Padres minor league affiliates went 4-3 on Saturday.

Now, onto the games. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 7-1 vs Reno) (34-40 on the season)

Carlos Rodriguez – 1-for-4, Double, RBI

Victor Duarte – 1-for-2, Double, Walk

Jackson Wolf – 5 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K (92 pitches – 59 strikes)

El Paso’s offense went quiet in a loss to Reno, as the team only scored one run. Carlos Rodriguez looks hungry for another 22-game hitting streak on the field, as he went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in the first inning. Victor Duarte stared behind the plate, going 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. Both Marcos Castanon and Nate Mondou finished with a base hit each, with Bryce Johnson picking up the team’s only stolen base of the game. Jackson Wolf started on the mound, pitching five innings of two-run baseball. The left-hander struck out three batters in his start, but allowed eight hits. Reno got to him in the first for an RBI single, and Danny Serretti’s solo home run in the fifth gave the visiting Aces a 2-1 lead off Wolf. Logan Gillaspie allowed four hits in one inning, with two runs scoring against the right-hander. Opponents are hitting .325 against Gillaspie in six June appearances. Ty Adcock allowed one run in one inning of relief, and Misael Tamarez was tagged for two runs in two innings. 

San Antonio Missions (Won 2-1 vs Corpus Christi) (31-37 on the season)

Romeo Sanabria – 3-for-4, Double, Walk, Run Scored

Kai Roberts – 2-for-4, RBI Single, Two Stolen Bases

Victor Lizarraga – 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K (91 pitches – 55 strikes)

Victor Lizarraga threw a second straight strong start, this time registering a quality start. The right-hander threw 6.2 innings of one-run baseball, striking out three. This outing was his longest of the season and his longest start since August 23 of last season against Amarillo. Lizarraga picked up 12 outs on the ground, which allowed him to keep his pitch count at a reasonable number throughout. Josh Mallitz pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out two batters in relief. With Johan Moreno unavailable, the Missions turned to Harry Gustin in the ninth, and the Aurora, Colorado native threw a scoreless ninth to pick up his first save of the season. 

Romeo Sanabria just keeps on hitting! The Padres’ No. 29 prospect had three hits, including a double, in five plate appearances. Sanabria also scored one of the two runs by the Missions. Tirso Ornelas hit two singles, driving in Sanabria for the Missions’ first run of the game. Kai Roberts also had two hits. Making the start in center field, Roberts drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single, also stealing two bases. Luis Verdugo had a second straight multi-hit game, hitting a double in the win. Albert Fabian hit two singles, and Ryan Jackson reached base three times at the top of the lineup. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 3-2 vs South Bend) (28-40 on the season)

Kasen Wells – 1-for-4, Two-RBI Single

Lamar King Jr – 2-for-4, Go-Ahead RBI Single
Abraham Parra – 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K (86 pitches – 56 strikes)

21-year old Abraham Parra outdueled a Major Leaguer on Saturday, pitching a quality start in the TinCaps’ 3-2 win. The right-hander struck out four in six innings of work, allowing two runs on five hits. Parra’s sinker was back in session, as he picked up eight outs via the ground ball, inducing two double plays. It was the longest start of Parra’s season, and just the second time he recorded an out in the sixth inning this year. Parra limited walks in this game, which had been part of the formula for his successes early on. Javier Chacon threw two scoreless innings, his second straight scoreless outing. Clay Edmondson picked up his 11th save of the season with three outs in play. The TinCaps’ lineup picked up two first-inning hits against rehabbing Cubs southpaw Matthew Boyd, but were held scoreless by the veteran left-hander over the course of four innings. The ‘Caps were held off the board in three innings against Nazier Mule, but the eighth inning saw the return of an all-too-familiar identity for the folks at Parkview Field. The Comeback ‘Caps came to play in the eighth, as Kavares Tears and Zach Evans opened the inning with singles. Wyatt Hoffman hit into a forceout at third, and a Justin DeCriscio groundout moved the runners to scoring position. Kasen Wells then grounded a single to right field, scoring two runs to tie the game. Wells advanced to second on a throwing error by Cubs right fielder Christian Olivo. Lamar King Jr then gave the TinCaps a 3-2 lead with a hard-hit single to left field, with Wells scoring ahead of the throw from left field. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 11-8 vs San Jose) (39-29 on the season)

Luke Cantwell – 2-for-4, Three-Run Home Run

Jose Verdugo – 3-for-4, Home Run, Three RBI

Tyler Schmitt – 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K (73 pitches – 49 strikes)

The Storm scored eight runs in the game, but a seven-run eighth by San Jose gave the Ginats the win. The Storm out-homered the Giants four-to-none, with four members of the Storm clearing the fences.  Kerrington Cross hit the first homer of the game for the Storm in the sixth, a solo home run to left-center field. Jose Verdugo had three base hits, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. Verdugo drove in the Storm’s first run with an RBI single in the fifth. Lake Elsinore’s second baseman also hit their second home run of the game, a two-run game-tying home run to left field in the seventh. Luke Cantwell gave the team a 7-4 lead in the seventh with a three-run home run to dead center. Clearing the wall at Excite Ballpark is not something one sees every day, so Cantwell’s blast was impressive off the bat. Jorge Quintana hit an opposite-field home run in the ninth inning, his second of the season. 

