Tirso Ornelas. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Chihuahuas 13, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 2
Key Stats: DH Luis Campusano 2-for-5, R, RBI, BB; 2B Clay Dungan 2-for-6, 2B; RF Yonathan Perlaza 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI, BB; CF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-5, HR (10) 2 R, 4 RBI; 1B Nate Mondou 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R; SS Francisco Acuña 4-for-5, 2B, HR (2), 3 R, 2 RBI; RHP Victor Lizarraga 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB; RHP Alek Jacob IP, BB, 3 K
Prospect Watch: What was a 2-2 game going to the seventh became a blowout when Tirso Ornelas hit a grand slam to open the gates for a 13-2 blowout. For Ornelas, the blast was his 10th home run on the season, marking the third straight year he has reached double-digit home run totals. Ornelas, who clubbed a career high 23 home runs last year, has taken a step back this year, Still, after missing nearly two months, he has seven home runs in his last 125 at-bats and and his .376 OBP, would be his best since his first campaign in Arizona in 2017. … After struggling for most of the year, Victor Lizarraga allowed one earned run over five innings in his second Triple-A start. Despite having a 6.21 ERA in Double-A, the 21-year-old has allowed two earned runs over two starts with the Chihuahuas. Lizarraga didn’t dominate, as he walked three without striking out a batter, but he used five different pitches at least 10% of the time to keep Sugar Land off balance at the plate. With the start, Lizarraga reached the 100 innings plateau for the first time in his career. …. After becoming the El Paso single-season RBI leader last week, Yonathan Perlaza added two more Wednesday, giving him 110 for the season. With just a few games left, Perlaza is two doubles away from 50 on the season and one home run away from his third straight year with at least 20. … The Padres will have some interesting playoff bullpen decisions to make. Alek Jacob allowed one earned run on three hits over eight innings before being sent down. After being knocked around in his first outing back to El Paso, Jacob returned to his normal ways. He walked one but struck out the side. In 26.1 Triple-A innings, Jacob has 38 strikeouts.
As we head into the home stretch, we’re wrapping up our in-season coverage before we turn to our wrap-ups of each affiliate and our individual top 30 prospect lists. For now, subscribers can read our interview with big Kannon Kemp, one of the pitchers the organization will look to take a step forward next year.
