Sod Poodles win Texas League title
Here’s a look at the top performances of the past week by Padres prospects in the Minor Leagues:
Sunday, Sept. 15: Double-A Amarillo takes Game 5
Taylor Trammell’s ninth-inning grand slam helped lift the Amarillo Sod Poodles to an 8-3 victory over Tulsa in the fifth and deciding game of the Texas League championship series.
Trammell, the Padres’ No. 2 prospect, was acquired via trade from the Reds at the Trade Deadline this year. He’s been hot this postseason, with multiple hits in the first two games of the Texas League Championship Series, including a triple and a home run in the same inning of Game 2. The grand slam was his third homer of the playoffs and the four RBIs brought him to a total of 11 across 10 postseason games.
Padres No. 11 prospect Hudson Potts added some insurance runs in the same frame, hitting a three-run homer to pad the lead. Potts finished the game 3-for-5 with his second playoff dinger. The 2016 first-round MLB Draft pick finished with a .300 average in the 2019 Texas League playoffs.
The Sod Poodles didn’t score until the eighth, when a run was walked home, and they hung seven runs in the ninth. Prior to that, the Drillers led 3-0 thanks to Dodgers prospect Jeter Downs’ RBI single and two-run homer in the fifth and seventh innings.
This season was the first in franchise history for the Sod Poodles, and it ends in a championship for the Padres’ newest affiliate. Sunday's prospect stats »
Saturday, Sept. 14: Sod Poodles tie Texas League finals
The Texas League finals are tied at two. Facing elimination on the road in Game 4, Double-A Amarillo relied on strong starting pitching and a couple of homers to win, 3-0, over Tulsa.
The Sod Poodles struck early as Ivan Castillo, who hit a career-high eight homers during the regular season, hit a solo homer in the first inning and then Buddy Reed (the Padres' No. 25 prospect) hit a solo homer of his own, his second of the championship series, in the following frame. Amarillo scratched across a third run in the sixth inning, which was more than enough insurance for the pitching staff.
Jesse Scholtens, a ninth-round pick from the 2016 Draft, got the start and threw five scoreless frames and then passed the ball off to Jordan Guerrero and Travis Radke, who each continued the trend of putting zeros on the board.
Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore was unable to extend the California League finals and lost to Visalia in four games.
The Storm fell, 4-3, on Saturday night via a walk-off double in the 10th inning.
Xavier Edwards, the Padres' No. 5 prospect, and Gabriel Arias (No. 14) paced the Storm offense as each collected three hits andd the duo combined to go 6-for-9 with three RBIs. Saturday's prospect stats »
Friday, Sept. 13: Sod Poodles facing elimination
Double-A Amarillo trails Tulsa, 2-1, in the best-of-five Texas League Championship Series after dropping Game 3, 2-0, on Friday night.
Kyle Lloyd, a 29th-round pick from the 2013 MLB Draft, put together seven strong innings and gave up just two runs on four hits, but Tulsa starter Markus Solbach kept the Sod Poodles offense at bay with eight scoreless innings of his own.
Amarillo now faces a must-win Game 4 on Saturday and Game 5, if necessary, would take place Sunday. Both games would be in Tulsa
Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore dropped Game 3 of the California League finals and now trails Visalia, 2-1, in the best-of-five series.
Xavier Edwards, the Padres’ No. 5 prospect, led the Storm’s offense with a 3-for-4 night at the plate, but none of his teammates had multiple hits and the team lost, 4-2. Friday's prospect stats »
Wednesday, Sept. 11: Trammell posts huge first inning as Sod Poodles fall
No. 2 prospect Taylor Trammell set the tone for what turned out to be an absolute slugfest between Double-A Amarillo and Tulsa on Wednesday in the Texas League Championship Series. Major League Baseball’s No. 27 prospect tripled to lead off the bottom of the first inning, but he wasn’t done there. Trammell came to the plate again before the eight-run outburst was over and launched a three-run home run to left field.
