Padres Down on the Farm: June 5 (Noel Vela 11 K’s for LE/Eguy Rosario & CJ Abrams combine for 7 hits/O’Grady just misses cycle)
Credit: MiLB
San Diego Padres affiliates went 2-2 on Saturday.
Here is the recap of the day’s events.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 12-9 to Round Rock) (11-15 on the season)
James Reeves – 1.1 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO
Brian O’Grady – (3-for-5), HR, 3B, 2B, 3 RBIs, 2 Runs, SO
Patrick Kivlehan – (3-for-5) 3 RBIs, Run, SO
Gosuke Katoh – (2-for-4) 2B, Run, SO
A slugfest went down in Round Rock on Saturday. For the Chihuahuas, it was Brian O’Grady leading the charge. He fell a single shy of completing the coveted baseball cycle. All season long, O’Grady raked in the minors with a 1.072 OPS. When he gets pulled up to the big leagues, he doesn’t look like the same player with a .442 OPS. The Padres signed him to a major league deal, so they believe his bat will play at the next level. Consistent at-bats seem to be the key to his success.
Brian O’Grady powered up today for @epchihuahuas!
✅ 2B
✅ 3B
✅ HR pic.twitter.com/SO38I07GxE— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 6, 2021
On the pitching side of the game, the bullpen game didn’t work out. Brett Kennedy and Pedro Avila successfully held the Express scoreless for the first three innings. Then James Reeves let the game slip from El Paso’s hands. In less than two innings pitched, he gave up five runs, including a three-run homer. Following him was Aaron Northcraft, who didn’t fare any better. He gave up five runs while only managing to get two outs.
San Antonio Missions (Won 17-1 over Springfield) (14-15 on the season)
Osvaldo Hernandez – 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO
Eguy Rosario – (4-for-5) HR, 2B, 5 RBIs, 2 Runs, BB, SO
CJ Abrams – (3-for-5) 3 Runs, BB, SO
Taylor Kohlwey – (2-for-4) HR, 4 RBI, 3 Runs, 2 BB
Speaking of a slugfest, the Missions just had a one-sided slugfest against the Springfield Cardinals. As a team, they had 18 hits, 17 runs, eight walks, and perhaps most surprising of all, only five extra-base hits. Eguy Rosario led the offense with four hits and falling a triple shy of the cycle. This may be one of the games where the offense just clicks into place. Across the lineup, the team was hitting, and it wasn’t just against the starter. They got all of their runs off of three different pitchers.
The Missions were victorious 17-1 against Springfield with 18 hits and 3 home runs. Eguy Rosario is tonight’s Frost Bank Player of the Game. He went4-5 with a HR, 2B, and he tied his career high with 5 RBI. pic.twitter.com/LpCRvUQUGG
— San Antonio Missions (@missionsmilb) June 6, 2021
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 5-11 to Cedar Rapids) (12-17 on the season)
Gabe Mosser – 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO
Jonny Homza – (2-for-5) RBI, Run, 3 SO
Agustin Ruiz – (2-for-3) HR, RBI, 2 Runs, 2 BB, SO
Reinaldo Ilarraza – (1-for-5) 3B, Run, SO
The TinCaps got going just too late in the game. In the 8th inning, they managed to score four runs, but they were still six runs in the hole. The pitching had been overrun by the seven extra-base hits by the Kernels. Gabe Mosser, the starting pitcher, quickly gave up three runs in the first (one of which was unearned). Mosser was drafted in the 27th round of the 2018 draft. He has slowly been progressing in the minors and currently owns a 4.33 ERA in High Single-A ball.
It does my heart so good to see @TinCaps baseball back in action at @ParkviewField. Fans galore and a big after-game fireworks show tonight. #FortWayne #Fireworks #drone pic.twitter.com/FFgCJd0Bp8
— John McGauley (@JohnMcGauley) June 6, 2021
Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 6-2 over Stockton) (13-16 on the season)
Noel Vela – 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 SO
Jordy Barley – (2-for-5) HR, 2 Runs, 2 RBIs, 3 SO
Robert Hassell III – (2-for-5) 2B
Jarryd Dale – (2-for-4) 2 RBIs, BB
Noel Vela was drafted in the 28th round of the 2018 draft. This season he is looking primed for a breakout, and this may be the breakout game. After two rough performances in the season, he has found his form to give himself a 2.92 ERA on the season. His one-run allowed and 11 strikeouts highlight the potential that he has.
Highly regarded prospects, Hassell and Barley, lead the offense to a big win. As a whole, these are two of the better bats on the team. Hassell has a team-leading .828 OPS, and Barley’s .714 is fourth on the team. It is easy to be optimistic about Barley. On May 19th, he had a .217/.254/.400 slash line. Since then, he has increased it to .254/.289/.430.
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Sunday’s Probable Pitchers
El Paso – Evan Miller (1-0 2.00 ERA)
San Antonio – Aaron Leasher (1-2 5.17 ERA)
Fort Wayne – Moises Lugo (0-1 3.68 ERA)
Lake Elsinore – TBD
Evan is a student finishing up a degree in Finance from Northern Arizona University. The ability to break down numbers and find the story behind them has lead to his first of writing for East Village times. He covers baseball which is the sport he grew up playing and has followed even after his playing years.