Padres affiliates went 3-3 on Saturday.

Let’s dive right into the games. 

El Paso Chihuahuas – Postponed vs Oklahoma City

The Chihuahuas’ regularly scheduled game against the Oklahoma City Comets was postponed due to inclement weather. No makeup date was announced.  

San Antonio Missions (Won 10-9 vs Midland) (39-47 on the season)

Luis Verdugo – 2-for-4, Home Run, Three RBI

Ryan Jackson – 3-for-5, Three Singles, Stolen Base, Three Runs Scored

Jagger Haynes – 3 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 1 K (67 pitches – 37 strikes)

A back-and-forth slugfest went in the Missions’ favor late, as Luis Verdugo crushed a go-ahead three-run home run in the eighth inning. Verdugo had two hits in the game, driving in three runs. Francisco Acuna was back in the lineup and picked up two doubles in four at-bats, driving in one run. Jake Cunningham continues to reach base, going 1-for-4 with a single, sacrifice fly, and a run scored. Chris Sargent and Carson Tucker hit back-to-back RBI singles in the fourth inning as well. Ryan Jackson went 3-for-5 with three singles and three runs scored in the game, breaking out of a 2-for-23 spell at the plate over his last six games. Braedon Karpathios reached base four times in the game, driving in one run and hitting two singles. Karpathios has a .787 OPS in nine games this month, slugging .471. 

Jagger Haynes pitched three innings in the game, striking out just one. Haynes’ struggles at Momentum Bank Ballpark continued, as he allowed six runs on seven hits in his three innings. The left-hander battled through his three frames, but walked three batters. Even for the rough stat line, Haynes did not allow any extra-base hits in his start. After this start, Haynes has a 10.49 career ERA at Midland, allowing 17 earned runs in 14.2 innings. Bernard Jose allowed two runs in two innings of relief, striking out one. Jose allowed the team’s lone home run, a solo home run to Davis Diaz. Tucker Musgrove threw a scoreless sixth inning, working around a single and a walk. Musgrove fanned one batter in the inning, touching 98 mph. After taking a loss earlier in the series, Harry Gustin pitched a scoreless inning while stranding the bases loaded. Clay Edmondson worked the eighth inning, allowing an unearned run thanks to a throwing error from Francisco Acuna. Garrett Hawkins entered in the eighth with two outs, stranding the tying run on first base. Hawkins also struck out two batters in the ninth inning, recording three strikeouts in the game and earning his first save of the season. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 4-2 vs West Michigan) (35-51 on the season)

Justin DeCriscio – 2-for-3, Double, RBI

Kasen Wells – 1-for-3, Double, Run Scored

Bryan Balzer – 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K (85 pitches – 52 strikes)

Right-hander Bryan Balzer pitched his best start as a TinCap on Saturday, throwing five innings of one-run baseball against West Michigan. The right-hander picked up 14 swings and misses in the game and set a career-high in strikeouts with eight. The eight strikeouts were a good sign for Balzer, as when he is on, he has shown he can pick up strikeouts en masse throughout his young career. Nick Falter took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits in two innings of relief. The right-hander picked up six whiffs from Whitecaps batters, striking out three. Will Koger threw a scoreless eighth inning, striking out two. It was a nice bounce-back for Koger, who had allowed runs in his last two outings. The TinCaps’ offense was stymied by Whitecaps starter Charlie Christensen, as they were no-hit through 4.2 innings. Jack Costello broke the no-hitter to open the sixth with a single, and Kasen Wells then doubled to move Costello to third. Justin DeCriscio then lined a single to left field to score Costello, tying the game at one. Wells then scored on a wild pitch by reliever Juanmi Vasquez, giving the TinCaps a 2-1 lead. DeCriscio hit a double in the eighth once the TinCaps were behind, but was left stranded. Alex McCoy singled in the ninth, but was left stranded as well, as Fort Wayne went 0-for-3 after his single in the ninth. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 8-2 vs Rancho Cucamonga) (45-41 on the season)

Dylan Grego – 4-for-5, Home Run, Four RBI

Qrey Lott – 2-for-2, Two Doubles, RBI

Tyler Schmitt – 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K (63 pitches – 43 strikes)

