Oklahoma City Comets 10, Chihuahuas 9
Key Statistics: CF Tyler Wade 1-for-5, R, BB, 2 RBI; 3B Will Wagner 2-for-3, 2 R, 3 BB, SB (1); RF Yonathan Perlaza 2-for-3, 2 R, 3 BB, 2B, RBI; 2B Nate Mondou 2-for-4, BB, 4 RBI; SS Mason McCoy 1-for-5, R, HR (10), RBI; 1B Tim Locastro 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (4), RBI; LHP Jackson Wolf (L, 4-2) 3.1 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 2 BB; RHP Alek Jacob IP, H
Yonathan Perlaza continues to do damage for El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: The clubs combined to score 15 runs in the first four innings, and Oklahoma City bashed five home runs to hold off the Chihuahuas in El Paso. El Paso drew 12 walks in the loss. … Yonathan Perlaza reached base five times with a single, a double, and three walks. The switch-hitting slugger leads the PCL with 36 doubles this season. Outside of a putrid May, the former Cubs prospect has posted a .400 on-base percentage in each month this season. Since June 1, Perlaza has a .302/.413/.508 slash-line – good for 21% above the league average. … Like Perlaza, Will Wagner had two hits, and he also drew three free passes. The twice-traded prospect has swung the bat well since joining the Padres’ system at the trade deadline. In five games with the Chihuahuas, Wagner is hitting .400/.520/.500. … Shortstop Mason McCoy only had one hit, but it was his 10th round-tripper of the year. It marks the third time in his professional career that the 30-year-old infielder has reached double digits in home runs. McCoy’s .822 OPS this season represents a career-high. In 2022, he hit 22 homers for Triple-A Tacoma. … Lefty Jackson Wolf had a rough night, taking his second loss for El Paso. While seven earned runs in 3.1 innings isn’t an atypical line from a pitcher in the PCL, Wolf allowed a staggering five homers before departing. The contact certainly wasn’t cheap; he allowed four hits over 103 mph. In addition, he failed to strike out a batter for the first time all season. The rough start inflated Wolf’s ERA to 6.13.
Roster Moves: Tirso Ornelas was activated from the injured list after missing seven weeks with plantar fasciitis. Utilityman Ripken Reyes was sent back to San Antonio to open a roster spot. In addition, the Padres released former big leaguer Mike Brosseau from the El Paso roster.
Springfield Cardinals 2, Missions 0
Key Statistics: DH Albert Fabian 1-for-4; CF Wyatt Hoffman 1-for-2, BB; RHP Eric Yost (L, 1-1) 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 4 K; RHP Andrew Moore 2 IP, BB, 3 K
Eric Yost hasn’t missed a beat in his promotion to Double-A. (Photo: Ilana Avergun)
Prospect Watch: The Missions managed just four singles and were shut out for the 12th time this season. … Wyatt Hoffman had one of the hits and drew a walk in the loss. The 26-year-old has provided speed and defensive versatility, but he’s struggled immensely at the plate. Coming into Friday’s game, the Missions’ utilityman carried a wRC+ of just 27 – tied for the third-lowest in all of full-season minor league baseball (minimum 170 plate appearances). In addition, he carries a 33% K-rate, and his .020 ISO is the fifth-lowest in affiliated baseball. Despite the offensive shortcomings, he’s a more than capable defender at a variety of positions, which has kept him in the system, despite 20-plus releases in the past two weeks. … Lost in the offensive struggles was a terrific outing from newly-promoted Eric Yost. The righty tossed six innings, allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits. He walked three and struck out four. Yost has arguably been the most consistent starter in the entire system this season. Since May 1, the righty from New York has worked at least five innings in 14 of his 15 starts. That run includes his first two starts in the Texas League, in which he has tossed at least six innings each. In 12.1 innings as a Mission, the former 17th-round pick has a 1.46 ERA with nine strikeouts. … Righty Andrew Moore took over for Yost and tossed a pair of scoreless frames, punching out three batters while walking one. The 25-year-old has been a tough at-bat since joining the Padres organization in trade from Cincinnati. He’s punched out 35 batters in 24.1 innings, and opposing batters are hitting just .155 against him. However, he’s averaged nearly one walk per inning, leading to a 3.70 ERA in 22 games.
South Bend Cubs 8, TinCaps 5
Key Statistics: RF Braedon Karpathios 2-for-4, R, BB, RBI; DH Lamar King Jr. 2-for-5; 1B Jack Costello, 2-for-4, R; RHP Isaiah Lowe 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; LHP Bodi Rascon (L, 0-2) 2.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R (1 ER), BB, K
Braedon Karpathios has locked in at the plate for Fort Wayne. (Photo: Ryan Cox)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps led at two different points, but a four-run eighth inning by the Cubs was the difference in the battle of Indiana’s Midwest League rivals. … Right fielder Braedon Karpathios had a pair of singles and drew a walk in the loss. The 22-year-old has been red-hot in the season’s final full month, going 12-for-26 (.462 average) with a pair of doubles and a homer so far in August. He leads the squad with an outstanding .804 OPS this season. … Lamar King Jr. started at designated hitter and chipped in with a pair of singles. It’s been a bit of feast or famine in the early going for King in Fort Wayne. In five games, he has a pair of multi-hit games but has gone hitless in the other three. He’s still looking for his first extra-base hit as a TinCap. … Righty Isaiah Lowe completed five innings but continued to allow too much traffic on the basepaths. He gave up four runs on five hits, walking three and striking out four. He also hit a batter. Lowe’s stuff and command have both taken a step back this season. Among Midwest League pitchers who have thrown 70 innings, the 22-year-old has the fourth-highest WHIP (1.66) and a 17% K-rate – the sixth-lowest in the circuit. He carries a 5.56 ERA this season.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 9, Storm 3
Key Statistics: 2B Dylan Grego 1-for-4; DH Alex McCoy 2-for-4, 2 R, 3B, HR (4), 2 RBI; C Yoiber Ocopio 1-for-3, 2B, BB, RBI; RHP Maikel Miralles (L, 2-2) 3 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K; RHP Jordan Valenzuela 2 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K
Alex McCoy is an imposing force at the plate. (Photo: Artur Ivanov)
Prospect Watch: The Storm didn’t record a hit until the sixth inning, losing their second straight at Rancho Cucamonga. … Alex McCoy had a triple and socked his fourth homer of the season in the defeat. With all the movement in the system over the last few weeks, McCoy is the most dangerous hitter left in Lake Elsinore. The gigantic outfielder from Baltimore has three triples and two homers in seven games this month, good for an .875 slugging percentage. Encouragingly, he’s also struck out just four times in 29 plate appearances. Overall, this year, he has an .850 OPS with the Storm. … Catcher Yoiber Ocopio reached base twice with a double and a walk. The 20-year-old backstop opened his third professional season in the desert, where he produced a .684 OPS. Thus far, he’s off to a .333/.412/.533 start in 15 at-bats for the Storm. … Maikel Miralles pitched to a 1.53 ERA in four July starts, but he was hit hard Saturday. He lasted just three innings, allowing six runs on five hits, walking a season-high four batters while striking out three. The rough outing increased his ERA on the year to 4.60.
