Decker named PCL Player of the Week

Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.

El Paso first baseman Cody Decker was named the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Player of the Week, and outfield prospects Travis Jankowski and Nick Torres extended their hitting streaks into double digits Monday.

Decker, 28, hit four home runs, including two grand slams, and drove in 15 runs last week for El Paso. Decker, who also had back-to-back four-hit games and two doubles, was 11-for-28 during the week, with a .393 batting average and a .893 slugging percentage.

Decker was the Padres' 22nd-round selection in the 2009 Draft out of UCLA. He is the all-time leader in home runs in San Diego's Minor League system, with 133. Decker is hitting .272 this season and leads the Chihuahuas in home runs (six) and RBIs (21).

Jankowski, 23, hit his first homer of the season Monday night for Double-A San Antonio. The home run extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

Jankowski is hitting .326 (14-for-43) during his second double-digit hitting streak of the season, with five RBIs and 11 runs scored. The 44th overall pick in the 2012 Draft has the sixth-highest batting average (.345) in the Texas League, and he is tied for the league lead in runs (25) and is second in steals (13).

Jankowski has also reached base in a Texas League-leading 27 straight games.

Torres, 21, was 2-for-4 Monday to extend his hitting streak with Class A Fort Wayne to 11 games (18-for-45). He ranks second in the Midwest League in hitting (.349) and leads the league in runs (24). Torres was the Padres' fourth-round pick last June out of Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.

Torres is not the only Fort Wayne hitter on a hot streak. First baseman/third baseman Duanel Jones celebrated his 22nd birthday Monday going 3-for-4 with a double and RBI to raise his batting average to.344. He has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games (12-for-39), with four of his five homers on the season for 12 RBIs. Jones has nine RBIs in his past six games.

Jones ranks fourth in the Midwest League in batting average behind Torres. He is tied for second in homers and tied for the league lead in RBIs (25).

Fort Wayne also made a move Monday, promoting infielder Chase Jensen from the roster of short-season Class A Tri-City while returning infielder Nick Vitter to the Dust Devils.

Around the farm

Triple-A El Paso (19-13): Las Vegas 3, Chihuahuas 1. RHP Chris Smith (6.10 ERA) allowed four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in six scoreless innings. RHP Leonel Campos allowed a walk and a run in one-third of an inning. LHP Chris Rearick (0-1, 7.20 ERA) allowed two runs on a hit and a walk without recording an out. LF Tommy Medica (.277) was 1-for-3 with a walk and a steal, and he scored El Paso's lone run.

Double-A San Antonio (14-17): Corpus Christi 2, Missions 1. RHP Justin Hancock (2.63 ERA) allowed three hits and five walks with two strikeouts in five scoreless innings. RHP Luis De La Crus (0-2, 6.57 ERA) allowed two runs on four hits and a walk in an inning to suffer the loss. DH Yeison Asencio (.287) went 3-for-4. LF Alberth Martinez (.299) was 2-for-3.

Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore (15-16). The Storm was off Monday.

Class A Fort Wayne (10-18): Lake County 16, TinCaps 5. 1B Trae Santos (.241) was 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs to back Torres and Jones. LF Franchy Cordero was 2-for-5. LHP Thomas Dorminy (2-3, 6.00 ERA) gave up eight runs on eight hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings. LHP Payton Baskette (6.06 ERA) allowed four runs on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings.