Chihuahuas 4, Reno Aces 2
Key Stats: LHP Kyle Hart IP, 2 H, ER, K, 2 BB; LHP Omar Cruz 4 IP, 4 K, 5 BB; RHP Francis Peña IP, H; 2B Nate Mondou 1-for-3, HR (3), BB; CF Clay Dungan 1-for-5, 2B
Nate Mondou came through with the key hit. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: After the Chihuahuas fell behind 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Yonathan Perlaza drew a two-out walk and Luis Campusano collected a single to extend his on-base streak to 18 games. That brought up Nate Mondou, who lofted a three-run homer to right-center to give El Paso a series sweep in Reno. Mondou, who also had a walk on the day, now sports an .814 OPS in his second season since signing with the Padres as a minor league free agent. … Perlaza, who also had a single in the game, is now hitting .299/.389/.502 on the year after returning from a stint playing in Korea. He has a .984 OPS in August. … After a one-inning start by Kyle Hart, fellow lefty Omar Cruz came in and worked four hitless frames. While Cruz walked four, the 26-year-old relied on his dominant changeup to get a 53% whiff rate and landed his fastball for seven called strikes. He has posted a 3.62 ERA out of the bullpen for El Paso on the year despite an untenable 25 walks in 32.2 innings. … Francis Peña worked a scoreless frame in his first action since a two-plus week stint on the IL. He didn’t dial his sinker up beyond 94.2 MPH, but allowed just one hit. He owns a 3.86 ERA in the PCL for the year.
Victor Lizarraga was unhittable for the Missions Sunday. (Photo: Sara Crosley)
Missions 8, Tulsa Drillers 1
Key Stats: RHP Victor Lizarraga 6.2 IP, 4 K, 5 BB; SS Francisco Acuña 1-for-3, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, SF; DH Eli Wilson 1-for-3, HR (1), HBP; CF Damon Dues 2-for-3, BB, 3 R, SB (3); 2B Anthony Vilar 1-for-3, HBP, SB (12)
Prospect Watch: Victor Lizarraga threw no-hit ball into the seventh inning and the offense broke out as the Missions snapped a 10-game losing streak. The righty had to work around around a pair of walks in both the first and second innings, but dialed it in to set down 16 consecutive batters until a two-out walk in the seventh ended his day. Lizarraga hadn’t gone more than 5.1 innings in a start during a disappointing season, but he needed only 26 pitches total to get through the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, allowing him to get deep into the game. In all, he threw 91 pitches, 54 for strikes. The San Diego native bounced back from allowing 19 earned runs over 8.2 innings in his three previous starts and now has a 6.08 ERA on the year. … With the roster depleted following the trade deadline, the Missions went into the game with the bottom third of their lineup all carrying an OPS below .500. That trio was key to the club’s success on Sunday. Damon Dues, who has been seeing time in center field since signing out of Mexico earlier this month, scored the club’s first run, singled to drive in the second, and scored their final run. … Eli Wilson, who came over from the Pirates in a post-deadline trade for cash to provide catching depth, connected on a three-run homer for his second hit in just four games for the Missions. The 27-year-old has never topped 250 plate appearances in a season.
West Michigan Whitecaps 5, TinCaps 0
Key Stats: CF Kai Roberts 1-for-3, SB (24); RHP Will Varmette 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 K, 2 BB; LHP C.J. Widger 2.1 IP, H, 4 K; RHP Luis Germán 2 IP, H, K
Luis German has top-of-the scale velocity. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: Fort Wayne managed only two singles as the Whitecaps, who were shutout on Saturday night, turned the tables Sunday afternoon. TinCaps starter Will Varmette was tagged for four earned runs in just 2.2 innings as he continues to struggle in the Midwest League. The 22-year-old righty had a strong showing in May for Lake Elsinore, but in seven appearances since his promotion in July, he has posted an 8.87 ERA. High-A opponents have hit .337 and drawn 14 walks against him in 22.1 innings. Varmette’s wicked slider has helped him to a solid 24.7% strikeout rate, but the rest of the repertoire has not caught up. … Hard-throwing righty Luis Germán continued his second-half resurgence with two innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit and striking out one. The 23-year-old, who signed his first contract prior to the 2022 season, had an ERA above 10.00 in late May, but has made steady improvement since then. Germán has made some strides in throwing strikes, but continues to show well below-average control with a fastball that can reach triple digits. Over his last 15 appearances, he’s posted a 2.49 ERA with 24 strikeouts against 14 walks in 21.2 innings.
San Jose Giants 7, Storm 6
Key Stats: 1B Kerrington Cross 2-for-4, 2B, BB; CF Alex McCoy 2-for-4, BB, SB (9); DH Carlos Rodriguez 1-for-2, 3 BB; 2B Dylan Grego 2-for-4, 2 RBI; RHP Tucker Musgrove 0.2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 K; RHP Abraham Parra 4.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 5 BB; RHP Winyer Chourio 3 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 K
Kerrington Cross has gotten underway with the Storm. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but didn’t score again until they were trailing by three in the ninth. The top of the lineup opened the frame with three straight singles before a walk and a sacrifice fly pulled them to within one, but Jorge Quintana struck out for the second time in an 0-for-4 game to leave the tying run at second base. Lake Elsinore has dropped seven of their last 10 to fall into third place, five games behind the division leaders. … Playing first base for the first time since he was drafted, senior sign Kerrington Cross had a pair of hits and a walk from the leadoff spot. His second multi-hit game in 13 professional games came a night after he looked to lock in a bit while drawing four walks. The 23-year-old, like most of this year’s draftees, is getting back up to speed after a two-month layoff between the end of his collegiate season and the start of his professional career. … Alex McCoy stayed red hot, adding two more hits and a walk while batting out of the second spot. The 23-year-old, who covered center field for the first eight innings, has now reached base in 14 consecutive games and has a 1.333 OPS in 66 plate appearances this month. … A week after needing just 10 pitches to get through an inning in his return from a month-long stay on the IL, Tucker Musgrove couldn’t get through the first inning this time around. The righty gave up a run on two hits while getting two strikeouts, but had already thrown 27 pitches when Brian Burres came to get him. After missing all of last year following Tommy John surgery, Musgrove has posted an encouraging 30.6% strikeout rate this year. While his ERA is unsightly at 6.35 ERA, though his 4.75 FIP indicates there’s been some bad luck in the results.
