Padres minor league affiliates went 3-4 on Saturday. 

Here is a recap of the games played. 

Roster Roundup

The Padres officially ended Mason McCoy’s rehab assignment, optioning the utilityman to Triple-A El Paso. Right-hander Bryan Hoeing’s rehab assignment was assigned to Triple-A El Paso, with fellow right-hander Kevin Kopps being placed on the 7-day Injured List in a corresponding move. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 8-6 vs Albuquerque) (32-30 on the season)

Trenton Brooks – 2-for-4, Two Home Runs, Six RBI

Yonathan Perlaza – 1-for-4, Home Run

Jackson Wolf – 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 K (76 pitches – 41 strikes)

El Paso used a furious seventh-inning rally to win in dramatic fashion against the Albuquerque Isotopes. Trenton Brooks had himself a nice day at the office, slugging a two-run home run in the first inning. It would not be his only long ball of the game, as the seventh inning saw the team put six runs on the board. With the bases loaded and one out, Bryce Johnson launched a towering drive to center field that bounced off the wall, but scored only one as the baserunners did not get a very good read. One pitch later, the Chihuahuas faithful were roaring, as Trenton Brooks launched a towering grand slam to right field, turning the tables and giving El Paso a 7-6 lead. Yonathan Perlaza added on with a solo homer four pitches later, capping off the scoring. 

Jackson Wolf made the start for the Chihuahuas and had his toughest outing of the season, allowing four runs in four innings of work. The left-hander did not have his usual swing and miss stuff, getting only six whiffs on the night. Wolf led with his newfound cutter, and the pitch continues to be effective, with batters registering a 0.237 xwOBA Contact against it. Bryan Hoeing continued his rehab assignment with 1.1 innings of two-run ball, striking out two batters. Ron Marinaccio closed out the win with a 20-pitch ninth inning, striking out two batters, generating whiffs on a monstrous 78% of swings against. 

San Antonio Missions (Won 5-2 vs Midland) (31-25 on the season)

Brandon Valenzuela – 3-for-5, Double, Two RBI

Anthony Vilar – 2-for-3, RBI Single

Victor Lizarraga – 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K (81 pitches – 56 strikes)

Victor Lizarraga had yet another strong start, his second in a row, While the right-hander was topping out at 91-92 mph, he was mixing up his curveball, sweeper, and changeup to keep batters uneasy at the plate. A double in the first inning scored the lone run that Midland would get off Lizarraga, as he went on to strike out four batters and retired the final five he faced in order. Spencer Jones retired five straight batters in relief of Lizarraga, and Eduarniel Nunez used his high-octane heater to pitch a four-out save. 

The Missions struck for four runs in the third inning, bringing across four runs against Midland starter Aaron Brooks. Brandon Valenzuela opened the scoring with an RBI double, part of a three-hit effort for the Missions’ catcher. Romeo Sanabria singled to score Francisco Acuna, finishing with two base hits. Marcos Castanon and Anthony Vilar both finished with two hits, and each had an RBI single in the third inning. Valenzuela hit an RBI single in the fourth inning, and Kai Murphy finished with a triple-double: two hits, two walks, two runs scored. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 4-3 vs Beloit) (28-28 on the season)

Leo De Vries – 0-for-1, Four Walks, Run Scored

Ethan Long – 1-for-3, Home Run, Two RBI

Isaiah Lowe – 4 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 4 K (85 pitches – 49 strikes)

The TinCaps lost a close game on the road by a final of 4-3. Isaiah Lowe pitched better than his final line indicated, but he was again victimized by the long ball. Lowe struck out four batters but allowed a solo home run to lead off the game. The real blow came in the fifth inning, as the first two batters reached base against Lowe, and Echendry Vargas launched a three-run home run to left field on a Lowe slider. Cole Paplham tossed two scoreless innings in relief, looking more and more dialed in as the season progresses. Paplham has made six rehab appearances after sustaining a facial injury in Spring Training, and he has posted a WHIP of 0.52 in 7.2 innings. Nick Wissman tossed two scoreless innings as well, a much-needed bounceback for the submarine-throwing right-hander after a 15.75 ERA in six May outings. 

