Down on the Farm: April 9 – Lots of Home Runs
Credit: EVT News
El Paso Chihuahuas (4-1) Won 14-0
This was a blowout from the start. The Chihuahuas kicked off the scoring with a two-run home run from Dusty Coleman and never looked back. The Chihuahuas plated four more runs in the third on a two-run single by Diego Goris and a two-run single by Javy Guerra. They followed with two more in the fourth on a two-run double by Raffy Lopez and another three in the fifth inning on a single by Kyle Lloyd, a passed ball, and an RBI groundout by Travis Jankowski. Diego Goris and Brett Nicholas both homered in the later innings, putting across three more runs for the Chihuahuas. The Chihuahuas pitching staff shut out the 51s behind a strong seven-inning outing by Kyle Lloyd and scoreless innings of relief from Colten Brewer and T.J. Weir. Every single Chihuahua in the starting lineup got a hit, including three from Franchy Cordero (3-6, 1 2B), three from Diego Goris (3-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R), and two from Brett Nicholas, Travis Jankowski, Franmil Reyes, and Javy Guerra.
San Antonio Missions (4-1) Won 5-2
Just like with the Chihuahuas, this game was all about the Missions’ pitching. However, they did need some run support to get the job done. The Missions began the scoring in the second inning after a single by Kyle Overstreet, a double from Michael Gettys, and an RBI groundout by River Stevens. Despite still having a runner at third and just one out, the Missions were unable to push across another run. The Missions were quiet at the plate until two more runs in the fifth inning, on an RBI triple by Fernando Tatis Jr. and a passed ball that plated Tatis. The Missions added two more runs in the eighth inning on solo home runs from Austin Allen and Kyle Overstreet. Robert Stock ran into some trouble in the ninth inning, as Northwest Arkansas plated two runs, but Stock was able to strike out the side to get out of trouble.
Lake Elsinore Storm (3-2) Lost 7-1
Hudson Potts kicked off the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the first, but that was all the offense the Storm were able to muster. The Visalia Rawhide pushed across four runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back. They added three more in the bottom of the second and the game went scoreless on both sides for the last seven innings. Ronald Bolanos (1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K) and Blake Rogers (3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 HR) struggled but Elliot Ashbeck (3 IP, 3 K) and Dauris Valdez (1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB) put in solid outings in relief. On offense, the Storm only got four hits as a team. It’s been a slow start for the Storm on offense, as only one player is hitting over .300 (Hudson Potts, .375) and only one other player is hitting over .200 (Eguy Rosario, .235).
Fort Wayne TinCaps (0-5) Lost 10-1
Similarly to the Storm, the TinCaps kicked off the scoring in the top of the first with a home run by Jeisson Rosario. However, they didn’t score any more runs for the rest of the game. The Lansing Lugnuts kicked off scoring on their end with a five-run top of the second inning against Tom Cosgrove. Ben Sheckler came in next, as the TinCaps were piggybacking the two in the rotation, and he gave up four runs of his own in four innings of work. The Lugnuts added one more run in the ninth to make it a 10-1 final. Justin Lopez and Tre Carter both had two hits, but the TinCaps struck out 18 times in total and have struggled to muster much offense in the first five games of the season. They look to get off the schneid with MacKenzie Gore taking the mound on Tuesday night.
Tuesday’s Probable Starters
El Paso Chihuahuas – Eric Lauer
San Antonio Missions – Cal Quantrill
Lake Elsinore Storm – Emmanuel Ramirez
Fort Wayne TinCaps – MacKenzie Gore
Prospects of Note
Javy Guerra – SS, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
2-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R, 3 K
This is about as much of a Javier Guerra stat line as you will see. Similarly to Michael Gettys, Guerra has not been able to maintain any level of consistency since joining the Padres’ organization. Sure, he’s had his moments at the plate, but the strikeouts have always piled up too frequently. However, Guerra has gotten off to a solid start this year with a .375/.444/.813 slash line through his first five games. He has struck out or walked in half of his at-bats (six strikeouts and two walks), but he also has two home runs and a double on the season. It’s way too early to say Guerra is a changed man, but maybe this is a sign of something good to come. It’s hard to believe, but Guerra is still just 22 years old. It’s not too late for him to finally figure things out.
Kyle Lloyd – RHP, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
Austin Allen – C, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
3-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
Austin Allen is picking up right where he left off last year. Slashing .350/.381/.850 through five games, Allen is showing himself to be one of the Padres’ most consistent minor league hitters. Allen already has three home runs and a double on the season and looks poised to have a big year. Allen spent the entirety of the 2017 season in the Cal League, putting up a .283/.353/.497 line with 22 home runs and 33 doubles. At this point, the 24-year-old has shown himself to be an extra base machine. If not for his lack of defensive prowess, Allen could probably be a quick mover through the system. However, he still has quite a bit of work to do with the glove to catch up to the bat.
Jesse Scholtens – RHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
After splitting the 2017 season between Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore, and posting a combined 3.60 ERA in just over 147 innings, Scholtens had a strong first outing in San Antonio. Scholtens is a little older than some of the other pitching prospects in the system (currently 24 years old) and lacks the upside of some of the other guys, but he is still interesting in his own right. There is definitely a gap between him and the likes of Cal Quantrill, Eric Lauer, and some others, but Scholtens could close that gap with a strong season in San Antonio.
Hudson Potts – 3B, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI
It’s only been five games, but third baseman Hudson Potts already has four doubles and a home run with a .375/.412/.813. The hope is that Potts can be the answer for the Padres at third base long term, and if he can keep showing the extra base power he showed at the end of last year and beginning of this year, he could be a factor in San Diego long term.
Elliot Ashbeck – RHP, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Editorial and Prospect Writer for East Village Times. Twenty-five years young, Patrick has lived in San Diego for his entire life and has been a Padres fan nearly as long. Patrick lives for baseball and is always looking to learn new things about the game he loves through advanced stats.