Month: August 2019

Brewers pitcher Ray Black during his time with the Missions

Ray Black pitching for the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Ray Black pitching for the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
Ray Black’s tenure with the San Antonio Missions was short.

The 29-year-old relief pitcher was called up to the majors on Wednesday after appearing in four games for the Missions, including two games at Wolff Stadium.

The 6-foot-5 right-hander pitched 4.0 innings for the Missions and did not allow a run. He gave up one hit with five strikeouts and one walk.

Black was called up by the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday and made his Brewers debut the same day. He pitched a scoreless sixth inning in a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins. He allowed one hit with no walks or strikeouts.

Black came to the Brewers organization in the July 31 trade that sent the Missions’ Mauricio Dubon to the San Francisco Giants organization.

Before being traded, Black appeared in 23 games for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats with a 5.16 ERA and two games for the Giants with a 4.50 ERA.

Last season he pitched in 26 games in relief for the Giants with a 6.17 ERA, and also 26 games in relief at Triple-A Sacramento with a 3.16 ERA.

Uniform note:

In the Missions’ Aug. 3 home game, Black wore No. 38.

In the Missions’ Aug. 5 home game, Black wore No. 20.

Missions’ Lucas Erceg on hot streak

San Antonio Missions infielder Lucas Erceg playing at Wolff Stadium during the 2019 season. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions infielder Lucas Erceg playing at Wolff Stadium during the 2019 season. – photo by Joe Alexander
Lucas Erceg’s fourth-inning single on Monday extended his hitting streak to seven games.

That came during the San Antonio Missions’ 9-5 road loss in El Paso.

Erceg’s batting average improved from .202 on Aug. 3 to .230 on Aug. 12. During his hot streak Erceg is hitting .469 (15-of-32).

On Friday night in Albuquerque, Lucas hit his 15th home run of the season. That matches the best season in his four years of professional baseball. Last season at Double-A Biloxi, Erceg hit 13 home runs.

The 6-foot-3, 24-year-old from San Jose, Calif., bats left-handed. He has played infield this season for the Missions, primarily at third base and first base.

A look at Missions infielder Cory Spangenberg

Cory Spangenberg playing for the Missions at Wolff Stadium during the 2019 season. - photo by Joe Alexander
Cory Spangenberg playing for the Missions at Wolff Stadium during the 2019 season. – photo by Joe Alexander
San Antonio Missions infielder Cory Spangenberg has a four-game hitting streak entering tonight’s game in El Paso and has hits in six of the last seven games.

The veteran left-handed batter has a .318 average for the season. On Wednesday, Spangenberg hit a two-run homer, his 12th home run of the season, in a 14-7 road victory over the Albuquerque Isotopes.

Spangenberg has worked at all the infield positions this season, in keeping with Milwaukee Brewers organization procedure. He has also seen some action in the outfield. This is Spangenberg’s first season in the Brewers organization.

The 28-year-old Spangenberg was in the San Diego Padres organization and spent all or part of the previous five seasons in the majors with the Padres.

Spangenberg spent time with the Missions in 2013-15 when they were a Double-A farm club of the Padres.

Missions’ Hernan Perez headed back to Brewers; Travis Shaw sent down

Hernan Perez playing for the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium this season. - photo by Joe Alexander
Hernan Perez playing for the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium this season. – photo by Joe Alexander
San Antonio Missions infielder Hernan Perez has been hitting the ball well as of late.

On Friday, that earned him a promotion back to the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers also announced infielder Travis Shaw is being sent back down to the Missions and pitcher Burch Smith was designated for assignment.

The Brewers sent Perez to the Triple-A Missions after he hit .235 in 59 games in the majors this season.

Perez joined the Missions on July 5. He got off to a slow start in San Antonio, hitting .250 with no home runs in his first 10 games.

More recently, things have turned around. The 28-year-old infielder is hitting .313 with five home runs in his last 17 games.

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported Perez is returning to the Brewers.

Devin Williams makes MLB debut with Brewers after short stay with Missions

Devin Williams pitching for the San Antonio Missions on Wolff Stadium on Aug. 1. - photo by Joe Alexander
Devin Williams pitching for the San Antonio Missions on Wolff Stadium on Aug. 1. – photo by Joe Alexander
Devin Williams made his major league debut on Wednesday, six years after he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Williams pitched 1 2/3 innings of relief for the Brewers in their 8-3 road victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He allowed three hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

The 6-foot-3 right-hander was a second-round draft pick by the Brewers in 2013.

Williams spent about a week with the San Antonio Missions before moving up to the majors. He appeared in a total of three games for the Missions. He did not allow a run in 3 2/3 innings with two hits, one walk and six strikeouts.

Williams made only one appearance at Wolff Stadium. He pitched 1 2/3 innings to finish the Missions’ 3-2 loss to the Sacramento River Cats on Aug. 1. Williams retired all five batters he faced and struck out three. He hit 100 MPH on the stadium radar.

The 24-year-old spent most of this season with the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers. He appeared in 31 games and had a 2.36 ERA.

Jake Faria’s brief stop with Missions

Jake Faria pitching for the Missions on Aug. 3 at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Jake Faria pitching for the Missions on Aug. 3 at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
Jake Faria was one of the pitchers who joined the San Antonio Missions after the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

Faria appeared for the Missions at Wolff Stadium on Aug. 3. He pitched one inning and retired the three batters he faced.

