Chihuahuas 7, Reno Aces 4
Key Stats: RHP Joe Musgrove 3.1 IP, 6 H, ER, 2 K; RHP Jhony Brito (W, 2-1), 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER; C Ethan Salas 2-for-5, HR (2), 2 RBI, CS; DH Blake Hunt 1-for-3, HR (9); Marcos Castañon 2-for-5, K
Ethan Salas continues to enjoy the PCL. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: Joe Musgrove allowed one run on six hits over 3.1 innings and struck out two in his second rehab appearance. Given that he was pitching at 4,500 feet above sea level, the right-hander’s stuff looked solid. He induced just two whiffs on 27 swings, leaning on his fastball, throwing the offering 15 times, with the four-seamer topping out at 95.5 mph. His sweeper and curveball were each down around 250 rpms from his 2024 average. However, that loss of spin could be a result of the altitude at which he was pitching. … The organization’s top prospect, Ethan Salas, delivered another multi-hit day as the El Paso backstop went 2-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and a run scored. The blast in the seventh left Salas’ bat at 102.8 mph and traveled 440 feet. In his first two weeks at Triple-A, Salas boasts a 1.086 OPS, .384 xwOBA, and 105.4 90th percentile exit velocity—all of which rank in the 80th percentile of Triple-A batters. He has also posted elite 9.1% whiff and 93.6% in-zone contact rates. … Marcos Castañon tallied a multi-hit day going 2-for-5 with a pair of knocks. This season, Castañon has showcased solid bat-to-ball skills, posting an 85.9% in-zone contact rate and 22.6% whiff rate. The 27-year-old has solid underlying batted-ball data, including a 40% hard-hit rate and 111.6 max exit velocity, but continues to chase out of the zone at a 35.3% that is in the bottom 10% of Triple-A hitters. … Jhony Brito relieved Musgrove, allowing two runs over 2.2 innings of work. While he did surrender two runs, Brito wasn’t hit hard. Of the 10 balls in play against him, just one logged an exit velocity north of 95 mph. In total, his pitch mix generated a 29% whiff rate.
Missions 7, Springfield Cardinals 4
Key Stats: RHP Matthew Watson 4.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 K; RHP Francis Peña (W, 2-3), IP, 2 H, 2 BB; RHP Tucker Musgrove (S, 1) IP, 1 BB, 1 K; CF Jake Cunningham 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K; C Brendan Durfee 2-for-4, HR (3), 2B, 2 RBI
Jake Cunningham has continued to hit at Double-A. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)
Prospect Watch: Jake Cunningham led the charge for the Missions offense, going 2-for-3 with a clutch bases-loaded, two-run single in the bottom of the the seventh that left bat at 93.3 mph. In a system that is lacking in talent, Cunningham has been a pleasant surprise after signing as a minor league free agent last winter. And after a successful run at High-A, he’s transitioned well to his new test at Double-A, posting a solid .819 OPS, 115 wRC+, and has managed to keep the strikeout rate at a respectable 27.8% with the Missions. … Brendan Durfee had a big day out of the nine spot in the Missions’ order, going 2-for-4 with a double, homer, two RBIs and two runs scored. Durfee’s two-run homer in the third left his barrel at 103 mph and traveled 393 feet over the right-field wall. Despite a strong day at the dish, it’s been a rough third year in the system for the UC-Santa Barbara alum. In a small 24-game sample size in San Antonio, he’s slashing .186/.284/.343. … Francis Peña managed to weave his way out of trouble despite issuing allowing two hits, two walks, and hitting a batter in just one inning of work. He allowed the runner he inherited to score, but got off the hook when Bernard Jose stranded all three he left on when he exited with one out. Despite the shaky outing, the right-hander is having a bounce-back season in 2026, posting a 2.89 ERA in 46.2 innings. Over his past 15 outings (22.1 innings pitched), he’s yielded just four runs and walked less than 10 percent of batters he has faced. … Tucker Musgrove slammed the door on the Missions’ win, working around one walk in a scoreless ninth with one punchout to record his first Double-A save. The righty drew a 42.8% whiff rate as his four-seamer topped out at 99 mph. Over his past seven outings, Musgrove hasn’t allowed a run, walked just two, and owns an otherworldly 53.1% strikeout rate.