Tyler Schmitt started for the Storm, pitching five innings of three-run baseball. Schmitt picked up only two strikeouts, with the Giants putting more balls in the air against the right-hander. The right-hander also picked up seven swings and misses on 49 strikes. The former Illinois starter has thrown five or more innings in six of his last eight starts. Nick Falter allowed one run in 1.2 innings, striking out two batters. Vicarte Domingo picked up the final out in the seventh but allowed four runs in the eighth inning, taking the loss. Will Koger came on to attempt a five-out save, but the Giants scored three runs against him (paired with scoring two inherited runners). 

ACL Padres (Won 2-1 vs ACL Rangers) (20-16 on the season)

Jesmaylin Arias – 2-for-4, Walk-off RBI Double

Jhojan Downer – 0-for-1, Two Walks, RBI

Adler Cecil – 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K

The Padres walked off the Rangers on Saturday, winning 2-1. Luis De Leon had two singles in the game, and Santiago Contreras went 1-for-4 with a single. Jhojan Downer drove in the Padres’ first run with a bases-loaded walk. Jesmaylin Arias had two hits and a stolen base. Arias’ second base hit was the knockout blow, as his seventh-inning double scored Moises Valdez to win the game. On the mound, Adler Cecil threw four innings of one-run baseball, striking out four. The left-hander’s June has been a mixed bag, but this outing could be what it takes to get him back to Single-A. Florangel Vasquez threw two scoreless innings in relief, navigating around four baserunners. Jordan Valenzuela walked the bases loaded in the seventh, but rebounded by striking out the next three batters faced. 

DSL Padres Gold (Won 8-1 vs DSL Tampa Bay) (13-2 on the season)

Sebastian Pena – 2-for-5, Two Singles, Three RBI

Joniel Hernandez – 1-for-4, Single, Two RBI

Diego Serna – 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K 

Left-hander Diego Serna made his professional debut, pitching 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball. Probably on a pitch count, the left-hander struck out two against two walks. Though some will be quick to scrutinize for external reasons, the left-hander’s debut remains something worth following. Raymel Burciaga threw 2.1 innings of scoreless relief, fanning one to earn the win. Angel Perez allowed the team’s lone run of the game in 1.2 innings, leading the team with four strikeouts. Albieris Polanco struck out two in 1.1 innings, sealing the win. Sebastian Pena drove in three runs on two hits, hitting two singles. Pena is set to see more playing time with Eddson Martinez officially joining the ACL Padres. Joniel Hernandez drove in two runs with a single and a groundout. Cristian Benavides and Ricardo De La Paz drew bases-loaded walks, and Dayquer Alfonzo drove in a run with a single. The Padres Gold went 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position in the win. 

DSL Padres Brown (Lost 16-9 vs DSL Athletics) (4-11 on the season)

Jeanfranco Fernandez – 3-for-4, Two Doubles, Four Runs Scored

Eliander Primera – 2-for-4, Double, Four RBI

Rickelby Ramos – 1 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 0 K

The Padres Brown’s pitching staff was lit up by the DSL Athletics, as they coughed up 14 runs in the second inning. Rickelby Ramos threw one-plus innings, walking four and ultimately allowing five runs. Dioscaride Sarit allowed three runs before departing after just one out, leaving with the bases loaded. Jesus Heredia allowed all three inherited runners to score, pitching 1.1 innings of five-run baseball. Nathanael Jacinto did not allow any runs of his own, pitching 1.1 innings with four walks to two strikeouts. Gensy Aquino threw a scoreless fifth inning, and Aneury Sosa allowed one run in two innings. Luis Rodriguez’s triple in the third put the Padres Brown on the board, with Eliander Primera’s single scoring Rodriguez. Pedro Silva’s RBI double scored Primera for the third run of the inning. Primera walked with the bases loaded in the fourth to score a run. Jeanfranco Fernandez scored a run on a fielding error in the sixth. An Endy Rios double drove in two runs in the seventh, and Primera’s lone double of the game scored the final run for the Padres Brown.

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.