Topes Notes: Turns out, Zac Veen can still play baseball

This space in the weekly Topes Notes isn’t supposed to be all about Zac Veen.

But as he’s been featured here most recently for his extreme struggles after being called up to the Colorado Rockies earlier this season, it’s only fair to use this space to point out he hasn’t forgotten how to play baseball, after all.

The Rockies grew so concerned with Veen’s struggles they sent him to the team’s spring training facility in Arizona to work on things — mentally and physically — away from the crowds.

Now back with the Isotopes, Veen has a career-best hitting streak of 13 games, going 24-for-44 with four doubles, a triple, three homers and five RBIs in those games. In Sunday’s 4-2 home victory over the El Paso Chihuahuas, he went 2-for-4 and led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run.

He’s also made a number of highlight plays in the outfield in recent weeks.

Know the foe: The Isotopes are back on the road this week for a six-game road series at Round Rock playing at Dell Diamond.

• Isotopes, Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies (35-51 overall, ninth place Pacific Coast League; 4-8 second half, t-eighth place PCL)

• Express, Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (39-46 overall, eighth place PCL; 5-5 second half, sixth place PCL)

Hot ticket update

The Isotopes entered last week’s homestand against El Paso leading the PCL in average home attendance at 6,478 fans per home game.

Last week, they padded that lead as nearly 56,000 fans came through the gates over six games, averaging 9,316 fans per home game.

The Isotopes’ Friday night crowd of 12,184 enjoyed a postgame fireworks show that was one of the biggest in the state.

It was the second largest Independence Day crowd of any minor league baseball game in the country and fourth largest MiLB crowd of the season in the country.

Red, white and come on, Blue!

For the second consecutive year in a series played around Independence Day, the Isotopes and Chihuahuas had their series end as a player successfully challenged an erroneous call of the once-mighty dictator known as the umpire.

Sunday’s final out was recorded when Isotopes catcher Drew Romo challenged a pitch that was originally called a ball by home plate umpire Kellen Martin. A video review showed the pitch was a third strike, ending the game.

Last year in El Paso, it was the Isotopes’ Connor Kaiser who had a called ball overturned and changed to a third strike for the final out of their six-game series.

Open and shut

The Isotopes sure know how to open a series. In Game 1 of their 14 six-game series this season, the team is 9-5 (.643).

In games 2, 3 and 4, they are a combined 16-26 (.381).

And in games 5 and 6, they are a combined 9-18 (.333) with one Game 6 having been cancelled due to rain.

Three up, three down

Looking good:

1. Speedster Braiden Ward has been a spark on the base paths for the Isotopes. The 26-year-old outfielder who was called up from Double-A Hartford last week has played just five games for the Topes and has scored six runs, stolen five bases and is hitting .438.

In those five games, he’s already tied for sixth most stolen bases on the Isotopes, who are led this season by Julio Carreras with 11 in 50 games and Adael Amador with 10 in 37 games.

In 53 games at Hartford, Ward had 22 stolen bases.

2. Deuces are wild for reliever Connor Van Scoyoc. The righty has tossed 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball in each of his last two middle relief appearances and has had two or more innings of scoreless relief five times this season. The 25-year old has a 4.68 ERA in 42.1 innings over 20 appearances this season with a WHIP of 1.30.

3. Albuquerque is tied for the league lead in home runs (116) and alone in first place in triples (33).

Look away:

1.The Isotopes had 11 errors over the past four games, including three on Sunday vs. El Paso.

That marks the ninth time this season they’ve had three or more errors in a game (10.5% of their games played).

The Isotopes have a league-worst 83 errors in 86 games played (0.97 per game). PCL-leading Sugar Land has 51 in 85 games played (0.6 per game).

2. Isotopes pitchers have allowed the second most hits (864) in the PCL this season.

3. Blame it on the rain. The 1-hour, 37-minute rain delay on Sunday night was the longest rain delay at Isotopes Park since 2022 and the 10th longest ever at the ballpark.

Chile races

Just past the midway point of the season, the chile races at Isotopes Park are neck and neck for two racers without necks.

Chile Pepper Race standings (41 races):

13 wins — Salsa Jar

12 wins — Taco

9 wins — Green Chile

7 wins — Red Chile

Next homestand

Friday, July 18-20 vs. Reno — a special three-game home stand after the league takes time off for the MLB All-Star break.

The three-game homestand will include two postgame firework shows and a Sunday game with free City Roots themed jackets given away to the first 2,000 fans.

You can reach Geoff at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.