West Michigan Whitecaps 8, TinCaps 2
Key Stats: RHP Abraham Parra 3 IP, 5 H, 6 R (5 ER), 4 BB, K; 1B Kerrington Cross 2-for-4, RBI; SS Justin Decriscio 1-for-4, RF Alex McCoy 1-for-3, HBP, 2 R; DH Luke Cantwell 0-for-2, BB, K, HBP
Kerrington Cross contributed a pair of hits for a slumping TinCaps offense. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: It was another ugly day of baseball for Fort Wayne, as they fell to the Whitecaps 8-2 to drop five of six in their series. As an offense, Fort Wayne managed just four hits. The lone multi-hit game of the day belonged to Kerrington Cross, who went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and a RBI. After lighting up Single-A for the first few months of the year, Cross is slashing just .204/.345/.347 in the Summit City. The 24-year-old has just six extra-base hits in 99 at-bats with the TinCaps. … Alex McCoy went 1-for-3 with a single and was hit by a pitch, coming around to score two runs. Over his past 21 games played, the big outfielder has a .793 OPS and a .265 batting average. While he’s walking at a solid 14.9% clip in that span, swing-and-miss still remains an overarching concern. He has carried a 35.6% strikeout rate and 39.1% whiff rate through the same stretch. … Abraham Parra was hit hard in his three innings on Monday, allowing five earned runs on five hits with four walks while striking out just one. The right-hander has had particular trouble this season in right-on-right matchups, yielding an .829 OPS and .281 batting average this season to righties. Command has also been an issue all year. In all but one of his outings this season, Parra has walked at least two batters and he has now walked four or more batters in an outing five times.
Dawson Willis has gotten to plenty of power in his professional debut. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Storm 5, Ontario Tower Buzzers 4
Key Stats: RHP Luis Maracara 3 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K; RHP Jordan Valenzuela 1.2 IP, H, BB, K; CF Alex Conover 2-for-3, 2B, BB, R, CS (1); 3B Dawson Willis 2-for-4, HR (5), 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB (14); 1B Ty Harvey 0-for-3, RBI; PR Qrey Lott 0-for-0, 2 SB (20), R
Prospect Watch: The Storm rallied for two runs in the ninth to win their fourth straight and claim a series victory over the team they’re likely to face in the first round of next month’s playoffs. Sixth-rounder Nu’u Contrades came on as a pinch-hitter with a runner on second and two outs to deliver the win with a soft liner RBI single to center that did just enough to land Lake Elsinore the win. The Arizona State product sports an .850 OPS in his first five professional games. … Dawson Willis hasn’t skipped a beat since returning from the IL earlier this week. The 22-year-old went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and also swiped back-to-back bases before coming across with another run. The two-run shot left his bat at 102.2 mph. In 29 games with Lake Elsinore, the 2025 UDFA owns a .913 OPS and 118 wRC+, despite a 38.4% strikeout rate. … Fourth-rounder Alex Conover delivered a 2-for-3 game with a double, walk and run scored. In his first week with the Storm, the Oklahoma State product has posted an impressive .313/.476./.635 slash line. Conover’s two-bagger in the fifth came on a two-strike pitch. In those situations, the 20-year-old has gone with an exaggerated no-stride swing to sell out for contact. That tactic dramatically helped him improve his plate discipline skills during his final college season. A big key for Conover will be to lift the ball more after he posted a 52% ground ball rate in his final year with the Cowboys. … Luis Maracara worked three innings of three-run ball on Sunday as he walked three, surrendered two hits, punched out five and saw his pitch mix post a 28.5% whiff rate. Maracara’s command is still very much a work in progress, as in each of his five starts he has walked two or more batters. Against Ontario, he threw just 52.2% of his pitches for strikes.
