Padres minor league affiliates went 2-2 on Sunday to close out the week.

Let’s jump into the games. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 2-1 vs Sugar Land) (36-45 on the season)

Marcos Castanon – 1-for-4, Home Run, RBI

Bryce Johnson – 1-for-3, Double

Miguel Cienfuegos – 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (45 pitches – 26 strikes)

Marcos Castanon’s ninth-inning home run drove in El Paso’s only run of the game, as Astros MLB-ers Colton Gordon and Ryan Weiss held the Chihuahuas to two hits in the loss. Bryce Johnson picked up the Chihuahuas’ only hit of the game against the starter Gordon, hitting a double. Mason McCoy walked once in the game; McCoy, a career infielder, started in center for the first time since playing four games there with the Orioles organization in 2021. 

On the mound, Miguel Cienfuegos made the start on short notice, pitching three innings of scoreless baseball. Cienfuegos did not allow a hit to the Space Cowboys, striking out five batters. Though he recorded just six whiffs, Cienfuegos’ slider led him to success and four strikeouts. Michael Flynn bounced back from his disastrous last outing with two innings of scoreless relief. Ty Adcock took the loss in the game, allowing an RBI triple to Cavan Biggio and an RBI double to Trenton Brooks. Andrew Moore pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief, striking out four batters but also walking three. Moore generates good extension off the mound, and his arsenal is tailored for generating whiffs. Despite this, he has not been able to get ahead of opponents consistently enough to generate the chases out of the zone at the rate he is capable of. Ethan Routzahn struck out the lone batter he faced in the eighth. 

It was worth noting that right-hander German Marquez was scratched from a scheduled start. As noted by Jeff Sanders of the SDUT, the Padres are coming up on Griffin Canning’s “spot in the rotatio,n” and Marquez’s last appearance with El Paso was in relief. It is certainly a possibility (though not a certainty) that Marquez returns to the Padres as a bulk pitcher behind an opener. 

German Marquez was El Paso’s listed starter today when lineups were tweeted out, but he did not pitch. #Padres have a TBA tomorrow, which is the spot they’ve been using Griffin Canning as a bulk reliever and Marquez came out of the bullpen (1.2 IP) in last game with El Paso.

— Jeff Sanders (@sdutSanders) June 29, 2026

San Antonio Missions (Won 5-3 vs Arkansas) (33-42 on the season)

Jake Cunningham – 2-for-5, Home Run, Two RBI

Albert Fabian – 1-for-3, Double, Walk, RBI

Eric Yost – 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 3 K (93 pitches – 51 strikes)

San Antonio broke a four-game losing streak with a 5-3 win over the Travelers. Starting pitcher Eric Yost pitched into the sixth inning, allowing three runs on five hits. Yost generated two double plays on balls in play, with five ground ball outs in total. The right-hander continues to pitch deeper into games since returning from injury, and while he has issued more walks than usual in two of his last four games, his stuff has continuously sharpened since he returned. Bernard Jose pitched two innings, allowing two inherited runners to score but nothing more. Bradgley Rodriguez returned to action with a 1-2-3 innings on ten pitches, picking up one strikeout. Rodriguez used his cutter to great effect, as the pitch flashed late break to miss bats. Johan Moreno pitched a scoreless ninth inning, striking out two to earn his fifth save of the season. 

Jake Cunningham picked up two more hits in the win. Cunningham also blasted his first home run at the Double-A level, and the 16th of the season overall. It was a productive week at the plate for Cunningham, who hit .302 with an .826 OPS in five games against Arkansas. Albert Fabian hit an RBI double in the second inning to open the scoring. Tirso Ornelas hit an RBI double later in the ballgame, going 1-for-5. Ornelas reached base in every game of the series, going 9-for-27 with three home runs. Francisco Acuna and Brendan Durfee each picked up one hit, with each also scoring a run. 

ICYMI: Jake Cunningham launched his first career Double-A home run in @missionsmilb‘s 5-3 win over Arkansas on Sunday.

