San Diego Padres farm affiliates went 2-2 on Sunday.

Here is a recap of the day’s events.

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 5-3 vs Oklahoma City) (47-79 on the season)
Tirso Ornelas – 3 for 4, Run Scored
Matthew Batten – 1 for 5, Two-Run Home Run
Jared Kollar – 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K (72 pitches, 43 strikes)

After struggling against the Oklahoma City Baseball Club on August 20, right-hander Jared Kollar was in for a rematch against OKC and certainly got the better of the opposition in round two. Kollar threw five innings of one-run baseball, striking out five batters and holding OKC’s lineup to two hits. It was a return to form for the right-hander, and his five strikeouts match his Triple-A career high. Jayvien Sandridge tossed 1.2 innings and allowed two runs on two hits, also making a quick snag on a liner off the bat of Andy Pages. Francis Pena got out of a jam in the seventh but walked two with one out before being pulled. Tom Cosgrove came on and was one strike away from exiting the inning with the game still tied, but hung a sweeper that was roped down the left field line by OKC first baseman Andre Lipcius to give Oklahoma City the lead and eventually the win.

Tirso Ornelas continues to strengthen his case for an MLB call-up, as the outfielder went 3 for 4 with a run scored in the game. Ornelas has hit .346 over his last seven games while seeing time in the outfield corners and first base. Matthew Batten made his return to El Paso after his DFA and formally re-introduced himself with a two-run home run off Dodgers’ No. 6 prospect Justin Wrobleski. Every player in the starting lineup got a hit, and Clay Dungan reached base three times, twice off left-handed pitchers. Despite the 12 hits, the Chihuahuas mustered a paltry 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position, stranding the bases loaded in the third inning in the loss.

San Antonio Missions (Lost 6-3 vs Frisco) (54-64 on the season)
Robert Perez Jr – 2 for 4, Double
Joshua Mears – 1 for 3, RBI Double
Henry Baez – 5.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K (73 pitches, 46 strikes)

One game after scoring nine runs, the Missions’ offense was held at bay by RoughRiders pitching, as the team was limited to three runs on six hits. Robert Perez Jr had the team’s strongest offensive showing, going 2 for 4 with a double while also scoring twice. Lucas Dunn had just a single in four at-bats, but his single drove in two of the three runs for San Antonio. Joshua Mears hit an extra-base hit for the third consecutive game, this time an RBI double to score Perez Jr in the eighth inning. Mears is off to a solid start to his Double-A tenure, with a .353 OBP and 1.086 OPS in his first 15 at-bats, albeit with nine strikeouts.

Henry Baez was tagged with his first loss since July 5, as he allowed four runs in 5.1 innings. Baez escaped a first-inning jam and cruised over the next two innings but ran into trouble in the fourth inning. A one-out hit by pitch was followed up by a home run off the bat of Abimelec Ortiz, breaking the scoreless tie and giving Frisco a 2-0 lead. After a clean fifth inning and given his low pitch count, Baez returned to the mound in the sixth. The right-hander was unable to escape the sixth, allowing a one-out walk and single before being relieved by Bradgley Rodriguez. Abimelec Ortiz once again put a thorn in the Missions’ side, hitting a double off Rodriguez to double the lead to 4-0, all four runs charged to Baez. Ryan Och came on to pitch in the eighth inning and allowed two earned runs in 0.1 innings, the first time Och allowed an earned run in the month of August.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 8-5 vs Peoria) (47-73 on the season)
Rosman Verdugo – 2 for 4, Home Run, Two RBI
Jacob Campbell – 2 for 4, Home Run, 2 RBI
Eric Yost – 3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K (61 pitches, 33 strikes)

After falling behind in the first inning, Fort Wayne’s offense showed grit and determination, overcoming a 3-0 deficit for an 8-5 victory. Starter Eric Yost fought through a three-run first inning to pitch into the fourth. The right-hander kept the ball in the ballpark, inducing six ground ball outs and, most notably, not allowing a single fly ball. The TinCaps’ relief corps pitched valiantly, as Joan Gonzalez escaped a fourth-inning jam to get through the fifth, and Jose Luis Reyes tossed four innings of one-run baseball. Reyes struck out three while allowing only a run on three hits, lowering his High-A ERA down to 3.21 after posting a 6.94 ERA in 70 innings at Single-A.

Fort Wayne’s lineup definitely brought some thump, as four of the team’s 12 hits went for extra bases. Rosman Verdugo tied the game at three in the fourth inning with his first home run at High-A. Verdugo is now up to ten home runs between Single-A and High-A on the season. Colton Bender gave the team a lead with a two-RBI double in the sixth inning, and even though the Chiefs promptly tied the game, that marked the last run for Peoria. With Nerwilian Cedeño on second base with two outs, Wyatt Hoffman singled to left field, scoring Cedeño ahead of the throw from left fielder Alex Iadisernia. Nick Vogt scored Hoffman on a base hit to center field, aided by a throwing error. Now up 7-5, Jacob Campbell slugged his first home run at High-A to extend the lead to 8-5. In his fourth inning of relief, Jose Luis Reyes shut down the Peoria offense in the ninth to secure the win, both for him and the TinCaps.

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 8-3 vs Rancho Cucamonga) (64-54 on the season)
Colton Vincent – 2 for 4, Triple, Five RBI
Ryan Jackson – 1 for 3, RBI
Johan Moreno – 4.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K (78 pitches, 51 strikes)

Johan Moreno took the mound for Lake Elsinore and delivered 4.1 innings of one-run baseball, striking out two. His performance was his best since being moved to the rotation earlier in August, and the first time Moreno pitched into the fifth inning in a start this season. Lake Elsinore’s relief staff did not allow an earned run the remainder of the game, with two runs allowed by Zach Qin being of the unearned variety. Alejandro Lugo was credited with his sixth win of the season, and Bernard Jose pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the win.

The Lake Elsinore offense, which has been a force to be reckoned with over the last month, certainly lived up to their name, thundering to a 5-1 lead in the sixth inning. Quakes reliever Alex Makarewich loaded the bases with no outs, and Brandon Butterworth was hit with a pitch to drive in the tying run. Ryan Wilson singled to right to put the Storm up 2-1, and Colton Vincent drove in two runs on a base hit to center field. Chase Valentine drove in the inning’s fifth run on yet another single, and the power of friendship inning ended with Lake Elsinore up 5-1. While the Quakes shook the dynamic of the game with two runs in the seventh, the Storm loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth. Colton Vincent delivered, hitting a triple to center field, clearing the bases, and putting Lake Elsinore up 8-3. The triple gave Lake Elsinore substantial insurance, as Bernard Jose tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the win.

No Games on Monday

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.