San Diego Padres affiliates went 1-3  on Sunday.

Here is a recap of the day’s events.

Lake Elsinore Storm: 3-0 Loss against Grizzles (43-42, 1st Cal South)

 The Storm fell to the Fresno Grizzlies by the final of 3-0 on Sunday. Padres No.19 prospect Isaiah Lowe got the start and worked five innings, allowing three runs on six hits while punching out five. 

Two of the runs allowed by Lowe would come on a two-out home run, which was the first home run that Lowe allowed this season. Even with the three runs allowed, Lowe’s swing-and-miss stuff would show as he would log 12 total Whiffs and a 31.5% Whiff%. 

Getting Whiffs has been Lowe’s calling card, as he has 32.2% Whiff%, 15.2% SwSrt%, 23.4% Chase%, and 18.4% Chase Swing%. Lowe ranks inside the top five among California league starts in FIP, K%, and ERA. He continues to be one of the most dominant arms in the Cal League.  

He is a prospect who could soon see a call-up with how he has performed this season, given his dominance of the Cal League. 

Padres No.24 prospect Rosman Verdugo collected t a hit in his 1-for-4 day at the dish. Verdugo continues to crush the ball and make better swing decisions as the season has progressed. Since June 25, Verdugo has posted a 210 wRC+, .534 wOBA, and 1.192 OPS. 

He does have a .486 BABIP, which suggests he is having some batted-ball luck, but still, the 19-year-old is seeing the ball very well. In that same span, Verdugo has seen an uptick in walks and a reduction in his strikeout numbers, posting a 15.6% BB% and a 20.3% K%. 

Verdugo also has shown an innate ability to put the ball in the air, as he has just a 34.3% GB% contrasted with a 20.6% LD% and a 33.1% FB%. He also does not take pitches he knows he can do damage on, as he has a whopping 75% Heart Swing%. 

Meaning if he sees it, he bangs it. 

Fort Wayne Tin Caps: 7-4 Win against Great Lakes (37-50, 6th MID EAST)

Fort Wayne picked up a 7-4 win on Sunday over the Great Lake Loons to move their record to 37-50 on the season. 

Padres No.27 prospect Jay Beshers would go two for five with a stolen base on the afternoon. Since his Promotion, Beshears has hit a bit of a speed bump in High-A Fort Wayne, posting just an 88 wRC+ and a .308 wOBA. 

Beshears is still hitting the ball when it enters the zone, posting an 84.4% Z-contact%. However, he appears to be being too patient when the ball is in the zone, as he has just a 54.7% Z-Swing%. 

With a 22.1% Line Drive Percent, he is making quality hard contact. He still seems to be making the right swing decisions, with a SwSrt% of 9.6% and a 22.7% Whiff%. If there is an area of needed improvement, it would be how often he puts the ball on the ground, with just 44.3% GB%.  

On the mound, Padres No.16 prospect Braden Nett would struggle to go 2.1 IP, allowing three runs on five hits. However, he would punch out three. Yes, Nett has an ERA of 6.75, however he does have xFIP of 3.49. Suggesting that the hard-throwing right-hander is due for some serious positive regression. 

Even with the box score struggles, there is plenty to like in Nett, most notably his 27.2% K%, which is north of 30% in his last four outings. 

Bradgley Rodriguez also continues to pitch well, as he would strike out two and allow no runs in his inning of work. He has a 2.50 ERA and a 3.32 FIP since June 1st. 

San Antonio Missions: 4-2 Loss to Amarillo (43-42, 3rd TEX South)

San Antonio lost to Amarillo by a final of 4-2 on Sunday afternoon, dropping their record to 43-32.

On the mound, the Missions used a total of seven arms in the afternoon. To start, Ryan Bergert got the ball and worked one inning, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks. The two earned runs would raise his ERA on the year to 6.49.

Bergerts FIP still sits at 4.31 and his xFIP at 4.52, so there is hope that the numbers will improve in the season’s final stages. But still, 2024 has been a struggle. His K% sits at just 18.7%, a 10.1% drop off from last season, while opponents are hitting over .300 against him this season. 

Bergets is still getting solid swing-and-miss numbers, with a 14.6% SwSrt% and a 28% Whiff%. However, improvements will still need to be made down the stretch.

Two arms that would find success, however, would be Ryan Och and Francis Pena. Och would work an inning and strike out two without allowing a hit. Since his promotion, Och has posted a 37.8% K% and a 1.21 FIP. He has also done a fantastic job of keeping runners on base, as he holds an 87.5% LOB%. 

Francis Pena worked against just one hitter and recorded an out. Pena continues to punch out hitters, posting a 31.5% K% and a 2.21 FIP. 

Pena’s fastball is the thing that catches the eye as it has significant sink and movement, running from 97-99 mph. It can work well in any quadrant of the zone. He pairs it with a tight slider that sits from 91-93 mph. He is one of the most intriguing and electric arms in the San Diego farm system.

 El Paso: 5-4 Loss against Albuquerque(40-53, 4th PCL East)

El Paso fell on Sunday afternoon to Oklahoma City by the final of 5-4, dropping their record 40-53. 

In the loss, two of the Padres’ top prospects would record hits as Graham Pauley would go 2-for-5 with a home run, while Tirso Ornelas would go 1-for-4 with a walk. 

Pauley’s two-hit performance would include a two-run home run in the top of the 4th and a clutch go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 11th inning. El Paso has been more of a struggle for Pauley, who has just a 76 wRC+ in Triple-A this season. 

However, since July 4, he has started to show signs of life, posting a 111 wRC+, .832 OPS, and a .44 Slug%. 

For Tirso Ornelas, his 1-for-4 day continues what has been a wonderful month and a half of baseball as he owns a 141 wRC+, .424 wOBA, and .570 Slug% since June 1st. He is still a name who could soon see a promotion to the big league ball club with injuries in the outfield still existing. 

While Orneals’s barrel rate is under 5%, his 90th percentile exit velocity of 105.6 MPH is still well above average, indicating a player whose quality of contact will be good enough to play regularly at the MLB level.  

Monday’s Probable Pitchers:

El Paso: Off Day

San Antonio: Off Day

Fort Wayne: Off Day 

Lake Elsinore: Off Day

ACL: TBD

DSL Gold: TBD

DSL Brown: TBD

Clark E. Fahrenthold

Proud San Diego Native. Attended Sonoma State University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in communications; following my graduation, I returned home to San Diego, where I have worked in the local San Diego media sports scene since 2020.