Sugar Land Space Cowboys 12, Chihuahuas 5
Key Statistics: RF Carlos Rodriguez 2-for-4, R, BB, RBI; LF Pablo Reyes 2-for-4, R, BB; DH Marcos Castañon 2-for-5, HR (11), 4 RBI; RHP Logan Gillaspie 1.1 IP, H, ER, 2 K; RHP Germán Márquez (L, 1-1) 1.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Andrew Moore 2 IP, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Triston McKenzie 0.2 IP, H, 3 ER, 5 BB
Marcos Castañon. (Photo: Deanana Almagur)
Prospect Watch: El Paso traveled east to take on the Space Cowboys, and this one got ugly. El Paso pitching walked 12 batters, hit two, and uncorked a whopping five wild pitches in a series-opening loss. … Marcos Castañon had a nice night at the plate, chipping with a single and a homer. The infielder from Rialto has five home runs in June and 11 dingers overall. Overall, the 27-year-old has an .811 OPS for El Paso this year. … Carlos Rodriguez had two singles and a walk on Tuesday, extending his on-base streak to an impressive 31 games. Despite a batting average over .300 and a tidy 11% K-rate, Rodriguez’s offensive output has been about 10 percent below the league average. His ISO of .094 is the seventh-lowest among qualifiers in the PCL. … On the mound, El Paso went with a bullpen game with a rehabbing big leaguer in the middle of it. After Logan Gillaspie recorded the first four outs, Germán Márquez entered the game as a reliever and took the loss. Márquez tossed 1.2 innings and allowed a run on three hits. He walked two, struck out three, unleashed a pair of wild pitches, and threw in a pitch clock violation for good measure. Marquez threw 44 pitches – just 23 for strikes. Márquez’s next move will be interesting to watch. Judging by use on Tuesday, perhaps his next role will be a bulk reliever; however, Griffin Canning recorded just two outs for the Padres on Tuesday, the same day Lucas Giolito was placed on the injured list. Márquez probably needs another outing to stretch out enough to start. … Triston McKenzie had another nightmarish outing, as his poor run of outings continued. The hard-throwing righty walked five batters while recording just two outs. Three of those walks scored. He threw 35 pitches – just 13 for strikes. The 28-year-old has walked an unfathomable 33 batters in 16 innings with El Paso, resulting in a 14.63 ERA in 12 outings (three starts).
Missions 7, Arkansas Travelers 1
Key Statistics: 2B Ryan Jackson 2-for-5, 2B, RBI; LF Tirso Ornelas 3-for-5, 2 HR (10), 3 RBI; 1B Albert Fabian 2-for-4, HR (5), 2 RBI; CF Kai Roberts 2-for-4, 2 R, SB (21); RHP Eric Yost (W, 2-2) 6 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 3 K; RHP Johan Moreno IP, K
Tirso Ornelas had a big day at the plate. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: The Missions socked three homers and rode excellent pitching to a series-opening win in Little Rock. … On a day of promotions and organizational movement (more on that below), Tirso Ornelas stayed put in the Texas League and made his presence known. The left-handed hitting outfielder had three hits, including a pair of homers in the win. Ornelas reached double-digit homers for the fourth straight minor league campaign, and has already matched his total from 82 games last year in El Paso. The former big leaguer has spent most of the last three years in El Paso, but after starting the year on the injured list, the Padres sent Ornelas back to the Texas League. He’s been solid offensively, posting a .796 OPS while striking out in 17% of his plate appearances. … Albert Fabian singled and connected on his fifth homer of the year in the victory. The 24-year-old has struggled offensively this season, despite posting a career-low 14% K-rate for the Missions. His .107 ISO is the lowest of his career outside of a seven-game stint in the complex in 2021, so despite making more contact, the quality of his contact has not been as high this season. Overall, his .652 OPS is about 30 percent below league average. … On the mound, Eric Yost turned in an excellent outing, tossing six innings to earn the win. He allowed just one run on two hits, walking three and striking out three. Yost came off the injured list at the end of May and has slowly built up as a starter in June. After a pair of abbreviated outings, the 23-year-old has tossed six innings in each of his last two starts. In four June outings, he has a 3.63 ERA.
