Chihuahuas 7, Round Rock Express 6
Key Stats: C Luis Campusano 1-for-3, HR (16), BB, 2 RBI; RF Yonathan Perlaza 2-for-3, BB; DH Rodolfo Durán 2-for-4, HR (5); RHP Michael King 3.1 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 5 K, BB, HBP; LHP Kyle Hart 3 IP, 2 H, 2 K, BB; RHP Manuel Castro (S, 1), IP, H, 2 K, 2 BB
Kyle Hart has impressed in a long relief role. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: After a rocky rehab outing for Michael King, the El Paso bullpen shut down Round Rock over the final five and two-thirds innings while the offense rallied for a win. King, throwing in a game for the first time since mid-May, hit the first batter he saw. After recording two outs, he gave up a ground ball single before grooving a first-pitch sinker that Alan Trejo turned around for a two-run homer. King rebounded for a quick second inning, but with one out in the third, went double, walk, homer. Overall, he allowed six earned runs while tossing 61 pitches and showing off his four-pitch mix. He racked up 11 whiffs on 26 swings for a stellar 42% whiff rate. The club will need to evaluate whether there was enough good news – and health – to move him straight into the big league rotation, or whether one more rehab start is in the cards. … Lefty Kyle Hart picked up the win with three innings of shutout relief. After starting the year in the Padres rotation, the 32-year-old has been impressive in a long relief role while shuttling between the PCL and the big league roster. In 16.2 innings out of the Chihuahuas pen, he sports a 2.16 ERA while holding opponents to a .200 average. …The El Paso catching corps continued to provide plenty of thump at the plate. Luis Campusano, who got the start behind the plate, connected on his 16th homer of the season off former Padre Carl Edwards Jr. and also drew a walk. He has now hit in seven in a row, though the 110.5 mph missile of a home run he hit was his first in nine games. Backup Rodolfo Durán, in the lineup at designated hitter, also contributed a solo shot as part of a two-hit night. He enjoyed his trip up to the Austin suburbs, putting together four multi-hit games and adding 66 points to his OPS with a 9-for-18 series.
Missions 4, Frisco Rough Riders 0
Key Stats: RHP Jared Kollar 5.2 IP, 5 H, 5 K; LHP Austin Krob 1.1 IP, BB; 1B Romeo Sanabria 1-for-3, HR (10), BB; Shortstop Francisco Acuña 2-for-4, BB, CS (6); 2B Marcos Castañon 2-for-4
Jared Kollar’s over-the-top delivery helps him reduce loud contact. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: Righty Jared Kollar shined in his best start of the year to lead the Missions to victory. The 27-year-old blanked Frisco as he worked into the sixth inning, allowing only five singles while striking out five. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022, Kollar shot through his first two full seasons in the minors, but got hit hard in El Paso to open the year. Things didn’t look much better when he was demoted to San Antonio in June, but Kollar has bounced back strong in the second half. Over his last eight appearances – two of them starts – he has posted a 3.65 ERA that is in line with his career mark coming into the year. After walking 28 in his first 52.2 innings this year, he’s more than cut that in half to just five in his last 24.2 frames. … After a wild pitch scored Marcos Castañon in the second inning to give the Missions a lead, Romeo Sanabria added on in the third when he crushed a 2-2 fastball into the lazy river in deep right-center. The blast, which left the bat at 108 mph, came after Sanabria had fouled off a pair of two-strike pitches. He’s slowly getting back on track after a brutal six-week stretch in June and early July. The blast pushed his slugging percentage back up over .400 on the year. While he’ll need to have that number over .500 as a first base-only prospect, he’s shown the ability to make adjustments and is getting to better velocity more consistently now.
TinCaps 5, Great Lakes Loons 2
Key Stats: LF Kasen Wells 1-for-3, BB, SB (1), 2 RBI; SS Ryan Jackson 1-for-4, 2 RBI; CF Kai Roberts 0-for-1, 2 BB, CS (4); LHP Luis Gutierrez 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 7 K, 2 BB; LHP Fernando Sanchez 2 IP, H, 2 K, BB
Luis Gutierrez has made big strides with his arsenal this year. (Photo: Courtesy of Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Prospect Watch: Starter Luis Gutierrez stumped the Loons through the first four innings and turned in a quality start to get the TinCaps a victory and salvage a 2-4 series against the Dodgers affiliate. The lefty came up one strikeout short of his season high, punching out seven over six innings, but held Great Lakes to only three hits in the contest. In eight starts since his promotion from Lake Elsinore, the 22-year-old has a 3.55 ERA across 38 innings in his first exposure to High-A. While progress has come very slowly since Gutierrez signed as a key member of the Padres’ 2019 international free agent class just days after his 16th birthday, he’s found his footing as a starter as he continues to use his changeup more consistently and effectively. … Fellow southpaw Fernando Sanchez followed Gutierrez to the mound and tossed a pair of scoreless innings of his own. The Sonora, Mexico, native had a few rough outings in San Antonio, but has been very effective since returning to the Fort Wayne bullpen. Sanchez has lowered his ERA for the TinCaps to 2.06 on the year while holding opponents to a .208 average. … Fort Wayne got all their runs in the second inning despite having just two singles in the frame. They took advantage of a pair of walks, a hit batter, passed ball and catcher’s interference before Ryan Jackson and Kasen Wells each came through with run-scoring singles. Wells later drew a walk and swiped a base in his second game since joining the TinCaps.
Inland Empire 66ers 8, Storm 6
Key Stats: CF Kavares Tears 2-for-5, 3 K; RF Alex McCoy 1-for-3, 3B, SF; 3B Karrington Cross 1-for-4, BB, SB (1), CS (1); RHP Abraham Parra 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 K, BB; RHP Kleiber Olmedo 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 2 K, 2 BB; LHP Igor Gil 1.1 IP, K
Kavares Tears has struggled to make consistent contact. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm had a lead after six, but couldn’t hold on and lost both the game and the series to fall two games behind Inland Empire at the top of the division. Kavares Tears, making his first professional start in center field, collected a pair of hits, but also struck out three times. After dealing with hamstring injuries and a shoulder injury, last year’s compensation pick is finally getting regular time in the field. He has three straight two-hit games coming off a recent 0-for-20 stretch as he continues a streaky debut campaign. The left-hander, who also punched out three times in the contest, is hitting just .234/.324/.381 with a 28.9% strikeout rate as one of the older batters still in the Cal League. … Alex McCoy connected on a triple for the club’s only extra-base hit of the day. The Hofstra product is slugging .441 since coming off the IL. … Starter Abraham Parra continued to alternate strong starts with subpar outings. The 19-year-old righty gave up eight hits and four runs over six innings while striking out three. After signing out of Venezuela early in the 2023 season, Parra came stateside for the first time last year, but struggled badly in the desert. He’s taken a big step forward this year, cutting his walk rate significantly and showing more velocity. He’s worked to a 4.95 ERA in 56.1 innings for the Storm.
