Sacramento River Cats 10, Chihuahuas 9 

Key Statistics: LHP Ryan Carpenter, 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K: 3B Graham Pauley, 2-for-4, 2 HR (2), 3 R, 6 RBI, BB; 1B Nate Mondou, 1-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI, BB; 2B Matthew Batten, 1-for-3, R

Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas fell in a very PCL-esque high-scoring affair, but they got a decent start out of Ryan Carpenter. The 33-year-old lefty allowed five hits in five innings pitched, walked two, and gave up four runs. Of some concern, after not recording a strikeout, he has just seven in 15.1 innings for El Paso this season. The veteran Gonzaga alum, who logged limited MLB experience with the Tigers in 2018 and 2019, relies on a two-plane changeup and big movement from a repertoire that maxes out in the low-90s. Carpenter’s baseball journey has taken him to Taiwan, Korea, and a 2023 season he missed entirely amidst rumors of an elbow procedure. He signed with the Padres on a minor league deal in October. … The story of the night for Padres fans will be El Paso’s top prospect, Graham Pauley, going yard twice and driving in a whopping six runs. Pauley’s Triple-A experience will be interesting after he went 2-for-15 with a home run in limited action with the Padres. While the Duke alum seemingly has little to learn at the plate – he has three hits and a pair of walks in his first nine plate appearances in one of the PCL’s most neutral parks – Pauley will be receiving regular at-bats, and perhaps even more importantly, regular reps at third base. … Aside from Pauley’s two round-trippers, the Chihuahua’s only other extra-base hit was a triple off the bat of veteran first baseman Nate Mondou. The 29-year-old Wake Forest alum is batting .323 with an .857 OPS in 31 at-bats for El Paso in his first season in the Padres system after spending 2023 in the White Sox organization. … Hitting has become a bit more sporadic for Matthew Batten since beginning the 2024 season with a four-game hitting streak. Still, he got back in the “H” column with a single in the leadoff spot. The 28-year-old Quinnipiac alum is back getting regular playing time with the Chihuahuas after spending much of 2023 doing an underrated job holding down the Padres’ last bench spot.

Adam Mazur was dealing for the Flying Chanclas Thursday. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)

Northwest Arkansas Naturals 2, Missions 0 (F/10)

Key Statistics: RHP Adam Mazur, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K; RHP Josh Roberson, 1 IP, 3 K; RHP Woo-Suk Go (L, 0-1), 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 3 K; 1B Nathan Martorella, 2-for-4

Nathan Mrtorella had a pair of hits on the night. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)

Advertisement

Prospect Watch: Nelson Wolff Stadium has a reputation as a pitcher’s park in the Texas League. Add a still wind to the heavy San Antonio air, and conditions are ripe for the hurlers, especially when you have Adam Mazur on the mound. The Iowa product threw 40 strikes on 53 pitches as he absolutely cruised through six innings, forcing nine groundouts and preventing hard contact of any sort with his changeup. With Northwest Arkansas (one of baseball’s worst team location names, in this writer’s humble opinion) bats quieted; unfortunately, San Antonio did little to take advantage. … Josh Roberson was next to take the mound for the Missions, and the 27-year-old righty struck out the side for his second scoreless inning to begin the season. A former 12th-round pick of the Marlins in 2017, Roberson spent all of 2023 in Triple-A with the Rays and then the Cubs after a midseason trade but finds himself with the Missions to begin 2024 as El Paso has carried a deep bullpen into the campaign. … It was a tough one for Woo-Suk Go, who breezed through the ninth inning with a flyout sandwiched between a pair of strikeouts. Still, the 10th frame went double (scoring the Manfred runner), wild pitch, RBI single, single, flyout, and lineout. Go’s first professional loss in the United States has him sitting on a 6.75 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in four innings to begin the season, but the Korean righty has fanned seven batters in that span. Still 25 years old, Go begins the season with the Missions to get better acclimated to the stateside game. … A relatively lifeless night from San Antonio’s offense had a bright spot in Nathan Martorella, who went 2-for-4 to raise his average to .478. The 23-year-old Martorella is the rare “first base only” prospect in the Padres organization. Still, the 2022 fifth-rounder has shown why he’s the exception to the rule, with an .835 OPS in exactly 600 professional at-bats to begin his career in the San Diego organization. If he gets to his power in games more often, the UC Berkeley product could see action with the Padres at some point this season after getting his first spring training experience with the big league club.

TinCaps rained out

For the second straight night, the rain kept them from playing in Fort Wayne. Because a doubleheader is already planned for Saturday, this game will be made up when the TinCaps play in Lake County next month.

Modesto Nuts 12, Storm 3 

Key Statistics: RHP Will Varmette (L, 1-1), 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K; RHP Thomas Balboni, Jr. 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K; 3B Wyatt Hoffman, 2-for-3, SB (1) 2 E; RF Braedon Karpathios, 1-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB; SS Jay Beshears, 2-for-5, 2 2B, R

Prospect Watch: “Modesto is Not That Sweet,” opined the Hold Steady’s rock poet Craig Finn, and the Storm may agree after a 12-3 drubbing in the seat of Stanislaus County. Will Varmette dropped to 1-1 after allowing five runs in three-plus innings of work. The 21-year-old struck out six but walked three and allowed five hits. Varmette posted a 1.50 ERA in six relief appearances in Lake Elsinore in 2023, one of three stops the undrafted free agent made between the Arizona Complex League and Fort Wayne in his first professional season. … Braedon Karpathios hit a double and drove in a pair of runs as the 2022 undrafted outfielder continues to take advantage of relatively shallow competition in the outfield at the lower levels of the minors. The 20-year-old Karpathios has posted an .886 OPS to start his 2024 return to Lake Elsinore after slashing .181/.410/.267 in 116 at-bats with the Storm in 2023. He’s being asked to be more aggressive at the plate after a full 53% of his plate appearances ended in a walk or strikeout last year. … 2023 sixth-rounder Jay Beshears continues to impress for the Storm early in the season with a pair of doubles. The Duke product is 9-for-20 with four extra-base hits and 10 walks in the early going of his second professional campaign. The 21-year-old infielder slashed .229/.283/.314 in 105 at-bats for the Storm after graduating from the Arizona Complex League shortly after last year’s draft. … San Diego native Wyatt Hoffman went 2-for-3 with an RBI, ending a three-game hitless streak for the former Pacific Tiger with his first multi-hit outing of the season. Hoffman returns to the Storm this season after spending the bulk of 2023 with Lake Elsinore.