Two days later, Faria was called up by the Milwaukee Brewers. Tuesday night he made his first appearance for the Brewers, pitching two scoreless innings in a road game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He allowed two hits and struck out one batter with no walks.

Before the trade, he was in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He appeared in seven games for the Rays this season, all in relief, and had a 2.70 ERA. He also pitched in 23 games for Triple-A Durham and had a 4.07 ERA.

Faria is a 26-year-old, 6-foot-4 right-hander.

Jake Faria pitching for the Missions on Aug. 3 at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Jake Faria pitching for the Missions on Aug. 3 at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
Jake Faria pitching for the Missions on Aug. 3 at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Jake Faria pitching for the Missions on Aug. 3 at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander

Missions outfielder and Brewers prospect Troy Stokes Jr.

Missions outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. hits a fifth-inning home run against Fresno on Monday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. hits a fifth-inning home run against Fresno on Monday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
This has been a tough season for the San Antonio Missions’ opening day outfielders.

Troy Stokes Jr., Corey Ray and Tyrone Taylor have all missed time with injuries.

Stokes has not been in the lineup in 41 Missions games this season.

The good news for the Missions is that the three outfielders are back together and Stokes is building momentum offensively.

Stokes, who plays mostly left field, was batting .174 on June 8. His average is now up to .238. He is hitting .419 in his last 10 games with 7 RBIs in that stretch. He hit his eighth home run of the season in Monday’s 9-8 victory over the Fresno Grizzlies.

The 23-year-old from Baltimore was picked in the fourth round of the 2014 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2017 he hit 20 home runs in 135 games between Class A and Double-A.

Last year Stokes hit 19 home runs in 129 games in Double-A Biloxi, where he also won a Gold Glove.

Tyler Saladino returns, Missions homer their way past Grizzlies

Tyler Saladino singled and eventually scored the winning run in the eighth inning Monday afternoon at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Tyler Saladino singled and eventually scored the winning run in the eighth inning Monday afternoon at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
The San Antonio Missions hit four home runs including three in one inning to beat the Fresno Grizzlies 9-8 on Monday afternoon at Wolff Stadium.

The Missions trailed 6-0 early in the game but narrowed the gap when Tyrone Taylor hit a three-run shot in the third inning, his eighth homer of the season.

The Missions took an 8-6 lead with four runs in the fifth inning. Troy Stokes Jr. hit a solo home run, his eighth of the season. Jacob Nottingham hit a two-run homer, his fourth of the season. Jake Hager hit a solo home run, his eighth of the season.

The Grizzlies scored single runs in the top of the seventh and eighth innings to tie it 8-8.

The Missions took the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth. Tyler Saladino led off with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Taylor. Saladino scored the winning run when David Freitas singled to right and Grizzlies right fielder Jose Marmolejos mis-handled the ball, allowing Saladino to advance two bases.

Missions reliever Angel Perdomo (3-0) pitched the seventh and eighth innings to earn the win. Ray Black pitched the ninth inning to earn his second save withthe Missions.

NOTES

  • Monday’s game was Saladino’s first action in a Missions uniform since being called up by the Milwaukee Brewers on June 28.
  • Missions pitcher Jimmy Nelson had his second strong appearance in a row in relief. He threw 1 2/3 innings with no runs, one hit, one walk and four strikeouts
  • Black, who came to the Brewers organization from the San Francisco Giants in a deal at the MLB trade deadline, hit 101 MPH on the stadium radar.


    • Missions break out offense but fall to Grizzlies

    The Missions' David Freitas hits a first-inning home run on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
    The Missions’ David Freitas hits a first-inning home run on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
    After going scoreless in the first nine innings of their last two games, the San Antonio Missions’ bats came alive Sunday night.

    The Missions came up a run short despite 16 hits including a home run by David Freitas.

    The Fresno Grizzlies lashed out 14 hits including four home runs to beat the Missions 11-10 at Wolff Stadium.

    Freitas hit his ninth home run of the season in the first inning. He finished with three hits, including a double, and scored three times.

    Troy Stokes Jr. had three hits and Tyrone Taylor, Cory Spangenberg, Lucas Erceg and Jake Hager had two hits each for the Missions.

    Hernan Perez finishes another Missions win in extra innings

    The Missions' Hernan Perez connects with the ball for the winning hit in the 12th inning Saturday night at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
    The Missions’ Hernan Perez connects with the ball for the winning hit in the 12th inning Saturday night at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
    For the second straight night the San Antonio Missions didn’t score through nine innings.

    And for the second staight night the Missions came through in extra innings for the victory.

    The Missions scored once in the 10th inning and twice in the 12th to beat the Fresno Grizzlies 3-2 on Saturday at Wolff Stadium.

    Cory Spangenberg singled and drove in Blake Allemand to tie the game 2-2 with two outs in the bottom of the 12th. David Freitas walked to put runners on first and second.

    Hernan Perez singled to left to score Spangenberg and win the game.

    Missions starting pitcher Zack Brown went six scoreless innings and gave up four hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Relievers Ray Black and Jake Faria both pitched one scoreless inning each.

    The Missions’ Deolis Guerra (3-0) pitched the 11th and 12th innings to earn the win.