Padres Down on the Farm: May 10 (Snell 7 K’s for EP/Morejon returns to mound for LE/Hassell 3 hits for FW)

San Diego Padres affiliates went 3-1 on Tuesday.

Here is a recap of the day’s event.

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 11-7) (18-13 on the season)

Blake Snell – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 SO, 0 BB

Nomar Mazara – (1-for-5) HR, R, 2 RBIs, 2 SO

Brent Rooker – (1-for-5) HR, R, RBI, 2 SO

Matthew Batten – (3-for-4) HR, 3 R, 2 RBIs

Blake Snell made another rehab start, his first with the Chihuahuas. Snell made big improvements from his first rehab start in Lake Elsinore. Today, Snell worked five innings, showing good command with no walks, and only allowed one run. He also managed to strike out seven batters. This likely ticks all the boxes for the Padres’ front office. His next outing can and likely will be in a Padre uniform.

7 Ks for Blake Snell in 5 IP! @snellzilla4 | @Padres | @BallySportsSD #TimeToShine | #FearTheEars pic.twitter.com/xM8mOZu3k5

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) May 11, 2022

At the plate, the Chihuahuas hosted an impromptu home run derby. They combined for five home runs. FIVE! One of those home runs came from Brent Rooker. He came to the Padres in the Taylor Rogers/Chris Paddack trade. Rooker has some MLB experience in the outfield and can be a call-up candidate given the struggles at the MLB level. Another candidate is Nomar Mazara. He continues to rake in Triple-A. Owning a .973 OPS. Lastly, Matthew Batten needs some love for his performance. He went 3-for-4 with a home run on the day. He has proved himself in Triple-A but has an uphill battle if he wants to crack the Padre infield.

San Antonio Missions (Won 6-5) (12-16 on the season)

Dwayne Matos – 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 0 SO

Connor Hollis – (2-for-2) 2 R, RBI, 3 BB

Agustin Ruiz – (2-for-5) 2 RBIs, 2 SO

Yorman Rodriguez – (1-for-3) 2 R, RBI, BB, SO

The Missions struck first in their matchup against the Arkansas Travelers. Connor Hollis started his perfect day at the plate with his first single of the night. He would later score the game’s first run. The Travelers quickly responded. They started the top of the second inning with three straight hits against Dwayne Matos. After surrendering a sacrifice fly, Matos walked two more batters, scoring another run. Joe Rizzo almost hit a bases-clearing double, but a good relay by Tirso Ornelas gunned down a runner at home.

Fast-forwarding to the bottom of the 7^th inning. The Missions are down 5-2 after each team tallies one more run. Hollis records his second hit of the night. He and Yorman Rodriguez would score off a single by Agustin Ruiz. San Antonio, still down by one, would carry that deficit to the bottom of the 9^th. Juan Fernandez came in as a pinch hitter for Chandler Seagle with the bases loaded and two outs. Fernandez lined a single to center field for a walk-off win.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 9-7) (12-16 on the season)

Ryan Bergert – 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

Jack Stronach – (1-for-4) HR, R, 2 RBIs, SO

Robert Hassell III – (3-for-5) 2B, R, RBI, SO

Corey Rosier – (2-for-4) R, 2 RBIs, BB, SO

The TinCaps came out swinging. Corey Rosier started the game off with a walk. Then Robert Hassell, Joshua Mears, and Angel Solarte all doubled to score three runs. It would take too long for them to find the scoreboard again. In the 4^th inning, Rosier singled to center field, scoring both Olivier Basabe and Reinaldo Ilarraza. The TinCaps would score their next set of runs in the 6^th inning as Jack Stronach launched his second home run of the season.

All looked well for the TinCaps, who had a 7-2 lead after the top of the 6^th inning. Then the South Bend Cubs started their comeback. It started in the bottom of the 6^th inning when Nick Thwaits loaded the bases. Then Owen Cassie, who was traded to the Cubs in the Yu Darvish trade, launched a grand slam to bring the lead within one run.

Two innings later, a costly error tied the game. Oliver Basabe didn’t cleanly catch the ball on a steal attempt by Bradlee Beesley. Beesley reached third on that play and later scored on a single. That wasn’t the last time an error would bite the TinCaps. In the 9^th inning, shortstop Ripken Reyes had a throwing error allowing Ed Howard to reach base. Then with two outs, Matt Mervis homers to win the game for the Cubs.

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 3-2) (18-10 on the season)

Adrian Morejon – 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 SO, 0 BB

Michel Baez – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 SO, 0 BB

Cole Cummings – (1-for-3) 2B, 2 BB

Albert Fabian – (1-for-4) 2B, RBI, BB

Adrian Morejon and Michel Baez made rehab appearances in Tuesday’s game. Both players underwent Tommy John surgery right as they started to get big-league experience. Once they are healthy, they could be candidates for the Padres’ bullpen.

For Morejon, this was his first rehab appearance. He is known for his great movement on his pitches but sometimes lacks command of those pitches. In the first inning, he gave up a leadoff home run but settled down for the rest of the game. He worked three innings, only allowing one more hit, striking out five, and not allowing a walk. Baez continues to show promise in his third rehab appearance. He worked one scoreless inning and owns a 1.50 ERA across his three outings.

It took a long time for the Storm bats to wake up at the plate. They had just four hits leading up to the 7^th inning. In that inning, Albert Fabian doubled to score Marcos Costanon, which tied the game up. In the 9^th inning, Matthew Acosta came up to the plate with bases loaded and two outs. He walked to give the Storm their first lead. That lead would be short-lived because in the bottom of the 9^th, the San Jose Giants tied it back up with a solo shot.

That brought the game into extra innings. A walk and an error loaded the bases for Storm. Once again, they managed to work a walk but failed to truly capitalize with a hit. That one run would be enough for Storm to win 3-2 as the bullpen held the lead.

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Wednesday’s Probable Starters

El Paso – Ryan Weathers (1-1 5.63 ERA)

San Antonio – Gabe Morales (0-0 6.59 ERA)

Fort Wayne – Jackson Wolf (1-1 3.20 ERA)

Lake Elsinore – TBD

Evan Anderson

Evan is a student finishing up a degree in Finance from Northern Arizona University. The ability to break down numbers and find the story behind them has lead to his first of writing for East Village times. He covers baseball which is the sport he grew up playing and has followed even after his playing years.