Key Statistics: LHP Marco Gonzalez 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 K, BB, 2 HBP; RHP Garrett Hawkins, IP, K, BB; LHP Omar Cruz (BS, 1) 0.1 IP, 3 H, ER, K; RHP Ethan Routzahn 2.1 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 3 K, BB; DH Sung-Mun Song 0-for-5, 3 K; PH-LF-CF Jase Bowen 0-for-2, 2 K; 2B Pablo Reyes 1-for-4, 2B, BB, R; 1B Jose Miranda 1-for-5, RBI, 3 K
Garrett Hawkins impressed in big league camp in 2026. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: It was a lackluster showing for the El Paso offense, which managed just four hits across 11 innings and struck out 14 times in their Sunday afternoon loss to Sacramento. … One bright spots on an otherwise underwhelming day was reliever Garrett Hawkins. The Saskatchewan native worked a scoreless inning in relief, allowing no hits, walking one, and striking out one. Hawkins’ fastball sat at 95 mph while averaging an elite 19.8 inches of induced vertical break (IVB). The offering failed to generate a whiff, but did yield a 42.9% chase rate. The right-hander’s slider shape continues to be excellent, sitting at 85.1 mph with 4.1 inches of vertical break and -4.4 inches of horizontal movement. While the stuff looked solid and the box score numbers were strong, Hawkins landed just a third of his 18 pitches – and only 3 of 10 fastballs – in the zone. … Starter Marco Gonzalez worked five innings, allowing three runs on six hits with one walk and a pair of strikeouts. Gonzalez generated just a 20% whiff rate, with his fastball sitting in the high 80s while seeing just 15.4 inches of IVB for much of the afternoon. While he allowed just three runs, he was hit hard, with River Cats hitters smacking 12 balls 95 mph or more. … Summoned with a one-run lead to open the ninth, Omar Cruz struggled in his first outing of the season. After a leadoff strikeout, the lefty allowed the tying run to come across on three straight singles. Cruz’s trademark changeup showed decent late fade, averaging -12.4 inches of horizontal movement. None of the three hits the lefty allowed logged and exit velocity north of 95 mph. … After a multi-hit game Saturday, Sung-Mun Song went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, two of which were swinging. He made his first appearance at shortstop and logged nine innings before giving way in extra innings. … Jase Bowen came on to pinch-hit with two men on in the eighth inning, but struck out. He punched out again to lead off the 11th. When he connects, he’s capable of producing eye-popping results, illustrated by his 114.6 mph max and 108.8 mph 90th percentile exit velocities and strong 21.1% barrel rate last year. However, the question since the Pirates drafted him in 2019 has always been whether he will be able to make enough contact to be a viable MLB player. In his career, he has yet to post a contact rate above 73% in a season.
