Padres affiliates went 4-1 on Thursday.

Let’s jump right into the games’ events. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 11-8 vs Salt Lake) (49-67 on the season)

Ethan Salas – 2-for-3, Two Singles, Two RBI

Nick Pratto – 2-for-3, Double, Three RBI

Sean Boyle – 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K (86 pitches – 52 strikes)

El Paso led 7-0 after four innings, but Salt Lake responded with eight runs in three innings to take the lead in the game before a Chihuahuas rally earned them the win. Ethan Salas opened the scoring in the first inning, grounding a low slider into center field at 104.4 mph for a two-run single. Salas’ pitch recognition at the Triple-A level has shown how advanced his eye is for a player of his age. Both of Salas’ base hits came off the bat over 100 mph (101.4 mph & 104.4 mph). Nick Pratto hit a double and drove in three runs. His seventh-inning double gave the Chihuahuas an 11-8 lead that became the final score. Dustin Harris drove in two runs in the game, and Carlos Rodriguez hit his fifth home run of the season in the contest. 

Ethan Salas 104.4 mph 2 RBI single pic.twitter.com/aSP8wFWxsg

— Giannis Auntiegotapoodle (@TooMuchMortons_) August 14, 2026

Sean Boyle conquered the altitude of El Paso, allowing one run in five innings. Boyle struck out three while walking three. The right-hander picked up nine outs on ground balls, also inducing a double play. Johan Moreno’s PCL struggles continued, as the right-hander allowed three hits, two walks, and four runs. Ethan Routzahn allowed two runs in 1.1 innings of relief, and J.P. France allowed the go-ahead run in two-thirds of an inning. After the Chihuahuas rallied, Alek Jacob pitched a scoreless eighth inning to earn his first hold of the season, and David Morgan struck out one in the ninth to earn the save. 

San Antonio Missions (Won 8-6 vs Frisco) (51-60 on the season)

Jack Costello – 1-for-4, Home Run, Two RBI

Braedon Karpathios – 2-for-3, Two Singles, Two Walks, Run Scored

Eric Yost – 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 8 K (92 pitches – 59 strikes)

A trio of home runs led the Missions on the path to victory on Thursday, as the team won 8-6 vs Frisco. Ryan Jackson launched the first of three two-run home runs in the second inning for San Antonio; Jackson’s was his third of the season. Jack Costello followed up with his first career Double-A home run, a two-run blast to left field. Two of the former Toreros’ four hits at the Double-A level have gone for extra bases thus far. Carson Tucker hit his second home run of the season in the second inning as well, extending the lead to 6-2. Braedon Karpathios went 2-for-3 with two singles, also drawing two walks in the game. The 23-year old is in the midst of his best month of the season through 11 games, as he is slashing .425/.521/.700 in 40 at-bats. Romeo Sanabria was involved in a pair of run-scoring plays, as he reached base on an error in the fourth that allowed Anthony Vilar to score. A wild pitch on a Sanabria strikeout scored the final Missions run. 

Jack Costello’s first Missions homer is a game-tying two-run blast.

Missions up 6-4 after 2 and a half pic.twitter.com/QKKV5cN1Di

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) August 14, 2026

Eric Yost allowed four runs in the first inning, but struck out a season-best eight batters to earn the win over the RoughRiders. Yost allowed three doubles and a home run in the first inning, as Frisco batters were sitting fastball. The right-hander fell behind early in counts in the first, but was able to dial in after the first. How can one tell? Yost fanned five of the next six batters faced. The right-hander has now struck out 16 in his first three starts of August (16.1 IP) while walking just five. Igor Gil threw a scoreless inning in relief, stranding two runners on base to end the sixth inning. Josh Mallitz came on with two outs in the seventh inning, stranding runners on the corners. Mallitz was so economical with his pitch count that he pitched the final 2.1 innings of the game, striking out four batters and earning the save. The 24-year old has now pitched two innings or more in three of five outings in August, to the tune of a 3.12 ERA in 8.2 innings. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps – Cancelled vs Quad Cities

The TinCaps and River Bandits were scheduled to play on Thursday at 7:30 pm local time, but field conditions initially pushed the start time back. However, the field conditions were not up to playable standards by game time, so the game was ultimately called. It will be interesting to see how the TinCaps use their pitching staff in the ensuing three games, as only Luis Gutierrez and Kannon Kemp will be unavailable for most of the rest of the series. Will Varmette, who threw 15 pitches on Tuesday, is likely to be available as soon as Friday out of the bullpen. 

