Padres affiliates went 5-2 on Tuesday.

Let’s dive right into the day’s events. 

Roster Roundup

• LHP Marco Gonzales was released by Triple-A El Paso. Gonzales had a 7.99 ERA in 47.1 innings this season. 
• OF Bryce Johnson was activated by Triple-A El Paso. Johnson was DFA’d on June 12 to make room for a returning Xander Bogaerts. 
• RHP Bernard Jose was assigned to Double-A San Antonio. San Antonio’s bullpen was taxed over their previous series, and Jose will look to provide reinforcements. 
• Infielder Wyatt Hoffman saw his rehab assigned be moved to High-A Fort Wayne, though he did not appear in the team’s Tuesday game. 
• Shortstop Dawson Willis has been assigned to Single-A Lake Elsinore. With Bradley Frye departing a game over the weekend after being hit by a pitch on the wrist, Willis will provide a right-handed hitting infielder should Frye miss time. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 6-1 vs Reno) (32-38 on the season)

Dylan Grego – 3-for-4, Double, Two Runs Scored

Carlos D. Rodriguez – 1-for-3, Single, RBI, Run Scored

Jhony Brito – 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K (71 pitches – 49 strikes)

El Paso’s lineup scored six runs in the early innings, and the duo of Jhony Brito & Evan Fitterer combined to hold the Aces to one run. Brito pitched five innings of one-run baseball, picking up seven outs on the ground. Brito also induced two double plays, one of his specialties when he’s on the mound. Reno batters chased his changeup out of the zone, with the pitch registering a 50% chase rate. Evan Fitterer pitched the final four innings of the game, striking out three. The right-hander’s fastball continues to be a main reason for his success; all three strikeouts for the Mission Viejo native came via the strikeout. With the final four innings thrown, Fitterer picked up his second career save and his first in 11 months. 

Dylan Grego had his best game of the season, finishing with three hits. Grego doubled in the third against Reno’s Kohl Drake, kicking off a five-run rally. The former Ball State shortstop’s base hits came off the bat at 96.7, 102.1, and 82.1 mph, an impressive sample. Carlos D. Rodriguez’s single scored Grego, and Rodriguez scored on a base hit by Nick Pratto. Mason McCoy scored on a wild pitch, and Pratto scored on a lefty-lefty single by Nick Schnell, chasing Drake from the game. Nate Mondou worked a bases-loaded walk to punctuate a five-run rally. Mason McCoy’s fourth-inning RBI single scored the final run of the game for the Chihuahuas. Eight of nine El Paso starting position players reached base at least once in the win. 

San Antonio Missions – Postponed vs Corpus Christi

San Antonio’s series opener in Corpus Christi was rained out. Both teams will play a doubleheader on Wednesday June 17. Miguel Mendez will start the first game, and while nothing has been confirmed, Eric Yost will likely pitch in the second game. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 4-3 vs South Bend) (25-39 on the season)

Alex McCoy – 1-for-4, Home Run

Jack Costello – 1-for-2, Two-RBI Single

Matthew Watson – 5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K (86 pitches – 56 strikes)

Right-hander Matthew Watson finished one out shy of a quality start, pitching 5.2 innings of three-run baseball. The right-hander allowed eight hits, but saw an uptick in ground balls compared to his last start. Six of 17 outs picked up by Watson came on ground balls, allowing only one home run. Watson has pitched much better at home than on the road, as he sports a 3.68 ERA in 22 innings at Parkview Field compared to a 9.56 ERA away from home. Igor Gil threw 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, pitching his way out of a two-on, two-out jam. Braian Salazar took the loss in the game, allowing a one-out RBI single to Miguel Useche which scored the go-ahead run in the eighth. Clay Edmondson threw a scoreless ninth inning, striking out three. The TinCaps lineup was held to four hits by the Cubs’ staff. Alex McCoy cleared the fence with his eleventh home run of the season, finishing 1-for-4. Jake Cunningham hit a double in the loss, his eleventh of the season. Cunningham has 50 hits on the season now, and 25 of them have gone for extra bases (11 doubles, 14 home runs). Jack Costello drove in two runs on a high chopper into left field, his lone hit of the day. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 2-1 vs San Jose) (37-27 on the season)

Kerrington Cross – 2-for-3, Home Run, RBI

Jose Verdugo – 2-for-5, Double, Run Scored

Winyer Chourio – 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K (84 pitches – 52 strikes)

Lake Elsinore clinched a playoff berth with a 2-1 win over the Northern Division Champion Giants. Kerrington Cross launched his team-leading tenth home run of the season in the first inning to get the Storm on board. Jose Verdugo then doubled in the inning, scoring the second run of the inning on a caught-stealing double play. Cross and Verdugo each had two hits, and four of the team’s six hits. Verdugo and Cross also picked up three of the team’s four stolen bases, with Conner Westenburg picking up his 26th in the game. The Storm drew nine walks in the game, with seven coming against the Giants starter. 

Winyer Chourio broke his four-game winless streak with six innings of one-run baseball against the Giants. Chourio picked up seven ground ball outs, including a pair of ground ball double plays. The right-hander is in the midst of a resurgent month, as he has a 3.10 ERA in three starts this month. Daison Acosta threw a scoreless inning as part of his rehab assignment, striking out two batters. Brandon Langley picked up the final six outs, getting Hayden Jatczak to ground out to short to clinch the Storm’s playoff spot. 

