Las Vegas Aviators 15, Chihuahuas 9
Bryce Johnson locks in on a pitch for the Chihuahuas. (Photo: El Paso Chihuahuas)
Key Stats: LHP Jagger Haynes 2.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 4 K, 4 BB, E (1); RHP Daison Acosta IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 K, 2 BB; RHP Jeremiah Estrada IP, 2 K; CF Bryce Johnson 3-for-5, 2 2B, BB; LF/RF Nick Solak 2-for-6, 2B, assist; SS Mason McCoy 2-for-4, 2B, SF, SB (21); C Blake Hunt 2-for-4, 3B, HBP, PB
Prospect Watch: The Aviators ruined the Triple-A debut of Jagger Haynes, jumping on the lefty for five earned runs as part of a seven-run third inning. The 23-year-old got through a wild first inning, working around two walks and a hit to strike out the side, but needed 33 pitches to do it. Haynes, who posted a 4.37 ERA across 18 starts for the Missions, finished the day with four walks and four strikeouts. The North Carolina native has something of a habit of rough first outings. He owned a 108.00 ERA after his first start for the TinCaps in 2024 and opened this year by surrendering four runs in 1.2 innings in San Antonio. He’ll hope to have the same sort of turn-around he had in both those settings now that his PCL ERA sits at 19.29. … After Vegas had put 15 runs on the board through the first six innings, Jeremiah Estrada cruised through an 11-pitch inning in his second rehab appearance for the Chihuahuas. The righty, who is coming back from a right knee injury, ran his fastball up to 97 and got two whiffs on eight swings as he struck out two. … Center fielder Bryce Johnson had a pair of doubles as part of a three-hit night and also drew a walk. Hitting in the leadoff spot, Johnson had his third multi-hit game in his last four starts, a stretch that has seen him raise his OPS 122 points. The switch-hitter has posted a solid 18.2% strikeout rate this month. … Blake Hunt had a pair of hits, including a triple, and scored the final run of the game. After returning to the Padres organization as a free agent in the winter, the catcher missed the first two months of the season with an oblique injury. Since coming off the IL, he has hit .286/.371/.571 for El Paso, and got an opportunity to make his big league debut. He has barreled 7.5% of the balls he’s put in play, well above-average, and is pulling the ball in the air at a 16.7% clip that has helped him to five homers in 22 games. Should the Padres decide to keep three catchers on the big-league roster, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them call on Hunt again over Rodolfo Duran.
Frisco RoughRiders 10, Missions 0
Ryan Jackson collected a rare extra-base hit on Friday. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Key Stats: SS Cole Tucker 1-for-3, BB; C Ethan Salas 1-for-3, 2 K; 3B Ryan Jackson 1-for-4, 2B; RHP Ian Koenig 5 IP, 7H, 6 R (5 ER), 4 K; RHP Bernard Jose 2 IP, 3 H, ER, BB; RHP Clay Edmondson 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB
Prospect Watch: The Missions were shut out for the second straight night, managing just five hits in the process. Righty Ian Koenig rolled through the first three innings, allowing only one hit and striking out four. Frisco took advantage of some batted ball luck to put up a run against him in the fourth, then with two outs and nobody on in the fifth, the wheels came off. Koenig, who has worked at least five innings in 11 starts this season, gave up five straight hits, including a double that plated two and the host Missions wound up trailing 6-0. Koenig, 25, has posted a 6.00 ERA through five appearances this month. … After dominating for the TinCaps for the first three months of the season, Clay Edmondson earned a promotion to the Texas League. The results at Double-A have been rough. After getting tagged for three runs while recording only two outs Friday night, the sidearmer now has a 14.09 ERA across 10 appearances out of the Missions bullpen. Edmondson, 23, walked three RoughRiders and has issued a brutal 14 free passes in just 7.2 innings of work. He walked one fewer than that across 27 Midwest League innings. … Infielder Ryan Jackson had a double for the club’s only extra-base hit of the night. The University of Southern California product cruised through three levels last year, putting up a solid .341 on-base percentage fueled by a 16% walk rate. That rate has cratered to just 7.6% this year as pitchers have decided to make the right-handed hitter beat them. He’s had just 12 extra-base hits through 84 games this year, yielding a minuscule .297 slugging percentage.
TinCaps 8, Lake County Captains 3
Justin DeCriscio has keyed the top of the TinCaps lineup. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Key Stats: SS Justin DeCriscio 2-for-5, 2B; CF Ryan Wideman 3-for-5, 2 SB (10), 3 RBI; DH Luke Cantwell 2-for-2, 2 BB; LHP Kash Mayfield 2.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 K, 2 BB; LHP Javier Chacon 3.1 IP, 2 H, 6 K; RHP José Leclerc IP, K
Prospect Watch: After falling behind early, the TinCaps came roaring back with seven unanswered runs to claim the victory. Lefty Kash Mayfield‘s mid-season malaise continued as Lake County chased him before he could get through the third inning. The 2024 first-rounder allowed five hits and walked a pair as he unloaded 51 pitches. Opponents hit just .103 against him through his first eight starts of the year, but that number has soared to over .300 since the start of June. He has worked only 18.2 innings over his last seven appearances, pushing his ERA up to 3.54 for the year. … Javier Chacon had a huge outing in relief, stranding the runner he inherited and then striking out six across 3.1 innings of work. The 23-year-old Cuban, who finally reached High-A in his sixth season in the organization, has maintained a strong 27.1% strikeout rate since moving up to Fort Wayne, but has carried a problematic 16.1% walk rate as well. When he is in the zone the way he was Friday – he threw 33 strikes among 47 pitches – the hard-throwing lefty has the stuff to be dominant. … Righty José Leclerc threw a shutout inning as he appeared after just one day of rest for the first time on his rehab assignment. The 32-year-old big league veteran, who is working back from shoulder surgery last summer, got underway three weeks ago. He’ll likely be asked to show he can go multiple innings in an outing and appear in back-to back games during next week’s series before the team considers adding him to the big league roster. … Shortstop Justin DeCriscio stayed hot in the leadoff spot, collecting a pair of hits and scoring twice. The 23-year-old from Orange County has hit in 13 of 16 games this month, putting together a .319/.385/.478 line while striking out only eight times in 78 trips to the plate. A tenth-round senior sign last year, DeCriscio has been one of the more consistent producers for the organization this season. … Ryan Wideman collected three more singles batting behind DeCriscio, and took advantage of being on base to log two more steals. The athletic center fielder has hit .283 since his promotion from Lake Elsinore and continues to lead the minor leagues in stolen bases, but his hyper-aggressive approach has led to a subpar 7% walk rate and he has logged only two extra-base hits in 21 games. That’s translated to well below-average production for the TinCaps.
Storm 5, Visalia Rawhide 1
Key Stats: SS Jorge Quintana 1-for-2, 2B, 2 BB; 3B Bradley Frye 2-for-5, SB (22); LHP Kruz Schoolcraft 4.1 IP, 4 H, ER, 4 K, 5 BB, HBP; RHP Jordan Valenzuela 2.2 IP, H, 3 K, BB; RHP Yoesmerli Beltre 2 IP, H, 3 K
Prospect Watch: The Storm evened their series with Visalia behind good-enough pitching by Kruz Schoolcraft and a pair of relievers. Kevin Charity was on-hand and has the game story here.