TinCaps 6, Lake County Captains 2
Key Statistics: 1B Kerrington Cross 2-for-2, 2 R, 3 BB, SB (1); DH Kavares Tears 2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI; LF Kasen Wells 1-for-4, RBI, BB; RHP Matthew Watson (W, 1-4) 6 IP, H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K; RHP Will Varmette IP; LHP Braian Salazar 2 IP, BB, 4 K
Kavaras Tears has continued his strong June on Tuesday. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The new-look TinCaps rode excellent pitching and just enough offense to a series-opening win. … Apparently, it doesn’t matter what level Kerrington Cross plays at, he just gets on base. The 24-year-old reached in all five of his plate appearances Tuesday. The right-handed hitter singled twice, scored a pair of runs, and drew three walks. He also added a stolen base. Cross left the Cal League with an OPS of over 1.000, the only qualified hitter to achieve that feat so far this season. … Kavares Tears had another nice day at the plate with two hits, including a double for Fort Wayne’s only extra-base hit. The 23-year-old has had a big June, hitting .304/.373/.761 to push his production for the year up to an .827 OPS, despite some concerning underlying numbers. He still carries a 32% K-rate and has made contact on just 63% of his swings – far below the league average. The 23-year-old has enough raw power to stick at a corner outfield spot. At this point, the question is whether he will make enough contact to allow it to play. … Matthew Watson earned his first professional win, tossing six strong innings. The hard-throwing righty allowed just one hit, walking four and striking out three. Overall, the former 13th-rounder has a 5.73 ERA in 11 games (eight starts) for the TinCaps in his first professional action after missing his first 18 months in the organization with Tommy John surgery.
Fresno Grizzlies 6, Storm 4
Key Statistics: 2B Jose Verdugo 2-for-4; C Truitt Madonna 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI; RF George Bilecki 2-for-4, R, HR (4), 2 RBI; RHP Jesus Castro (L, 0-2) 0.2 IP, 2 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Daichi Moriki 2 IP, H, BB, K; RHP Vicarte Domingo 2 IP, H, 2 BB, K
Jose Verdugo. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm allowed six runs in the first inning and spent the rest of the night, clawing back, falling just short against Fresno at The Diamond. … With Ryan Wideman now in Fort Wayne, Storm outfielder George Bilecki has a clear path to playing time for the Storm. On Tuesday, he took advantage. The former Lewis University star had a pair of hits, including his fourth homer of the season. Bilecki has seen sporadic playing time this season but thanks to a 20% walk rate, he’s been a roughly league-average bat. The Storm will probably make another roster move or two this week, as the club is currently carrying just 11 position players and three outfielders. … Jose Verdugo had two more hits in the Storm loss. The 18-year-old has performed admirably in June and should be one of the Storm hitters to watch down the stretch. He has seven multi-hit games this month, hitting .306/.363/.444. … Righty Jesus Castro had a rare poor start and recorded just two outs before being pulled. He surrendered six runs, but only three were earned, thanks to a Jorge Quintana error. He allowed two hits, walked two, and hit a batter before departing. The lack of command was uncharacteristic for the 18-year-old; in each of his last eight starts dating back to May, Castro has tossed at least four innings with no more than two walks. Despite the clunker on Tuesday, Castro has a 3.52 ERA in four June outings.