ACL Padres (Won 12-3 vs ACL Dodgers) (18-15 on the season)

Moises Valdez – 2-for-4, Double, Three Runs Scored

Jhojan Downer – 2-for-3, Double, Two RBI

Luis Maracara – 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Luis Maracara threw three innings of one-run baseball as the Padres won 12-3 in seven innings. The 18-year old right-hander allowed just two hits, striking out three batters. Though he has a 4.50 ERA in eight innings this month, Maracara has a 12-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in that span. Yoesmerli Beltre pitched three innings, allowing two unearned runs. Beltre has done all sorts of relief for the Padres down in the ACL, and his last two appearances have been scoreless. Jordan Valenzuela pitched a scoreless seventh to close out the win. 

The Padres drew 12 walks en route to a win. The team loaded the bases with one out in the first, with two wild pitches giving the Padres a 1-0 lead. After a walk to Santiago Vargas, a third wild pitch scored the Padres’ second run. The Dodgers’ staff could not find their command, as they walked two more to load the bases for Jhojan Downer. Downer hit a line drive double to left field to score two runs, and Luis De Leon’s two-run single scored Downer and Jack Mathey. The Padres led 6-0 after one, and the scoring continued. A bases-loaded error allowed two runs to score, and a double play ball by Jhojan Downer scored the ninth run for the Padres. Jesmaylin Arias drove in a run with an RBI single in the third, also hitting an RBI groundout in the seventh. Santiago Vargas’ RBI groundout scored the twelfth run of the game. 

DSL Padres Gold – Swept Doubleheader vs DSL Red Sox Red (10-2 on the season)

Padres Gold won 17-11 in Game 1

Timothy Mogen – 2-for-3, Double, Three RBI, Three Runs Scored

Joniel Hernandez – 1-for-3, Double, Two RBI, Two Walks

Carlos Alvarez – 3 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 1 K

The Padres Gold outslugged the Red Sox Red in Game 1, winning 17-11. Timothy Mogen had two hits, including a double, driving in and scoring three runs. Fellow offseason signee Joniel Hernandez keeps on hitting, as Hernandez hit a double and drove in two runs. Ricardo De La Paz hit two singles, driving in two runs, and three Padres Gold batters scored three runs. Eddson Martinez hit a double, driving in three runs in the game. Yorvin Morla drew three walks, stealing one base. 

Carlos Alvarez struggled in his start, allowing six runs in three innings. The left-hander’s command was not as sharp as his previous start, as he walked four. Despite this, he picked off two runners on the bases. While Alvarez continues to show inconsistency, he is a key part of the Padres Gold’s rotation going forward. Jose Blanco allowed four runs in two-thirds of an inning, walking four. Albert Perez earned the win, throwing 3.1 innings of two-run baseball. Only one of two runs allowed by Perez was earned, and he picked up two strikeouts. Perez has a 3.12 ERA in 8.2 innings, despite more walks (six) than strikeouts (three).

Padres Gold won 10-3 in Game 2

Eddson Martinez – 2-for-5, Double, RBI

Yorvin Morla – 2-for-3, Two Singles, RBI, Two Runs Scored

Marco Eluscat – 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K

Marco Eluscat’s first start of the season was a success, as the right-hander allowed just one hit in 4.2 innings. Eluscat made 11 starts last season, and back in a starting role, provided the Padres with the depth and scoreless ball they needed to cruise to a win. The right-hander fanned four batters, walking three. Miguel Alvarez threw the final 2.1 innings, allowing there runs (two earned). Alvarez struck out three and earned the win. 

Despite the 10 runs scored, the Padres Gold rode a balance of plate discipline and contact to a win. Eddson Martinez hit a double, driving in a run. Yorvin Morla scored two runs for the Padres Gold, reaching base three times. Joniel Hernandez drew two walks, scoring one run. Abraham Bastidas scored two runs, and Cristian Benavides went 2-for-2 with two singles and two runs scored. 

DSL Padres Brown (Lost 11-9 vs DSL Reds in 10 innings) (4-8 on the season)

Jeanfranco Fernandez – 1-for-5, Three-Run Double

Eliander Primera – 2-for-5, Double, Two RBI

Randy Soto – 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 4 K 

The Padres Brown led 8-2 after six innings, only to drop the game 11-9 in ten innings. Randy Soto allowed two unearned runs in 2.2 innings, striking out four batters. Soto’s four strikeouts led the Padres Brown’s staff. Raudi Perez pitched four innings of two-run baseball in relief, walking four and allowing four hits. Nathanael Jacinto allowed two earned runs in one-third of an inning, and Jesus Heredia surrendered four runs (three earned) in 1.1 innings. Heredia gave up three runs in the tenth, taking the loss. 

Jeanfranco Fernandez gave the Padres Brown their first lead of the game with a three-run double. Fernandez’s double opened a six-run inning, as Rafael Moran scored Fernandez with a single. Eliander Primera then singled to score Moran. Pedro Silva scored the final run of the six-run second inning on a wild pitch. Primera hit a two-run double in the sixth to score two runs, the Padres Brown’s final runs in regulation. Endy Rios hit an RBI single in the tenth, but the Padres Brown were unable to capitalize with the tying run at the plate.

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.