Salt Lake Bees 13, Chihuahuas 7
Ethan Salas has shown the ability to go to all fields. (Photo: Deanna Almaguer
Key Stats: RHP Andrew Thurman 3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; RHP Hunter Stratton 2 IP, H, 2 BB, K; C Ethan Salas, 2-for-3, HR (3), 2B, 4 RBI; 2B Marcos Castañon 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, R; SS Gage Workman, 1-for-3, R, BB
Prospect Watch: It was another memorable day at the dish for Ethan Salas as the organization’s top prospect went 2-for-3 with a homer, double, four RBIs and a walk. Salas showcased his opposite-field power in Sunday’s loss, with his two-run double in the first logging an exit velocity of 98.5 and his homer in the fifth leaving his bat at 97.3 mph. Hitting the ball is all Salas has done since arriving at Triple-A, posting a 48.8% hard hit rate and a 104.4 90th percentile exit velocity. Along with loud contact, he’s seldom been fooled by PCL pitching, sporting a minuscule 8.4% whiff rate and a 95.5% in-zone contact rate. He’s reached base safely in each of his first 14 Chihuahuas games and is batting .377 with a 1.051 OPS and 148 wRC+. … Marcos Castañon tallied his own multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a double. The second baseman collected a first-inning double in the form of a 98.8 mph grounder just inside the first-base bag. The 27-year-old remains one of the most aggressive swingers in the system, owning an eye-opening 68.5% swing rate. While his 111.6 max exit velocity is impressive, the rest of his batted ball data is middle of the road. He’s hitting .287 with a .789 OPS this season… The Padres’ third trade deadline acquisition, Hunter Stratton, worked a pair of scoreless innings for El Paso, as he allowed a hit, walked a pair, and struck out one. Not known for his swing-and-miss stuff when the Pirates traded him for Andrew Moore, Stratton’s arsenal generated a 24% whiff rate, with three of those whiffs coming on his four-seamer, which sat 95.3 mph for the afternoon. In his six innings of work with the Chihuahuas, the 29-year-old has yet to allow a run. Over 72 big league innings in parts of the last four seasons, Stratton owns a 3.88 ERA and a 20.1% strikeout rate with a stellar 5.5% walk rate.
Alex McCoy is a fearsome presence in the batter’s box. (Photo: Charisma Jones)
Frisco RoughRiders 7, Missions 1
Key Stats: RHP Ian Koenig 6 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K; RHP José Leclerc IP, H, BB, K; RF/CF Alex McCoy 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 SB (2); DH Braedon Karpathios 2-for-4, RBI, 2 K; LF Jack Costello 2-for-4, 2 RBI
Prospect Watch: Alex McCoy capped his strong first weekend with the Missions by collecting another multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and two stolen bases. McCoy’s base knocks logged exit velocities of 100.8 mph and 101.5 mph. Despite his size, he continues to run the bases well, as his two stolen bases move his season total to 22 in 28 attempts. In three games with the Missions, the 6-foot-6 McCoy went 7-for-14 with four extra-base hits. In 383 at-bats between two levels, the former undrafted free agent sports an .847 OPS, has swatted 17 long balls. … Braedon Karpathios also stayed red hot at the dish, going 2-for-4 with a pair of knocks and an RBI. Dating back to July 3, the other UDFA in the Missions outfield owns a 143 wRC+, .402 wOBA, and .923 batting average. While his strikeout rate continues to hover around 30%, his power numbers have ticked up, swatting eight homers in the past 33 games played. That power surge can be partly attributed to his much-improved 14.1% pull air rate. In his prior 72 games, he pulled just 4.1% of his balls in play in the air. …Another newcomer to San Antonio, Jack Costello, also posted a two-hit day, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. While his numbers between both High-A and Double-A aren’t spectacular, Costello continues to make consistent contact wherever he goes, yielding an impressive 84.5% in-zone contact rate and 17.4% strikeout rate between Fort Wayne and San Antonio… Ian Koenig worked six complete innings on Sunday, allowing five runs on six hits, walking one and striking out five. In 114.2 innings pitched at Double-A, he owns a 1.29 WHIP and 4.63 ERA. He’s worked at least six innings nine times this year, including five of his last six starts.
