After the Padres moved several prospects yesterday at the trade deadline, the TinCaps underwent a roster facelift heading into tonight’s game against the Great Lakes Loons at Parkview Field.
Fort Wayne (48-50, 17-16 second half) didn’t just lose to the Loons in a 2-0 shutout on Thursday; it lost infielders Leo De Vries and Brandon Butterworth via trade. Before Friday’s game, another chunk of the team’s roster was called up to Double-A San Antonio.
Right-handed pitchers Garrett Hawkins, Eric Yost, and Miguel Mendez were called up along with catcher Oswaldo Linares. To fill the void, the TinCaps received four players from Low-A Lake Elsinore, plus a new signee of the Padres.
Outfielder Kasen Wells, catcher Lamar King Jr., and shortstops Chase Valentine and Zach Evans join the TinCaps via call-up. Wells is averaging .275 at the plate with 20 RBIs. King, the Padres No. 16 prospect, is hitting .286 with 37 RBIs in his fourth season in the Padres organization. Valentine played in five games previously with the TinCaps this season, but managed just one hit in 14 at-bats. Evans is hitting .296 with 62 RBIs this season, the third-most of any player in the California League.
The Padres signed shortstop Jonathan Vastine after picking him in the 19th round of this year’s draft and assigned him to the TinCaps on Friday. Vastine hit .270 and had a fielding percentage of .981 in his senior season at Vanderbilt University.
On the mound tonight for the TinCaps is right-hander Isaiah Lowe, who enters with a 3-8 record and an ERA of 5.83. Lowe is coming off one of his best starts of the season last Friday against Cedar Rapids, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up just one run and five hits.
The Loons will start right-hander Payton Martin, who holds a 4-2 record and a 4.15 ERA entering play. Martin gave up four runs in four innings to the TinCaps on June 1 but redeemed himself on June 27 by pitching 3 2/3 hitless innings.
The TinCaps’ lineup doesn’t feature any of the new additions to the roster, but does have several changes from Thursday. Ryan Jackson will lead off and play shortstop once again with center fielder Kai Roberts and second baseman Rosman Verdugo batting second and third.
Right fielder Braedon Karpathios will bat fourth, Jack Costello will stay at third base in the middle of the batting order, and left fielder Kaden Hollow will bat sixth. Sean Barnett will bat seventh as the designated hitter, and Brendan Durfee will be the catcher batting eighth. Victor Duarte will play first base and bat ninth.
The Loons’ lineup remains largely unchanged. Center fielder Kendall George, right fielder Eduardo Quintero and Zyhir Hope as the designated hitter will make up the front third of the order. Second baseman Logan Wagner, shortstop Elijah Hainline, and third baseman Jake Gelof will comprise the middle third.
Cam Decker will take Hope’s place in left field and bat seventh, first baseman Joe Vetrano will take the eighth spot in the order, and catcher Frank Rodriguez rounds out the Loons’ order.