Missions reliever Jose Quezada photo gallery

San Antonio Missions closer Jose Quezada pitching against the Frisco RoughRiders on May 23, 2021, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions closer Jose Quezada pitching against the Frisco RoughRiders on May 23 at Wolff Stadium.
San Antonio Missions relief pitcher Jose Quezada was the team’s primary closer when he was promoted to the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas on Monday.

Quezada recorded eight saves in 15 appearances with the Missions this season. He had a 3.93 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 18.1 innings.

The 5-foot-9 right-hander from Mexico was a 10th-round pick by the San Diego Padres in the 2018 draft out of Texas Tech.

Missions infielder Kyle Overstreet photo gallery

Kyle Overstreet playing first base for the San Antonio Missions against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Saturday, June 19, 2021, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Kyle Overstreet playing first base for the Missions against Northwest Arkansas on Saturday at Wolff Stadium.
Kyle Overstreet is in his third season playing Double-A baseball and his second stint with the San Antonio Missions.

Listed as a catcher on MILB.com, Overstreet has played mostly first base this season and has also seen action at third base and designated hitter. He is batting .267 with 22 RBIs, two home runs and six doubles in 38 games. He had hits in three of last four games in the Missions’ recent home series against Northwest Arkansas.

He batted .272 with nine home runs for the Missions in 2018 and .259 with seven home runs for Amarillo in 2019.

Overstreet was a 14th-round draft pick by the San Diego Padres in 2015 as a college player out of Alabama.

Missions split series with Naturals

CJ Abrams doubled for the Missions' only extra-base hit of the game and drove in one of the team's two runs. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals beat the Missions 8-2 on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
CJ Abrams doubled for the Missions’ only extra-base hit of the game and drove in one of the team’s two runs. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals beat the Missions 8-2 on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals beat the San Antonio Missions 8-2 on Sunday at Wolff Stadium.

The teams split the six-game series 3-3.

The Missions managed only four hits Sunday. CJ Abrams had an RBI double and Kyle Overstreet had an RBI single. Jose Azocar and Allen Cordoba both singled and scored.

Missions starting pitcher Reggie Lawson left the game with two outs in the first and gave up three runs on two hits and two walks. Dylan Rheault finished the first inning and took care of the second.

Adrian Martinez took over on the mound in the third inning and pitched five innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits. Martinez has been a starter for most of the season but has come on in relief in all three of Martinez’s starts.

Missions outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who is out on the injured list, worked as the first base coach for part of the game.

The Missions are off on Monday and open a six-game road series against the Frisco RoughRiders on Tuesday. Frisco leads the Double-A Central League South Division with the Missions in second place.

Jack Suwinski, Missions rally past Naturals

San Antonio Missions left fielder Jack Suwinski drove in two runs including the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh in a 6-5 win over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Saturday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions left fielder Jack Suwinski drove in two runs including the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh in a 6-5 win over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Saturday at Wolff Stadium.
Jack Suwinski had three hits and drove in San Antonio’s first and last runs of the game as the Missions beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 6-5 on Saturday night at Wolff Stadium.

The Missions wore uniforms commemorating the San Antonio Black Aces of the Negro Leagues.

Northwest Arkansas led 3-0 in the middle of the sixth inning and 5-3 in the middle of the seventh. The Missions did all their scoring in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings with three runs in each frame.

Suwinski drove in Eguy Rosario with the Missions’ first run in the bottom of the sixth. Dwanya Williams-Sutton drove in Kyle Overstreet and Suwinski later in the inning to tie the game 3-3.

A Naturals error in the bottom of the seventh allowed Rosario to reach base and Chandler Seagle to score. Overstreet singled in Rosario from second to tie the game 5-5. Chris Givin pinch ran for Overstreet and Suwinski drove him in.

Suwinski’s game-winning double was the only extra-base hit of the game for the Missions, who finished with nine hits.

