Padres Down on the Farm: September 11 (Montgomery’s Double-A debut)
Mandatory Credit - The Journal Gazette - Fort Wayne, IN
Padres affiliates went winless on Friday, albeit in a two-game slate.
Let’s dive right into the games played.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 9-4 vs Tacoma) (57-85 on the season)
Rodolfo Duran – 2-for-4, Two Doubles, RBI
Marcos Castanon – 3-for-5, Two Doubles, Two Runs Scored
Sean Boyle – 3.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 5 K (82 pitches – 55 strikes)
El Paso’s offense hit five doubles but also struck out 15 times in a loss to Tacoma on Friday. Rodolfo Duran was one of two Chihuahuas hitters with two doubles. Duran drove in one of the team’s runs in the fourth inning with a double. Nick Pratto doubled to score Marcos Castanon in the fourth, and an RBI single from Gage Workman gave the team a 3-1 lead. Workman was responsible for El Paso’s fourth run, as he grounded out in the eighth inning to score Castanon. Nick Pratto had three hits, and Carlos Rodriguez had two hits in the loss.
Sean Boyle pitched 3.2 innings in his start, allowing six runs. Only two of Boyle’s six runs allowed were earned, as a pair of errors directly preceded run-scoring plays. The right-hander struck out five batters while issuing three walks, and he did not allow an extra-base hit either. Daison Acosta entered with the bases loaded and two outs, but allowed a two-run double and a grand slam. Acosta threw 2.1 total innings, allowing three runs. Trevor Gott made his organization debut, pitching one inning of scoreless relief. Brent Honeywell also made a scoreless appearance.
San Antonio Missions (Lost 17-1 vs Amarillo) (58-78 on the season)
Kerrington Cross – 1-for-4, Double
Ryan Jackson – 0-for-2, Two Walks, RBI
Carson Montgomery – 2.2 IP, 8 H, 10 R (9 ER), 3 BB, 1 K (67 pitches – 36 strikes)
Carson Montgomery made his Double-A debut, and to say he was thrown right into the fire is something of an understatement. The right-hander faced off with the second-half champion Amarillo Sod Poodles, who scored 10 runs against the Floridian right-hander. Montgomery struck out one batter, walking three. Montgomery’s fastball continued to sit mid-90s, but the aggressive Sod Poodles offense was making contact left and right. The Missions’ bullpen struggled; only Carlos Medina threw a scoreless inning out of four relievers used. Bernard Jose allowed one run in 2.1 innings, and Harry Gustin allowed a two-run home run in one inning. Right-hander Will Varmette labored through a 35-pitch inning, and was charged with four earned runs. The Missions’ offense, by comparison, was held to one hit in five innings by Amarillo starter David Hagaman. Kerrington Cross was responsible for said hit, with a double off the Sod Poodles starter. San Antonio’s lone run of the game scored in the seventh, as the Missions loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batter. Ryan Jackson grounded into a forceout to score Romeo Sanabria from third. What could’ve been a rally became a “Chris Paul hits a huge 3 to cut the lead to 42” moment, as San Antonio stranded two runners on base after Jackson’s run-scoring out. Oswaldo Linares and Kai Roberts each hit singles in the loss.
Lake Elsinore Storm – Off Day
Lake Elsinore opens the California League Championship Series on Sunday at home, hosting the San Jose Giants. No starters have been announced, though Tyler Schmitt would be the most likely arm to go for the Storm.
Saturday’s Probable Pitchers
El Paso – RHP Evan Fitterer (3-8, 4.38 ERA)
San Antonio – LHP Jamie Hitt (2-2, 6.23 ERA)
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.