Padres Down on the Farm: July 23 (Humphreys pitches well in SA/LE routs 66ers/DSL Padres win eighth straight)
Credit: MiLB TV
San Diego Padres affiliates went 4-0 on Friday as the El Paso Chihuahuas and the ACL Padres games were postponed due to rain.
Here is a recap of the day’s events.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Postponed-Rain)
They’ll play a doubleheader, starting at 4:05 PM PST on Saturday, July 23.
San Antonio Missions (Won 4-0 vs. Springfield) (33-35 on the season)
Jordan Humphreys: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K (65 pitches, 49 strikes)
Eguy Rosario: (3 for 4), R
Michael Curry: (1 for 4), HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 K
Allen Córdoba: (2 for 3), R, 2B, BB
The Missions pitching staff shut out Springfield, but the win was bittersweet due to Dwayna Williams-Sutton’s injury. Williams-Sutton was chasing a fly ball and went down before taking a while to get up. He was removed from the game for Michael Curry before his scheduled at-bat in the bottom of the second. The Missions are yet to report the severity of Williams-Sutton’s injury.
Jordan Humphreys, who started for San Antonio, put together one of the best outings of his career. He had an ERA over nine coming into the game, and he hadn’t had a five-inning start since 2017. He got into a patch of trouble in the third inning, where he allowed the first two runners to reach, but a strikeout and a double play quickly got him out of danger. Three Missions relievers covered the final four innings of the game, allowing only one hit in the process.
Jose Azocar drove home Eguy Rosario and Ben Ruta with a double in the third, which gave the Missions a 2-0 lead. San Antonio added on in the fourth when Michael Curry, who replaced the injured Williams-Sutton, hit a 423-foot home run to double the Missions advantage. Neither team scored again, so it was enough to win the game.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 7-3 vs. Dayton) (33-37 on the season)
Moises Lugo: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (73 pitches, 46 strikes)
Tirso Ornelas: (2 for 3), R, RBI, 2B
Seamus Curran: (2 for 2), 2 R, 2 BB, SB
Ethan Skender: (1 for 3), 2 R, 2B, BB, 2 K
The TinCaps put together seven runs between the third and fifth innings, and that offense was enough to win the game. They picked up eight hits, six of which came between the fourth and fifth innings, when the TinCaps scored six runs. Fort Wayne did a good job of taking advantage of their opportunities, going 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and they only left four runners in scoring position all game. The TinCaps had the bases loaded with nobody out in the fourth inning, but a double play looked like it might kill the inning. However, they still scored three runs in the frame, one of which was scored on the double play. Tirso Ornelas and Reinaldo Ilarraza both doubled home runners in the fifth to extend the lead to 7-1.
Starting pitcher Moises Lugo pitched well, allowing just three hits and striking out eight Dayton Dragons in five innings of work. He allowed his only run in the fourth, as a double followed by a single sent home a run. The TinCaps bullpen was solid, something that it hasn’t been for much of the season, allowing two hits in four innings of work. Michell Miliano gave up two runs, something that happened partially due to the fact that he threw a wild pitch on strike three to his first batter. It clearly rattled Miliano, who didn’t retire any of the next three batters, but he calmed down to retire the side, keeping the TinCaps lead mostly intact.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 11-2 vs. Inland Empire) (32-38 on the season)
Jesus Lugo: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K (73 pitches, 45 strikes)
Angel Solarte: (3 for 5), 2 RBI, SB, CS
Jarryd Dale: (2 for 6), 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB, K
Brandon Valenzuela: (2 for 6), 2B, 2 R, RBI, 2 K
The Storm’s offense was thundering throughout the game against Inland Empire. They had 13 hits and scored runs in six of the nine innings. They jumped out to a three-run lead, but Inland Empire’s two runs in the bottom of the first kept the game interesting. A three-run fifth inning, thanks to three singles, two walks, and a wild pitch put the game out of reach. Lake Elsinore ran the bases throughout the game, swiping six bags in the ball game while being caught stealing twice.
Jarryd Dale had two doubles, and every Lake Elsinore player reached base in the game. There was some controversy in the late innings, as Lake Elsinore pulled off a double steal while up seven in the ninth inning. It appeared to not be ordered by manager Mike McCoy, as he apologized for the steal to the Inland Empire bench.
DSL Padres (Won 6-5 vs. DSL White Sox) (8-1 on the season)
Joel Ascensio: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Jose Sanabria: (1 for 3), R, SB, BB, K
Daniel Montesino: (1 for 4), 2 R, RBI
Oswaldo Linares: (1 for 2), R, RBI, BB
The DSL Padres took advantage of six errors by the DSL White Sox, as five of the Padres’ six runs were unearned. The Padres picked up just four hits in the entire game, but they walked six times and played a clean enough game to win. In the first inning, the Padres batted around, knocking White Sox starter Jorge Ferrer out of the game and scoring four runs, despite the fact they produced just two singles in the inning. The game looked like it might turn into a slugfest, as Padres starter Luis Guttierez also couldn’t make it through the first inning, allowing three runs while facing just seven batters.
The White Sox leaped into the lead in the fourth inning, with Alberto Bernal doubling two runs home off of Javier Zenino. However, thanks to two more errors by the White Sox and a pair of singles, the Padres immediately responded, leaping into the lead 6-5. Joel Ascensio recorded the final six outs to secure the win, striking out five of the seven batters he faced. The Padres have won eight games in a row and have the best record in the Dominican Summer League.
ACL Padres
(Postponed-Rain)
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Saturday’s Probables
El Paso: Jerry Keel (1-3, 6.80 ERA)
San Antonio: Adrian Martinez (5-3, 2.62 ERA)
Fort Wayne: Erik Sabrowski (2-0, 1.88 ERA)
Lake Elsinore: TBD
DSL Padres: TBD
ACL Padres: TBD
Sam is a Senior in High School. He has been writing for three years, and started at EVT in June of 2021. He’s headed to Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Communications in the fall of 2023.