Padres Down on the Farm: May 15 (Scholtens pitches well in EP/Eguy Rosario with 3 hits)
Credit: Chihuahuas
The San Diego Padres affiliates went 3-1 on Saturday.
Here is a recap of the day’s events.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 2-0 over Isotopes) (6-3 on season)
Jesse Scholtens– 6.2 IP, 1 H, BB, 7 K (87 pitches- 54 strikes)
Mason Thompson– 0.2 IP, Save
Robbie Podorsky– (1-for-2) 2 BB, Run
Taylor Kohlwey– (1-for-3) RBI, K
The Chihuahuas got a great start from Jesse Scholtens, as the 27-year-old continues to impress in the PCL. The 9th round pick out of Wright State could eventually make it to the majors with the Padres if the team can clear a 40-man spot for him. Scholtens will not light up the radar gun, but he shows tremendous poise on the mound. He struck out seven batters in his 6 2/3 innings pitched on Saturday. Mason Thompson earned his second save of the year by getting the last two outs of the game. Thompson is showing improved command with the fastball, and it is only a matter of time before he earns a promotion.
Robbie Podorsky showed a great eye at the plate as the undersized outfielder walked twice and scored a run for El Paso. Podorsky is fitting right in at the top of the Chihuahuas’ lineup. El Paso only recorded five hits in the game on Saturday, but it did not matter as the pitching staff held Alburqueque in check.
San Antonio Missions (Won 6-2 over Midland) (5-6 on season)
Reiss Knehr– 5 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K (85 pitches-54 strikes)
Eguy Rosario– (3-for-4) Run, RBI
CJ Abrams– (2-for-4) 2B, RBI
Jack Suwinski– (2-for-4) 2 RBI, Run, K
The Missions won again as they scored early and held on to a 6-2 win over the Midland Rockhounds. Reiss Knehr was on the mound and went five scoreless innings, walking two batters and allowing four hits. The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher was selected in the 20th round in 2019 and has progressed very well. James Reeves, Carlos Belen, and Henry Henry all recorded scoreless appearances. Only Pedro Avila allowed runs for the Missions as the right-hander allowed two earned runs while only recording five outs. Avila is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and could be a factor for the big league team once again.
Offensively, the Missions recorded 11 hits in the game. Eguy Rosario led the way going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Olivier Basabe went 2-for-4 and scored two runs for San Antonio. Basabe has a 1.189 OPS early in the 2021 season. The infielder is a prospect with some versatility on the diamond. The right-handed hitter is battling for playing time currently but could be given more at-bats in the coming future.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 4-3 over Lake County) (4-6 on season)
Edwuin Bencomo– 4 IP, BB, 4 K (51 pitches/32 strikes)
Brandon Komar– 3 IP, 1 H, BB, 4 K (42 pitches/27 strikes)
Dwanya Williams-Sutton– (1-for-3) HR, RBI, Run, BB, K
Jonny Homza– (1-for-4) HR, RBI, Run, 3 K
The TinCaps struck out 15 times in their game with Lake County but still prevailed by a score of 4-3. Jonny Homza and Dwanya Williams-Sutton both homered for the TinCaps, and Agustin Ruiz went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Williams-Sutton’s homer was in the 9th and put the game on ice for Fort Wayne. Grant Little, Jonny Homza, Luis Almanzar, and Reinaldo Ilarraza all struck out three times in the game, a major issue for the team. The TinCaps’ lineup as a whole is off to a slow start this year, with several players hitting below the .200 mark.
Right-handed pitcher Brandon Komar started the game, and the 22-year-old looked good. The 13th round pick in 2019 went three strong, allowing one hit and striking out four batters. Edwuin Encarnacion followed Komar and was perfect for four innings except for a walk. The 22-year-old Venezuelan native owns a career 4.03 ERA in 76 games and 145 innings pitched.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 9-3 to Inland Empire) (6-5 on season)
Levi Thomas– 1.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (62 pitches- 36 strikes)
Jordy Barley– (2-for-4) K
Matthew Acosta– (1-for-4) 2 RBI, Run, 2 K
Joshua Mears– (1-for-3) Run, 2 K
Lake Elsinore dropped a game to Inland Empire on Saturday as starting pitcher Levi Thomas had a rough outing. The 22-year-old pitcher was torched for five earned runs in 1 2/3 innings pitched. The 5-foot-11 right-hander is the Padres 4th round pick in 2020. Thomas allowed five runs in the 2nd inning and put Lake Elsinore behind early. The team responded in the bottom half of the inning as Matthew Acosta returned to the lineup with a big triple, driving in two runs for the Storm.
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Nick Thwaits also had a tough night, giving up three runs in three-plus innings pitched. The Storm played from behind all night and was unable to gather a rally to get back into the game. The team was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and also struck out 14 times in the game. The Storm will look to salvage the series on Sunday at the Diamond.
Sunday’s probable pitchers
El Paso- TBD
San Antonio- TBD
Fort Wayne- TBD
Lake Elsinore- TBD
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.