Reliever Nick Kuzia entered the game in the seventh. He pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings and got his first win of the season in 10 relief appearances. Jose Quezada pitched the ninth inning and picked up his eighth save of the season.

The Missions have won their last two games and seven of their last nine. The six-game Missions-Naturals series concludes Sunday with a 2:05 p.m. start.

CJ Abrams, Aaron Leasher help Missions get back on track to beat Naturals

San Antonio Missions shortstop CJ Abrams had four hits against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Friday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
San Antonio Missions shortstop CJ Abrams had four hits against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Friday at Wolff Stadium.
The San Antonio Missions combined strong starting pitching from Aaron Leasher with 17 hits to beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 14-6 on Friday at Wolff Stadium.

Leasher (4-2) pitched 5.0 innings. He allowed one run on two hits and struck out five to earn the win.

Highly regarded San Diego Padres prospect CJ Abrams led the Missions on offense with four hits, including two doubles, four RBIs and two runs scored.

Dwanya Williams-Sutton, in his second game with the Missions, had four hits and an RBI and scored three runs. Those were his first hits and first runs scored above the Class A level.

Eguy Rosario had two hits, including his second triple of the season, and three RBIs. He is batting .333 (12-of-36) in the current homestand.

Chandler Seagle had two hits, both doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored.

The Missions had been on a hot streak before losing the previous two games against the Naturals. The six-game series continues Saturday night and concludes with a 2:05 p.m. game Sunday.

Naturals roll late to beat Missions

Juan Fernandez hit his third home run of the season to give the Missions a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Juan Fernandez hit his third home run of the season to give the Missions a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Thursday at Wolff Stadium.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals scored seven runs over the final three innings to beat the San Antonio Missions 10-3 on Thursday at Wolff Stadium.

The Missions’ scoring came on an RBI single by Kyle Overstreet in the first inning and a two-run homer by Juan Fernandez in the fourth.

Missions starting pitcher Osvaldo Hernandez held the Naturals scoreless over the first four innings but was tagged for three unearned runs before he left in the sixth.

Dwanya Williams-Sutton made his debut with the Missions after being promoted from Class A Fort Wayne. He started in left field and had one walk.

Royals prospects Witt, Melendez, Pratto, Marsh playing against Missions at Wolff Stadium

Bobby Witt Jr. watches his home run sail out at Wolff Stadium on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. He is a shortstop for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and one of the Kansas City Royals' top prospects. - photo by Joe Alexander
Northwest Arkansas’ Bobby Witt Jr. watches his home run sail out at Wolff Stadium on Wednesday.
Some players who are likely to be a big part of the Kansas City Royals’ future are playing in San Antonio this week.

Bobby Witt Jr., the No. 2 pick in the draft just two years ago, had a big night in the Northwest Arkansas Naturals’ 3-2 victory over the San Antonio Missions on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium. Witt had a double, triple and home run for the Naturals – the Double-A farm club of the Royals.

The Naturals are playing a six-game series against the San Antonio Missions that runs through Sunday at Wolff Stadium.

Alec Marsh was the starting pitcher on Tuesday for the Naturals. Northwest Arkansas catcher MJ Melendez had a home run in Tuesday’s game. First baseman Nick Pratto is also a home run threat.

Marsh, Pratto, Melendez and Witt have all been high picks by the Royals in recent drafts and are all highly regarded prospects.

Witt has 11 homers on the season and is batting .257 with 19 RBIs in 34 games. He was drafted out of Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas (DFW area) in 2019. He played in rookie league in 2019 and this is his first season above that level.

Witt’s name should sound familiar. His father, Bobby Witt, pitched 16 seasons in the majors including 11 with the Texas Rangers. The senior Witt had a 142-157 major league record with a 4.83 ERA.

Melendez is batting .265 with 11 home runs and 23 RBIs in 31 games this season. Melendez was a second-round pick, No. 52 overall, in the 2017 draft as a high school player in Miami.

Pratto is batting .306 with 11 home runs and 26 RBIs in 34 games in his first season above Class A. He was a first-round pick in 2017, No. 14 overall, as a high school player from Huntington Beach, Calif.

