On the first full Tuesday of the regular season, all four full-season squads played their home openers. It was a night to forget, however, as all four clubs lost.
Albuquerque Isotopes 8, Chihuahuas 4
Key Statistics: CF Samad Taylor 1-for-4, R, HR (1), RBI, BB; LF Jase Bowen 1-for-5, R, HR (3), 2 RBI; DH Nick Solak 1-for-2, R, 2 BB; RHP Sean Boyle (L, 1-1) 3.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB; LHP Yuki Matsui IP, H; RHP Misael Tamarez 2 IP, 3 K; RHP Garrett Hawkins IP, H, 2 K
Prospect Watch: The Isotopes jumped all over Chihuahuas starter Sean Boyle, scoring all eight of their runs in the first four innings to defeat El Paso in front of a crowd of over 7,200. … Jase Bowen continued his hot start to the season, as he swatted his third homer of the year. Bowen’s homer left his bat at 112 mph and traveled 412 feet into the El Paso night. The 25-year-old has eight extra-base hits in nine games for while hitting .278/.297/.722 – good for a 1.019 OPS. If there is a concern with Bowen’s start, it is that he has drawn just one walk while punching out in roughly a third of his plate appearances. The former Pirate doesn’t turn 26 until September. … Samad Taylor, in center field for the first time this year, connected on his first blast as a Chihuahua in the loss, with a 431-foot blast he crushed at 105.6 mph. The former Royal and Mariner hit 17 homers last season with Triple-A Tacoma. In nine games with the Chihuahuas, the speedy utilityman has an .844 OPS. … After Boyle left, the Chihuahuas received solid work from their bullpen. Yuki Matsui pitched around a single for a scoreless inning in his second rehab outing. After not using his slider in his scoreless outing Saturday, he turned to it seven times Tuesday, inducing a swing on each offering and getting four whiffs. The left-hander suffered a groin strain in spring training that forced him off the Japanese roster in the World Baseball Classic. Matsui will likely need to pitch on back-to-back days before being activated. … Righty Misael Tamarez threw a pair of scoreless innings, striking out three batters. He topped out at 98.7 mph with his sinker and got six whiffs on his slider. Tamarez was released last season after carrying a 13% walk rate through his career in the Astros system. He dropped that to just 3% in 31.2 frames after the Padres picked him up as a free agent. He has yet to walk a batter and has not allowed a run in his three appearances, spanning 4.1 innings. … Garrett Hawkins pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing a hit and striking out a pair of ‘Topes. The 26-year-old has looked sharp to start the season, allowing just one hit in three innings of work, walking one and striking out four.
Corpus Christi Hooks 6, Missions 3
Key Statistics: C Ethan Salas 1-for-4, R, RBI; 1B Romeo Sanabria 2-for-4, RBI, BB; SS Francisco Acuña 2-for-3, 2B, SB (1); LHP Luis Gutierrez 4 IP, 2 H, ER, 5 K; LHP Fernando Sanchez (L, 0-1) 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, K; RHP Johan Moreno 2 IP, BB, K
Luis Gutierrez made big strides with his arsenal last year. (Photo: Courtesy of Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Prospect Watch: The Missions pulled out to a 3-1 lead early, but the Hooks jumped on reliever Fernando Sanchez, scoring four in the fifth inning to pull away from the Missions at Wolff Stadium. … Lefty Luis Gutierrez made the start and pitched well before departing after four innings. He allowed just a run on two hits, striking out five without issuing a walk. Gutierrez threw 52 pitches as he builds up to handling a full workload. The 22-year-old began last season in Lake Elsinore and jumped up to make one start each at San Antonio and El Paso by the season’s end. The lefty can occasionally top out at 97 mph, but typically sits in the low-90s. His stuff doesn’t stand out beyond an advanced changeup, but he’s shown good command and a strong ability to keep the ball out of the air. Gutierrez’s profile as a prospect has risen partly due to deals the Padres have made to thin out the the system and partly to his significant improvement. While his upside isn’t particularly high, he does have a chance to develop into a back-end starter, perhaps as soon as 2027. … Catcher Ethan Salas went 1-for-4 with an opposite-field double that was just out of the reach of the left fielder. The 19-year-old catcher is off to a 2-for-12 start with six strikeouts in three games. … Romeo Sanabria had a pair of singles in Tuesday’s loss. It was his first multi-hit game of the young season. Through four games, the former 18th-round pick has a .389 on-base percentage.
Roster Move: Tirso Ornelas, who opened the year getting stretched out in the desert after an abdominal injury waylaid him in spring, was activated and went 0-for-4 in his season debut. It’s been a rough few months for the 24-year-old. He was designated for assignment on February 17, when the Padres signed Griffin Canning. After he cleared waivers and was outrighted, he remained in the big league clubhouse but was never really in the mix for a job. Ornelas has spent each of the last two seasons in El Paso, where he produced slightly better than league-average offense. He went 1-for-14 in a seven-game cameo for the Padres last season.
Lansing Lugnuts 3, TinCaps 1
Key Statistics: CF Kasen Wells 1-for-2, 2 BB; RF Kavares Tears 2-for-4, 2B; LF Alex McCoy 2-for-4, RBI; RHP Maikel Miralles 4 IP, H, 3 BB, 9 K; LHP Braian Salazar 2 IP, 2 H, 4 K; RHP Clay Edmondson (L, 0-1) IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), K
Maikel Miralles delivered heat during spring training. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: On a frigid, 40-degree day in The Fort, the TinCaps scored just once all night and gave up a pair in the ninth to lose their home opener at Parkview Field. … Maikel Miralles braved the cold and dominated the Lugnuts for four scoreless innings. The 21-year-old allowed just one hit, and while he walked three batters, struck out a career-high nine batters. He generated 12 whiffs on the night. Miralles showed flashes in Lake Elsinore last season. His best work came in July, when he posted a 1.53 ERA over 17.2 innings. … Kavares Tears had a pair of hits, including the first extra-base hit of his High-A career. After struggling with the Storm most of last season, the former Tennessee outfielder will look to make better swing decisions in the Midwest League. He hit 13 homers last season but struck out 138 times in 475 plate appearances. … Kasen Wells reached base three times with a single and a pair of walks. The speedy center fielder was the sparkplug of a Storm offense that thrived when he was in the lineup last year. The Texas native doesn’t possess much power, but in 49 games last season, Wells produced a .381 on-base percentage.
Roster Move: Former Oklahoma Sooner Jamie Hitt was promoted from Lake Elsinore. Last year’s eighth-round pick made an appearance for the Storm last weekend, but will help bridge the gap for Fort Wayne while Kannon Kemp and Jaxon Dalena are on the IL.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 16, Storm 3
Key Statistics: CF Ryan Wideman 1-for-3, BB, RBI; 3B Justin DeCriscio 2-for-3, 2B; RF Kale Fountain 1-for-4, 2 R, SB (1); LF Conner Westenburg 2-for-4, R, RBI; RHP Winyer Chourio 4 IP, 3H, ER, 2 BB, 6 K; RHP Rordy Mejia (L, 0-1) IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB; RHP Daichi Moriki 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB
Prospect Watch: The Storm dropped their third in a row, allowing 16 runs for the second time in three contests. Clark Fahrenthold has the game story.
Roster Move: The Storm received catcher Jesus Castro from the ACL. The 21-year-old has spent the last two seasons in the ACL and will get an opportunity to provide additional depth for the Storm.
