Oklahoma City 5, Chihuahuas 3
Key Stats: C Brett Sullivan 2-for-5, 2B; RF Luis Liberato 1-for-3, 3B, BB; RHP Matt Waldron 2.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 1 BB; RHP Moises Lugo 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K; RHP Nolan Watson 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 K, 4 BB
Brett Sullivan is hitting .348 in July. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: The Dodgers got Matt Waldron for a pair of runs in the first and added two more before he gave way in the third as the Chihuahuas had to settle for a series split. Waldron, who fooled Statcast more than opposing batters on Sunday, tossed 46 total pitches in his first outing in nearly a month after he made a spot start for the big league team. He gave up a pair of homers in the game and now has allowed 13 in 69 innings for El Paso on the year. In what has been largely a lost season, reliever Moises Lugo came on for Waldron and got the two batters he faced to end the third. Lugo, 24, seemed likely to contribute to the big league bullpen coming into the year. Instead, the righty has struggled to a 5.86 ERA while walking 24 in 27.2 innings. … El Paso’s offense was once again held largely in check, managing just five hits in the game. All their hits came against top 100 prospect Gavin Stone before a quartet of relievers shut them down over the final four frames. Brett Sullivan collected a pair of singles off Stone, pushing his average for the month up to .348. Since rejoining El Paso at the end of May, Sullivan is 41-for-123, with 18 of his hits going for extra bases.
Frisco RoughRiders 4, Missions 2
Key Stats: SS Ripken Reyes 2-for-4; DH Jackson Merrill 1-for-5, SB (1); RF Daniel Johnson 3-for-4, 3B, SB (18); LF Cole Cummings 1-for-3, 2B, BB; RHP Ryan Bergert 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R (0 ER), 3 K, 2 BB; RHP Raul Brito 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 K; RHP Adam Mazur 1 IP, 2 K
Raul Brito has 46 strikeouts in 33.2 combined innings for the organization. (Photo: Joe Alexander)
Prospect Watch: The Missions got four solid innings from Ryan Bergert but committed four errors and went just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position as they fell to Frisco to end their road trip. Bergert, making his second start since a promotion from High-A, yielded two unearned runs on two hits over four innings. The 23-year-old righty struck out three while issuing two walks. Bergert struggles with command at times, walking just over 11% of the batters he’s faced this year, but opponents in the Midwest League hit just .202 against him this year. … Raul Brito allowed his first earned run in 11.2 frames since joining the Missions bullpen last month. The 26-year-old signed as a minor league free agent after seven seasons in the Marlins organization and has been a strong performer this year. Over 33.2 combined innings, he’s struck out 46 batters in the Padres system. … Adam Mazur, working in relief for the third time in a week since his own promotion, worked a clean inning with a pair of strikeouts to bounce back from a rough outing against Frisco on Thursday. While he’s struck out seven without a walk in his 4.2 Texas League innings, last year’s second-round pick has given up five runs. … Daniel Johnson continued his torrid stretch with three more hits, including a triple. The 28-year-old has reached the big leagues twice and has hit nine of his last 10 games while posting a 1.172 OPS for the month.
Bodi Rascon was solid on Sunday. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Lake County Loons 2, TinCaps 1
Key Stats: DH Nathan Martorella 1-for-3; 3B Graham Pauley 1-for-4; LHP Bodi Rascon 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 2 BB
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps mustered just two hits, wasting a strong start by Bodi Rascon. The lefty yielded one run over five frames while striking out six and has now allowed just four runs over his last 22 innings. An overslot day three signee out of high school in Texas back in 2013, Rascon is in the middle of his best professional season with a 3.93 ERA. Having dropped his arm slot a bit more this year, he’s increased his strikeouts but also has walked 31 in 55 frames. … Captains’ pitching carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Nathan Martorella collected a single to break it up. Martorella, the top offensive prospect on the TinCaps roster, has reached in 10 straight games. A left-handed hitter, the first baseman has shown only moderate platoon splits in his first full season since the Padres selected him in the fifth round last year.
Storm 9, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 8
Key Stats: SS Rosman Verdugo 2-for-3, 3B, BB, SB (13); RF Braedon Karpathios 1-for-2, 3 OF Assists; C Victor Duarte 1-for-2, 2B, 2 BB, SB (2), 2 PB; RHP Miguel Mendez 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 K, 3 BB; RHP Cole Paplham (S, 6), 1 IP 2 K
Rosman Verdugo has settled in as one of the youngest players in the Cal League. (Photo: Rosman Verdugo)
Prospect Watch: The Storm put up a five-spot in the eighth inning to rally to win the series finale. Shortstop Rosman Verdugo had a key two-run triple in the rally as he collected a pair of hits on the day. The 18-year-old from Ensenada, Mexico, is amid a stellar month, posting a .924 OPS while cutting his strikeout rate to 21%. While he’ll need to add more strength, he’s shown a good feel for the barrel in his first full season. … Braedon Karpathios, who entered the game when Samuel Zavala was ejected in the third inning for arguing a strike call, sparked the winning rally with a bunt single to lead off the eighth. The 20-year-old, who signed as an undrafted free agent last summer, has reached base at a .500 clip since rejoining Lake Elsinore previous month thanks to a patient approach and discerning eye at the plate. In the field, the Pennsylvania native pulled off an impressive trifecta, throwing out baserunners at second, third, and home over six innings in the field. He came into the game with one in 91 innings in right for the Storm. … While he’s buried on the depth chart behind Ethan Salas and Oswaldo Linares, Victor Duarte has shown some solid skills on both sides of the ball when he’s gotten into the lineup. The 22-year-old backstop had a double and drew a pair of walks Sunday. He hasn’t gotten 30 at-bats in any month yet but is hitting .280/.379/.520 in July.