Chihuahuas 15, Albuquerque Isotopes 7
Key Statistics: CF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (9), 2 RBI, BB; RF Yonathan Perlaza 2-for-5, 2 R, RBI, SB (14); C Rodolfo Durán 2-for-4, 3 R, BB, RBI; 1B Trenton Brooks 2-for-3, 2 R, BB, 3 RBI; 3B Marcos Castañon 1-for-3, 2 R, HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 BB; LHP Jackson Wolf 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 8 K; RHP Bradgley Rodriguez 0.2 IP, H, 2 ER, 3 BB; RHP Sean Reynolds (W, 2-1) 1.1 IP, 3 H
Marcos Castañon has made a quick adjustment to the PCL. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: El Paso drew seven walks and slammed three homers to win the opener of the final home series of the season. … Tirso Ornelas had a productive night at the plate, delivering a pair of hits, including his ninth homer of the season. He also drew a walk for good measure. The 25-year-old has connected on six homers since August 1. Overall, he is hitting .285/.379/.452 in 328 plate appearances. … After hitting in the unfriendly conditions in San Antonio for so long, Marcos Castañon is clearly enjoying hitting in a more forgiving atmosphere. The new El Paso third baseman had just one hit, but it left the yard. The 26-year-old connected on a three-run homer that left his bat at 105.5 mph. Castañon has collected three homers in his first six games with the Chihuahuas while delivering a 1.470 OPS. … Trenton Brooks had his first multi-hit game since being designated for assignment last month. After a two-month stint with the big club that ended after the Padres fortified the roster, the Alpine native hit a paltry .136/.324/.212 with El Paso in August. The first baseman/outfielder has been successful in Triple-A, but he has yet to establish himself as a big leaguer in two separate stints. … Jackson Wolf struggled with command Tuesday but was still able to keep the Isotopes off balance. The lefty walked a season-high five batters but struck out eight as he threw 48 of 86 pitches for strikes. The 26-year-old has had a few clunkers this season, but has generally kept El Paso in the game. His 5.63 ERA looks bad on paper, but the average ERA in the PCL this season is 5.85. Wolf could be a player the Padres want to protect from the Rule 5 draft this winter. … Righty Bradgley Rodriguez had his first hiccup since returning to action in mid-August. He threw only seven of 22 pitches for strikes in the process of walking three and giving up a pair of runs in just two-thirds of an inning. The hard-throwing reliever only landed two of 10 cutters in the zone and Isotopes hitters refused to help him, avoiding chasing a single pitch out of the strike zone against him. The outing snapped an 11 inning scoreless streak from the 21-year-old.
Roster Moves: Alek Jacob was sent back to El Paso when the Padres activated Michael King before Tuesday’s loss to the Reds. In addition, RHP Victor Lizarraga, shortstop Franciso Acuña, and outfielder Moisés Gómez were promoted from San Antonio. Lefty Miguel Cienfuegos was placed on the development list. The Missions received infielder Eguy Rosario, LHP Luis Gutierrez, and RHP Johan Moreno from Fort Wayne after the TinCaps’ season came to an end.
Springfield Cardinals 7, Missions 5
Key Statistics: Albert Fabian 1-for-5, HR (5); 3B Devin Ortiz 2-for-5, 2B; 1B Romeo Sanabria 3-for-5, 2 R, HR (12), 2 RBI; DH Damon Dues 1-for-1, 3 BB, RBI, SB (5); LHP Jagger Haynes (L, 3-4) 3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, K; RHP Garrett Hawkins 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K; LHP Harry Gustin IP, H, BB
Romeo Sanabria has elite bat-to-ball skills. (Photo: San Antonio Missions
Prospect Watch: The Cardinals scored seven runs in the first four innings and held off the Missions in Springfield. The loss means that the Missions are guaranteed a losing season. They sit at 63-69 with five games left to play. … Romeo Sanabria had his best game in ages, delivering three hits, including his 12th homer of the season. It was his first three-hit game since July 20 and his first homer in over two weeks. The 23-year-old first baseman hit well in the season’s first two months but has really struggled since. He is looking to finish strong, with three multi-hit games in his last four starts. … Damon Dues had a perfect day at the plate as the designated hitter, stroking a single and drawing three walks. The 27-year-old was released from the Giants organization last year and had two separate stints in the Atlantic League, in addition to playing 27 games in Mexico this year. Since joining the Padres organization, he has an .848 OPS in 18 games. … Jagger Haynes struggled in what could be his final start of the season. He allowed three runs on four hits over three innings with four walks and one strikeout. The organization cut Haynes’ workload after he left his start on August 1 with arm discomfort. While he only missed two turns and didn’t hit the IL, he has not worked more than three innings in any of his final six appearances. Haynes averaged nearly a strikeout per inning while pitching to a 4.27 ERA for the Missions this year, but his command continues to be a problem. He walked 60 batters in 99 innings and finished with a walk rate approaching 14% for the second straight year. … Lefty Harry Gustin allowed a pair of baserunners but escaped the jam unscathed in a scoreless eighth inning. Since joining the Missions, the former University of Hawaii Friday night starter has not allowed an earned run in 10.1 innings. Between Fort Wayne and San Antonio, the 23-year-old has a 1.96 ERA in 60 innings.
