Padres affiliates picked up two wins in seven games on Friday.

Let’s dive right into the games played. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 8-2 vs Salt Lake) (49-68 on the season)

Ethan Salas – 2-for-4, Double, RBI

Rodolfo Duran – 1-for-4, Double, Run Scored

Joe Musgrove – 4.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 5 K (70 pitches – 47 strikes)

El Paso’s offense was quieted as the team dropped their Friday night contest by an 8-2 final. Joe Musgrove returned to the Chihuahuas to make his third rehab start (second with El Paso) and pitched into the fifth inning. The right-hander struck out five batters, generating eight swings and misses. Musgrove did see his fastball velocity surge to an average of 95.4 mph, topping out at 97.1 mph. His maximum fastball velocity in 2024 was 95.0 mph, and three of his first-inning fastballs were higher than that. Daison Acosta threw 2.1 innings of scoreless relief, striking out two. 18 of Acosta’s 21 pitches went for strikes. Ty Adcock allowed three runs in the eighth inning, laboring through a 31-pitch inning. Hunter Stratton pitched another scoreless inning, retiring three of four batters faced. Stratton has pitched four straight scoreless appearances since arriving in the Padres’ organization. 

The Chihuahuas were held off the board by Bees starter Brett Kerry, who held them to two hits in seven innings. Ethan Salas had three at-bats against Kerry, all three of which ended with a ball in play. Salas posted exit velocities of 80.9, 90.6, and 93.0 mph against the Bees starter. Salas’ highest exit velocity of the game came on his ninth-inning double off Leonard Garcia; said double had an exit velocity of 97.1 mph off the bat. Rodolfo Duran also hit a double in the contest, scoring a run on Dustin Harris’ eighth-inning RBI single. 

San Antonio Missions (Lost 14-12 vs Frisco) (51-61 on the season)

Alex McCoy – 4-for-5, Two Home Runs, Four RBI

Braedon Karpathios – 3-for-4, Two Home Runs, Six RBI

Jamie Hitt – 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 5 K (77 pitches – 48 strikes)

The Missions and RoughRiders played what was arguably the game of the year, and in a case of “one team had to lose”, San Antonio’s bullpen allowed six runs in the eighth to take the loss. Alex McCoy made his Missions debut in the contest, as Jake Cunningham landed on the 7-day injured list. McCoy, who led the TinCaps in doubles, had an impressive individual performance in the loss. The hammer from Hofstra mashed two home runs in the contest, driving in four runs for San Antonio. McCoy also hit a double in the contest, his 28th of the season in 98 games. McCoy’s two-home-run game was not the only one on the Missions, believe it or not. Braedon Karpathios’ hot streak in August continued in this game, as the Missions’ center fielder had three hits. Two of his hits cleared the fence for his 13th and 14th home runs of the season. Karpathios drove in six runs in the game, with his sixth-inning grand slam accounting for four of the six runs batted in. Albert Fabian launched his ninth home run of the season in the second inning, and Luis Verdugo hit his eighth home run of the season in the sixth inning. Ryan Jackson went 2-for-5 out of the leadoff spot, scoring two runs. 

Left-hander Jamie Hitt started for the Missions, pitching five innings of four-run baseball. Hitt struck out five and did not issue a walk, generating eight swings and misses from RoughRiders batters. Hitt picked up seven outs via the ground ball, while no outs came on fly balls. The left-hander entered the game with a 49.4% ground ball rate in 19 games (17 starts), and has now fanned 24 of 124 batters faced as a member of the Missions (19.4%). Francis Pena allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning, and Harry Gustin allowed one run on three hits in one inning of relief. Bernard Jose got the final out of the seventh but ran into trouble in the eighth inning. With no outs and two on, Jose allowed a three-run home run to Marcus Lee Sang, making it a one-run game. An out and a single later, San Antonio turned to Garrett Hawkins to escape the jam. Hawkins got to 1-1 against his first batter, but left a floating changeup over the plate, which Frisco’s Max Wagner hit out to right field for a go-ahead two-run home run. Hawkins and the Missions now trailed by one, but the deficit was doubled after Dylan Dreilling took Hawkins deep to right field once more, again on a changeup. Though the Missions’ right-hander was able to end the inning with no further scoring, the momentum had now swung in Frisco’s favor. San Antonio was able to put the tying run on base after a pinch-hit walk by Romeo Sanabria and a single by Ryan Jackson, but Tirso Ornelas grounded out to second base to end the game. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 5-4 vs Quad Cities) (46-62 on the season)

Rosman Verdugo – 1-for-4, Three-Run Home Run

Robbie Lavey – 1-for-3, Home Run, RBI

Carson Montgomery – 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K (75 pitches – 42 strikes)

Winyer Chourio – 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K (62 pitches – 39 strikes)

“Take the first game of the series and copy-paste it” – The weather/nature gods, probably. 

The TinCaps and River Bandits faced off for just the second time this week, and Fort Wayne lost again in walk-off fashion. Fort Wayne struck first on a three-run home run from Rosman Verdugo in the first inning. For Verdugo, it was his 13th home run of the season, and his first since July 25. Verdugo’s homer scored Justin DeCriscio and Ryan Wideman, both of whom reached base twice in the game. DeCriscio picked up the TinCaps’ lone successful stolen base against catcher Blake Mitchell, a top prospect in the Royals’ system. Robbie Lavey went left-on-left in the third inning and picked up his first professional base hit, a solo home run to right field. Lamar King Jr had two hits, including a double, in the game. Luke Cantwell and Kerrington Cross each had a single in the game, though Cross struck out three times. 

