Padres minor league affiliates went 1-5 on Thursday.

Let’s dive right into the daily report. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 6-3 vs Oklahoma City) (41-49 on the season)

Freddy Fermin – 1-for-4, Single, Walk, RBI

Carlos Rodriguez – 1-for-4, Double, RBI

Evan Fitterer – 5 IP, 5 H, 6 R (4 ER), 3 BB, 2 K (82 pitches – 53 strikes)

Evan Fitterer allowed six runs in five innings as the Chihuahuas’ offense struck out 12 times in a close loss on the road. El Paso’s starter pitched five innings, walking three against just two strikeouts. Despite picking up eight of 15 outs on ground balls, Fitterer’s three walks and two wild pitches played a role in the two unearned runs allowed by the right-hander. Michael Flynn pitched two scoreless innings, lowering his Chihuahuas ERA to 9.00; he has a 6.83 ERA between two levels this season. Ethan Routzahn bounced back with a scoreless outing after allowing four runs in his last appearance. 

The Chihuahuas’ offense only picked up one extra-base hit in the loss. Carlos Rodriguez’s fifth-inning RBI double was the team’s only extra-base hit of the game. Clay Dungan walked and scored a run, crossing home on an RBI single from Mason McCoy. Freddy Fermin, again starting as the DH, pitched in with an RBI single of his own, scoring Anthony Vilar. McCoy scored on Rodriguez’s double and also swiped his 20th base of the season in the game. Marcos Castanon went 1-for-4 with a single and a stolen base in the loss; Castanon has posted a career-best 16.7% strikeout rate this season, albeit with a career-worst 45.7% ground ball rate. 

San Antonio Missions (Lost 5-2 vs Amarillo) (37-47 on the season)

Jake Cunningham – 2-for-4, Double, Run Scored

Albert Fabian – 1-for-4, Triple, RBI

Andrew Thurman – 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K (92 pitches – 57 strikes)

Right-hander Andrew Thurman threw a season-high 92 pitches in five innings against the Sod Poodles, giving up four runs on seven hits. Thurman coughed up two solo home runs in the second inning, which helped give Amarillo a lead they’d never relinquish. Thurman picked up a third of his outs on fly balls, with just two groundouts produced. Francis Pena allowed one run on three hits in two innings of work. Pena struck out one batter, throwing 19 of 31 pitches for strikes. Clay Edmondson worked a scoreless eighth inning, picking up a strikeout. The North Carolina native has allowed one run in his last 4.1 innings of relief, striking out four in that span. 

The Missions had seven separate batters pick up base hits, but were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the loss. Albert Fabian had the team’s lone hit with RISP, as his first-inning triple scored Jake Cunningham from second base. Cunningham was the lone Missions player with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Braedon Karpathios singled and walked across four plate appearances, also contributing on defense with an outfield assist. Tirso Ornelas went 1-for-4 with a single, scoring a run on a wild pitch. Luis Verdugo, who was a late addition to the lineup, went 1-for-4 with a single and a walk in the loss. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 8-5 vs West Michigan) (34-50 on the season)

Ryan Wideman – 2-for-5, Double, RBI

Rosman Verdugo – 1-for-3, Triple, Walk, RBI

Carson Montgomery – 4 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 4 K (75 pitches – 49 strikes)

Fort Wayne fell behind 7-0 after three innings, and a late comeback effort came up short in their loss at West Michigan. Right-hander Carson Montgomery allowed seven runs in four innings, striking out four. Montgomery threw two wild pitches in the game, and a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the second snowballed into a five-run inning. Nonetheless, Montgomery picked up 11 swings and misses in the outing, and five of eight outs in play came via the ground ball, so his outing had areas for growth and areas of strength. Braian Salazar allowed one run in two innings, as a solo homer in the sixth was the only hit the southpaw gave up. Right-hander Will Varmette pitched two scoreless innings of relief, throwing 67% of his pitches for strikes. Since June 10, Varmette has pitched to a 2.25 ERA, striking out 15 batters in 12 innings of relief. 

