Chihuahuas 8, Reno Aces 6
Key Statistics: LF Carlos Rodriguez 3-for-5, R; C Ethan Salas 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), 3 RBI, BB; 3B Marcos Castañon 2-for-5, HR (14), 2 RBI; SS-3B Clay Dungan 1-for-5. HR (8); RHP Sean Boyle 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K; LHP J.P. Sears 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Ty Adcock (W, 1-1) 1.1 IP, H, 3 K; RHP Alek Jacob (S, 7) IP, H
Ethan Salas is settling in to the PCL well. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas clubbed three homers and held on to defeat the Aces in Reno, snapping a nine-game losing streak. … Ethan Salas had a multi-hit game, including his first homer at the Triple-A level. Salas’ first round-tripper since May 26 with the Missions was a three-run shot that just cleared the right field foul pole, leaving the bat at 96.7 mph. In seven games since joining the Chihuahuas, the 20-year-old catcher is hitting .333/.441/.630 with more walks (six) than strikeouts (five) in 34 plate appearances. … Marcos Castañon had a two-hit night, and he connected on his 14th homer of the season. The homer gave the Rialto native sole possession of the team lead, overtaking current Padres outfielder Jase Bowen. Despite holding the homers, Castañon’s paltry six percent walk rate has led to a wRC+ of 83 this season. His 18% K-rate is solid enough, but a .440 slugging percentage in the PCL leaves a bit to be desired. … Starter Sean Boyle pitched into the fifth inning but struggled to locate most of the night. He allowed three runs on three hits, walking four and striking out three. The former Yankees farmhand has a 6.08 ERA in 27 games for El Paso this season. … Ty Adcock earned his first victory for the Chihuahuas with perhaps his best outing of the season. The former New York Met recorded four outs, allowing just one hit while striking out three Aces. The 29-year-old signed a big league deal with the Padres in the offseason and occupied a 40-man roster spot until June 14, when the Padres designated him for assignment. Adcock cleared waivers and has been mostly unimpressive for El Paso. Friday’s scoreless outing lowered his ERA to 7.58. He also carries a concerning 1.70 WHIP. … Righty J.P. France, who was released by the Astros last week and signed with the Padres on Tuesday, made his system debut when he was called on with two outs and runners on first and second. The 31-year-old, who has started 28 big league games, got a grounder to end the inning. He pitched to a 3.72 ERA for Houston’s PCL affiliate in Sugar Land this year.
Roster Moves: Two days after being released, Dustin Harris resigned with the Padres and was assigned back to the Chihuahuas. The organization has been navigating creating space among their 165 domestic roster spots for all of this year’s draftees and international free agents. Relievers Eli Villalobos and Ryan Och, and outfielder Kavares Tears were all moved to the 60-day IL at their respective levels to open spots. None have had a status change in their injuries, but they were not on track to return to action during the regular season. With the juggling, the organization now has a full allotment of domestic players.
Missions 6, Springfield Cardinals 2
Key Statistics: RF Braedon Karpathios 2-for-3, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI; LF Albert Fabian 2-for-4, RBI; 2B Wyatt Hoffman 1-for-3, BB, RBI, SB (1); RHP Eric Yost 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 6 K; RHP Tucker Musgrove IP, 2 K; RHP Josh Mallitz (W, 4-0) 2 IP, BB, 2 K
Tucker Musgrove continues to rack up strikeouts as a stellar pace. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: The Missions plated four runs in the eighth inning to defeat the Cardinals at Wolff Stadium. … Braedon Karpathios had a pair of doubles, including an RBI two-bagger that gave the Missions the lead for good. The 23-year-old has been red-hot to start August after a rough July. The Missions outfielder has four multi-hit games in six starts, and he has six extra-base hits (including five doubles) in just 27 plate appearances. Overall, the Pennsylvania native has a .739 OPS for San Antonio in 2026. The left-handed hitting outfielder will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter if he is not added to the offseason 40-man roster. … Righty Eric Yost turned in a solid outing, tossing six strong innings, working into the seventh before being pulled. He allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts. The 23-year-old New York native has been very consistent for the Missions this season. He’s held opposing batters to a paltry .190 batting average. Over his last three outings, he’s pitched 17 innings, allowing just four earned runs to drop his ERA with the Missions to 3.13 this season. … Tucker Musgrove took over for Yost and allowed an inherited runner to score, tying the game and ending Yost’s bid at a victory. Musgrove allowed the run to score with a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. From there, he preserved the tie, striking out a pair of batters in the process. Musgrove has now punched out a staggering 65 batters in 32 innings across two levels – good for an absurd K/9 of 18.3. The command – he has walked 23, hit six, and uncorked nine wild pitches – is a concern, but his upper-90s fastball and slider combo have given hitters fits all year. … Like Karpathios, Musgrove is eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter. His potential to be a weapon in the back of the bullpen makes him almost a lock to be rostered. … Righty Josh Mallitz pitched the final two innings, earning his fourth win of the season for his efforts. He allowed just one walk, striking out a pair in the process. Mallitz lowered his ERA to 3.99 – but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The 24-year-old was pummeled in his first two outings of the season, allowing 11 earned runs in just three innings. Since then, he’s pitched to a 2.03 ERA over his last 44 innings. He’s punched out 46 in that span. Mallitz signed with the organization in 2024 as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi.
