Topes Notes: Meet the team's new hitting coach; why can't Red Chile win a race?

Jordan Pacheco getting his major league coaching call-up to the Colorado Rockies as that embattled team’s new hitting coach was bittersweet for the Albuquerque Isotopes.

On one hand, everyone was happy for the hometown kid who graduated from La Cueva High School and starred for the UNM Lobos. But it meant the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate would have to replace Pacheco, a popular figure around Albuquerque and admired by players in the Isotopes clubhouse.

Fortunately, if anyone in the organization is as beloved by the players throughout the minors and the big leagues, it might be Aaron Muñoz, the Isotopes new hitting coach.

“Pacheco kind of set the foundation, right? And he’s well respected among all these players. It’s tough shoes to fill,” Muñoz said. “For me, I’m just trying to get to know the guys as quick as possible, try to figure out their routines and how they go about their work.”

Muñoz, 36, was the popular bullpen catcher for the Isotopes in 2015 and then with the Rockies from 2016 through this past December. He had been working with the team’s extended spring training crew in Arizona until joining the Isotopes on a road trip in Reno two weeks ago.

As a bullpen catcher, he was more coach than player, but still enough player to form bonds and relationships with pitchers and position players alike that have helped him in his new career as a hitting coach, which is sometimes more therapist and motivator than technical coach.

One thing he’s learned is just because he’s now the teacher, it doesn’t mean he has to do all the talking. Learning the Isotopes hitters was the goal of the past couple weeks.

“Getting their feedback, that’s what’s most important for me (especially right now), understanding what they need individually, and kind of make that adjustment,” Muñoz said.

He recently got a phone call from a good friend after the Isotopes bats got hot, including a seven-home run game on May 25 in Reno.

“(Pacheco) did give me a call and he’s like, ‘Hey, man, first week on the job, that’s pretty impressive,’” Muñoz said last week. “I said, ‘Man, I set the bar way too high, right?’ … We joked about it and I jokingly said I was just trying not to mess up what (he) started.”

Know the foe

The Isotopes (26-30, ninth in the Pacific Coast League) play a six-game road series Tuesday through Sunday against the El Paso Chihuahuas (29-28, fourth PCL, San Diego Padres Triple-A affiliate).

The two teams splt a six-game set in Albuquerque on April 15-20.

Ritter the hitter

Isotopes shortstop Ryan Ritter will carry a 17-game hitting streak into the series in El Paso, the second longest in the minors this season (22 by Edwin Duran of the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays). He’s had 15 games with extra-base hits during the streak and has increased his batting average from .218 to .307 in those 17 games.

Won for the books

At Sunday’s Pride Night game, the Isotopes beat Sugar Land 3-2 at Rio Grande Credit Union Field.

It took until June to happen, but the victory gave the Isotopes their first series win of the season, taking four of the six games over the last week from the visiting Space Cowboys.

On the season, the Isotopes are now 1-3-5 in series (one win, three series losses and five series ties).

It was also the first series win ever for Albuquerque against Sugar Land.

The Isotopes are now 39-70 in 109 games against the Space Cowboys (21-36 in Albuquerque and 18-34 at Sugar Land).

Three up, three down

Looking good:

1. The Isotopes 26 wins with 18 games remaining in the first half of the season matches last season’s first half win total.

Yeah, they’re still in ninth, but they’re better than they were last year.

2. In Sunday’s win over Sugar Land, the Isotopes struck out a franchise record-tying 19 hitters, 11 of them by starting pitcher Andrew Quezada.

3. Slammin’ Sam Hilliard got his much-deserved call back up to the big leagues last Thursday. The 31-year-old veteran (by minor league terms) is the Isotopes all-time home run leader and wasted no time getting comfortable with the Rockies, with whom he had already played 272 games with, including 58 last season. In Hilliard’s first game, he was called in as a pinch hitter and belted a home run, his 43rd at the big league level.

Could be better:

1. The Isotopes have been outscored 41-28 in the first inning of games this season, by far their worst inning differential. They’ve outscored opponents 297-292 in all other innings.

2. Right-handed starting pitcher Anthony Molina has the highest ERA in the Pacific Coast League at 8.04. He’s allowed 48 runs (42 earned) in 47.0 innings pitched over 10 starts.

3. The Isotopes’ .975 fielding percentage is worst in the PCL. The team’s 50 errors is second most to only this week’s opponent, El Paso (53).

Red draggin

As Taco and Green Chile are closing the gap on the early season lead Salsa Jar has rolled out to this season, Red Chile is starting to look like he (or she) just doesn’t take this whole racing food mascot promotion seriously.

Isotopes Park Chile Race standings as of June 2 (29 races):

10 wins — Salsa Jar

9 wins — Taco

7 wins — Green Chile

3 wins — Red Chile

Next homestand

The Isotopes return home for a six-game series Tuesday, June 10 through June 15 against the Oklahoma City Comets, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.