Padres minor league affiliates went 3-3 on Friday.

Let’s dive into the day’s events. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 5-3 vs Sugar Land) (41-52 on the season)

Marcos Castanon – 3-for-4, Double, RBI

Mason McCoy – 1-for-5, Double, RBI

Jackson Wolf – 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 4 K (77 pitches – 47 strikes)

The Chihuahuas took a 3-2 lead into the ninth inning, but Alek Jacob allowed three runs in the inning, sinking the Chihuahuas’ hopes of coming back with a win. Before the ninth, Jackson Wolf pitched an effective start, striking out four batters in five innings. Wolf’s command was the sharpest he’s had in some time, as he walked only one batter and allowed just three hits. The left-hander mixed all his pitches like he mixes tracks on the soundboard, keeping the Space Cowboys in all sorts of hiccups. Miguel Cienfuegos pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out one batter, and Michael Flynn picked up the final out of the seventh inning with a strikeout. Ethan Routzahn pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and El Paso turned to Alek Jacob in the ninth. Jacob allowed a single to Trenton Brooks before recording the first two outs of the inning. A single and a hit batter later, the bases were loaded for Pascanel Ferreras. Ferreras grounded back to Jacob, who threw to first for the out. Jacob’s throw went through Romeo Sanabria’s glove, which saw the Space Cowboys clear the bases. 

Ferreras puts the Space Cowboys right back in front⚡#Ascend pic.twitter.com/vjK2ccATgB

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) July 18, 2026

Marcos Castanon came out of the break on fire, going 3-for-4 with a double, two singles, and an RBI. Mason McCoy doubled in the third inning, scoring Bryce Johnson to get the Chihuahuas on the board. Nick Solak had two hits in the game, scoring on an RBI double from Castanon. Blake Hunt’s lone hit of the game came in the fourth inning, an RBI single to score Castanon from second base. Will Wagner went 1-for-4 with a double in the loss. 

San Antonio Missions (Won 4-3 vs Corpus Christi) (41-47 on the season)

Kai Roberts – 1-for-2, Two-Run Home Run

Carson Tucker – 2-for-4, Two Singles, Two RBI

Jagger Haynes – 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 8 K (82 pitches – 52 strikes)

Left-hander Jagger Haynes bounced back from a tough start in Midland with six innings of one-run baseball against the Hooks. Haynes generated 15 swings and misses from the Corpus Christi lineup, picking up eight strikeouts in six innings. Haynes also picked up six outs via the ground ball as well, and he did not allow a home run in the game as well. All signs are trending up for the left-hander, and for a Missions rotation missing Miguel Mendez and Luis Gutierrez, Haynes has stepped up and been the guy, along with Eric Yost. Josh Mallitz allowed an unearned run in two innings of relief, striking out one batter. Sadrac Franco walked three in one-third of an inning in the ninth, and Francis Pena entered to pick up the save. Pena allowed an RBI single but nothing more, picking up his third save of the season. 

Tonight’s @FrostBank Player of the Game is tonight’s starting pitcher, Jagger Haynes ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/gXqWiUuIKK

— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) July 18, 2026

The first and ninth batters of the Missions lineup were responsible for the team’s four runs. Carson Tucker batted leadoff and went 2-for-4 with two singles and two runs batted in. Kai Roberts batted out of the ninth spot, launching a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Roberts has five hits in 30 at-bats in July, and three of them are home runs. Francisco Acuna hit a double and walked once, scoring two runs. Tirso Ornelas hit his 23rd double of the season in the game, and Braedon Karpathios went 1-for-4 with a single and an outfield assist. Ethan Salas, fresh off an impressive performance at the All-Star Futures Game, went 0-for-4 with two passed balls in his return to Double-A. 

KAI ROBERTS! ?
Roberts hits a 2-run homer to give us the second lead of the game! pic.twitter.com/aixgDU7EHm

— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) July 18, 2026

Fort Wayne TinCaps – Postponed vs Lansing

The TinCaps’ first game after the All-Star break was postponed due to air quality. The Air Quality Index rose to the 400s at times, with smoke in the area. The game will be played on September 2. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 12-0 vs Ontario) (46-42 on the season)

Jose Verdugo – 3-for-5, Three Singles, Two RBI

Dawson Willis – 2-for-4, Two Triples, RBI, Three Runs Scored

Kruz Schoolcraft – 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K (83 pitches – 47 strikes)

Left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft pitched a dominant outing against the Ontario Tower Buzzers on enemy grounds. The southpaw struck out six batters in five innings, walking only three batters. Ontario swung and missed on 46.8% of swings against Schoolcraft, with the left-hander racking up 15 whiffs on 32 swings. Cameron Nohos made his first Storm appearance of the season, and the 6-foot-8 right-hander picked up six whiffs on 10 swings. Rordy Mejia pitched a scoreless seventh, striking out one and walking one. Yoesmerli Beltre struck out two batters in a scoreless eighth inning, and Cal Riehl struck out one in a scoreless ninth. 

