Oklahoma City Comets 6, Chihuahuas 4
Key Stats: RHP Randy Vásquez 3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 4 K, 3 BB; LHP Omar Cruz 2 IP, H, 2 K, WP; LHP Kyle Hart 2 IP, 3 H, ER, K; RHP Alek Jacob IP, 3 K, BB; 2B Tyler Wade 2-for-4, 2B, BB, SB (4); C Luis Campusano 2-for-3, 2 2B, BB
Alek Jacob has found his groove again in El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: Four different pitchers on the 40-player roster covered the first eight innings for El Paso Sunday afternoon, but the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate topped them and claimed their third straight win. Randy Vásquez made his first start since being optioned to El Paso and got knocked around a bit. The righty was charged with five earned runs in three innings of work. He walked the bases loaded to start the game and allowed a pair to score on an infield grounder and sacrifice fly. Two second-inning singles plated another, and then in the third, he gave up a homer and a double while surrendering two more runs. Vásquez used an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to get through his 68 pitch outing, throwing a six-pitch mix and inducing six whiffs on 29 swings. … Alek Jacob worked around a walk to strike out the side and run his scoreless innings streak to 14. The righty with a funky delivery opened the year working very effectively out of the Padres bullpen, but the wheels came off in mid-May and he was sent out to El Paso. Twice in June, he failed to get an out in an appearance, spiking his PCL ERA to 13.50 after his first seven appearances. In his impressive turn-around since then, he’s punched out 22 against just seven hits and six walks in 15 innings of work. … Luis Campusano collected two more doubles at 98 and 99 mph off the bat while catching in 90-plus degree heat Sunday afternoon. He also drew a walk in four trips to the plate, edging his OPS for the Chihuahuas up to an even 1.000 on the year.
Springfield Cardinals 5, Missions 3 (10 innings)
Key Stats: LF Moises Gómez 2-for-4; DH Albert Fabian 2-for-4; LF Jacob Campbell 2-for-4; RHP Enmanuel Pinales 5 IP, 2 H, 5 K; RHP José Geraldo IP, 2 K, 2 BB; RHP Ethan Routzahn 1.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R (4 ER)
Another strong start from Enmanuel Pinales wasn’t enough for the Missions. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: Starter Enmanuel Pinales turned in a stellar outing, allowing just two hits over five scoreless innings, but it wasn’t enough for the Missions to avoid their fifth straight loss to the Cardinals. Pinales, 24, struck out five without issuing a walk as he got through five innings on two hits or fewer for the fifth time in 16 appearances since his promotion to Double-A in May. The righty allowed just one ball to leave the infield. Over his last four starts, Pinales has allowed six earned runs in 21 innings. Despite only recording 16 strikeouts against four walks, it has been a good enough run to shave nearly 1.5 runs off his ERA. … The Missions offense tallied nine hits, but none went for extra bases and they punched out 12 times while stranding seven runners. Designated hitter Albert Fabian had two of the club’s hits to extend his hitting streak to six games. He’s posted an .812 OPS in 94 plate appearances since getting healthy enough to join the Missions. That would easily represent his best production in a season since he signed in 2018. … Prior to to the game, the Padres signed minor league free agent Damon Dues and assigned him to the Missions. The 27-year-old utility man had been playing in Mexico after opening the year in the Atlantic League. Dues originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Giants in 2021, but was released from their Double-A affiliate last year. His return to affiliated ball wasn’t what he might have hoped for as he went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in the leadoff spot. Having made appearances at every infield spot and left field in the Giants system, he debuted with the Missions in center field, where he has played some this season.
South Bend Cubs 4, TinCaps 2
Key Stats: C Brendan Durfee 2-for-4, HR (3); CF Kasen Wells 2-for-4, 2B; 2B Rosman Verdugo 2-for-4; LHP Luis Gutierrez 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 5 K, BB
Brendan Durfee hasn’t squared the ball up as much as expect this year. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: A three-run fifth inning against starter Luis Gutierrez did in the TinCaps’ hopes for a second win in their series against their in-state rivals. The lefty was charged with a run on a soft infield chopper in the first inning, but then settled in until the fifth. He surrendered eight total hits on the day, but pounded the zone to avoid compounding his problems with walks. Over his last 31.1 innings of work, he’s walked eight while punching out 30. … Catcher Brendan Durfee accounted for the only runs Fort Wayne would score with a two-run homer high off the batter’s eye in dead center. The big left-handed hitter hadn’t homered in a month and has a slugging percentage hovering at just .300 on the year. The Pasadena native, who turned 24 last week, flashed much better power in his cameo with Lake Elsinore after the Padres drafted him last year. … Lamar King Jr. collected a double for his first extra-base hit in six games with the TinCaps before scoring on Durfee’s blast. He’s 5-for-19 with, surprisingly, seven strikeouts in his first six games at the High-A level.
Storm 7, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6
Key Stats: LF Alex McCoy 3-for-5, HR (5), 3 RBI, SB (6); 3B Kerrington Cross 1-for-3, BB; 2B Dylan Grego 1-for-3, BB; RHP Tucker Musgrove IP; RHP Abraham Parra 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 2 BB; RHP Adam Conrad (W, 5), 1.2 IP, H, 3 K, BB
Alex McCoy has been a one-man wrecking crew since returning to action. (Photo: Artur Ivanov)
Prospect Watch: The Storm rallied for five runs on five hits, a walk and a hit batter in the ninth inning to keep the system from getting swept for a third straight night. Alex McCoy collected the game winning hit with a two-out, bases-loaded single to right that drove in a pair. The big man also started the Storm scoring with a solo homer in the fourth and finished the day with three hits while batting in the third spot. He also swiped his sixth base in as many tries for good measure. McCoy is hitting .375/.447/.844 in nine games so far this month while he’s dropped his strikeout rate to just 15.8% after punching out at a 27.3% clip through his first 23 Cal League games. … While no other Storm batter collected multiple hits, Kerrington Cross and Dylan Grego had matching lines of 1-for-3 with a walk, and each of them both drove in and scored a run in the ninth inning from the bottom of the lineup. Both infielders, drafted out of colleges in the Midwest in July, have given the Lake Elsinore lineup some needed added depth. … Righty Tucker Musgrove came off the IL and threw a scoreless inning to open the game. The 23-year-old had missed nearly a month of action, but needed just 10 pitches to breeze through the first. After missing all of last year with Tommy John surgery, the Alabama native will look to get in as many innings as possible over the final month of the Low-A season.
