El Paso Chihuahuas vs Round Rock Express

Round Rock jumped on starter Evan Fitterer (3-6) in the first inning. O'Hoppe, on a rehab assignment from the Texas Rangers, launched a two-run homer to left-centre after Cam Cauley had walked, giving the Express a 2-0 lead before Fitterer recorded a third out.

Thurman replaced Fitterer in the third and his control evaporated. He walked eight of the 16 batters he faced, forcing in two runs with bases-loaded walks in the third before the Express broke the game open with a four-run fourth. Keyber Rodriguez singled home one run, Jonah Bride doubled in another, and two more scored on a walk and a hit-by-pitch sequence.

Orlando Martinez delivered the decisive blow in the sixth. With the bases loaded and two out, he crushed a full-count pitch from Ethan Routzahn over the wall for a grand slam — his second home run of the season — stretching the lead to 12-1.

El Paso mounted a response in the seventh. Marc Church, the fourth Express pitcher, was tagged for five runs on four hits, including a two-run homer by Blake Hunt (his 10th). Dustin Harris (3-for-5) and Nick Solak keyed the rally with doubles, but the Chihuahuas left the bases empty.

Round Rock tacked on three more in the ninth off José Leclerc. Cauley led off with a solo shot and Zavala added a two-run homer two batters later.

Thurman's 1.1-inning meltdown shifted the game from competitive to lopsided. He faced 16 batters, threw 58 pitches, and only 22 found the strike zone (38%). The Express scored six runs during his appearance without needing a single extra-base hit — they simply took the free passes and let El Paso's bullpen self-destruct.

• Logan O'Hoppe, DH, Round Rock — Player of the Match. 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, a walk, three runs scored and four RBIs in his 19th Triple-A game this season. His OPS now sits at .976.
• Orlando Martinez, RF, Round Rock — 2-for-6 with a grand slam in the sixth and a triple. Four of his 12 RBIs this season came in one swing.
• Cam Cauley, 2B, Round Rock — 2-for-5 with a solo homer, a walk and three runs scored. The 11th home run of the season for the 23-year-old infielder.
• Dustin Harris, LF, El Paso — 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. The Chihuahuas' most consistent threat all night.
• Josh Sborz, RP, Round Rock — (W, 2-1) threw a clean seventh inning, striking out one and stranding the inherited mess Church left behind.

Round Rock drew 13 walks — their highest total in a game since at least the start of June — against an El Paso staff that entered with a collective 6.85 ERA, worst in the PCL East. The 58-pitch Thurman relief outing stood out: eight walks in 1.1 innings is a control line more fitting of a position player emergency appearance. The Express' 4 home runs doubled their season average of 1.3 per game, and their 15 RBIs matched a season high (they scored 15 on Aug 19 vs. El Paso as well).

Defensively both teams were errorless, a rarity given the 22 combined runs.

Round Rock improved to 59-65 but remain well out of the PCL East playoff picture with 16 games remaining. El Paso fell to 50-73, anchored to last place in the division. The two sides meet again on Saturday, August 22, at 6:35 PM MT in the fourth game of a six-game series. Former Padres rotation arm Joe Musgrove remains on a minor-league rehab assignment for El Paso and is a candidate to start in the coming days.

A game defined by one catastrophic relief appearance and four Round Rock home runs. The Express' offence has now scored 15-plus runs three times against El Paso this season — the Chihuahuas' pitching staff has no answer for Round Rock's patient approach at the plate.