Padres Down on the Farm: May 19 (Dunn 3 hits for LE/Morejon & Lawson pitch for SA/Vela struggles for FW)
Credit: MiLB
Only the Lake Elsinore Storm emerged victorious Thursday of the San Diego Padres minor league affiliates.
The bats were quiet at the top levels, with several top prospects not showing their promise. Padres pitchers did shine, however, with Reiss Knehr and Reggie Lawson turning in good starts. Noel Vela struggled for the first time this year, and Adrian Morejon progressed to Double-A San Antonio on his rehab assignment.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 4-3) (21-18 on the season)
C.J. Abrams– 0-for-4, 1 BB, 2 K
Luis Campusano– 1-for-4, 1 R
Reiss Knehr- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Ian Krol– 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
The El Paso Chihuahuas lost despite a comeback in the ninth inning, 4-3. They got off to an early lead over the Oklahoma City Dodgers with a run in each of the first two innings. Both runs were scored on singles, with Aderlin Rodriguez singling home Luis Campusano and Shogo Akiyama hitting in Matthew Batten. Padres prospect Reiss Knehr turned in another solid start in the hitter-friendly Chickasaw Brickton Ballpark. Knehr pitched six innings and allowed three runs for a quality start, but all three runs were scored on solo home runs in the third inning. No runs were scored until the ninth inning when an unearned run came across on a Luis Liberato double to tie the game at three. Eddy Alvarez won the game with a single for the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth when the ball got past right fielder Taylor Kohley.
Aaron Leasher will start for the Chihuahuas on Friday.
San Antonio Missions (Lost 3-0) (17-19 on the season)
Esteury Ruiz– 1-for-4, 2 K
Tirso Ornelas– 1-for-3
Reggie Lawson- 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
Adrian Morejon- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
The San Antonio Missions got shut out in a 3-0 loss to the Midland Rockhounds. Padres prospect Reggie Lawson shined over four innings while allowing no runs. Nolan Watson allowed the runs in the sixth inning on a couple of hits. Adrian Morejon and Kevin Kopps each followed with a scoreless inning to round out a weak-pitched game for San Antonio. The Mission sonly accounted for four hits. Tirso Ornelas got the only extra-base hit with a double and Connor Hollis got two hits.
Tonight's @FrostBank Player of the Game belongs to @RLawww6! The Chanclas starter tossed 4.1 scoreless innings while allowing just three hits. @Padres @MiLB pic.twitter.com/2FBvHrOzI1
— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) May 20, 2022
Thomas Eshelman will be the starter for San Antonio on Friday.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 4-2) (14-22 on the season)
Robert Hassell III- 0-for-5, 2 K
Brandon Valenzuela– 1-for-2, 2 BB
Noel Vela- 2.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 1 K, 2 BB
Brandon Komar– 4.1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K
Four runs in the third inning was too much for the Fort Wayne TinCaps to overcome in a 4-2 loss to the West Michigan Whitecaps. Noel Vela got off to a killer start to his 2022 campaign, but he hit a speed bump in the third inning, allowing all four runs after not finishing the inning. Still, Vela’s ERA for the year sits at 1.55 ERA. Fort Wayne only notched five hits, and none of them drove in runs. In the fourth inning, the TinCaps scored on a dropped third strike, and then Fort Wayne notched a run on an Olivier Basabe groundout.
Efraín Contreras will start for Fort Wayne on Friday.
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Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 10-8) (17-10 on the season)
Lucas Dunn– 3-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB
Justin Farmer– 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Jairo Iriarte– 5.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 K, 3 BB
Yerry Landinez– .2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 0 BB
The Lake Elsinore Storm held off the Visalia Rawhide in a 10-8 affair. Lake Elsinore got on the board in the first inning on a throwing error on a stolen base. After Visalia tied it up in the third inning, Lake Elsinore responded in each of the next three innings. With five runs in the sixth inning capped off by a Lucas Dunn home run, the Storm led 9-1. However, Visalia responded with five runs of their own off Yerry Landinez. The Rawhide got even closer with two runs in the eighth inning against Alexuan Vega. Lake Elsinore added an insurance run on a Charlis Aquino bunt to go back up by two runs. Ben Miller got the save for the Storm after walking the first two batters he faced.
Stay hot Lucas Dunn!
His second home run of the season puts him a double away from the cycle tonight#ProCards pic.twitter.com/ShiPHbfAUg
— Louisville Baseball Alumni Report (@Lvillebsblalum) May 20, 2022
There is no scheduled starter for the Storm on Friday against Visalia.
Dominic is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Journalism. He also is the producer and co-host of the “Padres EVT Podcast.”