River Ryan collected his first professional homer in his return to the lineup. (Photo:Jerry Espinoza)
Albuquerque Isotopes 7, Chihuahuas 3
Key Statistics: SS Matthew Batten, 2-for-5, 2 R; CF Jose Azocar, 2-for-4, R; 1B Taylor Kohlwey, 1-for-4, BB; RHP Caleb Boushley (L, 3-8) 5.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 ER, BB, 7 K; RHP Miguel Diaz, IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K.
Prospect Watch: El Paso lost on the road in New Mexico and has dropped seven of nine games thus far in September. … Matthew Batten got the start at shortstop and had a pair of singles and scored twice in the loss. Batten has four multi-hit games in eight September starts, raising his batting average to .292. While his overall production at the plate remains below league-average due to a lack of power, his positional versatility and above-average speed could get him to the big leagues. … Center fielder Jose Azocar also chipped in a pair of hits, continuing a solid season split between El Paso and San Antonio. The 25-year-old outfielder showed improved patience at the plate in San Antonio, sporting a 10.2% walk-rate which was more than double his career number, but it has plummeted to a lackluster 5.6% in just over 100 Triple-A plate appearances. Azocar talked about working on his approach at the plate in his recent interview with John. … RHP Caleb Boushley worked into the sixth inning but ended up taking the loss. The 27-year-old righty allowed five runs – three earned – and five hits in 5.2 innings. Boushley tops out in the low-90s and while his stuff isn’t overpowering, he has kept El Paso in the game nearly every time he has taken the ball. Boushley’s biggest issue has been the home run; he’s allowed 20 homers in 77.1 Triple-A innings, tied for the third-most in the Triple-A West.
Jerry Keel came up big for San Antonio Friday night. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Missions 3, Frisco RoughRiders 1
Key Statistics: SS Eguy Rosario, 1-for-3, 2 BB, SB (30); RF Agustin Ruiz, 2-for-4, R; DH Kelvin Alarcon, 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI; LHP Jerry Keel (W, 2-4) 6 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K; LHP Tom Cosgrove, IP; RHP Jose Quezada (S, 17) IP, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: The Missions used a three-run fifth inning to outlast Frisco. … Right fielder Agustin Ruiz had a pair of singles Friday night, his second multi-hit effort of the series. The 21-year-old has struggled since being promoted to San Antonio, hitting just .183/.219/.339 in 114 plate appearances. … Shortstop Eguy Rosario reached base three times, including a pair of walks, and also stole his 30th base of the year. Those 30 steals rank fourth in the Double-A Central. The 22-year-old infielder is in the midst of his best season since his stateside debut. … Kelvin Alarcon had two doubles in his Double-A debut – his third level of the season. The 22-year-old infielder doesn’t typically contribute much offensively but he can play all over the infield. … LHP Jerry Keel fired six innings of one-run ball in one of his best outings of the year. The Palmdale native scattered five hits, walked three and struck out four batters. Keel has a 6.52 ERA in 24 outings (16 starts) between San Antonio and El Paso. Keel will be eligible for free agency this winter. … Jose Quezada struck out the side in the ninth to earn his league-leading 17th save of the year. The former Texas Tech hurler has struck out 52 batters in 39.1 innings. His ERA is on the high side at 4.56, but his underlying metrics paint a much more encouraging report.
Danny Denz has had a strong debut season. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Lansing Lugnuts 2, TinCaps 0
Key Statistics: CF Robert Hassell III, 1-for-4, SB (2) SS Euribiel Angeles, 1-for-4; LHP Danny Denz (L, 0-2) 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K; RHP Sam Keating, IP, H, 2 K; RHP Wen-Hua Sung, IP, BB, 2 K.
Prospect Watch: It was a brutal night for the TinCaps offense, as they managed just five hits and did not draw a walk while striking out 13 times. … Robert Hassell III singled in four at-bats and stole his second base as a member of the TinCaps. In 11 games with Fort Wayne, Hassell is hitting .277/.346/.511. … LHP Danny Denz started and worked five solid innings but ended up taking the loss. Denz allowed a pair of earned runs and walked three and set a new career-high with seven strikeouts. The left-hander has produced solid results since joining the TinCaps rotation in mid-July, holding opposing batters to just a .220 average in his time in Indiana. … Wen-Hua Sung pitched a scoreless frame and struck out two in the process. The righty, who turned 25 last week, has stayed relatively healthy this season and has produced excellent results. In 22.2 innings, Sung has struck out 40 batters, pairing a low-90s fastball with a split-finger that he uses as an out pitch.
Storm 9, Visalia Rawhide 6 (10 innings)
Key Statistics: SS Jarryd Dale, 2-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI; 1B Cole Cummings, 3-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI; C Gilberto Vizcarra, 3-for-5, R, HR (4), 3 RBI; LHP Jackson Wolf, 3 IP, 2 H, 3 K; RHP Ethan Routzahn (W, 2-0) 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), BB, 4 K.
Prospect Watch: The Storm went to extras again with the Rawhide, but this time they came out on top by scoring four in the top of the tenth inning. … Catcher Gilberto Vizcarra had three hits, including his fourth homer of the year. The Mexicali native spent most of the year backing up Brandon Valenzuela, but has made the most of his time behind the dish down the stretch. Since August 1, Vizcarra is hitting north of .300. Throughout his time in the Padres’ system, the 22-year-old has displayed excellent bat-to-ball skills; his 15.5% K-rate is the eighth-lowest in the league among players with 200 plate appearances. … Jarryd Dale had a pair of hits and drove in two Friday night, raising his OPS to .701. While the versatile infielder profiles best defensively at second, he has settled in nicely at shortstop after Jordy Barley was traded away to the Nationals. … Cole Cummings had three hits and drove in three in Friday’s victory. Cummings swung the bat well in the complex league to earn the promotion to Lake Elsinore, and is 5-for-18 with a homer in a limited sample with the Storm. … LHP Jackson Wolf fired three shutout innings and struck out three. The 22-year-old has thrown 13 innings since the Padres drafted him in the fourth round in July, punching out 19 batters between the ACL and the Low-A West League.
ACL Royals Blue 9, ACL Padres 5
Key Statistics: DH River Ryan, 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), RBI; C Anthony Vilar, 2-for-3, 2 R, 2B. BB; LF Wilmert Paula, 2-for-4, RBI; RHP Javy Guerra, IP, 2 K; RHP Jairo Iriarte, 3 IP, 2 H, ER, 6 K; RHP Joshua Paulina (L, 1-1) 1.2 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.
Prospect Watch: The ACL Royals scored eight runs in the sixth to pull away in an increasingly-rare, nine-inning game in the desert. … RHP Javy Guerra started for the ACL Padres and fired a scoreless inning in his first rehab appearance of the year. The shortstop-turned-pitcher has been out of commission with what was reported as a UCL sprain during spring training. Surgery was never announced for the 25-year-old, who has spent the year on the 60-day IL. While Guerra’s ability is tantalizing, he is out of minor league options and could be at risk of getting designated for assignment when he has to be activated at the end of the year. … River Ryan returned to the lineup for just the second time since August 19 with a pair of hits, including his first professional homer. The Padres’ 11th-rounder out of Division II North Carolina – Pembroke, Ryan hit .422 during his redshirt junior season. In addition to his solid work at the plate, he threw 16 innings out of the bullpen and struck out 24 batters. While the Padres called him as a pitcher, he has only appeared at designated hitter so far as a professional. … Catcher Anthony Vilar, the Padres’ 15th-round pick out of Miami in July, had two hits and drew a walk.