Down on the Farm: April 30th (Marcano Records Four Hits, Chihuahuas Stay Hot)
(Tucupita Marcano) Credit: AP Photo
The San Diego Padres minor league affiliates went 1-2 on the day.
The Amarillo Sod Poodles were off and will resume action tomorrow against the Springfield Cardinals.
Here is a recap of the day’s action.
El Paso Chihuahuas
The offensive juggernaut that is the El Paso Chihuahuas continued their hot start to the 2019 season and won their 11th straight game.
That did not look so promising after the first inning, however, as Collin Cowgill and Yadiel Hernandez both homered off starter Dillon Overton to put the Grizzlies up by two. Overton would surrender three runs, two earned, on five hits while walking one and striking out four over four innings.
Jason Vosler homered in the top of the second inning for the Chihuahuas to make the score 2-1. Henderson Alvarez, the pitcher, grounded out to shortstop Luis Urias in the fourth to score Yadiel Hernandez. The Chihuahuas bats came alive in the fifth inning. Michael Gettys homered to lead off the inning and doubles from both Alex Dickerson, and Austin Allen gave El Paso a 4-3 lead. Jason Vosler hit his second home run of the game in the top of the sixth inning.
The Grizzlies answered Vosler’s home run with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning off the bat of Andrew Stevenson to pull within one. After two scoreless innings by both teams, the Chihuahuas woke up their bats in the top of the ninth. After Luis Urias was hit by a pitch and Josh Naylor singled, Alex Dickerson drove in Urias on a single to center field. Seth Mejias-Brean grounded into a fielders choice to score Naylor and gave El Paso a 7-4 lead.
Things just had to get interesting in the bottom of the ninth inning. Collin Cowgill smacked a 1-0 pitch from Fernando Rodriguez Jr. for his second home run of the game. Rodriguez would bounce back, however, as he retired the next three batters to end the game.
Eric Yardley earned the win for the Chihuahuas, and Rodriguez Jr. recorded the save. El Paso is off to an 18-7 start, the best in the league, and have won an incredible 11 games in a row.
Jason Vosler: 2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 Runs Scored, K
Michael Gettys: 2-5, HR, Run Scored, RBI, K
Alex Dickerson: 4-5, 2B, 3 1B, Run Scored, RBI
Austin Allen: 2-5, RBI, 2B
Carlos Torres: 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K
Lake Elsinore Storm Lost 8-3 (11-15 on the season)
Mason Thompson was unable to replicate the success that left-hander MacKenzie Gore had yesterday, as the 21-year-old gave up a three-run home run to Carlos Rincon in the first inning and only lasted three innings on the day. Thompson struggled mightily with his command as he walked six batters during his short start.
Cody Tyler and Steven Wilson finished the game out for the Storm. They combined for five runs on seven hits, no walks, and five strikeouts over five innings pitched. Both of them also surrendered a home run to the Quakes. Jeter Downs led the Quakes with three hits in the game and also drove in two runs.
For the second straight night, the Storm was unable to get their offense going. Robbie Podorsky singled in Gabriel Arias in the second inning, and Oliver Basabe worked a bases-loaded walk to plate Taylor Kohlwey. The Storm scored their third run of the game in the top of the eighth inning when Podorsky scored on a passed ball by catcher Tre Todd.
Tirso Ornelas: 2-5, 2B
Robbie Podorsky: 2-4, RBI, Run Scored, SB, 2B
Gabriel Arias: 2-2, Run Scored
Luis Campusano: 1-4, BB, 2B
Oliver Basabe: 0-2, RBI, 2 BB, HBP
Fort Wayne TinCaps lost 7-4 (11-13 on the season)
After an off day, the TinCaps found themselves up early. Tucupita Marcano reached on an infield single to plate Xavier Edwards in the first inning. The TinCaps offense continued in the bottom of the second, as they scored three runs to take a 4-0 lead into the third. Jawuan Harris singled in Justin Lopez, and a Xavier Edwards sacrifice fly allowed Blake Hunt to score as well. Tucupita Marcano continued his hot start to the season by scoring Nick Feight on a single to center fielder Alek Thomas.
The TinCaps early lead did not last very long. Kane County tagged starting pitcher Ramon Perez for two runs in the fourth inning. Perez exited after recording one out in the fifth, but all three of Kane County’s runs in the inning would count towards him. The 19-year-old gave up five runs on six hits, walked four, and struck out two over 4, and 1/3 innings pitched. Kane County would add on a run in both the sixth and seventh inning, off of relievers Jose Quezada and Henry Henry, essentially securing their 15th victory of the season.
Fort Wayne’s offense went dormant after the first two innings, as the TinCaps failed to score a run for the rest of the game. Both Ethan Larrison and Chester Pimentel combined for no runs on six hits, three walks, and four strikeouts over 4 and 2/3 innings pitched. Larrison earned the victory, while Pimentel notched his second save of the season.
Tucupita Marcano: 4-5, 2 RBI, 4 1B
Xavier Edwards: 2-4, RBI, Run Scored, 3B, SAC, FC
Blake Hunt: 1-3. Run Scored, 2 BB, ROE
Nick Feight: 2-5, Run Scored, 2 1B
Henry Henry: 2 IP, H, ER, BB, 4 K’s
The Amarillo Sod Poodles were off today.
Probable Starters for Wednesday, May 1
El Paso: TBD vs. Austin Voth (Fresno)
Amarillo: Reggie Lawson vs. Williams Perez (Springfield)
Lake Elsinore: TBD vs. Edwin Uceta (Rancho Cucamonga)
Fort Wayne TinCaps: Efrain Contreras vs. TBD (Kane County)
Diego works at Prep Baseball Report as an Area Scout in Illinois and Missouri. He graduated this spring with a Bachelor Degree in Communications and played four years of college baseball, logging nearly 50 innings of work in a relief role. Diego hopes to work in an MLB front office one day and has been a Padres fan since he was six years old.