Padres Down on the Farm: August 13 (Katoh grand slam for EP/Cordoba 4 hits for SA/Beltre 5 BB, 2 RBI for DSL)
Credit: San Antonio Missions
San Diego Padres affiliates went 6-1 on Friday night including a doubleheader by El Paso and a doubleheader by the ACL Padres. Game two of the ACL Padres’ doubleheader was suspended in the bottom of the fifth due to lightning.
Here is a recap of the day’s events.
El Paso Chihuahuas Game 1 (Lost 9-4 to Reno F/7) (34-49 on the season)
3B Nick Tanielu – 2-for-3, 2-run HR, 3 RBI, K
RF Taylor Kohlwey – 1-for-3, 3B, R, RBI, K
LF Matt Batten – 2-for-4, R, SB
RP Shaun Anderson – 2.0 IP, H, R, 4 K, BB
A single by leadoff hitter Matt Batten, a stolen base, and a run-scoring triple by Taylor Kohlwey was how the Chihuahuas began their night offensively, with another run being scored later in the inning. In game one of a scheduled doubleheader, El Paso jumped ahead 2-0 after the first and did so in style.
The lead would not last long, however, as the Reno Aces would score two runs in the very next inning to tie the game, followed by five runs in the third inning to put El Paso behind 7-2. Nick Tanielu hit a two-run home run to left field in the bottom half of the third to cut the deficit to 7-4, but that is as close as El Paso would get the rest of the game.
Reno would go on to score two more runs and held on to win game one 9-4 in seven innings. The doubleheader was scheduled due to a rainout on Thursday evening, leading to two seven-inning affairs Friday.
El Paso Chihuahuas Game 2 (Won 6-2 over Reno F/7) (35-49 on the season)
LF Gosuke Katoh – 2-for-3, Grand Slam
CF Jose Azocar – 1-for-3, 3B, R, RBI, 2 K
SP Caleb Boushley – 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 K, 2 BB
RP James Norwood – IP, H, 0 R, 3 K
Game two of the Chihuahua’s doubleheader with Reno went a lot better for El Paso after cruising to a 6-2 victory in the seven-inning affair.
26-year-old San Diego native Gosuke Katoh stole the show in game two, blasting a grand slam in the fourth inning, his sixth home run of the season. At the time, the Chihuahuas were losing 1-0 and were having a quiet night with the bats. In a seven-inning game, the timing of the grand slam was huge.
End your night with a highlight: @GosukeKatoh pic.twitter.com/pMJ8TWXOWJ
— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) August 14, 2021
Starting pitcher Caleb Boushley pitched well for El Paso, going 4.1 innings and striking out four, and James Norwood closed out the game by striking out the side in the seventh. The win gave the Chihuahuas a split of their doubleheader.
San Antonio Missions (Won 8-1 over Midland) (40-47 on the season)
SS Eguy Rosario – 2-for-3, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K
3B Allen Cordoba – 4-for-5, 2B, R, RBI
1B Kyle Overstreet – 3-for-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI
RP Jose Quezada – 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K, 0 BB
Five batters had multi-hit games and six pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts and one run in the Missions’ 8-1 team victory over Midland on Friday night.
San Antonio got a balanced attack from top to bottom offensively against the RockHounds, with five players driving in runs, including lead-off hitter Esteury Ruiz who finished with a two-run home run, two runs scored, and two stolen bases.
Allen Cordoba is tonight's Frost Bank Player of the Game! Cordoba recorded four hits, the 6th time this season a Missions player has recorded four hits in a game. Cordoba also scored a run, hit a double, and drove in a run.@Padres @MiLB pic.twitter.com/DnMnTLdgwW
— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) August 14, 2021
The pitching for the Missions was fantastic, holding Midland to only one run and escaping any instances of trouble with timely double plays and big strikeouts. All six pitchers for the Missions made big pitches and got important outs to keep the Missions’ lead intact while holding off any chances of momentum shifting.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 7-2 over South Bend) (41-47 on the season)
LF Tyler Malone – 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI
SS Chris Givin – 3-for-4, 2 RBI, BB
C Adam Kerner – 2-for-4, 3-run HR, 2 R, K
SP Danny Denz – 4.1 IP, H, 0 R, K, 3 BB
The TinCaps were lead by strong pitching as well as a balanced attack on offense to beat the South Bend Cubs 7-2 on Friday night. All but two hitters in the Fort Wayne lineup had hits, with four different players producing multi-hit games.
