Padres Down on the Farm: August 4 (Ponce’s four-RBI performance/Burciaga’s season-best start)

Padres minor league affiliates went 1-1 on Monday. 

Here is our daily recap of games played. 

El Paso Chihuahuas – Off Day

Chihuahuas pitcher Wes Benjamin was named as the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week. Benjamin fired off seven innings of one-run baseball on July 31, striking out six for one of the best individual performances in the PCL this past week. 

MiLB PCL Pitcher of the Week ✅
Truly Nolen Player of the Week ✅
Wes Benjamin, ladies and gentlemen. pic.twitter.com/d2SVndPGig

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) August 4, 2025

Also of note, infielder/outfielder Trenton Brooks was outrighted off the Padres roster and sent to Triple-A on Monday. Brooks, 30, hit .146 with a .454 OPS in 25 games with the big league club.

INF/OF Trenton Brooks has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A El Paso.

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 4, 2025

San Antonio Missions – Off Day

San Antonio opens a six-game homestand against Springfield (STL Double-A) starting on Tuesday. 

The Missions welcomed catcher Eli Wilson to their roster in a minor trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. The 27-year-old Wilson adds a fourth catcher to the Missions roster alongside Addison Kopack, Oswaldo Linares, and utilityman Anthony Vilar. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps – Off Day

The TinCaps hit the road and head to South Bend for a six-game series. 

Lake Elsinore Storm – Off Day

DSL Padres Gold (Won 9-3 vs DSL Orioles Black) (29-15 on the season)

Isaac Ponce – 2-for-4, Home Run, Double, Four RBI

Deivid Coronil – 1-for-5, RBI Single

Carlos Alvarez – 0.2 IP, 0 H, 2 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 1 K

Even though starter Carlos Alvarez was unable to make it out of the first inning, the Padres Gold won 9-3 over the DSL Orioles Black. First baseman Isaac Ponce drove in four runs in the ballgame, a season high for the Caracas native. Jhojan Downer was one of two other Padres with a multi-hit game, with Santiago Contreras hitting three singles in five at-bats. Deivid Coronil had an RBI single in the game, and Jhoan De La Cruz reached on a throwing error that allowed a runner to score. On the mound, Johan Minaya relieved Alvarez and struck out four in 3.1 scoreless innings. Florangel Vasquez allowed a run in the sixth when he uncorked a wild pitch, but he still punched out six batters in three innings of relief. Edwyn Hernandez earned the two-inning save, retiring six of eight batters faced. 

DSL Padres Brown (Lost 5-1 vs DSL Athletics)(18-26 on the season)

Abraham Bastidas – 1-for-4, Single

Angel Mejia – 1-for-3, Single

Daniel Burciaga – 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K

Daniel Burciaga gave the Padres Brown a strong start; the right-hander allowed only one run on three hits in four innings of work. Burciaga struck out three in his outing, a season-high in a start. Victor Pilar pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief with the game tied, passing the baton to Angel Sanchez. Sanchez struggled against the Athletics, as he walked two batters, hit two more, and threw two wild pitches in 1.1 innings. One wild pitch scored the go-ahead run, and a double and sac fly later, the Padres Brown trailed 5-1. The Padres affiliate’s lineup couldn’t get anything going, as their lone run came in to score on a throwing error in the third inning. Abraham Bastidas and Angel Mejia had the Padres Brown’s lone two hits, and despite drawing four walks, they finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the loss.

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.