Lindsey records second cycle of career

It wasn't his first time pulling off the feat, but Taylor Lindsey was still almost speechless after hitting for the cycle on Tuesday night.

"It's something special. It's a lot of fun. It's hard to say anything about it," the Padres infield prospect said. "It's just a special night and a lot of fun for me."

Lindsey went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and completed the cycle with an RBI double in the seventh inning as Triple-A El Paso beat visiting Memphis, 9-2.

It was the first cycle in Chihuahuas history, but the second one the Redbirds surrendered in six games -- Albuquerque's Tom Murphy did it Thursday -- and the second of Lindsey's seven-year career. He did it on Aug. 6, 2011 for Rookie-level Orem, the summer after the Angels drafted him as a sandwich pick.

The 24-year-old left-handed hitter was proud of what achieving that accomplishment twice says about his abilities as a ballplayer.

"Any athlete will say it's great honor, always, to be able to hit a homer, triples, doubles [and one of each] in a game, it was really fun," he said.

Acquired from the Angels exactly two years ago in a trade for Huston Street, Lindsey has spent the bulk of the season with Double-A San Antonio, batting .216/.288/.364 with 19 extra-base hits in 72 games. He had a stint in the Pacific Coast League from June 24-July 2, but Tuesday's was his fifth game back with the Chihuahuas.

"Five days after -- it's a special game, a special night," he said. "It's good to put together this night for me. Words can't explain how happy I am right now. I feel like I'm starting to [establish myself in Triple-A] again. I'm hoping to go out every day and play hard, hit the ball hard. If it falls, it falls, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. That's baseball."

The Arizona native said he was thinking about the cycle from the moment he led off the sixth with a homer to center field.

"After the home run, it was on my mind," he admitted. "Going up there in my last at-bat, knowing I needed a double, it was on my mind. Everyone said, 'If you hit the ball, just keep going. Don't stop until you get to second.' And that's what I was going to do."

With runners on first and third and two outs, he got an outside fastball from right-hander Kurt Heyer and laced it to the opposite field.

"I was going up there ready to hit," he said. "If I got a fastball, I was going to be attacking, and the first pitch was a fastball I squared up."

To say Lindsey was thinking two out of the box would be an understatement.

"Oh, once I hit it, I knew I had it," he said. "It went down the left field line, an easy double. I was just running, thinking, 'Wow! It happened again. I did it again.'"

Manuel Margot, the Padres' No. 2 prospect, tripled twice, doubled and scored three runs for El Paso, which got a three-run homer from No. 16 prospect Carlos Asuaje.

Aaron Northcraft (4-0) was the beneficiary of the Chihuahuas' 15-hit attack. He allowed three his and a walk while striking out seven over six scoreless innings.