Chihuahuas 8, Oklahoma City Comets 7
Key Statistics: 2B Will Wagner 3-for-5, R, 3B, 2 RBI; RF Yonathan Perlaza 2-for-5, R; DH Luis Campusano 2-for-5, RBI; 1B Nate Mondou 2-for-3, R, 2 BB; LF Trenton Brooks 1-for-2, 2 R, 3 BB, RBI; C Cody Roberts 2-for-3, R, BB, RBI; RHP Matt Waldron 1.2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, K; RHP Raul Brito 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Alek Jacob (W, 3-0) IP, 2 BB
Trenton Brooks is contributing after his return to El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: El Paso overcame an early four-run deficit to earn the win against the Dodgers’ top farm club. Cody Roberts was the hero with a walk-off sacrifice fly. … Second baseman Will Wagner had his first multi-hit game since joining the Padres’ organization. He had a pair of singles and a triple as part of a multi-hit night. Wagner was acquired from the Blue Jays at the trade deadline in exchange for catcher Brandon Valenzuela. At the time of the trade, Wagner was in the big leagues, hitting .237/.336/.298, well off from his .788 OPS in his big league debut last season. In 14 plate appearances with El Paso, Wagner has not struck out. … Trenton Brooks reached base four times with a single and three walks, and had an RBI in his return to El Paso. Brooks was designated for assignment on July 31 and was not claimed on waivers. Since he had been outrighted in the past, he had the option to elect free agency, but stayed in his home-town Padres organization. Brooks appeared in 25 games for the Padres, hitting a putrid .146/.186/.268 with his first big league homer. The East County native will hope for another big league opportunity down the stretch. … After a solid string of outings, Matt Waldron turned in his first real clunker of the season, giving up six earned runs without escaping the second inning. Waldron allowed some hard contact, but the homer he allowed registered at 95 mph and 358 feet. Waldron’s ERA swelled from 3.88 to 4.88 Tuesday night. … Alek Jacob earned his third win of the season by pitching a scoreless ninth inning, despite walking a pair of batters. He also notched a strikeout. On June 20, Jakob allowed five runs to Reno without recording an out. Since then, he’s allowed just one run over his last 13 innings, including a current 12-inning scoreless streak.During his 13-inning run, he’s punched out 18 hitters.
Roster Move: The Chihuahuas released Jason Blanchard on Tuesday, ending his run in the organization. He was drafted in the ninth round, way back in 2019, out of Lamar University. The lefty will finish his time in the Padres’ organization with a 4.93 in 129 games. Blanchard was a member of the 2019 Tri-City Dust Devils, the last year of short-season A-ball. With Blanchard’s departure, Chihuahuas lefty Omar Cruz and big league all-stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Adrian Morejon are the last three players left in the organization who appeared for the Dust Devils.
Missions 5, Springfield Cardinals 4
Key Statistics: DH Albert Fabian 2-for-4, R, BB, RBI; 2B Anthony Vilar 2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI; LF Jacob Campbell 1-for-2; RHP Enmanuel Pinales 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Andrew Moore (W, 3-1) IP, BB; RHP Garrett Hawkins (S, 2) IP, H, K
Albert Fabian has added depth to the Missions lineup. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: Much like El Paso, the Missions overcame a four-run deficit, plating four in the seventh and pushing across the winning run in the eighth to earn the victory. … Albert Fabian had a pair of hits, including the RBI double that scored the winning run for the Missions. The left-handed Fabian has hit well since joining the Missions. In 19 games, the 23-year-old is hitting .292/.365/.462 with a pair of homers and 10 RBI. He’s posted a very solid 17.7% strikeout rate. … Anthony Vilar also had two hits and drove in a pair of runs in the victory. The versatile Vilar has provided positional flexibility with his ability to catch and play around the infield. Overall, he has a .631 OPS for San Antonio this season. … Righty Enmanuel Pinales tossed five innings, allowing four runs on five hits. He walked a pair and struck out four. After dominating in Fort Wayne to start the season, the 24-year-old has had a rough run in his first trek through the Texas League. Opposing batters are hitting .299 against him with the Missions. Over his last 29.1 innings pitched, he’s allowed 21 earned runs, good for a 6.44 ERA. … Righty Garrett Hawkins pitched a scoreless inning, nailing down his second save as a Mission. The newly minted San Antonio closer allowed one infield hit and struck out a batter. Hawkins ran his scoreless inning streak to an astounding 37 innings.