That 8-3 lead after one inning evaporated immediately, though, when Tulsa reclaimed the lead with a six-run frame in the second. Amarillo couldn’t keep pace from there and eventually took the 18-9 loss in a game that featured a combined 26 hits, eight walks and seven home runs, including three long balls from Tulsa’s Jeter Downs.
No. 17 prospect Edward Olivares also homered for Amarillo and reached base four times, finishing 2-for-3 with the solo shot, two RBIs and two walks. After Amarillo won the opening game of the series, 13-6, on Tuesday, the two teams have combined for a whopping 46 runs over two days.
With the series now tied at one game apiece, the teams have the day off on Thursday before play resumes with Game 3 on Friday in Tulsa, where all remaining games of the best-of-five set will be played.
The Class A Short Season Tri-City Dust Devils have been eliminated from postseason play after dropping Game 5 of the Northwest League Championship Series, 3-1, to Hillsboro. After a 6-0 win on Tuesday to force the fifth and deciding championship game, Tri-City couldn’t string together much offensively with six hits, only one of which went for extra bases. Kelvin Melean went 2-for-4 with the lone RBI and Nick Gatewood went 2-for-4 with the lone double, but five of Tri-City’s batters were held hitless in the loss. Wednesday's prospect stats »
Tuesday, Sept. 10: Amarillo wins Game 1
Double-A Amarillo squandered an early lead before erupting to score seven runs in the eighth inning to take Game 1 of the Texas League Championship Series from Tulsa, 13-6.
After Tulsa pushed across three runs in the top of the eighth to tie the game, 6-6, the Sod Poodles responded by loading the bases with one out ahead of Padres No. 17 prospect Edward Olivares, who cleared the bases with a double to right field before scoring on a wild pitch. Brad Zunica added a two-run double to extend Amarillo’s lead, while Buddy Reed’s two-out single tacked on another insurance run.
Reed (No. 25) also hit a solo homer in the contest -- off No. 99 overall prospect Josiah Gray -- and scored a team-high three runs. Olivares and Hudson Potts (No. 11) both went 2-for-5 in the victory, while Taylor Trammell (No. 2, MLB No. 27) notched a pair of singles and drove in two runs from the leadoff spot.
After knocking off Rancho Cucamonga in the California League semifinals, Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore continued its run through postseason by defeating Visalia, 5-2, on Tuesday in Game 1 of the best-of-five CAL Championship Series.
Pacing the Storm’s offense in the victory was Padres No. 12 prospect Tirso Ornelas, who went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run. The 19-year-old outfielder also reached base in each of his four trips to the plate, adding a pair of walks to his two hits. Xaxier Edwards (No. 5, MLB No. 74), Jeisson Rosario (No. 19) and Tucupita Marcano (No. 13) all drove in a run for the Storm, and the latter finished with two hits.
Rehabbing big leaguer Garrett Richards gave up two runs on six hits over four innings for Lake Elsinore. Operating with a mid- to upper-90s fastball in the outing, the 31-year-old right-hander walked one batter and struck out two while throwing 40 of 63 pitches for strikes.
Needing a win to prolong their season, Class A Short-Season Tri-City did just that by blanking Hillsboro, 6-0, in Game 4 of the Northwest League Championship Series.
Matthew Acosta’s two-run homer in the second inning started the scoring for the Valley Cats, and they pushed across three more runs in the fifth via back-to-back bases-loaded walks and a sacrifice fly. Acosta, the Padres’ 12th-round pick from this year’s Draft, finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk, while Competitive Balance Round B pick Logan Driscoll went 2-for-4 with one RBI and run apiece. Tuesday's prospect stats »
Monday, Sept. 9: Tri-City falls to Hillsboro
Tri-City fell to Hillsboro, 2-1, on Monday as they fell down 2-1 in the best-of-five Class A Short-Season Northwest League finals. The Dust Devils collected just five hits, including singles from shortstop Jordy Barley and outfielder Logan Driscoll, a 2019 Draft pick, who also reached base via a walk in the contest. The best-of-five series continues Tuesday at Tri-City. Monday's prospect stats »