Chris Givin and Adam Kerner led the way for the TinCaps’ offense, including a three-run home run by Kerner in the second inning that gave Fort Wayne a 4-0 lead at that point.
Starting pitcher Danny Denz lowered his Fort Wayne season ERA to 1.46 after 4.1 scoreless innings and a single hit allowed. Denz has started seven games on the season after tonight, totaling 24.2 innings. His other numbers don’t really jump out at you (18 K, 11 BB, 1.05 WHIP), but Denz has been extremely effective for the TinCaps.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 3-2 over Visalia) (38-49 on the season)
DH Colton Bender – 2-for-4, K
1B Carlos Luis – 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI
SP Nick Thwaits – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 K, 2 BB
RP Jason Reynolds – 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 K
The Storm won 3-2 on a walk-off single Friday night over Visalia after going scoreless in the first five innings of the game. Carlos Luis singled home pinch-runner Sean Guilbe in the bottom of the ninth to break a 2-2 tie, giving the Storm their 38th victory of the season.
The Storm scored two runs in the sixth inning on a throwing error by Visalia for their only other runs of the game, which gave them a 2-1 lead at the time. After Elian Miranda doubled home the tying run in the eighth inning for Visalia, the doors were open for Luis’ walk-off hit.
We promised fireworks and Carlos Luis delivered them in the bottom of the 9th!#StormWin pic.twitter.com/KAKFeyQ2kO
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) August 14, 2021
Robert Hassell III was back in the starting lineup after a hit-by-pitch forced him to leave Wednesday’s game after one at-bat. Hassell pinch-ran late in Thursday’s game, but was not in the starting lineup. Hassell went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base (27) Friday night, but being in the starting lineup was a good sign for Padre and Storm fans.
DSL Padres (Won 22-7 over DSL Reds) (17-5 on the season)
LF Jose Cordero – 1-for-2, HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, 4 BB, SB
RF-CF Eddy Beltre – 0-for-1, 2 RBI, 2 R, 5 BB
1B Daniel Montesino – 2-for-4, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB
SP Brayan Medina – 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 7 K, BB
The Dominican Summer League Padres lit up the scoreboard on Friday afternoon with 22 runs. Interestingly, the 22 runs were produced on only 10 total hits by the team. This was the product of the Padres working the Reds for 23 bases on balls in the nine-inning game, including four by left fielder Jose Cordero and five by outfielder Eddy Beltre.
In all, the Padres scored eight different times on walks with the bases loaded. First baseman Daniel Montesino had a big game offensively, blasting one of the team’s three home runs on the day, along with a three-run triple which was a part of a 10-run sixth inning.
Starting pitcher Brayan Medina led the Padres with seven strikeouts in just 3.2 innings, with just two earned runs allowed. In total, the team struck out 15 batters between six pitchers used on the day.
The win gives the Padres a 17-5 record in the Dominican Summer League, tops in the league
ACL Padres Game 1 (Won 10-5 over ACL Rangers F/7) (11-20 on the season)
SS Jackson Merrill – 1-for-3, 2B, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
1B Jared Alvarez-Lopez – 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB
3B Cole Cummings – 1-for-4, 3-run HR, K
RP Kevin Kopps – IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 K
The Arizona Complex League Padres started the front end of their doubleheader with a 10-5 victory over the ACL Rangers on Friday night. Two of the Padres’ most noteworthy draft picks from the 2021 draft had big nights, with first-round pick Jackson Merrill reaching base three times while scoring twice, and third-round pick Kevin Kopps striking out two in his only inning of work.
ACL Padres Game 2 (Down 1-0; Suspended after 4.5 innings) (11-20 on the season)
Game two of the ACL Padres’ doubleheader was called due to lightning storms in Arizona with the Padres down 1-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth.
The Padres were only able to get one hit through their first four innings of the game but were pitching well when the game was suspended. No word has been announced on if the game will be called with the Padres down 1-0 or if it will be picked back up. The game was only scheduled to go seven innings.
Saturday’s Probable Pitchers
El Paso: Brett Kennedy (1-3, 9.13 ERA)
San Antonio: Pedro Avila (0-2, 4.21 ERA)
Fort Wayne: Moises Lugo (3-3, 3.63 ERA)
Lake Elsinore: TBD
DSL Padres: TBD
ACL Padres: TBD
Kevin is a San Diego Native covering the San Diego Padres and their affiliates