Padres Down on the Farm: May 25 (Yost K’s 8/Waldron’s second rehab outing)
Credit: Journal-Gazetta
Padres minor league teams went 3-1 in four games on Sunday.
Here is a recap of the day’s events.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 6-0 vs Tacoma) (25-26 on the season)
Trenton Brooks – 1-for-3, Single
Jared Kollar – 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 0 K (75 pitches – 42 strikes)
El Paso suffered a lopsided loss in their series finale vs Tacoma, losing 6-0 and registering only one hit. Trenton Brooks had a single in the eighth inning for the team’s lone base hit on the evening. The offense remained cold throughout against Sauryn Lao and Josh Fleming, who combined for seven no-hit innings.
Jared Kollar lasted four innings in his start, allowing three runs. The right-hander has used his four-seamer and curveball more in recent starts, and that trend continued in his start against Tacoma. Kollar’s curveball graded out the best of his entire arsenal per the Stuff+ models, with a 95 tjStuff+ on the evening. Kollar has also toyed with a changeup, but the pitch remains in its infancy, and is something of a question mark considering the similarities in velocity to his cutter and four-seamer (85.4 mph on the CH vs 89.2 on the CF). Francis Pena allowed a run on two hits, striking out two in an inning of work.
San Antonio Missions (Won 3-2 vs Wichita) (24-21 on the season)
Romeo Sanabria – 2-for-4, Double, Two Runs
Cody Roberts – 2-for-4, RBI Single
Matt Waldron – 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K (61 pitches – 37 strikes)
The Missions rallied late to win another nail-biter, this time securing a 3-2 win in the series finale. Matt Waldron made his second rehab start for the Missions, tossing 4.1 innings and allowing two runs. The right-hander was in command for most of his outing, as he used the knuckleball efficiently and walked only one batter. Waldron also punched out four opposing hitters in the game, getting up to 61 pitches. The right-hander’s return will be a storyline worth monitoring, as the Padres will be without Michael King for at least the next two weeks. Victor Lizarraga had his best outing of the season in long relief, tossing three scoreless innings with two punchouts. Lizarraga has struggled when facing lineups a second time, so an outing in long relief could be what leads the right-hander to further success. 
San Antonio’s offense was money with runners in scoring position, using a blend of singles and productive outs to bring across three runs. Romeo Sanabria had a two-hit game, coming around to score two of the team’s three runs. Cody Roberts had two singles, with one of those scoring the team’s first run. Anthony Vilar and Marcos Castanon also had two-hit games, with Castanon hitting his eleventh double of the season. Francisco Acuna reached base on an error in the seventh to tie the game, and Nerwilian Cedeno grounded into a fielder’s choice in the eighth, but a throwing error from Wichita infielder Aaron Sabato allowed the go-ahead run to score. Cedeno’s grounder set the stage for Bradgley Rodriguez to close out the win with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 4-1 vs Cedar Rapids) (23-22 on the season)
Braedon Karpathios – 1-for-3, RBI Double, Two Walks
Jack Costello – 2-for-3, Two Singles, Run Scored
Eric Yost – 6.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K (94 pitches – 61 strikes)
Right-hander Eric Yost continues his surge with the TinCaps, striking out eight and pitching 6.1 innings of one-hit baseball. Yost walked two and plunked two batters, but lived in the zone for most of his outing. Seven of his eight strikeouts came swinging, with batters perplexed by his frisbee sweeper. Fernando Sanchez, Garrett Hawkins, and Tyson Neighbors combined to retire the final eight batters of the game, with Neighbors striking out the final two, lowering his season ERA to 1.00.
The TinCaps had themselves a productive day at the plate, tallying six hits and ten walks. Braedon Karpathios reached base three times, walking twice and hitting an RBI double. Jack Costello broke out of a 3-for-34 slump with two base hits in the game. Costello has not slugged as well as he did in his impressive debut with Lake Elsinore last season, and continues to look for his groove at the plate. Jose Sanabria had an RBI walk in the game, with Kaden Hollow hitting a sacrifice fly later in the game. Kai Roberts was 0-for-4 but hit into an RBI fielder’s choice and scored a run. Brandon Butterworth was 0-for-0 with a walk, but was tagged out trying to score on a wild pitch and left the game after taking a shin guard to the face, his face covered by a towel. It remains to be seen whether Butterworth suffered a concussion on the play, but more will be known before the team’s next series.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 2-1 vs Visalia) (19-26 on the season)
Zach Evans – 2-for-4, RBI Double
Ryan Wilson – 2-for-3, RBI Single
Luis Gutierrez – 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K (77 pitches – 48 strikes)
Yet another quality outing from a Storm starter led the team to a victory over Visalia. Luis Gutierrez struck out seven batters over six innings of work. The left-hander had Rawhide batters in a constant state of confusion, limiting them to two base hits. Gutierrez is finding strong form as the season has progressed, tossing his second straight quality start and posting a 1.66 ERA in four appearances this month. Vicarte Domingo struck out two in two scoreless innings of work, and Braian Salazar struck out two in the final inning of work to earn his first save of the season.
At the plate, Zach Evans picked up the slack, hitting a double as part of a two-hit day. Evans’ double scored the Storm’s first run of the day, giving Evans his team-leading 32nd RBI of the season. Ryan Wilson reached base three times, including two hits and a walk. Wilson drove in the decisive run of the game on an RBI single in the fourth inning. Ryan Jackson reached base twice, and Kavares Tears had a single of his own. Yendry Rojas and Ryan Wilson each had a stolen base in the game, and the team finished 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
ACL Padres – Off Day
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.