Quad Cities River Bandits 5, TinCaps 2 (Completion of game suspended on Aug 15)
Key Stats: RF Conner Westenburg 2-for-2, 2 SB (2), CS; RHP Bryan Balzer 5 IP, H, 4 BB, 10 K; RHP Nick Falter 0.0 IP, H, 3 R (2 ER), BB; 1B Luke Cantwell 1-for-3, 2B, 2 K
Quad Cities River Bandits 4, TinCaps 3
Key Stats: RHP Abraham Parra (L, 5-7) 6.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R (2 ER), 5 BB, 2 K; RHP Isaiah Lowe IP, K; SS Justin DeCriscio 1-for-2, 2 RBI, BB; C Carlos Rodriguez 2-for-4, R; CF Ryan Wideman 0-for-4
Abraham Parra pitched well enough to win, but took another loss for the TinCaps. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: After completing the final inning of Saturday’s suspended game, the TinCaps offense struggled in game two managing just five hits against Quad City pitching to finish a weird series with an 0-5 record. The team has now dropped eight straight and owns the game’s worst run differential at 220. Justin DeCriscio reached base as part of a 1-for-3 effort in game two. After a hot streak from late June to mid-July, the middle infielder has cooled off recently, posting a 71 wRC+ and .307 wOBA over his past 20 games. … Ryan Wideman‘s struggles continued on Sunday as the center fielder went 0-for-4 against River Bandits pitching. The adjustment to High-A pitching has been brutal for the 22-year-old. His power has been nearly nonexistent since he arrived in the Summit City, posting a .019 isolated power and only three extra base hits in 166 at-bats at High-A. In tandem with his lack of power, Wideman is chasing at a 39% clip and he sports a sub-5% walk rate. … Catcher Carlos Rodriguez tallied the TinCaps’ lone multi-hit game of the day, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles. Over his past 20-games, Rodriguez has swung the bat well, slashing .292/.346/.417. Still, the 2026 season has been a tough one for the 23-year-old who owns just a .216 batting average and a .301 wOBA in 74 games. … Abraham Parra allowed two earned runs on four hits over 6.1 innings, walking five while striking out only two. While Parra was able to limit damage, command still remains a rather glaring issue for the right-hander, who has now walked four or more batters in six of his past 11 starts for the TinCaps. In his 14.2 innings pitched in August he owns a 6.75 ERA, 1.84 WHIP and a opponent batting average of .257.
Inland Empire 66ers 11, Storm 7
Key Stats: RHP Luis Maracara 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 8 K; RHP Jordan Valenzuela 0.2 IP, H, ER, BB, K; 3B Nu’u Contrades 3-for-5, HR (2), 2 RBI, R; CF Alex Conover 0-for-3, 2 BB, R, E; 1B Ty Harvey 1-for-5, RBI, R; RF Jesmaylin Arias 2-for-4, RBI, 2 R
Nu’u Contrades has gotten to his power quickly in his first taste of professional baseball. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: Sunday was the best stateside outing in the young career of Luis Maracara. The 18-year-old tossed four innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits. He didn’t issue a walk and struck out a career-high eight batters, including fanning the final four batters he faced. In total, the right-hander’s arsenal generated 16 whiffs on 32 pitches. Even more encouraging, he threw 62% of his pitches for strikes. While that’s still not a great rate, it’s a step in the right direction. … Nu’u Contrades turned in a 3-for-5 night at the plate, which was headlined by his two-run homer in the top of the eighth. His second long ball in 10 games sailed 434 feet over the wall in left-center. Despite a rather large leg kick, the 22-year-old has whiffed just 27% of the time, chased at just a 22% clip, and walked north of 15% in 11 games with the Storm. However, he counters those numbers with a 77.8% in-zone contact rate. He owns a .973 OPS in 42 at-bats with the Storm. … Alex Conover reached twice via walk during the loss. The Oklahoma State product has gotten off to a solid start in Single-A, posting an .837 OPS with Lake Elsinore. Still just 20 years old, Conover has shown good bat-to-ball skills with an 85.7% in-zone contact rate and just a 22% whiff rate. Still, lifting the ball is going to be key for Conover, who posted a 52% ground ball rate his final season at OSU. The 2026 4th-rounder has a ground ball rate north of 65% in his short stint with the Storm… Ty Harvey logged a 1-for-5 night with Lake Elsinore, his lone hit being an RBI single in the first. While he has now hit safely in four straight, Harvey has been slow since returning from the IL with a broken hand. Going 13-for-72 over his past 18 games with just a .260 wOBA.
