Padres Down on the Farm: August 18 (Verdugo’s near-cycle, Downer’s 4-RBI day)
Credit: Phrake Photography
Padres affiliates went 1-1 on Monday.
Here is our recap of games played.
El Paso Chihuahuas – Off Day
San Antonio Missions – Off Day
Fort Wayne TinCaps – Off Day
Lake Elsinore Storm – Off Day
Storm outfielder Alex McCoy was named California League Player of the Week by Minor League Baseball. McCoy hit .522 with a 1.390 OPS in six games against San Jose last week.
#STLCards prospect Leonel Sequera yielded just one hit and struck out seven over six scoreless innings for @GoPBCardinals!
?: https://t.co/2wNwyyuE8S pic.twitter.com/hiiavaM2nv
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 18, 2025
In other Storm news, left-hander Yovannki Pascual and infielder B.Y. Choi were released. Pascual had a 10.13 ERA and 5.87 FIP at Rookie ball and Single-A, with a 28.3% walk rate in Lake Elsinore. Choi, San Diego’s 2023 20th round pick, slashed .249/.345/.312 in 236 plate appearances this season. Best of luck to both Yovannki and B.Y. on the next steps of their baseball journeys.
DSL Padres Gold (Won 18-5 vs DSL Tampa Bay) (38-17 on the season)
Jhojan Downer – 3-for-6, Double, Four RBI
Jose Verdugo – 3-for-6, Home Run, Double, Three RBI
Dalvi Nunez – 3.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K
Jose Verdugo finished a single shy of the cycle in the Padres Gold’s 18-5 win. The Padres’ shortstop finished with three hits, all for extra bases. Verdugo’s three RBI were second on the team in the game, as catcher Jhojan Downer finished with four runs batted in on three hits. Santiago Contreras finished with three hits, driving in two runs and scoring two while also recording an outfield assist. Eduarlin Tejeda went 3-for-4 in the win, and Isaac Ponce drove in three runs as the DH. Jhoan De La Cruz had an RBI single, and Darian Castillo drove in two runs in two at-bats.
On the mound, Dalvi Nunez held the DSL Tampa Bay squad to three runs on two hits. Nunez punched out four batters in his outing, recording four of six outs in play via the ground ball. Johan Minaya earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Florangel Vasquez threw 1.2 scoreless in relief, working around two hits. Miguel Alvarez pitched one inning in relief, allowing an RBI double to Andres Torres and a big RBI single to Carlos Matias to cut the lead down to nine. Jefferson Villabona came on for the ninth and recorded a scoreless frame.
DSL Padres Brown (Lost 13-7 vs DSL Reds) (19-35 on the season)
Yonaiker Hernandez – 1-for-3, Two-RBI Single
Sebastian Pena – 2-for-3, RBI Single
Cristian Navarro – 3 IP, 7 H, 7 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 2 K
The Padres Brown held a 5-2 lead after a five-run second, but the Reds’ own five-run third inning led to a 13-7 loss when all was said and done. Padres Brown starter Cristian Navarro pitched three innings, but was knocked around for seven runs on seven hits. Five of the seven runs were earned due to an error from Endy Rios, but Navarro was unable to stop the floodgates in the third, finishing his season with an 8.89 ERA. Victor Pilar allowed three runs in one-plus innings of relief, and Angel Sanchez surrendered three runs in two innings.
The lineup did their best to score early and often, piling on in a five-run second inning. Four straight walks gave the team their first run with no outs in the second, and Yonaiker Hernandez hit an RBI single to center field to score two runs, giving the Padres Brown a 3-2 lead. Sebastian Pena singled to score the fourth run of the inning, and Hernandez would score on a sacrifice fly from Jose Bericoto. The Padres Brown would not score again until the fifth inning, when Gabriel Teran hit a bases-loaded infield single to score Endy Rios. Juan Martinez was then hit by a pitch to score their seventh run. With the bases loaded and the tying run on third at the time, Andres Garzaz grounded out to end the team’s last threat of the game.
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.