San Diego Padres affiliates went 2-5 on Thursday.

Here’s a recap of the day’s events.

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 3-1 vs Round Rock) (33-45 on the season)
Tirso Ornelas – (3-for-4)
Clay Dungan – (1-for-4)
Miguel Cienfuegos – 5 IP, 4 H. 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K (73 pitches, 43 strikes)

The Chihuahuas received a strong start from Miguel Cienfuegos, as the left-hander delivered five strong innings against Round Rock. While his command wasn’t quite on par with some of his performances early in the season, he battled through six baserunners in five innings to hold the Express to a single run. Tommy Nance would be saddled with the loss, allowing two runs in 1.1 innings, while Lake Bachar pitched another scoreless outing.

The offense was stymied by Express starter Gerson Garabito, limited to one unearned run on four hits against him. Clay Dungan would score the Chihuahuas’ lone run in the first inning on a throwing error by second baseman Justin Foscue. Tirso Ornelas went 3-for-4 in the game with three singles, raising his batting average to an even .300 on the season. The team would have minimal opportunities with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-3 in those situations.

San Antonio Missions (Won 8-2 vs Midland) (32-37 on the season)
Marcos Castanon – (2-for-4)
Ray-Patrick Didder – (2-for-4) Double
Robby Snelling – 1.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 1 K (58 pitches, 36 strikes)

It was another rough start for Padres’ No. 2 prospect Robby Snelling, as the left-hander would not get out of the second inning, allowing five runs. While his command was not as sharp as it has been in the past, the outing snowballed in the second inning. The third out of the frame would elude Snelling, as he would allow three hits with two outs before being pulled. Reliever Ryan Och had a strong outing in relief, with 2.1 scoreless innings in relief of Snelling. Francis Pena would strike out five batters in two innings of relief.

Offensively, Marcos Castanon and Ray-Patrick Didder both recorded multi-hit games, with Didder slugging a double. Robbie Tenerowicz homered in the second, but the eleven strikeouts for the Missions’ offense did not bode well for the team, as they went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, stranding nine runners in the game.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost Game 1 10-7 in 10 innings vs Dayton) (30-41 on the season)
Kai Murphy – (2-for-4)
Romeo Sanabria – (2-for-5) Two-RBI Single
Jagger Haynes – 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 7 K (93 pitches, 58 strikes)

Jagger Haynes continued his strong month of June, tossing six quality frames of two-run baseball. Haynes had struggled earlier in the season at putting hitters away, but that was not the case on Thursday, as he would strike out seven batters, his second-highest tally of the season. Haynes has now posted a 2.50 ERA across his last nine games, striking out 40 and walking 23 in that span. Bradgely Rodriguez would have his first major hiccup at HIgh-A in this game, allowing four runs in two innings, and Will Geerdes was tagged for four runs in an inning of work.

Game 1’s offensive stars would be the quartet of players with multi-hit games. Romeo Sanabria, Kai Murphy, Anthony Vilar, and Nik McClaughry would each record two hits, with McClaughry recording two doubles. Homer Bush Jr would pinch-run late in the game, swiping his 35th base of the season, and Nerwilian Cedeño would score three times in the game.

Game 2 (Lost 3-1 vs Dayton in 7 innings) (30-42 on the season)
Homer Bush Jr – (0-for-3) RBI
Joshua Mears – (1-for-3) Run Scored
Sam Whiting – 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K (51 pitches, 30 strikes)

In the second game of a doubleheader, Sam Whiting punched out seven batters in three innings in a display of dominance. The right-hander did not allow a single hit, with the lone base runner reaching via walk. Whiting now has a cumulative 3.03 ERA on the season between Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore, and in this outing, he matched the strikeout totals of his last three outings combined. Fernando Sanchez would allow three runs (two earned) in relief, striking out seven batters in three innings, and Dwayne Matos tossed a scoreless seventh.

The offense was mostly held at bay in the game, mustering only five baserunners, and their lone run would come in the third on an RBI groundout by Homer Bush Jr. That would be the only inning where the TinCaps had an opportunity to score, as the Dayton pitching staff held the team hitless from the fourth through the seventh innings. Ethan Salas would go hitless but reached base via walk, and Jay Beshears had one of the team’s two hits in the game.

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 9-8 vs Rancho Cucamonga in 10 innings) (36-34 on the season)
Jacob Campbell – (1-for-3) Three-RBI Double
Rosman Verdugo – (1-for-3) RBI Double, Two Walks
Eric Yost – 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 2 K (83 pitches, 58 strikes)

The Storm struck back from a 6-0 deficit to defeat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in ten innings. Eric Yost struggled with baserunners in the game, allowing three hits and an error in the first, which led to three runs. Yost never really had a chance to settle in, as he would allow three more runs in his outing. Some much-warranted kudos go out to Harry Gustin, who tossed 3.1 shutout frames in relief of Yost. Thomas Balboni Jr would strike out five batters over the final two innings, registering the win.

The offense would come alive later in the game, with Rosman Verdugo doubling in the first run. Jacob Campbell would hit a bases-clearing double to make it 6-4. The Storm would tie the game on miscues by the Quakes in the eighth, and after the Quakes took a two-run lead in the top of the 10th, the Storm surged back. Ryan Wilson would double in the automatic runner, and Jose Sanabria singled in the tying run. With the bases loaded and two outs, Nick Vogt stepped up to the plate and, down 0-2, would wear the next pitch to walk off the Quakes, as Lake Elsinore won 9-8.

ACL Padres (Lost 8-7 vs ACL Royals) (18-22 on the season)
Spence Coffman – (2-for-4) Two-RBI Double
B.Y. Choi – (2-for-4) Two-Run Home Run
Yovannki Pascual – 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K

The ACL Padres’ offense delivered early, with a home run by B.Y. Choi staking them out to a 2-0 lead. Spence Coffman would add on with a two-run double in the second inning, and Colton Vincent would have an EBI single of his own. The Padres would add two more runs on wild pitches late in the game to hold a 7-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh.

Yovannki Pascual delivered a strong start, tossing five innings of one-run baseball. The southpaw would strike out six batters in his third start of the season, showing impressive command of his arsenal. It’s Pascual’s first full season of baseball stateside, and the left-hander is picking up where he left off in the DSL last season. Reliever Bernard Jose would be tagged with the loss, allowing five of seven runs allowed in the seventh inning.

DSL Padres Gold (Lost 10-7 vs DSL Giants Black) (10-7 on the season)
Alexander Garcia – (1-for-4) Double, Walk, 4 RBI
Yimy Tovar – (1-for-4) RBI Double
Luis Maracara – 1.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K

The Padres Gold fell behind early and clawed back but were unable to complete the comeback. Luis Maracara struggled in the start, allowing five runs on six hits while recording only five outs. Reliever Erick Batista was torched for four runs in 1.1 innings in relief of Maracara, allowing a third-inning grand slam.

Yimi Tovar continued his recent tear with a first-inning RBI double. Alexander Garcia was the biggest performer on the day, driving in four runs with a bases-loaded walk and a ninth-inning bases-clearing double. The team walked 13 times but went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, falling just short of the comeback.

DSL Padres Brown: OFF DAY

Tomorrow’s Probable Pitchers:
El Paso: Sean Reynolds (2-0, 8.10 ERA)
San Antonio: Victor Lizarraga (2-3, 3.59 ERA)
Fort Wayne: Henry Baez (1-2, 3.74 ERA)
Lake Elsinore: TBD
ACL: TBD
DSL Gold: TBD
DSL Brown: TBD

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.