Dylan Grego had four hits as the Storm won their penultimate game before the All-Star Break. Grego drove in four runs for Lake Elsinore, hitting his third home run with the Storm in the fifth inning. Grego has slashed .281/.324/.594 in July, hitting two home runs so far in 32 plate appearances. Qrey Lott doubled twice in the game, driving in one run. Yoiber Ocopio doubled in the game, scoring one run. Ocopio also reached base four times in the game, drawing two walks. Conner Westenburg scored two runs, and Alcides Hernandez drove in two runs on two hits in the game. Jorge Quintana went 1-for-5 with a single and a stolen base. With Ryan Wideman now in Fort Wayne, Quintana trails only Conner Westenburg in stolen bases for the Storm. 

Tyler Schmitt pitched an effective and efficient five innings in his start. The right-hander struck out five batters, generating 13 swings and misses from the Quakes’ lineup. Schmitt allowed just one run one on four hits, generating four fly outs and two groundouts. Schmitt also did not allow a free pass, his first time as a professional,l not allowing a walk. On that same wave, Schmitt has issued two or fewer walks in nine of his 15 games this season. Jordan Valenzuela struck out two in two scoreless innings, and Jeferson Villabona struck out four in two innings, allowing one run, 

ACL Padres (Won 15-7 vs ACL Rangers) (28-23 on the season)

Jesmaylin Arias – 2-for-4, Home Run, Four RBI

Fabian Alcantara – 2-for-4, Home Run, Three RBI

Marco Eluscat – 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 K 

The ACL Padres took a cue from their Single-A counterparts, scoring over five runs in two straight innings to win 15-7. Jesmaylin Arias drove in four runs for the Padres, hitting a home run in the fifth inning. Fabian Alcantara also homered in the game, launching a two-run home run in the same inning. Luis De Leon drove in two runs, walked two times, and scored two runs in the contest. Colton Vincent had two hits, driving in two runs in six plate appearances. Abraham Bastidas reached base twice, driving in one run. Marco Eluscat pitched two innings, allowing two runs on three hits. Eluscat walked two, not picking up a strikeout. Landry Jurecka allowed one run in two innings and earned the win. Dariel Polanco struck out four in two innings of relief, and Dalvi Nunez threw a scoreless seventh. Joseph Herrera allowed three runs in the eighth inning, and Luis German struck out the side in the ninth inning to seal the win. 

DSL Padres Gold (Lost 3-2 vs DSL Red Sox Red) (22-7 on the season)

Dayquer Alfonzo – 2-for-4, Double, Two RBI

Cristian Benavides – 2-for-5, Double, Run Scored

Diego Roldan – 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K 

Right-hander Diego Roldan made his professional debut with one scoreless inning, striking out one. Roldan walked two, but kept both from scoring. Yojansy Perez threw five innings of two-run baseball, striking out a career-best six batters. Wilfred Paca allowed one run in two innings, taking the loss. Albieris Polanco threw one inning, working around three baserunners. Dayquer Alfonzo drove in two runs on a first-inning two-run double. Alfonzo and Cristian Benavides each had two hits, and Benavides scored one of the two Padres runs. Yorvin Morla reached base twice, scoring a run. 

DSL Padres Brown (Lost 9-8 vs DSL Royals Ventura) (6-23 on the season)

Sebastian Maldonado – 1-for-4, Double, Three RBI

Gabriel Teran – 2-for-3, Two RBI

Rickelby Ramos – 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K

Rickelby Ramos allowed two runs in three innings in the Padres Brown’s 9-8 loss against the DSL Royals Ventura. Valentin Perez made his debut, allowing three runs in one inning. Gensy Aquino took the loss, failing to retire any of the three batters he faced. Jesus Heredia allowed all three inherited runners to score, blowing the save. Sebastian Maldonado drove in three runs in the game. Yonaiker Hernandez hit a run-scoring single, though a fielding error did not give him any RBI. Gabriel Teran drove in two runs, hitting two singles and scoring two runs. Rafael Moran hit a double as part of a two-hit game, scoring two runs.

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.