Padres affiliates went 2-5 on Thursday.

Here is our daily recap of games played. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 6-5 vs Las Vegas) (43-55 on the season)

Nick Solak – 3-for-5, Three Singles, RBI

Marcos Castanon – 2-for-5, Double

Jhony Brito – 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K (42 pitches – 30 strikes)

El Paso lost a close one on the road, losing 6-5 on Thursday, Jhony Brito allowed two home runs in three innings, recording all nine outs on balls in play. Brito threw 42 pitches, 30 of them for strikes. Given the MLB team’s need for innings, Brito’s abbreviated start was likely to keep him fresh should he be needed. Miguel Cienfuegos threw three innings of one-run baseball, striking out four batters. The left-hander got seven whiffs in the game, and batters had a miniscule 0.150 xWOBACon against him. Ethan Routzahn allowed three runs on five hits in one inning, taking the loss. Michael Flynn threw a scoreless eighth inning in the loss. Nick Solak had three hits, all singles, driving in one run. Solak also stole a base in the loss. Anthony Vilar reached base four times, hitting one of two Chihuahuas doubles in the game. Marcos Castanon had the other double for El Paso, going 2-for-5. Carlos Rodriguez hit a two-run home run in the game, his fourth home run of the game. Romeo Sanabria went 1-for-3 with a single, walk, and an RBI in the game. 

San Antonio Missions (Lost 3-0 vs Frisco) (42-51 on the season)

Wyatt Hoffman – 2-for-3, Two Singles

Kai Roberts – 1-for-4, Single

Matthew Watson – 3.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K (79 pitches – 45 strikes)

Matthew Watson made his Double-A debut on Thursday, pitching into the fourth inning and allowing just two runs. The right-hander struck out four batters while walking two, picking up three ground ball outs. Watson has a 3.12 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in three starts this month. Francis Pena struck out two batters in two innings, not allowing any runs. Sadrac Franco allowed a solo home run in 1.1 innings, and Garrett Hawkins struck out three in two scoreless innings of relief. Hawkins has a 14/1 K/BB ratio in 8.2 innings this month. Wyatt Hoffman had two of San Antonio’s three hits in the contest, with both hits being singles. Kai Roberts also picked up a single in the loss. No Missions baserunner reached scoring position, and the team did not draw a walk. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 15-3 vs Lake County) (38-54 on the season)

Rosman Verdugo – 2-for-5, Two Singles, Run Scored

Justin DeCriscio – 1-for-4, Single, Run Scored

Carson Montgomery – 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 3 K (74 pitches – 48 strikes)

It was one of those games in Fort Wayne. Lake County chased Carson Montgomery in the fifth inning, tagging the TinCaps starter for five runs (three earned) in 4.2 innings. Montgomery allowed two home runs, striking out just three batters. Nick Falter pitched 1.1 innings in relief, allowing one run. Luis German threw one inning, allowing two runs. Will Varmette picked up two outs in the ninth, but some atrocious batted ball luck saw the right-hander allow seven runs on five hits. Outside of a solo homer, it looked as though every batted ball found a place to land just in front of a TinCaps fielder. Luke Cantwell picked up the final out on the mound. The TinCaps took advantage of shoddy defense in the first inning to score three runs. With the bases loaded, Kavares Tears hit a double play ball that was overthrown by second baseman Juan Benjamin, allowing the TinCaps to score two. Jack Costello then hit a ground ball to shortstop, which Welbyn Francisca threw to second base. This would’ve made sense… except for the fact that there was no runner on first base. Juan Benjamin was able to throw to first to get Costello, but the TinCaps scored another run. Rosman Verdugo had two hits in the loss.  

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 11-7 vs Visalia) (47-46 on the season)

Bradley Frye – 3-for-5, Home Run, Two RBI

George Bilecki – 1-for-3, Home Run, Three RBI

Lan-Hong Su – 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (50 pitches – 27 strikes)

Lan-Hong Su pitched a scoreless start for the Storm, pitching 2.1 innings. The right-hander struck out three batters, walking just one, on 50 pitches. Su will likely see his workload managed closely the remainder of the season, but seeing him pitch well without his best command was encouraging. Zack Qin was tagged for two home runs and six runs in three innings, and Isaiah Lowe allowed two runs in 1.2 innings, taking the loss. Cal Riehl allowed three runs (all unearned) in two-thirds of an inning, while Sean Barnett did not allow a run in 1.1 innings. 

