Chihuahuas 7, Oklahoma City Comets 6
Key Stats: RHP Logan Gillaspie 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 5 K; RHP Bryan Hoeing 0.1 IP, H, K; RHP Manuel Castro IP, H, 2 K, BB; RHP Ron Marinaccio (W, 6-0), IP, 2 K, BB; 3B Will Wagner 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB; 2B Nate Mondou 4-for-5, 2B, R; C Rodolfo Durán 3-for-4, HR (7), 2 R, 2 RBI, BB; PH Luis Campusano BB, R
Rodolfo Durán stayed hot at the plate Wednesday. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: El Paso scored seven unanswered runs to win in walk-off fashion again. Tim Locastro got to play hero as he knocked in Nate Mondou for the game-winning run. Mondou’s ninth-inning single was part of his first four-hit effort since last June 14. The 30-year-old infielder has been on a tear of late. Over his last seven games, Mondou has gone 15-for-31, with two doubles, a homer, and three walks. He is on track to reach minor league free agency again this winter. … Rodolfo Durán continued his hot streak, collecting three hits and a walk while giving Luis Campusano a night off behind the plate. Durán hit his third home run in five games and seventh of the year. The journeyman backstop is hitting .600/.619/1.100 while putting together five straight multi-hit games. … Infielder Will Wagner, in the lineup at third base, reached base three more times with two walks and a hit. Since joining the Padres organization at the deadline, the 27-year-old has a hit in all four games and is hitting .353/.421/.455. … Down 3-0 in the sixth, the Chihuahuas brought in Bryan Hoeing to get out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam. Instead, he allowed a bases-clearing double before getting a strikeout to end the inning. Since being sent down, the righty has not allowed a run of his own over 5.1 innings. He is eligible to be recalled by the big league club before Friday’s game.
Springfield Cardinals 8, Missions 5
Albert Fabian has shown the ability to stay short to the ball and still generate power. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Key Stats: RHP Victor Lizarraga 3.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K; 1B Romeo Sanabria 1-for-2, R, 2 BB; DH Albert Fabian 2-for-3, R, RBI, BB; 3B Marcos Castanon 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB; 2B Anthony Vilar 1-for-4, 3B, 3 RBI; RHP Kevin Kopps 1 IP, H, K
Prospect Watch: From a glass half-full perspective, Victor Lizarraga gave up half as many runs as he did in his last start, while going nearly twice as long. But after giving up 10 runs in just two innings in his last outing, that still wasn’t enough. The righty cruised through the first three innings without allowing a hit despite having to work around three walks. But in the fourth, he hit the first batter and then a few mistakes by his defense and a bloop two-run single caused the inning to get away from him and he gave up five runs before giving way with two outs after throwing 83 pitches. The 21-year-old is now at 2-9 with a 7.16 ERA over 66.2 Double-A innings. … The offense had plenty of baserunners, but struggled for most of the game to get a big hit. It finally happened in the eighth when Anthony Vilar hit a bases-clearing triple. Over his last six weeks, Vilar had collected only five RBIs, but he now has five in the first two games of the series. … Albert Fabian continues to be a bright spot in a lackluster offense. Since completing his extended rehab process and joining the Missions, the 23-year-old has been the best offensive player on the Missions by far. In 20 games, he is batting .309/.385/.471.
Rosman Verdugo has continued to be a key contributor for the TinCaps. (Photo: Ryan Cox)
South Bend Cubs 8, TinCaps 2
Key Statistics: RHP Clark Candiotti 3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Josh Mallitz 1.1 IP, K; 3B Rosman Verdugo 0-for-1, R, RBI, BB, HBP, SF, SB (4); LF Kasen Wells 1-for-4, 2B; SS Ryan Jackson 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB
Prospect Watch: After throwing one inning in his first start back from injury and two in the next, Clark Candiotti unsurprisingly progressed to three innings Thursday. He allowed his first run since coming back, but only walked one. Free passes have been a problem for last year’s fourth-rounder, but he has walked two in six innings back. In 36 innings this year, Candiotti has 48 strikeouts. … Rosman Verdugo did virtually everything a batter can do to contribute without getting a hit. He reached base on a walk and a hit by pitch, he scored a run, and drove in a run on a sac fly. For good measure, even without blazing speed, Verdugo managed to steal his fourth bag of the season. The 20-year-old is one walk away from his career high (63 walks) despite having nearly another month left in the season. He leads the team with a .368 on-base percentage and is fourth in the Midwest League in walks. … With the top two shortstops in Fort Wayne leaving at the trade deadline, Ryan Jackson has inserted himself as the new starter. Since taking over full-time, the 23-year-old has played solid defense while reaching base in every game. The Northern California native had a double for his first extra-base hit in over two weeks and drew another walk. Since the deadline, Jackson is hitting .263/.364/.326. … Catcher Lamar King Jr. left the game after catching the bottom of the first. We’ll provide an update when it is available.
Kash Mayfield has not pitched into the fifth inning since early May. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Storm 4, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 2
Key Statistics: LHP Kash Mayfield 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K; CF Ryan Wideman 3-for-5, 2 RBI; SS Jorge Quintana 1-for-4, BB; C Yoiber Ocopio 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RS, RBI
Prospect Watch: Third-round pick Ryan Wideman made his professional debut one to remember. The 99th overall pick from this year’s draft collected a team high three hits and also flashed the leather to end the game. Wideman is coming off a year at Western Kentucky where he hit .398/.466/.652 in 60 games. … While Nestor Cortez made his Padre debut on the big league mound, the other player he was traded with for Brandon Lockridge also made his system debut. Jorge Quintana got the start at shortstop and reached base twice from the leadoff spot. The 18-year-old hit .264/.349/.403 for the ACL Brewers before the trade. … Between trades and promotions, Lake Elsinore has become a place for young talent to make their full-season debuts. Catcher Yoiber Ocopio is enjoying his first taste of full-season ball. In three games with the Storm, the 20-year-old has already collected four hits, a walk, two doubles, three runs and three RBI. This comes on the heels of his stateside debut with the ACL team, where he hit .223/.346/.338. … Kash Mayfield got the start, and after breezing through the first two innings, ran into trouble in both the third and fourth inning. Mayfield still finished four innings, allowing two runs but striking out five. Mayfield pitched no more than four innings for the tenth straight time, dating back to May 6. The 20-year-old has 65 strikeouts in 44.1 innings this season.