ACL Padres 10, ACL Guardians 9 (11 innings)
Key Statistics: 2B Luis De Leon 2-for-6, RBI; RF Jesmaylin Arias 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (5), RBI, BB; SS Santiago Vargas 2-for-6, R, RBI, SB (4); DH Fabian Alcantara 3-for-6, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, SB (4); 1B Jhojan Downer 2-for-6, 2B, RBI; C Jack Mathey 3-for-5, 2 R, BB, RBI, SB (2); RHP Luis Maracara 3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Florangel Vasquez 1.1 IP, 3 K; RHP Luis Germán (W, 1-0) 2 IP, BB, K
Jesmaylin Arias sets up in the box. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres offense pounded out 17 hits, and they defeated the Guardians in a game that went 11 innings in Goodyear. … Right fielder Jesmaylin Arias had a pair of hits, including his fifth homer of the season in the win. The left-handed hitting outfielder has shown impressive power in the desert in his second season stateside. He has 11 extra-base hits in 25 contests to go with an .863 OPS. He signed with the Padres as part of the 2024 international signing class, inking a $30,000 bonus. With the ACL season winding down, Arias could get an opportunity down the stretch in the Cal League. … Fabian Alcantara had a pair of doubles as part of a three-hit night. The 20-year-old blasted seven homers in just 35 games last year in the DSL. In 26 games in his stateside debut this season, he has a .638 OPS. … Coming into Tuesday’s game, catcher Jack Mathey had played in 35 career games at three different levels but had yet to have a multi-hit game. On Tuesday, he notched three singles. The 23-year-old Ohio native has moved up and down the system when the organization has needed a catcher, but has never received regular playing time. His effort Tuesday raised his ACL batting average to .200. … After spending all year struggling with command in the Fort Wayne bullpen, organizational veteran Luis Germán was sent back to the complex to regroup. He delivered a pair of scoreless innings to earn the victory. The 24-year-old has a big arm, but with a career WHIP of over 2.00 in 123 pro innings, he has yet to find much consistency. Germán had an ERA of 9.47in 17 innings with the TinCaps.
Roster Moves: The Padres had an incredibly busy day of roster moves, so we will break them down by team with a few notes.
Promoted to El Paso: RHP Andrew Moore, 1B Romeo Sanabria
Sent from El Paso to Lake Elsinore: INF Dylan Grego
Moore pitched a pair of scoreless frames in his El Paso debut for the year Tuesday. He has posted huge strikeout numbers since joining the organization last year in the Connor Joe trade, but his 20% walk-rate has limited his effectiveness. After spending the last two years in San Antonio, Sanabria will get a chance to play in a hitter-friendly home ballpark. … After lending a hand in El Paso, Dylan Grego will head back to a Storm team that retained both starting middle infielders from the first half.
Promoted to San Antonio: OF Jake Cunningham, RHP Clay Edmondson, RHP Tucker Musgrove.
Activated from the 60-day IL: INF/OF Wyatt Hoffman
Midwest League pitchers are happy to see Cunningham leave, as he broke out this year, showing a newfound power stroke. He had 15 homers in 57 games. Edmondson was a reliable and effective closer, leading the Midwest League in saves, while Musgrove might have the best pure stuff of any Padres minor leaguer. In 19 innings with Fort Wayne, Musgrove had a Mason Miller-like K/9 approaching 19. Hoffman has never hit in the Padres’ system, but he’s capable of helping out defensively. At 27, he’s the second-oldest Mission, a mere seven years younger than reliever Andrew Thurman.
Promoted to Fort Wayne: RHP Bryan Balzer, RHP Winyer Chourio, RHP Nick Falter, RHP Will Koger, OF Ryan Wideman, 1B Luke Cantwell, 1B/3B Kerrington Cross
Rehab transferred to Fort Wayne: RHP Daison Acosta
Transferred from Fort Wayne to Lake Elsinore: RHP Jeferson Villabona, Isaiah Lowe
Transferred from Fort Wayne to ACL: Luis Germán
The TinCaps received much of the core of the Lake Elsinore lineup, as seven players joined from the Storm roster, including last year’s third-rounder Wideman, who has been remarkably consistent in his first full season. As we mentioned above, Kerrington Cross already made his presence known. Both Chourio and Balzer will be fascinating to watch against better competition. Nick Falter was the Storm’s most reliable bullpen arm, and Will Koger is capable of hitting the upper-90s with his fastball. After a disappointing pair of seasons in the Summit City, Lowe will head back to the Cal League, where he looked like a legitimate prospect during the 2024 season.
Promoted Lake Elsinore: LHP Zimo “Zack” Qin, RHP Lan-Hong Su, RHP Jordan Valenzuela
Transferred from Lake Elsinore to the ACL: LHP Joseph Herrera
The Storm import a pair of talented arms who are still building up, including Lan-Hong Su, who received a $775,000 bonus, and lefty Zack Qin, who signed with the organization out of China in 2022. Jordan Valenzuela will return for another tour of duty in the Cal League after putting up eye-popping walk and strikeout rates in the desert.
Over the weekend, the organization released outfielder Cardell Thibodeaux from the ACL Padres roster. He was drafted in the 15th round last summer, out of Southern University.
