Padres Down on the Farm: August 17 (Lizarraga’s no-hit bid/Mondou’s game-winning homer)
MIssions
Padres minor league affiliates closed out the week with a 2-2 showing on Sunday.
Here is our daily recap of games played.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 4-2 vs Reno) (67-52 on the season)
Nate Mondou – 1-for-3, Three-Run Home Run
Clay Dungan – 1-for-5, RBI Double
Kyle Hart – 1 IP, 2 H. 1 R. 2 BB, 1 K (28 pitches – 15 strikes)
Omar Cruz – 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 4 K (65 pitches – 32 strikes)
A three-run home run by Nate Mondou in the eighth inning gave El Paso the series sweep over Reno. Clay Dungan got El Paso on the board in the fifth inning with an RBI double to score Rodolfo Duran. Duran had one hit, and was one of eight starters to reach base safely at least once. El Paso trailed 2-1 going into the eighth inning, but Yonathan Perlaza and Luis Campusano reached base. Nate Mondou came to the plate against southpaw Kyle Nelson, and pulled a hanging slider to right-center for a go-ahead three-run home run.
NATE MONDOU HOMERS FOR THE LEAD. LETS GO BABY ? pic.twitter.com/kwJgfjnlaX
— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) August 17, 2025
Kyle Hart served as the opener for El Paso, surrendering a run on two hits and two walks. Hart’s slider and sweeper were as sharp as ever, as he struck out one of six batters faced. Omar Cruz threw four hitless innings as the bulk reliever. Cruz walked five batters but induced a double play and got 11 whiffs in his outing (45.3% whiff rate). Francis Pena, who came off the IL on Friday, threw a scoreless inning, and Raul Brito earned the win with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. Sean Reynolds allowed a leadoff single in the ninth but induced a double play and groundout to seal the save and the win.
San Antonio Missions (Won 8-1 vs Tulsa) (56-58 on the season)
Eli Wilson – 1-for-3, Three-Run Home Run
Francisco Acuna – 1-for-3, Double, Sac Fly, Three RBI
Victor Lizarraga – 6.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 4 K (91 pitches – 54 strikes)
Victor Lizarraga, Ethan Routzahn, and Stephen Jones came within two outs of a no-hitter, paving the way for a Missions win to snap a 10-game losing streak. Lizarraga struck out four batters and walked five, with his defense getting 13 outs on their end. Lizarraga struggled with his command at the start of his outing, but settled in from the third to seventh innings. After a two-out walk in the seventh, Ethan Routzahn came into the game to get the final out of the seventh. Stephen Jones got three outs in the eighth and one out in the ninth before Zach Ehrhard broke the no-hitter with a single. Despite an RBI triple allowed, Jones closed out the win successfully.
All hail the Victor! 21-year-old Victor Lizarraga twirled a gem with 6.2 hitless innings in San Antonio’s big 8-1 win. His best start of the year makes him today’s @FrostBank Player of the Game! #Padres #MiLB pic.twitter.com/ZJnpcUXfkQ
— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) August 17, 2025
The Missions’ lineup broke through against Tulsa pitching, taking a 3-0 lead against starter Luke Fox. Singles from Damon Dues and Oswaldo Linares set up a sac fly from Francisco Acuna. Dues and Devin Ortiz hit RBI singles in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 3-0. A three-run homer from Eli Wilson (his first as a member of the Padres organization) extended the lead to 6-0. Francisco Acuna had a ninth-inning double to score two more runs for the Missions. The lineup’s potency in this game (scoring eight for the second time this series) sets them up well for their next series against Amarillo.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 5-0 vs West Michigan) (52-61 on the season)
Kai Roberts – 1-for-3, Single, Stolen Base
Jack Costello – 1-for-3, Single
Will Varmette – 2.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 3 K (65 pitches – 38 strikes)
Fort Wayne lost in shutout fashion against the first place WhiteCaps on Sunday. Will Varmette pitched into the third inning, working around base traffic in the first two frames before the floodgates opened in the third. Varmette allowed an RBI single to Peyton Graham. Tigers top prospect Izaac Pacheco again torched the TinCaps, with a three-run homer putting Fort Wayne down 4-0. Varmette was chased after a 30-pitch effort in the third. C.J. Widger threw 2.1 scoreless innings, and Bodi Rascon allowed one run in two innings of his own. Luis German pitched two innings of scoreless relief, with one strikeout. The TinCaps lineup was held to two hits by starter Preston Howey and three relievers. Kai Roberts had one of the TinCaps’ hits, also stealing his 24th base of the season. Jack Costello had their only other hit with a single of his own. Ryan Jackson and Lamar King Jr drew walks, with King stealing his second base at High-A.
#Tigers Izaac Pacheco is on a tear right now.
Last five games combined:
▶️ 7 H, 6 R, 5 HR, 11 RBI▶️ 2 multi-home run games
▶️ 2 4-RBI games
▶️ 3 multi-hit games— Emily Waldon (@EmilyCWaldon) August 17, 2025
Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 7-6 vs San Jose) (51-63 on the season)
Kerrington Cross – 2-for-4, Double, Two Runs Scored
Dylan Grego – 2-for-4, Double, Two RBI
Tanner Musgrove – 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K (27 pitches – 16 strikes)
Lake Elsinore scored four runs in the first inning, but would not score again until the bottom of the ninth, ultimately falling 7-6. Tanner Musgrove started on the mound for the Storm, recording two strikeouts but allowing a run on two hits. Kerrington Cross doubled to lead off the game, and after two walks, a sac fly by Yoiber Ocopio tied the game at one. Kale Fountain singled to give the Storm a 2-1 lead. A walk drawn by Jorge Quintana chased Giants starter Argenis Cayama, and Dylan Grego greeted new Giants pitcher Keyner Martinez with a two-run double to left field.
Kale Fountain and Dylan Grego combine to bring three runners home in the first inning!
Presented by High Desert Psychology pic.twitter.com/UQfK58uD9k
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) August 18, 2025
Abraham Parra pitched 4.1 innings for the Storm, but allowed four runs on four hits. Five walks were at the root of Parra’s struggles. Parra recorded seven outs on the ground, showing some positive signs, and made an impressive play defensively. Winyer Chourio allowed one run on five hits in three innings of his own, fanning three, and Vicarte Domingo allowed one run in the ninth. The ninth also saw the Storm rally from a three-run deficit. Kerrington Cross, Alex McCoy, and Carlos Rodriguez led off the ninth with singles, and Yoiber Ocopio walked to score a run. One out later, Kavares Tears hit a sacrifice fly to bring Lake Elsinore within one. Jorge Quintana came to the plate with the tying run on second base, but was called out on strikes to end the game.
Returned to sender. Return RECEIVED. Abraham Parra’s quick reflexes secure the second out of the inning!#SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/DmZYoIF168
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) August 18, 2025
DSL Padres – Both Teams on Off Day
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.