Leo De Vries finished 0-for-1 in the game, but drew four walks in the process. Ethan Long had an impressive day at the plate, driving in a run on a solo homer and another on an eighth-inning sacrifice fly. Rosman Verdugo had an RBI single in the first inning to score De Vries. The team stole five bases in the game, with De Vries stealing two. Jake Snider was 1-for-4 with a double, and while he did not register a hit, Sean Barnett came in to score on Long’s sac fly in the eighth. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 7-1 vs Modesto) (27-29 on the season)

Zach Evans – 1-for-4, Single

Victor Figueroa – 0-for-1, Three Walks

Johan Moreno – 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K (73 pitches – 41 strikes)

Right-hander Johan Moreno started for the Storm, and the right-hander lasted four innings against the defending California League champions. Moreno allowed three runs on five hits in the game, walking only one and striking out three. Moreno’s command was impressive, and his ability to remain in the zone compared to some of his past outings marked a step forward for the young right-hander. Adam Conrad’s career-opening scoreless streak came to an end after 24.2 innings of work, as the right-hander was knocked around for three runs in the sixth inning. Conrad still sports a 0.73 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 24.2 innings, and the former Carolina University starter seems to have found a home in the Storm bullpen.

The offense got very little going against Modesto’s pitching staff. The team had been held to one hit in the first eight innings of the ballgame, despite drawing four walks. Victor Figueroa was responsible for three of those, as he continues to showcase strong plate discipline. Ryan Wilson finished 1-for-3 with a single and a walk. Lamar King Jr reached base on a ninth-inning hit-by-pitch, and Zach Evans broke the shutout with a single that scored a run, aided in part by a throwing error by Nuts infielder Carter Doroghi. The team went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, stranding six baserunners. 

ACL Padres (Won 8-7 vs ACL Brewers) (7-19 on the season)

Jesmaylin Arias – 2-for-4, Two Doubles, Walk-off RBI

Kale Fountain – 1-for-4, RBI Double

Luis Maracara – 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K

In a wild game, the ACL Padres walked off the ACL Brewers on Jesmaylin Arias’ walk-off double. Kale Fountain went 1-for-4 with an RBI double, also scoring a run. Luis De Leon was 3-for-5 with three singles out of the leadoff spot, scoring two runs. Yimy Tovar had two singles and an RBI in the game, and Jesmaylin Arias had two doubles, including the walk-off winner. 

Luis Maracara started for the Padres, tossing 1.2 innings of three-run ball, striking out two. Maracara has been the youngest player at the complex level this season in all of baseball, and while his ERA isn’t the cleanest, he has fared well with the strikeouts and swing-and-miss. Ruben Galindo threw two scoreless innings on rehab assignment, and while he allowed three hits, he also struck out three batters. Yovannki Pascual tossed two scoreless innings with two strikeouts, earning the win. 

DSL Padres Gold (Lost 8-3 vs DSL Braves) (2-3 on the season)

Moises Valdez – 3-for-5, Double

Isaac Ponce – 2-for-4, Home Run

Jeronimo Palmeros – 3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K

The Padres Gold suffered their third consecutive loss, falling 8-3 to the DSL Braves. Jeronimo Palmeros allowed four runs in three innings in his first start of the season. The left-hander struck out four while walking only one batter. Miguel Alvarez made his season debut, allowing three earned runs in 4.1 innings of work. 

Isaac Ponce hit a home run in the game, his first of the season. Ponce finished 2-for-4 in the game, and Moises Valdez had another multi-hit game, finishing with three hits. Eddson Martinez had an RBI single in the game, and Jason Hernandez drove in a run on a forceout, also finishing with a single and a walk in the game.

DSL Padres Brown (Lost 4-2 vs DSL Orioles Black) (3-2 on the season)

Clay Winklaar – 1-for-3, Double

Jose Verdugo – 1-for-3, Two-RBI Single

Josias Figuereo – 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K

A four-run sixth inning cost the DSL Padres Brown a chance at a win. The team only registered two hits and five walks in the game, with Clay Winklaar hitting a double for the team’s lone extra-base hit. Jose Verdugo kept up his hot hitting, posting a two-run single and giving the team an early two-run lead. Yorvin Morla walked twice, scoring a run in the game. 

Josias Figuereo was dominant in his first professional outing, striking out four batters in five innings. The right-hander stranded five baserunners and kept the DSL Orioles B in check, recording seven of 15 outs on the ground. Wilfred Paca earned the loss, allowing four runs (one earned) while recording just two outs.

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.