Tacoma Rainiers 9, Chihuahuas 5 (10 innings)
Key Stats: LHP Jackson Wolf, 5 IP, H, 1 R (0 ER), 4 K; RHP Francis Peña, 1.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, K; RHP Sean Reynolds, IP, H, 2 BB; LHP Kyle Hart 0.1 IP; DH Luis Campusano, 1-for-5; SS Mason McCoy, 3-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI; C Rodolfo Durán, 3-for-5, 2 2B
Jackson Wolf had his funky delivery working wonders last week. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: Left-hander Jackson Wolf turned in a third consecutive impressive start Thursday night in El Paso, but the game got away late and the Chihuahuas fell in 10 innings. The 26-year-old worked five innings, allowing an unearned run on just one hit while he struck out four. He tallied eight-swings and-misses and a 21.6% whiff rate as he ran through a six-pitch offering. The best of the evening was his cutter, which he threw 26 times and landed in the zone at an impressive 73.1% clip. That also helped him get a 42.9% chase rate when he did move it out of the zone. The pitch flashed an above-average shape with 7.1 inches of induced vertical break and -3.0 inches of horizontal break. Wolf’s four-seamer also proved effective, generating a 40% chase rate and holding Tacoma hitters to a 0.189 xwOBA. … Sean Reynolds came on with a runner on and two outs and kept the Rainiers in check. The six-foot-eight right-hander got a lineout to end the inning, but allowed a hit and two walks when he came back out, ultimately giving way with the bases loaded and two outs. He avoided any earned runs when lefty Kyle Hart got a lineout for the only batter he faced as he worked back-to-back games for the first time. Reynolds’ changeup, which has progressed through the season, showed good shape as he offered it three times. While the slider and change still look like plus pitches, the fastball has taken a significant step back from 2024. Thursday, it averaged just 94.9, two miles per hour lower than it sat last year. With less velocity, the induced vertical break has fallen off more than three inches to 14.6. … From the number eight hole, Mason McCoy put together a 3-for-4 day with a double which registered a 102.3 mph exit velocity. In 90 games for El Paso, he owns a .804 OPS. While he has a strong 87% in-zone contact rate, it’s rarely loud contact. His 84.9 average exit velocity and 33.6% hard hit rate rank in the 12th and 25th percentile among Triple-A hitters. … Rodolfo Durán continued a red-hot stretch, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles in the loss. He’s amassed a .412/.444/.824 line this month, pushing his OPS in 282 plate appearances this year up to .857. Durán’s batted ball data has been solid, with a 112.9 max exit velocity in the 86th percentile among Triple-A batters, while his 7.9% barrel rate sits in the 65th percentile. Duran also isn’t one to swing and miss, with just a 21.4% whiff rate and 18.4% strikeout rate.
Missions 4, Frisco RoughRiders 1
Key Statistics: LHP Jagger Haynes, 2 IP, H, 1 K; RHP Jared Kollar (W, 2-7), 6 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K; LHP Harry Gustin (S,1) IP, K; RF Braedon Karpathios, 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB; 1B Romeo Sanabria, 2-for-5, 2B; CF Damon Dues, 3-for-4, RBI, R
Harry Gustin has stepped into the Missions’ bullpen. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: Left-hander Jagger Haynes worked his third – and most effective – abbreviated start since leaving his outing on August 1. In his brief two innings of work, the 23-year-old allowed no runs, one hit, walked none, and struck out one. In 93 innings for San Antonio this season, Haynes owns a 4.26 ERA, with a solid 23.5 strikeout rate, but his continued elevated walk rate leaves him with a 5.08 FIP. … Braedon Karpathios had another productive night, though he couldn’t match his two-homer performance from Wednesday. The 22-year-old former UDFA went 1-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, and a walk. In 111 games between Fort Wayne and San Antonio, Karpathios has posted a 127 wRC+, .376 wOBA, and 14.7% walk rate. While it’s very early, he’s seen the ball well at the Double-A level, chasing just 23.5% of the time and making contact on 87.5% of the pitches he goes after in the zone. … Romeo Sanabria had one of his better recent nights, going 2-for-5 with a double. He did, however, strike out three times. What started off as an extremely promising season has spiraled here in the second half of the season. Since July 21, he’s hitting just .179 with a .517 OPS and 53 wRC+. He’s logged only five extra base hits in his last 111 at-bats. despite continuing to make consistent contact, it’s too rarely been violent contact. His struggles have been especially acute when he puts the ball in the air as he’s posted a 17.3% infield fly ball rate on the year. … Harry Gustin earned his first save as a member of the San Antonio Missions with a perfect ninth that included one strikeout. Since his promotion to Double-A, the 23-year-old left-hander has worked six scoreless innings. He’s remained one of the more underrated bullpen arms in the organization this season, posting a 2.10 ERA with a 28.5% strikeout rate and 3.19 FIP in 55.1 innings. Working with a rather unique delivery from the left hand side, Gustin gets decent ride on a four-seamer that sits 92-94. His best offering, though, is his curveball, which sits 75-77 mph with exceptional 10 to 12 inches of arm-side movement. … Center fielder Damon Dues went 3-for-4 with an RBI out of the nine hole on Thursday for the Missions. In 12 games played since signing out of Mexico, the 23-year-old has posted an .876 OPS and 118 wRC+.
Dayton Dragons 3, TinCaps 2
Key Statistics: RHP Isaiah Lowe (L, 3-12) 4 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, BB, 2 K: RP Sam Whiting 5 IP, 2 BB, K; 1B Lamar King Jr. 1-for-3, BB; C Brendan Durfee, 1-for-3, BB; LF Jack Costello, 1-for-4, 2B
Isaiah Lowe was dominant in his first three innings. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: Coming into 2025, many hoped Isaiah Lowe would continue to build off a breakout 2024 season. Sadly, that simply hasn’t happened. On Thursday night, the 22-year-old worked four innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, walking one, and striking out just two. Lowe has struggled mightily to adjust to the High-A level and has been unable to generate swings and misses consistently. In Thursday’s outing, he logged only two whiffs and a 6.6% whiff rate. Across 91.2 innings, he owns a 5.69 ERA, 4.96 FIP, and 5.10 xFIP while putting up a career-low 16.5% strikeout rate. … After Lowe struggled, Sam Whiting was excellent in relief. The 24-year-old went five hitless and scoreless innings, walking two with one strikeout. Whiting generated just two whiffs and a 9% whiff rate, but he induced seven groundouts. … Lamar King Jr. went 1-for-3 with a walk in the loss. The 21-year-old is still adjusting to the higher level of pitching in the Midwest League, posting a 67 wRC+ and .282 wOBA. Even with the early struggles, there are positive takeaways from King’s time in Fort Wayne. To this point he owns 83.6% in-zone contact rate despite being aggressive and going after pitches in the zone at a 74.4% rate. … Brendan Durfee matched King’s 1-for-3 with a walk and has now logged hits in 10 of his last 11 games. In that stretch, he’s hitting .307 with a 168 wRC+. .442 wOBA, with a .981 OPS. Durfee has struggled to make consistent contact with a 34% whiff rate and 74.9% in-zone contact rate that are well below average at the High-A Level.
Storm 10, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 0
Key Statistics: SP Kannon Kemp (W, 3-4), 6 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 7 K; RF Kavares Tears, 3-for-5, HR (12), 3 RBI, R; DH Alex McCoy, 1-for-4, 2 R; 2B Dylan Grego, 2-for-4, HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB; CF Ryan Wideman 1-for-3, 2 BB
John Conniff was on site for Kannon Kemp‘s most impressive career outing. Read about it here.
