Sugar Land Space Cowboys 5, Chihuahuas 3
Key Statistics: SS Mason McCoy 1-for-5, 2B, RBI; DH Nick Solak 2-for-4, R, 2B; 3B Marcos Castañon 3-for-4, R, 2B, RBI; LHP Jackson Wolf 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), BB, 4 K; LHP Miguel Cienfuegos 1.1 IP, H, BB, K; RHP Alek Jacob (L, 4-2) IP, 2 H, 3 R (0 ER), K
Jackson Wolf got his first win on Sunday. (Photo: Deanana Almagur)
Prospect Watch: The Padres lost on Friday night, allowing four runs in the bottom of the tenth to lose to the Royals. However, that may have only been the second-worst loss in the system. El Paso entered the ninth holding a 5-3 lead. Reliever Alek Jacob allowed a single to former Padre Trenton Brooks before recording a pair of flyouts. He surrendered a single and hit a batter to load the bases with two outs. Jacob induced a groundball that he fielded and fired to first, but first baseman Romeo Sanabria mishandled it. Instead of recording the final out, three runs scored on the error, and El Paso took a hard-luck loss. Sanabria entered the game as a defensive replacement at the top of the ninth after Nick Pratto was ejected for slamming his bat into the ground after striking out. … At the plate, Marcos Castañon had a nice night, delivering three hits, including a double. The El Paso infielder has walked just once in 33 plate appearances this month, but he’s made consistent contact. His three-hit effort raised his July slash line to .344/.364/.500. All three of his hits Friday left the bat at over 95 mph, including a single that touched 107 mph. … Lost in the ninth-inning meltdown was another solid start turned in by lefty Jackson Wolf. The 27-year-old tossed five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits. He walked one and struck out four while generating eight whiffs. The southpaw’s four-seamer sits 88-90 mph, which he pairs with a slider and curve. He won’t light up a radar gun, but he has a solid K/9 of 8.7 in 21 games (14 starts for the Chihuahuas). … Lefty Miguel Cienfuegos took over and recorded four outs, allowing a hit and a walk while punching out one. The 29-year-old former independent leaguer looked like a release candidate in May, as he had an 11.25 ERA through the season’s first two months. Since then, he’s pitched very well. Over his last 11 outings, he has a 2.16 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 16.2 innings.
Roster Moves: Freddy Fermin’s big league return means that Rodolfo Durán was optioned to Triple-A before Friday’s game. Durán was in the big leagues for nearly two months, where he impressed with his arm but struggled mightily offensively. … The organization released Nick Schnell from the Triple-A roster. The former Rays farmhand hit 12 homers for El Paso this year, but a 31% K-rate led to below-average offensive production.
Missions 4, Corpus Christi Hooks 3
Key Statistics: 2B Carson Tucker 2-for-4, 2 RBI, SB (15); DH Tirso Ornelas 1-for-4, 2B; CF Kai Roberts 1-for-2, 2 R, BB, HR (4), 2 RBI, SB (30); LHP Jagger Haynes 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), BB, 8 K; RHP Josh Mallitz (W, 3-0) 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 K; RHP Francis Peña (S, 3) 0.2 IP, H, K
Jagger Haynes. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: The Missions rode excellent pitching to win their first game out of the All-Star break. … Jagger Haynes certainly deserved to win the game for his effort, but he ended up with a no-decision despite tossing a gem. The 23-year-old lefty tossed six strong innings, allowing just one unearned run on three hits. He walked one and tied a season-high with eight strikeouts. He generated 15 whiffs, keeping the Hooks off-balance all night. The excellent start comes on the heels of his worst start of the season, in which he allowed six runs in three innings. Overall, the North Carolina native has a 4.28 ERA in 18 starts. He is 16 innings away from tying his career-high 110 innings he tossed for the 2024 TinCaps. … Kai Roberts reached base twice with a walk, in addition to connecting on his fourth homer of the year. The speedy center fielder also swiped his 30th bag of the year. The 24-year-old has been a menace on the basepaths this year, but he’s struggled mightily to make contact. His K-rate sits at 33%, and even with the homer Friday, he’s slugging just .307. … Carson Tucker had a pair of singles to go with two RBI and his 15th stolen base of 2026. The 24-year-old has been a nice story for the Missions after spending three seasons out of affiliated ball. Overall, the former Guardians first-rounder has a .730 OPS and 15 doubles for San Antonio.
