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 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.

Jack Suwinski hits two more homers as Missions take 5 of 6 from Midland

Jack Suwinski hits his ninth home run of the season in the second inning on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. He homered again in the eighth inning. - photo by Joe Alexander
Jack Suwinski hits his ninth home run of the season in the second inning on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. He homered again in the eighth inning.
Right field at Wolff Stadium has historically been a place where most long fly balls die at the warning track.

That hasn’t stopped Jack Suwinski. The San Antonio Missions’ left-handed outfielder hit his ninth and 10th home runs of the season on Sunday in a 12-6 victory over the Midland RockHounds.

Suwinski hit his eighth homer of the season on Saturday night. All three weekend home runs soared out over right field.

Suwinski went 3-for-5 on Sunday and scored three times. The 22-year-old, who is playing his first season above Class A, batted 9-of-22 (.409) in the six-game home series against Midland as the Missions won five of the six games.

Missions third baseman Allen Cordoba, who made his season debut on Saturday, recorded his first two hits of the season including a double on Sunday.

The Missions’ CJ Abrams had three hits, two RBIs and two runs, and Jose Azocar and Michael Curry both had two hits.

Starting pitcher Reiss Knehr went five innings, giving up two runs in the first and holding Midland scoreless the next four innings to get the win (5-1). He allowed four hits and two walks and struck out six.

Missions left fielder Esteury Ruiz left the game in the top of the third. He was shaking his hand after sliding into second base in the bottom of the second.

Kyle Overstreet, who left Friday’s game after being hit in the face by a pitch, was not in the Missions’ lineup for the second day in a row.

Missions back on track against Midland

San Antonio Missions starting pitcher Caleb Boushley held the Midland RockHounds scoreless through the first five innings on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions starting pitcher Caleb Boushley held Midland scoreless through the first five innings on Thursday at Wolff Stadium.
The San Antonio Missions won for the fourth time in the last five games with a 5-4 victory over the Midland RockHounds on Thursday at Wolff Stadium.

The Missions had been hot at the plate for most of the last two weeks. After having a rough all-around night on Wednesday, they piled up 11 hits on Thursday. Jose Azocar, Kyle Overstreet and Eguy Rosario had two hits each.

Missions starting pitcher Caleb Boushley held the RockHounds scoreless the first five innings and got the win (2-2). He left the game with one out and two runners on in the sixth. Both runners scored and Boushley ended the night with two earned runs on six hits, three walks and eight strikeouts. Jose Quezada pitched the final inning for his sixth save of the season.

The Missions scored a run in the bottom of the first inning and led the rest of the way. Taylor Kohlwey’s sacrifice fly brought in Azocar, who led off the first with a single.

The Missions got a long two-run single from Overstreet that scored Chandler Seagle and CJ Abrams in the fifth inning. Esteury Ruiz’s ground ball through the middle drove in Rosario in the sixth.

Jack Suwinski cracked his fourth triple of the season in the eighth inning and scored the Missions’ final run on Ruiz’s bunt.

Padres prospect CJ Abrams leaves game in Missions’ loss to Frisco

The San Antonio Missions' CJ Abrams hits a ground ball in the fifth inning of Saturday's loss to the Frisco RoughRiders at Wolff Stadium. Abrams was limping after running to first and left the game. - photo by Joe Alexander
The Missions’ CJ Abrams hits a ground ball in the fifth inning of Saturday’s loss to Frisco at Wolff Stadium. Abrams appeared to be limping after running to first and left the game.
Highly regarded San Diego Padres prospect CJ Abrams walked slowly off the field with a San Antonio Missions trainer after running out a fifth-inning ground ball Saturday night.

Abrams, who was playing shortstop, was replaced after the play at first. The Missions did not provide an update on his condition after the game.

It was that kind of frustrating night for the Missions as they lost to the Frisco RoughRiders 4-0 at Wolff Stadium.

The Missions left the bases loaded twice and stranded 14 runners for the game. They finished 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Missions leadoff batter Jose Azocar had two hits and a walk, Kyle Overstreet had a hit and a walk and Eguy Rosario had a hit and a walk. Overstreet extended his hitting streak to six games.

Frisco leadoff batter Bubba Thompson led the RoughRiders with three hits and scored twice. Six Frisco pitchers combined to shut out the Missions.

The Missions are 1-4 in the current series against Frisco, with the final game scheduled for Sunday at 2:05 p.m. The Missions have been shut out twice and scored two runs twice in their losses in the series.

San Antonio Missions center fielder Jose Azocar tracks down a long fly ball against the Frisco RoughRiders on Saturday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions center fielder Jose Azocar tracks down a long fly ball against Frisco on Saturday at Wolff Stadium.

Frisco takes 2nd straight from Missions; Abrams stays hot

Jose Azocar drives in Michael Curry with the Missions' first run in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Jose Azocar drives in Michael Curry with the Missions’ first run in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday at Wolff Stadium. – photos by Joe Alexander
The Frisco RoughRiders beat the San Antonio Missions 8-2 on Wednesday night at Wolff Stadium.

The Missions have scored only two runs in the first two games of the series combined. Frisco and the Missions play the third in the six-game series on Thursday.

Missions shortstop CJ Abrams had three hits, a walk and an RBI. He is batting .333 on the season. Abrams is on a five-game hitting streak and is 9-of-21 (.429) over that stretch.

The Missions had 10 hits including doubles by Michael Curry and Jose Azocar but couldn’t put together a big inning.

Michael Curry heads for home with the Missions' first run in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Michael Curry heads for home with the Missions’ first run in the bottom of the second inning.

Missions outfielder, Padres prospect Jose Azocar: a first look

Jose Azocar playing outfield for the San Antonio Missions in the 2021 season opener on May 4 in Corpus Christi. - photo by Joe Alexander
Jose Azocar playing outfield for the San Antonio Missions in the 2021 season opener on May 4 in Corpus Christi. – photo by Joe Alexander
Jose Azocar is on a batting hot streak as the San Antonio Missions return to town for tonight’s home opener at Wolff Stadium.

Azocar had hits in the last four games of the Missions’ recent road series in Midland. He was 7-of-18 (.389) over that stretch with a three-hit game and a two-hit game.

The 25-year-old outfielder from Venezuela is batting .283 for the season with three walks and three RBIs. He has played in all 12 Missions games this season.

Two years ago, Azocar batted .286 with 10 home runs in 129 games in Double-A in the Detroit Tigers organization. Azocar was originally signed by the Tigers in 2012. He was signed by the San Diego Padres as a free agent to a minor lealgue contract in November 2020.