Reno Aces 8, Chihuahuas 1
Triston McKenzie has struggled to find his command in El Paso. (Photo: El Paso Chihuahuas).
Key Stats: LF Nate Mondou 2-for-3, HR (5); LHP JP Sears 4 IP, 8 H, 7 R (6 ER), 4 K; RHP Tristan McKenzie IP, H, 2 BB
Prospect Watch: Reno used a six-run fifth inning to pull away from a Chihuahuas offense that managed only four hits. Two of those belonged to Nate Mondou, who plated El Paso’s only run with his fifth homer of the season. The 31-year-old, who was back in left field for the fifth time this season, is now hitting .261/.339/.477 on the year. The left-handed hitter tipped over 2,000 Triple-A plate appearances in his career last week. … Lefty JP Sears struggled through another outing, giving up six earned runs over four innings. He got through the outing without allowing a walk, but only landed 51% of his pitches in the zone. Sears used his slider and cutter more often than in most of his outings this year, but he induced only three whiffs on 18 swings with the two offerings. … Triston McKenzie, who spent nearly a month on the Development List working to dial in repeatable mechanics that would help him improv his command, escaped with a scoreless inning of low-leverage relief despite walking a pair and allowing an infield single. The righty threw only five of his 21 pitches in the zone. … Carlos Rodríguez went 0-for-4, snapping his 22-game hitting streak, which ties for the longest of the season in the PCL.
Missions 11, Corpus Christi Hooks 7
Romeo Sanabria continues to work to get his offensive game where it needs to be. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)
Key Stats: 1B Romeo Sanabria 3-for-4, 2B, HR (8), BB, 4 R; DH Tirso Ornelas 1-for-4, HR (8), 2 R, 2 RBI; 3B Luis Verdugo 2-for-4, 2B, HR (4), BB, 3 RBI; LHP Jagger Haynes 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 4 K, 2 BB, 4 HR; LHP Omar Cruz (S, 1), 2 IP, H, 3 K
Prospect Watch: The Missions only went 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position, but three of those hits were homers to power a win. Outfielder Tirso Ornelas got the scoring started with a two-run shot in the first, his second home run of a series in which he is now 4-for-11. He’s still looking to get his average for the month over .200 after a rough two-week stretch. … Luis Verdugo and Romeo Sanabria each had a double and home run and they both finished with three runs driven in. Sanabria added a single and a walk in his most productive game in nearly a month. The 24-year-old first baseman is carrying a career-high 25% strikeout rate while his overall offensive output continues to lag below the Texas League average at .238/.337/.389. … While his offense took advantage of being out of the homer-suppressing environment of the Wolff. starter Jagger Haynes‘ struggles on the road continued even as he picked up the victory. The lefty surrendered four homers, accounting for all five runs he permitted in 5.1 innings of work. Haynes, 23, has a 5.46 ERA on the road against a home mark of 3.50. … Omar Cruz finished this one out with two scoreless innings that included three more strikeouts. The lefty has been on a roll lately, punching out 35 over his last 19.1 frames while giving up just a pair of runs. Cruz could well move back up to El Paso – where he opened the year before struggling – in the next week.