George Bilecki launched a three-run home run as part of a six-run first inning. Dylan Grego hit a solo home run in the frame as well, and the Storm were off and running. Despite the opening salvo, the Storm were held scoreless until the ninth inning, where a home run from Bradley Frye scored the team’s seventh and final run. Frye went 3-for-5 with an RBI double plus the homer. Qrey Lott hit three singles, also stealing his 15th base of the season. Yoiber Ocopio went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles and an RBI, getting the lion’s share of catching reps while Ty Harvey rehabs from a hand injury. Jorge Quintana drew two walks in the game, as did Yimy Tovar. 

ACL Padres (Won 3-2 vs ACL Royals) (34-26 on the season)

Ty Harvey – 3-for-3, Three Singles, RBI

Eddson Martinez – 1-for-4, Single

Luis Gutierrez – 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K (26 pitches – 11 strikes)

Michael Salina – 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (11 pitches – 6 strikes)

A trio of rehabbing Padres led the ACL Padres to a win in the season finale. Luis Gutierrez started the game, pitching two-thirds of an inning and allowing no runs. The southpaw walked three, throwing just 11 strikes on 26 pitches. Dalvi Nunez allowed two runs in 1.1 innings of relief. Michael Salina, who missed most of the ACL season due to arm fatigue following Tommy John surgery, came out firing, as he threw purely fastballs in his scoreless inning. Salina averaged 97.4 mph, topping out at 98.9 mph on the heater. Joseph Herrera threw a scoreless fourth, and the duo of Tyler Dietz and Miguel Alvarez combined for a scoreless fifth inning. Julio Dilone threw the final two innings, striking out one and earning the save. Eddson Martinez had a single in the contest. Ty Harvey had three singles, driving in a run on an RBI single in the third. Harvey also scored on a bases-loaded walk to Jhoan De La Cruz in the sixth, which tied the game at two. Eduarlin Tejeda then drew his second walk of the game to take the lead, which would hold through to the final pitch. 

DSL Padres Gold (Won 9-8 vs DSL Brewers Blue) (27-10 on the season)

Eliander Primera – 1-for-2, Triple, Three RBI

Cristian Benavides – 1-for-5, Two-Run Home Run

Yunny Tovar – 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K

Yunny Tovar had his best career start, tossing five scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Tovar picked up five groundouts, and did not allow the Brewers Blue a hit with runners in scoring position. Wilfred Paca allowed three runs in an inning, and Albert Perez gave up one run in 1.2 innings. Guillermo Romero struggled, allowing four runs in two-thirds of an inning. Albieris Polanco got the final out, earning the save. Eliander Primera’s triple scored three runs in the second, giving the Padres Gold a 3-0 lead. Darian Castillo’s RBI single added one more in the third, while Angel Mejia scored on a wild pitch in the fourth inning. Cristian Benavides hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, his only hit of the game. Joniel Hernandez drew four walks in the contest, scoring a run. 

DSL Padres Brown (Lost 7-3 vs DSL Orioles Black) (7-29 on the season)

Luis Rodriguez – 1-for-2, Triple, RBI

Rafael Moran – 2-for-3, Double, RBI

Yohn Melendez – 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 3 K

Yohn Melendez allowed three runs in four innings as the Padres Brown lost 7-3. Melendez struck out three and walked three, committing a pair of pickoff errors which set up scoring chances. Luis Morales gave up two runs in two innings, and Angel Gamarra coughed up two runs in three innings. Rafael Moran had two hits, including a double, driving in one run. Yonnaiker Hernandez and Ronnier Heras also picked up two-hit games in the loss. Luis Rodriguez went 1-for-2 with a triple and an RBI in the game.

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.