Kruz Schoolcraft came out firing post All-Star Break.

The Padres’ No. 2 prospect’s line vs Ontario (LAD):
5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K
15 whiffs on 32 swings (46.8% Whiff)

Keep an eye out on him in the second half, the kid’s finding his rhythm! @EVT_News pic.twitter.com/FAzqT1fL3b

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) July 18, 2026

The Storm worked five walks and drew three hit-by-pitches to help them score 12 runs in a shutout win. The Storm worked four walks against Ontario starter Marlon Nieves, which saw them post a six-spot in the first. Jorge Quintana drove in a run with an RBI groundout, and Yoiber Ocopio doubled in two runs to extend the lead to 3-0. Ocopio scored on a base hit by Jose Verdugo, and one out later, Yimy Tovar singled to score a run to chase Nieves. A balk by new pitcher Javier Bartolozzi scored George Bilecki to cap off the six-run inning. Conner Westenburg hit an infield single to score a run in the fifth inning, and his stolen base after the hit allowed Jose Verdugo to score from third base. Dawson Willis tripled in the sixth inning to score Jorge Quintana, and Willis himself scored on a groundout by Bradley Frye. Jose Verdugo’s third hit of the game scored the Storm’s final run in the ninth inning. 

ACL Padres (Won 8-2 vs ACL Royals) (31-24 on the season)

Jesmaylin Arias – 3-for-4, Double, Three RBI

Santiago Vargas – 1-for-4, Home Run, Three RBI

Luis Gutierrez – 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Jeremiah Estrada – 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

A pair of rehabbing arms was the story of an ACL Padres win over the ACL Royals. Left-hander Luis Gutierrez returned to game action after being on the 60-day injured list since April 22. The southpaw appeared as though he did not miss a beat, striking out the side. Jeremiah Estrada returned to the mound as well, pitching a scoreless second inning. Despite no strikeouts, Estrada was effective and efficient. Right-hander Tyler Dietz made his pro debut, walking three in one-third of an inning. Joseph Herrera pitched 2.2 innings of one-run baseball in long relief, and Florangel Vasquez threw two scoreless innings to seal the win. 

A pair of three-hit performances led the Padres to a win. Jesmaylin Arias drove in three runs on three hits, including a double. Arias’ double gave the Padres a 2-0 lead, and Santiago Vargas followed him up with a two-run home run. Jhojan Downer singled to score Jack Mathey, extending the lead to 5-0. Isaac Ponce homered in the fifth inning, his third home run of the season. Moises Valdez doubled as part of his own three-hit game, doubling and scoring three runs. 

DSL Padres Gold (Won 6-4 vs DSL LAD Mega in 9 innings) (25-9 on the season)

Joniel Hernandez – 2-for-5, Home Run, Three RBI

Timothy Mogen – 2-for-4, Double, Two RBI

Josias Figuereo – 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K

The Padres Gold won in extra innings over the DSL LAD Mega by a 6-4 final. Joniel Hernandez had himself a day, going 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in the first and an RBI single in the ninth. Hernandez actually bookended the team’s scoring with his two-hit game. Timothy Mogen had two hits, and his performance included a game-tying two-run double in the sixth inning. Sebastian Pena drew two walks, scoring two runs. Endy Ríos hit into a double play in the ninth, a play that scored the go-ahead run. Josias Figuereo allowed three walks in a scoreless first inning before being relieved. Joseph Uzeta threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Yojansy Perez allowed three runs in 1.1 innings, and Albert Perez allowed one run in 2.2 innings of relief. Guillermo Romero picked up the win with two scoreless innings, striking out three. 

DSL Padres Brown (Lost 24-9 vs DSL Astros Orange) (7-26 on the season)

Jhostin Fuentes – 2-for-4, Two Singles, Two RBI

Rafael Moran – 2-for-4, Two Singles, Two RBI

Raudi Perez – 3 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Raudi Perez allowed two home runs and six earned runs in three innings, but the Padres Brown’s relief corps allowed 18 runs. Rickelby Ramos was charged with six runs in one-third of an inning, and Luis Morales allowed one run on two hits and three walks in one inning. Angel Gamarra allowed one run in 1.2 innings, and Aneury Sosa allowed five runs while recording just one out. Edward Bonifacio walked four without recording an out, and two of those runners scored. Dioscaride Sarit pitched 2.1 innings in relief, allowing three runs on five hits. Gensy Aquino picked up the final out of the game. Jhostin Fuentes had two hits, driving in two runs. Rafael Moran went 2-for-4 out of the number nine spot in the lineup, driving in two runs as well. Pedro Silva and Osmy Osorio each went 2-for-5 with an RBI, and Silva picked up one of two Padres Brown doubles. Yonnaiker Hernandez went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI 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.