TinCaps 4, South Bend Cubs 3 (8 innings)
Key Stats: CF Kasen Wells 1-for-3, BB, SB (14); RF Jake Cunningham 1-for-2, HR (15), 2 BB; RHP Maikel Miralles 5 IP, 2 H, 3 K, 4 BB; RHP Tucker Musgrove IP, H, 2 ER, 2 K, BB; LHP Ryan Och IP, 1 R (0 ER), 3 K, 2 BB
TinCaps 5, South Bend Cubs 2 (7 innings)
Jake Cunningham has emerged as a force in the middle of the TinCaps lineup. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Key Stats: DH Alex McCoy 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI; LF Jake Cunningham 1-for-2, 2 RBI, BB; RF Kavares Tears 1-for-3, HR (8); RHP Carson Montgomery 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 K, 2 BB; LHP Javier Chacon (S, 1) IP, 2 K
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps swept a double-header to win back-to-back games for the first time since May 21 and 22. They needed an extra frame in the scheduled seven-inning opener, but walked off with the victory when Jack Costello hit a 30-foot slow roller toward third base with the bases loaded that went for a game-winning hit. In the nightcap, a four-run sixth inning fueled the win. … Jake Cunningham had a key role in both games, crushing a 464-foot game-tying homer in the early contest, then lacing a two-run single to put the TinCaps up late in the nightcap. The powerful outfielder finished the day 2-for-4 with three walks. His 15 homers are tied for second in the Midwest League, while his .984 OPS is good for sixth. … Alex McCoy had one hit in each game as he continues to get back on track after a few weeks of struggles. He keyed the club’s sixth-inning rally in the nightcap with an inside-out hit down the first base line that went for a two-run double. He has now hit in seven straight with four extra-base hits along the way. … Starter Maikel Miralles got through five scoreless innings in the first game, working around four walks along the way. It was just his second start of the year – and first since his season debut – in which he didn’t allow a run. … Ryan Och, who was officially activated from the 60-day IL and transferred from San Antonio to the TinCaps earlier in the day, allowed the Manfred Man to score, but didn’t allow more and picked up a win. In five Midwest League appearances, the lefty with the extreme release point, has allowed one earned run in seven innings while striking out 11. Och missed the first six weeks of the season.
Storm 7, San Jose Giants 1
Bryan Balzer delivers for Lake Elsinore. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Key Stats: RF/1B Kerrington Cross 3-for-5, 2B; LF Qrey Lott 3-for-4, 2 R; DH Jorge Quintana 1-for-3, SF, SB (9); RHP Bryan Balzer 5 IP, 5 H, ER, 2 K, BB; RHP Sean Barnett IP, 2 H, 2 K
Prospect Watch: Lake Elsinore won their fifth straight game, riding a four-run second inning and a strong outing by Bryan Balzer to the victory. Balzer, 21, allowed just one run over five innings of work, even as he struck out a season-low two batters. The hard-throwing righty needed only 65 pitches, doing a good job of inducing ground balls and relatively weak contact. He has already blown past his total workload from last year, throwing 60.1 innings so far, so the organization will likely be cautious with his usage in the second half. … Kerrington Cross made his second professional appearance in the outfield, starting the game in right field. The new position didn’t change the results at the plate as he went 3-for-5 with a double and drove in a pair. The 24-year-old, who will likely move up to Fort Wayne now that the first half is done, has torched the Cal League for a 1.058 OPS through 220 plate appearances. … Outfielder Qrey Lott continues to pay dividends for the organization as an undrafted free agent. The rangy athlete went 3-for-4 in this one and has hit in two straight since sitting out a week. He is batting .288/.380/.450 on the year, but has only drawn eight walks in 129 plate appearances.The Georgia native joined the Padres out of the junior college ranks last year.
ACL Padres 3, ACL Padres 2
Key Stats: LF Cardell Thibodeaux 1-for-1, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB (4); RHP Eduarlin Tejeda 1-for-3; RHP Kannon Kemp IP, H, 2 ER, BB, K; LHP Zack Qin 2 IP, H, 4 K, BB; LHP Jeronimo Palmeros 2.2 IP, H, K, BB
Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres only put together three hits on the night and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, but the managed to scratch out a win with the help of a wild pitch that plated a run and a bases-loaded walk. Cardell Thibodeaux came through with the game-winning knock on a two-out RBI double. He has drew a pair of walks and now has at least one free pass in six of his last seven games. The Southern alumni has reached base at a stellar .439 clip since getting underway at the end of last month. … The Padres got good news as Kannon Kemp, who has spent the entire season on the IL with an oblique injury, began a rehab assignment. He only worked one inning and was charged with a pair of earned runs on an inside-the-park home run that rattled around in center field, but the organization will be glad to get him built up to go out to Fort Wayne in July. … Lefty Zack Qin followed Kemp and struck out four more while working two more scoreless innings. Complex league hitters will be thankful when the 20-year-old eventually moves up to the Storm in coming weeks, as he has held opponents to just three earned runs over 21.2 innings while posting a stellar 36:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