TinCaps starter Carson Montgomery pitched four innings on 75 pitches, allowing three earned runs. The right-hander allowed four hits and two walks in the game, striking out four batters. Montgomery’s stuff was lively against the River Bandits, as he generated 13 whiffs in his four innings of work. Winyer Chourio entered in relief and pitched four innings of one-run baseball. The right-hander struck out four batters while walking two, throwing 39 of 62 pitches for strikes. Chourio came out firing, sitting comfortably at 96 mph on the fastball throughout his outing. Sean Barnett pitched in the ninth, but faced just two batters. Barnett issued a four-pitch walk to open the inning, and Asbel Gonzalez moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. In just his fifth professional game, Royals 2026 first-rounder Zion Rose grounded a single to right field off a Barnett fastball, and the throw home from Kasen Wells was not in time, earning the River Bandits a win in walk-off fashion. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 12-4 vs Inland Empire) (60-52 on the season)

Truitt Madonna – 2-for-4, Home Run, RBI

Jorge Quintana – 1-for-4, Home Run, Three RBI

Victor Lizarraga – 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 6 K (50 pitches – 30 strikes)

Adler Cecil – 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 7 K (58 pitches – 38 strikes)

Lake Elsinore used their lineup’s depth to earn a blowout win over Inland Empire on Friday night. Three members of the Storm launched home runs in the win. Truitt Madonna hit a solo home run in the second inning to put the Storm on the board. It was Madonna’s fourth home run with the Storm this season, and his third since returning to the team. Qrey Lott kicked off a five-run third inning with a solo home run, his seventh of the season. Alex Conover singled to score Nu’u Contrades and tie the game in the same inning, and Jorge Quintana punctuated the inning’s scoring with a three-run home run. Lott scored once more in the fourth inning, coming in to score after swiping second on a throwing error. Ty Harvey drove in two runs without the benefit of a hit, and Nu’u Contrades’ bases-loaded walk scored another run. Alex Conover had a two-run single in the eighth to score two, giving him three RBI on the evening. 

Victor Lizarraga made the start for the Storm, his first game action in over a month. The right-hander spent a month in the ACL rehabbing an undisclosed injury, though he may have been down there for a mental reset. The right-hander was back to throwing 94 mph on his fastball consistently, and his mechanics appeared to be much more in sync than in his last two starts in Double-A. Yoesmerli Beltre threw a scoreless fourth inning before turning the game over to Adler Cecil. The left-hander generated nine whiffs in four innings, striking out seven batters and allowing just two baserunners. Cecil dropped his ERA to 3.27 in his first 11 innings with the Storm and has 18 punchouts to eight walks in that span. Jordan Valenzuela closed out the ninth inning without allowing a run. 

DSL Padres Gold (Won 13-5 vs DSL CLE Goryl) (39-14 on the season)

Timothy Mogen – 4-for-5, Home Run, Double, Six RBI

Dayquer Alfonzo – 3-for-5, Double, RBI

Josias Figuereo – 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 2 K 

Timothy Mogen had his breakout game in the DSL, as the Padres Gold’s third baseman finished a triple shy of the cycle in a four-hit performance. Mogen homered for the second time this season, also doubling. Jeanfranco Fernandez drove in a run on two hits, and Dayquer Alfonzo hit his 20th double of the season in the game. Dawry Guerrero drove in two runs in the game. Starting pitcher Josias Figuereo walked five in three innings, allowing three runs. Figuereo struck out two batters, uncorking two wild pitches. Raudi Perez allowed one run in 1.2 innings. Edwyn Hernandez earned a hold with 1.1 scoreless innings, and Guillermo Romero improved to 5-0 with two innings of one-run ball. 

DSL Padres Brown (Lost Doubleheader vs DSL Athletics) (11-42 on the season)

Lost 9-2 in Game 1; Lost 13-3 in Game 2

Rickelby Ramos allowed seven runs (four earned) in 3.1 innings in Game 1 to take the loss. Ramos allowed five hits and two walks in his outing, with two runs scoring after he departed the game. Edward Bonifacio allowed two runs in 2.2 innings, allowing seven hits in the outing. Bonifacio only struck out one. Berman Moreno reached base twice in Game 1, scoring two runs. Luis Sanchez hit two singles and drove in one run, his first RBI this season. 

In Game 2, Dioscaride Sarit earned the start, allowing five runs in 3.1 innings. Sarit walked three batters while striking out three as well. Sarit gave up three runs before departing with two runners on, and Heiver Hernandez gave up eight runs (six earned) in 1.1 innings, also allowing two inherited runners to score. Jeferson Ogando pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. Berman Moreno had two hits in the game once more, scoring Luis Rodriguez on a double. Osmy Osorio was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Luis Sanchez scored on a passed ball in the first inning. 

Saturday’s Probable Pitchers

El Paso – RHP Jhony Brito (2-1, 2.37 ERA)

San Antonio – RHP Matthew Watson (0-2, 7.98 ERA)

Fort Wayne – TBD in Game 1, RHP Bryan Balzer (1-2, 5.40 ERA) in Game 2

Lake Elsinore – LHP Kruz Schoolcraft (2-5, 5.56 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.