Tacoma Rainiers 9, Chihuahuas 4
Key Statistics: DH Carlos Rodriguez 2-for-5; 3B Marcos Castañon 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B; 1B Nick Pratto 3-for-5, R, 2B, RBI; C Rodolfo Durán 2-for-4. 2 2B, BB; RHP Sean Boyle (L, 10-8) 3.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 5 K; RHP Trevor Gott IP, K; RHP Brent Honeywell IP
Nick Pratto has been a reliable presence in the El Paso lineup. (Photo: Deanna Almaguer
Prospect Watch: The El Paso offense had five doubles, but Tacoma tagged El Paso for eight runs in the fourth inning to notch the victory. … Marcos Castañon has three hits, including a pair of the team’s two-baggers, giving him 21 this season. On the surface, the 27-year-old has good numbers at the plate in the PCL. His three-hit game raised his average to .287, and he has 17 homers. However, his paltry six percent walk-rate is one of the lowest in the league and his .287/.335/.455 slash line is actually about 10 percent below the league average. He will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft again this winter, as he seems unlikely to be protected on the 40-man roster. … Veteran first baseman Nick Pratto had a three-hit night as well, chipping in with a double and a pair of singles. The 27-year-old has hit safely in all 10 September games, hitting a collective .425/.489/.700 with two homers and six RBI. The hot stretch has led to a 30-point bump in his batting average. The former first-rounder will head back to minor league free agency in the off-season. … For the first time since July 15, 2014, Trevor Gott made an appearance for a Padres affiliate. The 34-year-old righty pitched a scoreless inning, striking out a batter. Gott signed with the Padres earlier in the week, giving El Paso another veteran arm to get through a long season. He had been released out of Triple-A by the Nationals in July. The last time Gott appeared in a game in the Padres’ system in 2014, Santana High alum James Needy made the start, with contributions from future big leaguers in Cory Spangenberg, Hunter Renfroe, and Austin Hedges. The Missions won that game 5-4, and he was traded with All-Star closer Huston Street three days later.
Roster Move: Rosman Verdugo was promoted to El Paso after Mason McCoy was summoned to San Francisco to cover while Ty France is on the paternity list.
Amarillo Sod Poodles 17, Missions 1
Harry Gustin’s work at home has been much more consistent than on the road. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Key Statistics: DH Kerrington Cross 1-for-4; CF Kai Roberts 1-for-2; RHP Carson Montgomery (L, 0-1) 2.2 IP, 8 H, 10 R (9 ER), 3 BB, K; LHP Harry Gustin IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K; RHP Carlos Medina IP, K
Prospect Watch: The Missions’ pitching staff was torched early and often as the Soddies clubbed four homers in a lopsided loss. Meanwhile, the offense managed just three hits all night. … Righty Carson Montgomery made his Double-A debut and was greeted rudely by Amarillo. The former Florida State righty was tagged for 10 runs (nine earned) in just 2.2 innings. He walked three against one strikeout. Montgomery was promoted to San Antonio this week in order to extend his season another week. The 24-year-old appeared in 23 games (22 games) for the TinCaps, pitching to a 4.65. His brutal outing on Friday raises his overall ERA to 5.36. … Harry Gustin allowed a pair of runs in an inning of work. The lefty out of the University of Hawaii had a tremendous campaign last season, pitching to a 1.88 ERA between Fort Wayne and San Antonio. This season has not been as kind to the 24-year-old. His strikeout rate is a solid 28.4% with the Missions, but he’s struggled to limit hard contact. Gustin has allowed 10 homers in 59.2 innings, leading to an ERA north of five. Gustin has has had an especially rough time away from the favorable conditions at Wolff Stadium this season. He’s given up seven homers while pitching to a 7.43 ERA in 26.2 innings on the road. … For the third straight game since he joined San Antonio for the last week of the season, Kerrington Cross went 1-for-4 at the plate. This time, he added a double to the mix. The 24-year-old put up monster numbers in the Cal League to open the year, but struggled badly in his first month with Fort Wayne. He recovered enough to finish with a line that was just above league average overall. He’ll likely be in the mix for a corner bat role with the Missions next spring.
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