Roster Moves: First baseman Romeo Sanabria was moved back to San Antonio after a slow start with El Paso.
West Michigan Whitecaps 14, TinCaps 4
Ryan Wideman continues to make contact, but has struggled to drive the ball for Fort Wayne. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Key Statistics: SS Justin DeCriscio 2-for-5, 2 R, SB (11); CF Ryan Wideman, 2-for-5, 2B, RBI; 2B Bradley Frye, 2-for-4, 2B, R; RHP Maikel Miralles (L, 1-8) 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Will Koger 0.0 IP, 4 ER, 3 BB, HBP; RHP Will Varmette 2 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 K
Prospect Watch: The Whitecaps scored at least one run in seven different innings and pummeled the TinCaps in front of a crowd of almost 8,000 at Parkview Field. … Ryan Wideman had a pair of hits, including a double. He also drove in a run. The multi-hit effort raised Wideman’s batting average to a solid .296. While the average looks good, the overall offensive production hasn’t been there since his promotion to the Summit City. Including Friday’s double, Wideman has just three extra-base hits in 152 plate appearances. He’s also carrying a .389 BABIP, meaning his .296 average is a bit inflated. His K-rate of 23.6% with the TinCaps is playable, but he’s slugging just .317 in the Midwest League. … Despite the lack of power, Wideman has shown a great deal of improvement this season. … Bradley Frye had his first two hits as a TinCap on Friday with a single and a double in four plate appearances. The 24-year-old was promoted to the Midwest League last week after a solid but unspectacular showing with the Storm. In 84 games for the Storm, he hit .274/.373/.366. … It was a brutal night overall for the TinCaps pitching staff, and righty Maikel Miralles took the loss. The righty pitched four innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits. He walked two and struck out two. After showing some promise last season with Fort Wayne, 2026 has been a nightmare for the 20-year-old. In 61 innings, he has an ERA over eight, a WHIP over two, and he’s walked (52) more than he’s struck out (42).
Storm 10, Ontario Tower Buzzers 8
Key Statistics: 2B Yimy Tovar 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B; 1B Ty Harvey 2-for-4, R, 2B, 5 RBI; 3B Dawson Willis 1-for-5, HR (4); SS Jose Verdugo, 1-for-3, 2 RBI; LF Dylan Grego, 2-for-4; LHP Adler Cecil, 2.2 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 6 K; LHP Ryan Reed, 2 IP, H, BB, K; RHP Brandon Langley (W, 4-4) 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Prospect Watch: The Storm overcame an early 6-0 deficit to come back and defeat the Tower Buzzers at The Diamond. Ontario has a sizeable five-game lead over second-place Inland Empire in the second half, making it likely they’ll play the Storm in the Cal League South Division playoff series in September. … Ty Harvey had a big night at the plate, delivering a two-run double that gave the Storm a lead they would not relinquish. He also had a two-run single earlier in the game and had a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. The Storm first baseman ended the evening with a career-high five runs batted in. Harvey entered the game in a 2-for-20 slump. Overall, he’s hitting .250/.349/.359 this season. … Dawson Willis only had one hit, but he made it count, as he connected on his fourth homer of the season, a blast to right-center just to the right of the scoreboard. It was the Oklahoma product’s fourth homer of the season with the Storm. Willis spent a couple of weeks on the injured list in July. Still, he’s shown intriguing power potential this season, especially considering the organization signed him as an undrafted free agent. … Dawson has an .882 OPS for the Storm, despite a 38% K-rate. … Kruz Schoolcraft has been on the bump for the Storm on most Friday nights. However, he did not start for unspecified reasons. Instead, Adler Cecil made the start and struggled. Cecil, 21, went to high school in Temecula and perhaps felt the nerves pitching in Riverside County. The lanky lefty lasted just 2.2 innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on three hits. He walked four and struck out six. Cecil has struggled with command, but his ability to miss bats makes him an intriguing project. Between Lake Elsinore and the complex league, Cecil has racked up 81 strikeouts in 48.1 innings.