Cunningham hit .304 with an .826 OPS in his first week with the Missions. @EVT_News pic.twitter.com/KtXKSb7UL6

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) June 29, 2026

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 6-0 vs Lake County) (32-43 on the season)

Alex McCoy – 2-for-5, Two Singles, Stolen Base

Ryan Wideman – 1-for-5, Single, Stolen Base

Jamie Hitt – 2 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 1 K (56 pitches – 33 strikes)

Fort Wayne was shut out to end a tough series on the road. Starter Jamie Hitt pitched two innings of four-run baseball, with three runs coming in the first inning. Hitt allowed a two-run home run to Dean Curley and a solo home run to Bennett Thompson in the first inning. The left-hander threw 28 pitches per inning, which was a laborious quantity, prompting his departure from the game in two innings. Javier Chacon allowed two runs in 1.2 innings of relief, giving up the Captains’ third home run of the game. Daison Acosta pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless baseball in relief, striking out one batter. Nick Falter pitched a scoreless frame in his second appearance of the week, and Will Koger fired off a scoreless frame in the seventh inning. Ryan Och walked two batters but also fanned two in one inning. 

The TinCaps lineup featured a trio of multi-hit performances, though the team went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Alex McCoy went 2-for-5 as the TinCaps’ designated hitter, hitting a pair of singles. Oswaldo Linares hit a double as part of his own two-hit game, and Ryan Wideman reached base twice in the loss. Wideman singled and stole a base, though he also reached base on an error and nearly scored in the first inning. The TinCaps actually had multiple scoring chances in the first, though Wideman was retired on a forceout at home, and Kavares Tears struck out with the bases loaded to end the frame. Carlos E. Rodriguez reached base three times in the loss, and has walked 13 times this month. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 6-4 vs Fresno) (41-34 on the season)

Dylan Grego – 2-for-4, Double, Single, Two RBI

Bradley Frye – 3-for-4, Three Singles, RBI

Isaiah Lowe – 3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 2 K (68 pitches – 34 strikes)

Cal Riehl – 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (36 pitches – 21 strikes)

Isaiah Lowe allowed four runs in three innings, allowing four hits and four walks. The right-hander threw 50% of his pitches for strikes, giving up all four runs he allowed in the first inning. With a shorthanded bullpen, Lowe pitched three innings in total. Cal Riehl also threw three innings, with his coming in relief. Riehl allowed no runs, giving up just one hit on 36 pitches. Daichi Moriki worked a scoreless seventh inning, paving the way for the newcomers to close out the game. Luis Maracara made his Single-A debut by striking out two in a scoreless eighth inning. Yoesmerli Beltre pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out the final batter of the game on a sharp, biting slider.

Yoesmerli Beltre & Luis Maracara both arrived in Lake Elsinore this morning and closed the door on the Grizzlies in the afternoon ? pic.twitter.com/qsQqoD94o2

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) June 29, 2026

The Storm’s lineup came to life late in the game, rallying for six unanswered runs in their final two turns at bat. Bradley Frye and Yoiber Ocopio led off the seventh inning by reaching on a single and a walk before Dylan Grego doubled to score Frye. Since coming back to the Storm, Grego has a .318 on-base percentage in five games. After a pair of strikeouts, Yimy Tovar put the Storm within a run with a two-run single. Dawson Willis reached scoring position in the eighth thanks to a single paired with a Fresno throwing error on a bunt. Bradley Frye singled to right field to tie the game; the single was Frye’s third of the game. Yoiber Ocopio stepped up once more, hitting a single and moving Frye up. Dylan Grego came through again, as his RBI single gave Lake Elsinore the lead. A sharp base hit by George Bilecki loaded the bases, and a hit-by-pitch with Qrey Lott at the dish scored an insurance run. The Storm went 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position, a mark that led them to a victory.

DYLAN GREGO FOR THE LEAD!! pic.twitter.com/R4nQWORdIJ

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) June 28, 2026

ACL Padres – Off Day

DSL Padres – Both Teams on Off Day

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.