TinCaps postponed
Friday’s game in Lansing was postponed due to poor air quality. The game will be made up as a doubleheader on Wednesday, September 2.
Roster Moves: The TinCaps received righty Luis Germán from the complex league and RHP Carlos Medina from the Storm. Germán is back in the Summit City after a seven-inning reboot in the complex league. Righty Matthew Watson moved up to San Antonio in a corresponding move. In Lake Elsinore, righties Cameron Nohos and Landry Jurecka were promoted from the ACL.
Storm 12, Ontario Tower Buzzers 0
Key Statistics: 1B Dawson Willis 2-for-4, 3 R, 2 3B, BB, RBI; 2B Jose Verdugo 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI; C Yoiber Ocopio, 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI; LHP Kruz Schoolcraft (W, 2-5) 5 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K; RHP Cameron Nohos IP, H, BB, 2 K; LHP Cal Riehl IP, H, K
Kruz Schoolcraft has struggled out of the gate. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first, whitewashing the Tower Buzzers in front of a crowd of over 4,000 in Ontario. … Kruz Schoolcraft tossed five shutout innings for the first time in his career, earning his second win of the season. The 19-year-old allowed three hits, walking three while striking out six. Last year’s first-rounder has tossed at least five innings in six of his last seven starts. While the overall results have been disappointing this season, the Storm lefty seems to be figuring things out after a brutal April. In three July starts, he has a 4.20 ERA. … The Padres didn’t waste any time getting Cameron Nohos his first exposure in full-season ball. The 6-foot-8 righty worked a scoreless inning, recording two strikeouts while walking one. The undrafted free agent posted a monster 32.4% strikeout rate in the ACL, but he was also hittable, resulting in a 6.21 ERA in the desert. … Dawson Willis continues to produce, as the former Oklahoma infielder tripled twice, drew a walk, and drove in a run. Willis is hitting .282/.354/.518 with 11 extra-base hits (including three homers) in 23 games. The production has been impressive, but unless Willis makes more contact, he is bound for significant regression. He is hitting .467 on balls in play with the Storm, and his 39% K-rate is nearly unplayable. Despite the contact issues, Willis is yet another intriguing undrafted player the Padres have added to their system in recent years. … Jose Verdugo singled three times and drove in a run. The 18-year-old doesn’t possess much power, but he has a solid 18% K-rate, especially considering he went straight from the DSL to the Cal League. His lack of power has led to offensive production that is 18% below the league average, and his 9.6% swinging strike rate is the tenth-lowest in the league.
ACL Padres 8, ACL Royals 2 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: CF Moises Valdez 3-for-4, 3 R, 2B; RF Jesmaylin Arias 3-for-4, R, 2B, RBI; 3B Santiago Vargas 1-for-4, R, HR (4), 3 RBI; DH Isaac Ponce 1-for-3, R, HR (3), RBI; LHP Luis Gutierrez IP, 3 K; RHP Jeremiah Estrada (W, 1-0) IP; RHP Tyler Dietz 0.1 IP, 3 BB
Jesmaylin Arias sets up in the box. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The ACL club also scored five runs in the first inning and cruised to a victory over the Royals on Friday night. … Moises Valdez continued his hot streak with three hits, including a double. He scored three runs as well. The nice night at the plate raised Valdez’s July slash line to .286/.359/.514. … Jesmaylin Arias also had three hits. He doubled and drove in a run. The 20-year-old has connected on seven homers in the desert this season in 42 games and has an 855 OPS in his second stint in the complex league. … A pair of pitchers had encouraging rehab outings in the contest. Luis Gutierrez pitched in a game for the first time since April 18, when he suffered a muscle injury under his pitching shoulder. Gutierrez pitched a perfect first inning, striking out the side in order. The 23-year-old will likely need several more outings before he is ready to rejoin the Missions down the stretch. … Big leaguer Jeremiah Estrada earned the win, tossing a scoreless second before departing. He did not record a strikeout. He’s been on the injured list since early June with knee inflammation.