The TinCaps offense went to work, scoring five runs in their comeback attempt. Ryan Wideman had two hits, driving in the team’s first run with an RBI double in the fifth inning. Wideman also singled in the ninth inning, scoring a run in that frame as well. Justin DeCriscio singled in the eighth inning, scoring on an RBI triple from Rosman Verdugo. Verdugo scored on a hit from Jack Costello, who has now hit safely in nine of his last 10 games. Kasen Wells scored a run in the ninth on a flyout by DeCriscio, and Kerrington Cross drove in Ryan Wideman on an RBI single later in the ninth. Fort Wayne would leave the tying run in the on-deck circle, as Kavares Tears grounded out to end the game. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 6-2 vs Rancho Cucamonga) (44-40 on the season)

Bradley Frye – 1-for-2, Single, Two RBI

Dawson Willis – 2-for-2, Double, Walk, Run Scored

Lan-Hong Su – 2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 0 K (42 pitches – 23 strikes)

Lake Elsinore fell behind 4-1 after three innings and was unable to counterpunch, dropping their Thursday contest by a 6-2 final. Starting pitcher Lan-Hong Su threw two-plus innings, allowing four runs on five hits. Su allowed one home run in the game, walking one while recording no strikeouts. Right-hander Daichi Moriki threw one inning in relief, allowing no runs and striking out one. Zack Qin threw three innings in relief, allowing one run on a solo home run. Qin struck out two batters, walking just one. Isaiah Lowe allowed a home run in two innings of relief, striking out two batters. 

The Storm lineup struck out 13 times in the loss. Dawson Willis had two hits, including a double, scoring one of two runs for the team. Willis stole his seventh base with the team in the game as well. Bradley Frye drove in both runs for Lake Elsinore, as he singled in a run in the first inning and later drove a bases-loaded walk in the sixth. Frye also stole his 20th base of the season. Qrey Lott went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk, scoring a run. Yimy Tovar reached base twice in the loss, while Truitt Madonna went 0-for-3 with a walk. 

ACL Padres (Won 9-1 vs ACL White Sox) (27-22 on the season)

Moises Valdez – 2-for-3, Home Run, Three RBI

Jhoan De La Cruz – 1-for-3, Double, RBI

Adler Cecil – 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 10 K

Adler Cecil was dominant down in the desert, as the Temecula Valley HS alum pitched four innings of one-run baseball, striking out 10. Cecil only saw two outs come on balls in play, one popout and one lineout. All ten of his remaining outs recorded came via the K. Cecil walked just one batter, and he now has a 52/17 K/BB ratio this season. Florangel Vasquez struck out three in two scoreless innings to earn the win, while Luis German threw a scoreless seventh to close out the victory. 

Moises Valdez had himself quite the day, as the Padres’ outfielder went 2-for-3 with a home run. Valdez drove in three runs, reaching base three times. Eddson Martinez went 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Jhoan De La Cruz also doubled in the game, picking up his first RBI since June 29. Colton Vincent drove in two runs on a single, and Fabian Alcantara picked up an RBI single in the win. 

DSL Padres Gold – Rained out vs DSL CLE Mendoza

The Padres Gold’s game against the Guardians’ DSL affiliate was rained out. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Monday, July 13. 

DSL Padres Brown (Lost 13-10 vs DSL Tampa Bay) (5-22 on the season)

Yonaiker Hernandez – 3-for-4, Double, Two RBI

Dawry Guerrero – 1-for-4, Single, Two RBI

Yohn Melendez – 2.1 IP, 7 H, 8 R (7 ER), 3 BB, 2 K

Yohn Melendez allowed eight runs, seven of which were earned, in 2.1 innings. The right-hander struck out just two batters, walking three. Melendez’s struggles put the Padres Brown behind the eight-ball quite literally, and the pitching staff labored in relief. Luis Morales allowed one run in two-thirds of an inning, and Edward Bonifacio’s debut saw him allow two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Ariel Dilone picked up two outs, walking three batters. Kelvin Marte allowed two unearned runs in 1.1 innings. Rafael Torres pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless relief, striking out one. 

The Padres Brown’s offense scored ten runs, but it was not enough to overcome the early deficit. Gabriel Teran scored two runs, drawing four walks in the game. Dowry Guerrero went 1-for-4 with two walks and two RBI, while Osmy Osorio went 1-for-5 with a single and an RBI. Yonaiker Hernandez went 3-for-4 with a double, driving in two runs. The Padres Brown’s third baseman is 5-for-13 with a 1.242 OPS and 6/1 BB/K rate in July. Rafael Moran reached base three times in the loss, driving in one run. 

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.