Roster Moves: Outfielder Jake Snider was released from the Missions’ roster. The 27-year-old was plucked from the Rockies’ organization in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft last winter. In 44 games between Fort Wayne and San Antonio, Snider hit .256/.382/.336. In addition, outfielder Kai Murphy was placed on the seven-day injured list, and the Padres acquired catcher Eli Wilson from the Pirates. Wilson, 27, has been with the Pirates since 2019. He will provide depth behind the plate after the trade of Brandon Valenzuela. … Righty Misael Tamarez, who signed with the organization two weeks ago immediately after the Astros released him, was also promoted from Fort Wayne. The righty has spent much of the last three years in Triple-A, but was moved down to acclimate to the new organization.
South Bend Cubs 6, TinCaps 5
Key Statistics: 3B Rosman Verdugo 3-for-3, 2 R, HR (12), RBI. RF Braedon Karpathios 2-for-4, R, HR (12), RBI; 1B Lamar King Jr. 2-for-4, 2 RBI; RHP Ian Koenig (L, 4-6) 7 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 K; RHP Nick Wissman IP, BB, K
Rosman Verdugo is looking for a hot finish to the year. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: While the Missions and Chihuahuas secured comeback victories, the TinCaps blew a 3-0 lead, losing to the Cubs in South Bend. … Rosman Verdugo had a perfect day at the plate, delivering a pair of singles and his 12th homer of the season to briefly give his team the lead. He also reached base after being plunked with a pitch. The homer was just Verdugo’s second homer since June 20. Despite the lack of home run power lately, Verdugo has still managed to get on base frequently. He posted a .356 on-base percentage in July, and he’s reached base in half of his plate appearances this month. … Braedon Karpathios followed up Verdugo’s blast with a homer of his own, keeping himself in a tie with Verdugo for the team lead. The TinCaps’ right fielder also had a single as part of a multi-hit night. Karpathios leads the TinCaps with a .785 OPS. With Braden Nett now in the Athletics organization and David Morgan in the big leagues, Karpathios takes on the mantel of the best domestic undrafted free agent in the organization. … Righty Ian Koenig allowed six runs on nine hits, but on a positive note, he pitched seven innings for the first time as a professional. The 24-year-old has had an extremely uneven season, showing flashes but often struggling to find consistency. The main culprit has been a lack of strikeouts. Over his last 50.1 innings, he’s struck out just 23 batters. Overall, Koenig has a 5.51 for the TinCaps this season.
Roster Moves: The Padres released outfielder Kaden Hollow from the Fort Wayne roster. Hollow, 24, provided solid offense during his time in the system. He signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023, out of Utah Tech. Hollow started as a catcher but has played left field and first base this season. Between Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne, the Idaho native hit .260/.377/.349 while posting a wRC+ of 110 during his time with the Storm. … The Padres also signed left-hander C.J. Widger and assigned him to Fort Wayne. The club signed the hard-throwing reliever during the offseason, but the Giants almost immediately selected him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. Widger pitched in High-A with Eugene until the Giants released him last month. His father is former big league catcher Chris Widger.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6, Storm 1
Key Statistics: 1B Kale Fountain 2-for-4; C Carlos Rodriguez 1-for-4, R; CF Alex McCoy 1-for-4; RHP Humberto Cruz (L, 0-2) 2.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Vicarte Domingo 2 IP, 3 K; RHP Jordan Valenzuela IP, K
Kale Fountain sets up in the box for Lake Elsinore. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm managed just four hits, losing to the Quakes in Rancho Cucamonga. … Kale Fountain found the hit column twice with a pair of singles in the loss. The 19-year-old has struggled in his first taste of Cal League action. In July, he hit .188/.349/.261 with 13 walks. Strikeouts have been an issue for the Nebraska native; he’s punched out at least once in six straight games. Fountain will look to have a strong August while heading into the offseason in good health. … After looking sharp last week, 18-year-old Humberto Cruz struggled Tuesday, taking the loss. In 2.2 innings, Cruz allowed five runs on five hits, which included a pair of homers. Cruz has pitched well in three of his five outings with the Storm, but homers have been an issue. In his two losses, the prized prospect allowed five runs in 6.2 innings; in his other three starts, spanning 11.1 innings, he’s allowed zero. In five starts for the Storm, Cruz has a 6.50 ERA. … Right-handed reliever Vic Domingo fired a pair of scoreless outings, notching three strikeouts. Domingo has a 3.93 ERA for the Storm this season. He has struck out 72 batters in 52.2 innings.