Marsh fits the Royals’ pattern of using high draft picks on pitchers from major college baseball programs. He was taken No. 70 overall in 2019 out of Arizona State. This is his first season above Class A and he has a 1-3 record with a 4.97 record in six starts. He pitched 1 2/3 innings against the Missions on Tuesday and allowed one run, one hit and two walks with three strikeouts.

Naturals use strong pitching to end Missions’ win streak

The San Antonio Missions' Yorman Rodriguez hits a home run Wednesday at Wolff Stadium in his first game after being promoted from Class A. - photo by Joe Alexander
The San Antonio Missions’ Yorman Rodriguez hits a home run Wednesday at Wolff Stadium in his first game after being promoted from Class A. – photo by Joe Alexander
The San Antonio Missions managed only one hit in the first seven innings on the way to a 3-2 loss to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium.

The Missions made it close when Yorman Rodriguez, making his Double-A debut, hit a solo home run in the eighth inning. The next batter, Michael Curry, doubled but was left stranded.

The loss ended a five-game Missions win streak.

Naturals starting pitcher Drew Parrish went seven innings and allowed one run and one hit while striking out four. Yefri Del Rosario held the Missions hitless the next two innings.

Jack Suwinski, Missions stay hot in series opener against Naturals

Eguy Rosario slides into home to score the San Antonio Missions' first run of the game. The Missions beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 5-3 on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Eguy Rosario slides into home to score the Missions’ first run of the game.
Tuesday night in San Antonio followed a familiar pattern, and that’s a good thing for the Missions.

Jack Suwinski hit his 11th home run of the season and the Missions piled up 10 hits to beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 5-3 at Wolff Stadium in the opener of a six-game series.

The Missions have won five in a row and eight of their last nine. Suwinski has four home runs in the last three games.

Eguy Rosario had three hits and scored twice for the Missions and leadoff batter Jose Azocar had two hits and scored a run.

Rosario scored a rather unusual run in the bottom of the second inning. He broke from second base to steal third at the same moment as a wild pitch, allowing Rosario to come all the way around for the first run of the game.

Missions third baseman Allen Cordoba, in just his third game of the season, had a hit and a walk. He has had a hit or a walk or both in all three games. He also took a hard hit ball off his leg at or near his knee that was clearly painful, but he stayed in the game.

Missions starting pitcher Reggie Lawson, in his second game of the season, went two scoreless innings and struck out two batters. There was a rain delay after the second inning and he did not return, but wasn’t expected to make a long appearance.

Adrian Martinez, who has been a starter most of the season, pitched five innings and earned the win (2-3). He allowed three runs on four hits with five strikeouts.

Henry Henry pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Tom Cosgrove pitched the ninth to pick up his first save of the season.

Missions third baseman, outfielder Allen Cordoba: a first look

San Antonio Missions third baseman Allen Cordoba playing in his season debut on Saturday, June 12, 2021, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
San Antonio Missions third baseman Allen Cordoba playing in his season debut on Saturday at Wolff Stadium.
Allen Cordoba played in 100 games for the San Diego Padres in 2017.

He spent 2018 and 2019 in the Class A Cal League and didn’t see action during 2020 when covid wiped out the minor league season.

Saturday night, Cordoba made his 2021 season debut and played above Class A for the first time in four seasons when he was in uniform for the San Antonio Missions.

Cordoba was in the lineup again for the Missions on Sunday afternoon, both games as the starting third baseman. Cordoba had two walks on Saturday and recorded his first two hits of the season, including a double, on Sunday.

Cordoba is a 25-year-old infielder/outfielder from Panama. He is listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, but looks bigger than that in person. He made his minor league debut in rookie league in 2013. He batted .301 with five home runs in the Cal League in 2019.

His 2017 season with the Padres, when he batted .208 with four home runs as a 21-year-old, was the only time he has spent in the majors.

Saturday night

Sunday afternoon