1-for-2, RBI, HBP; CF Kasen Wells 1-for-3, R, BB, 2 SB (25)
Prospect Watch: Kash Mayfield made his first start in two weeks as the Padres gave him extra time coming out of the All-Star Break. Mayfield looked fantastic in the first inning, striking out the side and showing off a nasty changeup that had hitters swinging wildly. While Mayfield was charged with two runs, neither was really on him. One unearned run came on a three-base throwing error by his catcher. The second run came around after Mayfield left with one out in the third and a runner on first base. Mayfield left after he reached 52 pitches, 35 of which went for strikes. The lefty now has 55 strikeouts in 36.1 innings, but hasn’t thrown more than three innings in a start since May 6. … Kale Fountain had to leave the game after being hit on the inside of his back elbow. In trying to avoid the pitch, he moved his front arm that had the elbow guard away from the ball, leaving his surgically-repaired right elbow. Fountain came through with an RBI single in the first and has a hit in five of his last six games. … Lamar King continues to be one of the top offensive players in the Cal League. While he did not increase his league-leading 24 doubles, he did have three singles and scored twice. The 21-year-old backstop is hitting .298/.383/.432 with the Storm. … On May 11, Kasen Wells swiped his 23rd stolen base of the year to take the California League lead. Soon after, he fouled a ball of his foot and wound up on the IL. Eleven weeks later, Wells is finally back healthy with the Storm, and stealing bases again. The 21-year-old Texas swiped two bases in the span of four pitches to get up to 25 in 43 games for the Storm. Impressively, he has only been caught once. His speed, defense in center, and .375 OBP make him a prototypical leadoff hitter if he can continue his stretch.
