Padres affiliates went winless in five games on Friday.

Time to rip off the bandage, let’s jump right into the games played. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 15-7 vs Round Rock) (50-73 on the season)

Blake Hunt – 1-for-2, Home Run, Two RBI

Dustin Harris – 3-for-5, Double, Two RBI

Evan Fitterer – 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K (40 pitches – 26 strikes)

Right-hander Evan FItterer returned from the injured list as the Chihuahuas starter, throwing two innings of two-run baseball. The right-hander’s only runs allowed came on a PCL-aided home run off the bat of former Angels backstop Logan O’Hoppe. Fitterer threw 65% of his pitches for strikes and also registered a 30% chase rate, which is a part of the right-hander’s formula for success. Andrew Thurman struggled in relief, walking eight batters and giving up six runs. The right-hander got just four outs in the game, allowing four hits. Ethan Routzahn allowed four runs in 2.2 innings, striking out one. J.P. France was the only El Paso pitcher to not allow a run, striking out two in two innings. Jose Leclerc struggled again, allowing two home runs in the ninth inning. Leclerc now has a 27.00 ERA in two Triple-A outings this season. 

Ethan Salas picked up two hits yet again, hitting two singles in the loss. Salas did not score a run, playing six innings in the game due to the score. Even so, the Padres’ No. 1 prospect fared well defensively, not facing much opposition in the baserunning department. Blake Hunt took over defensively for Salas and went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in his two plate appearances. It was Hunt’s 10th of the season in just 34 games in El Paso. Nick Solak and Carlos Rodriguez each drove in a run, and Dustin Harris had three hits atop the lineup. Harris drove in two runs with a double in the game. Marcos Castanon also had two hits in the game, driving in Carlos Rodriguez with a ninth-inning double.

San Antonio Missions (Lost 8-1 vs Northwest Arkansas) (54-64 on the season)

Jack Costello – 2-for-4, Two Singles, RBI

Tirso Ornelas – 1-for-4, Double, Run Scored

Victor Lizarraga – 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K (60 pitches – 36 strikes)

Right-hander Victor Lizarraga returned to the Missions on Friday, pitching into the fourth inning. Lizarraga was charged with five earned runs on five hits and a walk, striking out just two batters. 60% of his pitches were strikes, and he also got a double play to end the second inning. Harry Gustin struck out four batters in 1.2 innings, allowing one inherited runner to score. Gustin allowed one run of his own as well, with all but one of his outs coming in a strikeout. Francis Pena threw two scoreless innings in relief, and Clay Edmondson struck out three in a scoreless frame. Johan Moreno allowed two runs in two-thirds of an inning, and Wyatt Hoffman picked up the final out of the game. Jack Costello had two hits, including an RBI single, in the loss. Costello is hitting .270 since joining the Missions. Tirso Ornelas went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Albert Fabian also doubled in the game and has now reached base safely in six straight games. It goes further, as Fabian has hit safely in nine of his last ten games. Ryan Jackson walked twice in the game, swiping his 12th base of the season. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 13-8 in 10 innings vs Great Lakes) (49-67 on the season)

Bradley Frye – 2-for-5, Three-Run Home Run

Rosman Verdugo – 2-for-4, Home Run, Double, Two RBI

Matthew Watson – 3.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 4 K (78 pitches – 47 strikes)

Fort Wayne has played quite a few “Game of the Year” contenders, and this one is another for the pile. Matthew Watson pitched into the fourth inning, striking out four batters. The right-hander allowed five runs on four hits, but kept the ball in the ballpark. Javier Chacon entered in relief, walking in three runs and not retiring a batter. Will Varmette threw the following 2.1 innings, allowing just an unearned run. The right-hander struck out three batters, with 75% of his pitches landing for strikes. Bernard Jose took the relay from there, throwing two scoreless innings of relief as the TinCaps mounted a comeback. Sean Barnett walked two in the ninth and was within two strikes of ending the game. Barnett got Eduardo Guerrero to ground to third base, but unlike their Wednesday night win, Bradley Frye threw the ball past first base, giving the Loons a lead. The game would go into extras, where Isaiah Lowe gave up five runs. 

