Padres Down on the Farm: May 2 (Lawson Tosses Gem, El Paso Finally Loses)
Credit: Sod Poodles
The San Diego Padres minor league affiliates went 3-1 on Thursday.
Here is a recap of the day’s action.
El Paso Chihuahuas lose 2-0 (19-8 on the season)
The Chihuahuas 12 game winning streak came to an end in the series finale with the Fresno Grizzlies. Dietrich Enns started and took the loss for the Chihuahuas, while Fresno starter Kyle McGowin earned his second victory of the year.
It was the first time all season that the Chihuahuas had been shutout all season, something that has not happened very often in the offensive-minded Pacific Coast League. The only runs of the game came in the bottom of the second inning when Andrew Stevenson and Jake Noll each singled in a run for the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies’ pitching staff was phenomenal in this game. They managed to hold the best and hottest offense in the league to only three hits on the day and zero extra-base hits. Enns pitched a solid game, allowing only two runs on eight hits through five innings. Gerardo Reyes, Eric Yardley, and Tyler Higgins held the Grizzlies scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Josh Naylor: 1-4
Jason Vosler: 1-4, K
Dietrich Enns: 5 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 7 K
Eric Yardley: IP, 2 H, 3 K
Gerardo Reyes: IP, 2 H, 2 K
Amarillo Sod Poodles won 1-0 (11-16 on the season)
The Amarillo Sod Poodles entered today’s contest with the Springfield Cardinals looking to avoid their fifth straight loss. With one of the more talented rosters in the Texas League, the Sod Poodles have severely underachieved thus far in 2019.
Amarillo scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the first inning. Edward Olivares singled on a ground ball to the pitcher and stole second base during Owen Miller‘s at-bat. With two outs in the inning, Luis Torrens reached on a throwing error by shortstop Kramer Robertson that would ultimately score Olivares. This would be the only run scored in the entire game by either team.
In another low-scoring affair, Amarillo starter Reggie Lawson cruised through the Cardinals lineup. The 21-year-old right-hander pitched 6 and 1/3 innings of one-hit baseball, no run baseball while striking out five and walking three. Lawson improved to 3-1 on the season and lowered his ERA down to a 4.76.
Lawson was locked in, saying after the game that “My main focus is my mental game. My intensity pitch by pitch, staying in the moment, not worrying about what is going to happen next — just focusing on that pitch.” Lawson told EVT.
Philip Wellman reiterated just how locked in Lawson was by saying “He was focused. We mandated a few things before the game for him. He’s not really a big fan of throwing his changeup, and I bet he threw 20 of them tonight,” Wellman said.
After Lawson departed the Sod Poodles put the game in the hands of their bullpen. Kyle McGrath finished the seventh inning and handed the ball off to Darius Valdez, who pitched a scoreless eighth. David Bednar came into the ninth and shut the door on the Cardinals, earning his second save of the season.
Reggie Lawson: 6 1/3 IP, H, 3 BB, 5 K
Edward Olivares: 1-4, Run Scored, K
Hudson Potts: 1-3, BB
Luis Torrens: 0-2, 2 BB
David Bednar: IP, 2 H, BB, K, SV
Lake Elsinore Storm
The Lake Elsinore Storm entered the series finale with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes looking to avoid a sweep at the hands of their divisional rivals.
Lake Elsinore found themselves on the board after Allen Cordoba‘s first home run of the season. The young shortstop was added to the Storm roster after Kevin Melean went to the injured list. Lake Elsinore scored again in the top of the seventh inning when Oliver Basabe crossed home plate on a wild pitch by Kevin Malisheski, and the Storm took a 3-0 lead into the bottom half of the inning.
Starting pitcher Ronald Bolanos cruised through his first six innings, but the 22-year-old encountered some trouble in the seventh inning. Devin Mann worked a bases-loaded walk to get the Quakes on the board with no outs in the inning. Bolanos was removed one batter later, and reliever Evan Miller took over with the bases loaded and one out. Steve Barman’s sacrifice fly to right fielder Tirso Ornelas made it a 3-2 game, and Brandon Montgomery‘s three-run home run gave the Quakes a 5-3 lead.
Lake Elsinore would not go down without a fight. Eguy Rosario drew a four-pitch leadoff walk and advanced to third on a Taylor Kohlwey double. Jalen Washington‘s ground out to shortstop Jeter Downs scored Rosario, and suddenly the Storm cut the deficit to one. Robbie Podorsky‘s first home run on the season gave the lead back to Lake Elsinore.
Reliever Evan Miller shut the Quakes down in the bottom of the ninth inning to seal the victory for Lake Elsinore. Podorsky’s home run was the difference in this game as the Storm snapped their five-game losing streak.
Taylor Kohlwey: 2-3, Run Scored, 2B,
Allen Cordoba: 1-2, Run Scored, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K
Luis Campusano: 1-2, Run Scored, 2 BB, K
Robbie Podorsky: 2-5, Run Scored, 2 RBI, HR
Ronald Bolanos: 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K
Fort Wayne TinCaps lost 4-3 (12-14 on the season)
Coming off a big win and an offensive explosion yesterday, the Fort Wayne TinCaps looked to build off that momentum in the series finale with the Kane County Cougars.
Fort Wayne struck first in this one by putting runs on the board in the first and second inning. A wild pitch by Cougars starter Franklyn Soriano scored Tucupita Marcano and gave the TinCaps a 1-0 lead in the ballgame. Kane County had an answer for that run, however, as Eddie Hernadez’ infield single in the top of the second scored Blaze Alexander and tied the game.
The TinCaps chased Kane County starter Franklyn Soriano after only one inning. In the bottom half of the second, Xavier Edwards was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and scored Luis Almanzar. Grant Little followed Edwards’ bases-loaded hit-by-pitch by working a full-count walk to score Nick Feight from third. The TinCaps scored both of these runs without recording a hit and took a 3-1 lead into the top of the third inning.
Just like they did earlier, the Cougars responded by scoring three runs in the top of the third. Buddy Kennedy doubled in Zachery Almond and then scored himself on an Alek Thomas triple. Thomas would later score on a Blaze Alexander single and the Cougars suddenly found themselves on top 4-3.
That would be all of the offense for the remainder of the game, as each team’s pitching staff held the other’s offense scoreless for six straight frames. Gabe Mosser threw a solid game for the TinCaps but earned his first loss of the season. Relievers Carlos Belen and Jonathan Guzman combined for three scoreless innings in relief of Mosser, but the TinCaps still came up short. Reliever Kenny Hernandez earned his second win of the season for the Cougars, as they take the series with Fort Wayne.
Tucupita Marcano: 2-5, Run Scored, 3B
Luis Almanzar: 1-2, Run Scored, 2 BB
Grant Little: 0-2, RBI, 2 BB, K
Gabe Mosser: 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, BB, 4 K
Carlos Belen: 2 IP, H, 3 K
Projected Starters for Friday, May 3rd
El Paso: Bryan Mitchell vs. Jaime Barria (Salt Lake)
Amarillo: Jesse Scholtens vs. Austin Warner (Springfield)
Lake Elsinore: Aaron Leasher vs. TBD (Lancaster)
Fort Wayne: TBD vs. Nivaldo Rodriguez (Quad Cities)
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.