Update on Today’s Game in Davenport, Iowa: pic.twitter.com/4HfLQoaAI3

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) August 14, 2026

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 8-1 vs Inland Empire) (59-52 on the season)

Jorge Quintana – 2-for-4, Two Doubles, Run Scored

Chris McHugh – 2-for-4, Two Singles

Lan-Hong Su – 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K (52 pitches – 30 strikes)

Lake Elsinore fell behind 3-0 after two innings, and a four-spot against their bullpen sank any chance at winning in an 8-1 loss. Lan-Hong Su started for the Storm, pitching into the third inning and striking out four batters. Su generated nine swings and misses from the 66ers lineup, and three of his four strikeouts came swinging. The right-hander has sat around the 50-pitch mark in each of his Storm starts, and is likely to remain at this threshold the rest of the season as the Padres manage his workload. Zack Qin threw 3.2 innings in long relief, striking out six batters. The left-hander generated 12 swings and misses from Inland Empire, coming within one out of his season-high in innings pitched in a game. Two of three bequeathed runners scored against left-hander Joseph Herrera, who allowed three runs of his own in 1.2 innings. The 5-foot-8 left-hander has electric stuff, but has struggled with his command this season with the Storm (15.3% BB in 36.2 IP). Jorge Quintana had two doubles in the game, scoring the team’s only run of the contest. Quintana got 66ers starter Jack Bowery in the fourth inning, scoring on an RBI single from Yimy Tovar. Tovar has hit well in nine games this month, slashing .318/.516/.455 with six RBI and a 9:3 BB: K mark. Chris McHugh hit two singles in the contest, and Ty Harvey went 1-for-4 with a single in the loss. 

An eventful seventh inning ?‍? pic.twitter.com/d2Ncuaea4G

— Inland Empire 66ers (@66ersBaseball) August 14, 2026

DSL Padres Gold (Won 15-7 vs DSL CLE Mendoza) (38-14 on the season)

Angel Mejia – 3-for-5, Triple, Four RBI

Cristian Benavides – 3-for-6, Two Doubles, Triple, Three RBI

Yunny Tovar – 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K

The playoff-bound DSL Padres Gold added another one to the win column, earning a high-scoring win over the DSL CLE Mendoza squad on Thursday. Angel Mejia led the Padres Gold’s offense in RBI, driving in four runs on three hits. Cristian Benavides was not far behind, as the Padres’ left fielder drove in three runs with a pair of doubles. All three of Benavides’ hits went for extra bases. Eliander Primera drew two walks and hit two singles, finishing 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Gabriel Teran drew three walks, scoring three runs. Johanneiker Leon hit three singles, driving in two runs. How potent was the Padres Gold’s offense? They had 10 hits with runners in scoring position, hitting .385 in those spots. 

Left-hander Yunny Tovar allowed four runs in four innings. The Padres Gold’s starter was not as sharp as usual, but with the offense doing yeoman’s work around him, he just needed to provide length. Tovar pitched into the fifth inning, and struck out three. Jose Perez threw 2.1 innings of one-run baseball in relief, earning the win. Albert Perez struck out three batters in 1.2 innings, allowing one run. Albieris Polanco closed out the win, allowing a solo home run in the ninth but nothing further. 

DSL Padres Brown (Won 1-0 vs DSL Rojos) (11-40 on the season)

Rafael Moran – 1-for-1, RBI Single

Luis Rodriguez – 1-for-2, Single, Run Scored

Randy Soto – 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K 

The last time the DSL Rojos played the DSL Padres Brown, the Reds’ affiliate scored a football-like amount of runs. This time, the Padres Brown earned the win in a 1-0 fashion because, well, that’s baseball. Right-hander Randy Soto pitched six innings of one-hit baseball for the Padres Brown, striking out five batters. It was Soto’s best start of the season by far, and a contrast to the last time Soto faced a Reds affiliate (2.1 IP, 8 ER vs DSL Reds on July 28). The Padres Brown had two hits all game, with both coming in the fifth inning. Yonaiker Hernandez reached base on a hit-by-pitch with one out, and Luis Rodriguez broke up the no-hitter with a single to left field. Rafael Moran then lined an opposite-field single to right field, scoring Hernandez and giving the Padres Brown a 1-0 lead. After another scoreless inning from Soto, Aneury Sosa came on for the seventh inning, retiring all three batters he faced to earn his second save of the season.  

Friday’s Probable Starters

El Paso – RHP Joe Musgrove (Rehab Assignment; 0-0, 2.70 ERA)

San Antonio – LHP Jamie Hitt (2-1, 5.87 ERA)

Fort Wayne – RHP Carlos Medina (0-0, 3.86 ERA)

Lake Elsinore – LHP Adler Cecil (0-0, 5.14 ERA)

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.