Padres Minor League Roundup For August 13th
Feb 21, 2014; Peoria, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Rymer Liriano (64) poses for a photo during photo day at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
SWEEP
Last night the Padres used the enormous bat of Rymer Liriano and his Giancarlo Stanton-esque monster home run to take the third and final game of a three game sweep at home against the ailing Rockies, 5-3.
And to top it all off, the San Diego Padres have the best record in the National League since the All Star break. The best part of that statement is that it’s true. A huge amount of credit should go to the former prospects who have since developed into impact players on the roster. Players like Tommy Medica, Jesse Hahn, and if last night’s game was any indication, Rymer Liriano, have the potential to be the key ingredients in building a successful ball club. Jake Goebbert got his much deserved call up for the second time this season after hitting fourteen home runs and batting .296 in Triple A.
The Padres’ minor league affiliates made it a day of losing, going 1-for-7 for their efforts.
You know what? It’s not about the team records. It’s about the prospects, and the prospects keep racking up stats.
One prospect to keep an eye on is the brand-new Chihuahua, Yeison Asencio. He’s is a career .292 hitter in his five seasons in the minors, hitting .284 with ten home runs this season with San Antonio. Asencio was recently called up to El Paso with the promotion of Rymer Liriano and has gone 5-for-6 with a double and a home run.
With Everth Cabrera now shelved, Tyler Greene could be worth looking at in El Paso as well, hitting .291 for the season.
One thing is certain. The Padres are trending up, and they are doing so because of the bats (and arms) of their prospects.
May 2, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Andrew Cashner (34) throws during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Triple A: El Paso Chihuahuas (60-65)
The highly anticipated arrival of Andrew Cashner in El Paso was short lived. His rehab assignment went sour in a heart beat and he was ultimately tagged with the Loss as the Chihuahuas were downed by the Nashville Sound 13-3.
It wasn’t all bad. This was the unveiling of San Diego’s most under the radar minor leaguer as a legitimate contender to be a top 20 prospect in the system. With plenty of scouts and media in the stands to cover Andrew Cashner’s recovery, Yeison Asencio put on a show that won’t soon be forgotten. The twenty-four year old Dominican homered to lead off the bottom of the second inning, singled in the third inning, and hit a lead off double in the eighth inning. The only time he didn’t reach base was on a ground out in the fifth. This is coming just one day after Tuesday’s 2-for-2 effort in his debut. I would expect the hype-train to roll into the station any day now for the impressive outfielder.With Carlos Quentin, Everth Cabrera,Yonder Alonso on the DL, and Yangervis Solarte day-to-day, Asencio couldn’t have picked a better time to shine.
Cashner struck out two in the first and looked fine, but gave up a solo home run, and a two run shot in his 2.2 innings of work.
Cody Decker and Taylor Lindsey both struggled, going a combined 1-for-7 with a walk and four strikeouts.
Future Friar of the Game
Yeison Asencio: 3-for-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI
Future Friar of the Game
Taylor Lindsey: 1-for-4, 2 K
Cody Decker: 0-for-3, BB, 2K, E
Keyvius Sampson: 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB
Cory Spangenberg-Mandatory Credit: 9inningknowitall.com
Double A: San Antonio Missions (60-62)
The San Antonio Missions hosted the Arkansas Travelers and had a scoreless pitchers duel heading into the final frame. Apparently the ninth inning is when the bats come alive for Arkansas, as the Missions would give up three unanswered runs and go on to lose 3-0.
Josh Geer was lights out for the Padres’ Double A squad, putting in seven strong innings of work by striking out five and only allowing three hits. Frank Garces came in for relief duty and put away the Travelers in the eighth, only to get lit up in the ninth, giving up three runs on three singles and two walks.
The Missions got a mini rally going with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when Austin Hedges and Diego Goris hit back-to-back singles. However, the rally was cut short when Adam Buschini was called out on strikes to end the game.
Cory Spangenberg made the best of a bad situation, going 2-for-4 with a triple. Austin Hedges managed to salvage his night with his hit in the final inning. Hedges was 0-for-3 with a strikeout up until his final appearance. Hunter Renfroe continues to struggle in San Antonio going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Renfroe had hit .295 with fourteen home runs in Lake Elsinore before getting promoted.
Future Friar of the Game
Cory Spangenberg: 2-for-4, 3B
Austin Hedges: 1-for-4, K
Future Friar of the Game
Hunter Renfroe: 0-for-4, 2 K
Frank Garces: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, L
Single A: Lake Elsinore Storm (66-56)
Lake Elsinore played the Inland Empire 66ers on the road again last night and lost the game 6-8 in a late effort.
Lake Elsinore’s pitching staff has struggled as of late, allowing six or more earned runs in six of their last twelve games. During that span the team has won just four games and eclipsed six runs just three times. You can start to see why the L’s have been piling up for the month of August. During this time, the Storm has lost their iron grip on the division. The team slipped down to third place but remains just one game out of first. It wasn’t a bad effort by the Storm, but it still wasn’t enough.
Mallex Smith opened up the scoring in the top of the third when he reached base on a throwing error and then scored on an Alberth Martinez double. Elliot Morris seemed to have things under control for Lake Elsinore. But after breezing through the first three innings, he gave up three singles, a double, and two walks (one intentional) which lead to the 66ers jumping ahead 3-1. Morris came back to pitch a scoreless fifth, which would be his last frame. Lake Elsinore relievers didn’t offer much … relief. Chris Nunn and Alan Oaks combined to allow 5 more runs over the next two innings. Now down by seven, Lake Elsinore went into beast mode and tried to salvage a win. Dane Phillips provided a three-run homer in the eighth to cut the deficit in half. With the walls closing in, Jeremy Baltz and Duanel Jones both hit home runs in the ninth. Lake Elsinore would leave two on and get two consecutive outs to end the game.
Future Friar of the Game
Dane Phillips: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI, K
Alberth Martinez: 2-for-5, 2B, R, RBI
Future Friar of the Game
Lake Elsinore Storm Pitching Staff: 8 IP, 13 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 6 BB, 6 K
Padres First Round pick Trea Turner-Mandatory Credit: MiLB.com
Single A: Fort Wayne Tincaps (53-67)
The Fort Wayne Tincaps lost a close one on the road to the Lansing Lugnuts last night. The final score was 2-3.
The story continues to be Trea Turner. Through 28 games in Fort Wayne, Turner now boasts a .427 batting average while managing to get on base at a .496 clip. Turner has been making headlines with his bat and his legs. He seems to be perfectly suited for the leadoff role. In the last ten games, Turner has amassed six runs and six RBIs on four walks and sixteen hits (two of which left the yard).
Turner had one hit last night but made it count. It was a two-out single in the seventh that put the first run on the board for the Tincaps. One batter later and it was Padres #12 overall prospect, Dusting Peterson who knocked in an RBI single to tie the game at two. The lead was short-lived. In the bottom half of the seventh inning, Lansing scored what would become the winning run on a wild pitch.
The Tincaps have lost four of their last five. Fort Wayne continues to be one of the most interesting farm teams to follow. With so many of the Padres’ top prospects on the roster performing well, the Tincaps will continue to be must-see baseball for the remainder of the season.
Future Friar of the Game
Trea Turner: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
Future Friar of the Game
Franmil Reyes: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Mandatory Credit: Arizona Tourism and Events
Single A: Eugene Emeralds (24-34) Lost 2-1
Rookie: AZL Padres (13-30) Won 5-4
Rookie: DSL Padres (15-46) Lost 9-14