Bradley Frye opened a five-run fourth inning with a three-run home run, his second as a TinCap. After Yimy Tovar and Dylan Grego singled, Kasen Wells singled in another run. A forceout and a pitching change later, Rosman Verdugo hit a game-tying double. Dylan Grego hit a game-tying sac fly (Great Lakes took a 6-5 lead in the top of the frame) in the sixth inning, and a solo home run from Verdugo in the seventh gave the team a lead. Trailing by one in the ninth, Grego and Wells reached base safely to put runners on the corners. After a one-out fielder’s choice, Robbie Lavey hit a game-tying double to knot the score at eight runs apiece. Fort Wayne went down quietly in the tenth, sealing the loss.  

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 21-2 vs San Jose) (61-57 on the season)

Jorge Quintana – 2-for-4, RBI Single

Nu’u Contrades – 1-for-4, Double, Run Scored

Kruz Schoolcraft – 0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 0 K (34 pitches – 16 strikes)

The Storm’s pitching staff struggled on Arts & Crafts night at the Diamond. Kruz Schoolcraft started the game, but recorded just one out. The left-hander walked in two runs on full counts, departing the game with four runs allowed. Rordy Mejia got out of the jam with a double play, but struggled overall. The right-hander allowed five runs in 3.2 innings, allowing three home runs and eight total hits. Adler Cecil threw three innings in relief, allowing four runs (one earned). Cecil struck out six batters while walking three, generating eight swings and misses. Brandon Langley threw a scoreless eighth inning with a strikeout. Jake Bold was called on in mop-up duty, and the backstop allowed seven runs in two-thirds of an inning. Fellow backstop Augie Lopez recorded the final out recorded by Storm pitching. Nu’u Contrades scored one of Lake Elsinore’s two runs, hitting their only extra-base hit of the game with a double. Qrey Lott scored the team’s first run on a sac fly by Chris McHugh. Jorge Quintana picked up the team’s only RBI hit of the game, scoring Contrades with an RBI single. 

DSL Padres Gold (Lost 9-3 vs DSL Astros Orange) (1-1 in DSL Cup Pool Play)

Timothy Mogen – 1-for-3, Double, Two Runs Scored

Cristian Benavides – 2-for-4, Double, RBI

Yunny Tovar – 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 0 K 

The Padres Gold’s bullpen allowed eight runs in the team’s first pool play loss. Yunny Tovar threw 2.2 innings of one-run baseball, issuing five walks. While Tovar did not record a strikeout, he was “effectively wild” in the outing. Wilfred Paca took the loss, allowing two runs in 1.1 innings. Albert Perez threw 2.2 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) without a strikeout. Yoel Duarte and Valentin Perez combined for 2.1 innings of two-run baseball. The Padres Gold’s staff did not record a strikeout in the loss. The Padres Gold’s offense went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position in the loss. Eliander Primera singled in the team’s first run with an RBI single in the second inning. After that, the Padres Gold were held off the scoreboard until the ninth inning, where a sac fly from Dawry Guerrero and an RBI double from Cristian Benavides scored their final two runs. Timothy Mogen reached base twice in the game, scoring two of three runs. Benavides and Endy Rios had two hits each in the game, while Angel Megia reached base in three of his plate appearances, drawing two walks.

Saturday’s Probable Pitchers

El Paso – LHP JP Sears (4-4, 8.40 ERA)
San Antonio – RHP Ian Koenig (5-9, 4.63 ERA)
Fort Wayne – RHP Bryan Balzer (1-2, 4.45 ERA)
Lake Elsinore – RHP Tyler Schmitt (8-6, 4.76 ERA)
DSL Gold – TBA

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.