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By Bill Center
The minor leagues regular season ends Monday with low Single-A Fort Wayne advancing to the Midwest League playoffs with a win at Bowling Green and high Single-A Lake Elsinore winning a share of the California League’s second-half South Division title with a win over Rancho Cucamonga combined with an Inland Empire loss.
Led by infielder Fernando Perez (an Otay Ranch High product), Fort Wayne swept a doubleheader at Bowling Green Sunday to move a game ahead in the race for the final Midwest League playoff berth.
Meanwhile, Lake Elsinore starter Colin Rea allowed one hit over five shutout innings Sunday — a day after Matthew Shepherd threw five innings of no-hit ball — against Rancho Cucamonga. Left fielder Jeremy Baltz hit his 11th homer Sunday and drove in four runs as the Storm prevailed 6-3 in Lake Elsinore.
The Storm has qualified for the California League playoffs no matter what happens Monday.
ON THE MOVE: Right-handed pitcher Tayron Guerrero was activated from the seven-day disabled list with Single-A Lake Elsinore and right-hander Coby Cowgill was placed on the Storm’s seven-day disabled list.
AROUND THE FARM:
TRIPLE-A EL PASO (71-72): Chihuahuas 4, SALT LAKE 1: A win in Monday’s season finale will give the Chihuahuas a .500 record for their first season in El Paso. RHP Joe Wieland (2-1, 3.42 earned run average), who will be joining the Padres as a September call-up this week, allowed six hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over 6 1/3 shutout innings. LHP Chris Rearick (2.72) allowed two hits in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. RHP Jerry Sullivan (2.65) allowed a run on a hit and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. SS Tyler Greene (.306) was 3-for-4 with his ninth homer and three RBIs. 3B Jace Peterson (.302) was 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI. RF Yeison Asencio (.312) was 2-for-4. C Adam Moore (.299) was 2-for-3 with a double.
DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (68-71, 32-37): Missions 7, CORPUS CHRISTI 1 – RF Alex Dickerson (.331) was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. CF Lee Orr (.165) was 2-for-4 with his eighth homer, two RBIs and two runs scored. SS Diego Goris (.239) was 2-for-5. 2B Casey McElroy (.247) was 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored. Starting RHP Matt Branham (4.02 ERA) allowed one run on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts in four innings. RHP John Hussey (5-5, 4.23) allowed a hit and two walks in three scoreless innings to get the win. RHP Luis De La Cruz (2.69) had a strikeout in a perfect inning. LHP Frank Garces (1.93) allowed a hit with a strikeout in a scoreless ninth.
SINGLE-A (high) LAKE ELSINORE (75-64, 35-34): STORM 6, Rancho Cucamonga 3 – Rea (11-9, 3.88 ERA) struck out nine without walking a hitter over the five innings of one-hit shutout ball. RHP Tony Rizzotti (4.32) allowed two hits with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning. Guerrero (2.63) allowed a solo homer with two strikeouts in the seventh. RHP Adam Cimber (2.90) gave up two runs on three hits in the eighth. LHP Brandon Alger (2.70) struck out one in a perfect ninth to get his 15th save. Baltz (.241) was 2-for-3 with a double, a homer and the four RBIs. SS Jose Rondon (.319) was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. CF Mallex Smith (.327) was 1-for-3 with two runs scored. 3B Gabriel Quintana (.263) drove in two runs with a single.
SINGLE-A (low) FORT WAYNE (62-76, 32-37): TinCaps 3, BOWLING GREEN 1 | TinCaps,2, BOWLING GREEN 1 – Perez (.288) had two doubles in four at-bats in the first game with his three-run double in the fourth inning providing all the runs Fort Wayne would need. The three RBIs extended his single-season Fort Wayne record to 95. SS Trea Turner (.372) drew three walks and scored a run. 1B Jake Bauers (.299) also doubled. Starting RHP Kyle Lloyd (3.61 ERA) allowed one run on two hits and three walks with eight strikeouts over four innings. RHP Jason Jester (2-1, 1.71) allowed two hits over two scoreless innings to get the win. RHP Ryan Butler (0.87) stuck out the side around a walk in an inning to get his 10th save. Starting LHP Jeff Enloe (6-6, 3.84) allowed three hits with a strikeout over five scoreless innings to get the win in the second game. RHP Nick Mutz (2.41) allowed a run on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts over two innings to get the save. The TinCaps bunched three of their four hits in the fourth for their two runs. Bauers opened the rally with a walk. C John Nester (.283) singled. RF Nick Schulz (.349) doubled home Bauers with the first of his two hits. LF Henry Charles (.236) singled home Nester.
SINGLE-A (short season) EUGENE (30-45, 15-22): HILLSBORO 7, Emeralds 1 – 1B Marcus Davis (.322) was 3-for-4 with a double. Starting LHP Payton Baskette (0-2, 5.52 ERA) allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. RHP Elvin Liriano (3.86) allowed a run on a hit and two walks with two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings.
See the full scoreboard from yesterday on the farm here.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
