Padres Down on the Farm: May 6 (Espinoza debuts in FW/Hassell homers in LE)

The San Diego Padres’ affiliates went 2-2 on Thursday.

El Paso won their first game of the season, while the Lake Elsinore Storm still has not lost and is a perfect 3-0 to begin 2021.

Here is a look at the day’s events.

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 7-6 over Tacoma Rainiers in 12)

Daniel Camarena- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 K (28 pitches/21 strikes)

Ivan Castillo– (4-for-5) 3b, 3 RBI, 2 Runs

Brian O’Grady– (1-for-4) Run, BB, K

Tucupita Marcano– (0-for-4) 2 RBI, BB, 3 K

The Chihuahuas started their season with Daniel Camarena on the mound. The 28-year-old lefty from Cathedral Catholic High in San Diego went three strong innings. The Padres signed the local after the Yankees released him in August of 2019. Six pitchers followed Camerena, including Mason Thompson, Kyle McGrath, and Steven Wilson. Jordan Guerrero earned the win, pitching the last two innings for El Paso. It was a wild game that took 12 innings to complete. The Padres’ top pitching prospect MacKenzie Gore will make his debut on Friday and Nick Lee of EVT will be on hand in Tacoma.

On Thursday, the Chihuahuas struggled to make contact as 15 batters struck out in the game. Luis Campusano went 0-for-6 in the contest with three strikeouts. Ivan Castillo was the hitting star, as he went 4-for-5 in the game with three RBIs. Castillo won the Texas League batting title in 2019 as a member of the Amarillo Sod Poodles. The infielder is a strong candidate to see time with the Padres in 2021 possibly.

San Antonio Missions (Lost 6-1 to Corpus Christie) 

Caleb Boushley- 4 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, BB, 5 K (66 pitches-41 strikes)

Robbie Podorsky– (1-for-3) Run, BB, SB

Kyle Overstreet- (2-for-3) RBI, BB, K, SB

CJ Abrams– (0-for-3) BB, 2 K

The Missions’ starter Caleb Boushley was knocked around, giving up three homers and five earned runs in four innings of work. The 27-year-old Boushley was drafted in the 33rd round in 2017 out of Wisconsin-Lacrosse. Boushley will need to show better command if he wants to advance in the system. He was wild over the plate, and his stuff will never play that way. Hooks’ third baseman David Hensley took Boushley deep twice in the game. In relief of Boushley, James Reeves, Fred Schlichholtz, and Jose Quezada shut down Corpus Christie, but the offense did not have it for San Antonio.

The Missions struck out 13 times in the game as Jonathan Bermudez looked sharp for the Hooks. The right-handed pitcher struck out eight batters in five scoreless innings of work. Kyle Overstreet collected two of the Missions’ three hits on the night. CJ Abrams struck out twice and walked once in the game. Robbie Podorsky started the game in the leadoff spot and singled in three trips to the plate. Podorsky was the only Missions’ batter not to succumb by way of the srikeout on the night. Podorsky also stole his second base of the season in the loss.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 6-3 to Western Michigan)

Anderson Espinoza- 2 IP, 1 H, 3 K (26 pitches-17 strikes)

Gabe Mosser- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (66 pitches- 39 strikes)

Ethan Skender– (1-for-4) 2b, Run, RBI, K

Jonny Homza– (1-for-4) 3B, Run, 3 K

Former MLB Top 100 Prospect Anderson Espinoza, RHP, San Diego Padres making his first appearance on the mound in over 1,700 days looked good. FB sat around 97-98 and he mixed in his CHG 87-88 well generating 3 strikeouts over 2 shutout innings pic.twitter.com/6gywhYUsNS

— James Weisser (@JWeisser88) May 7, 2021

The best news out of the affiliates for the evening came from Fort Wayne, as Anderson Espinoza debuted for the TinCaps and looked dominant in his two innings pitched. The right-hander threw his fastball consistently in the 93-95 mph range and was clocked as high as 97 with the heater. Espinoza threw quality changeups on the night and also spun a few sliders up to the plate. It is a great sign that his velocity was there. It may take time for him to build up his arm strength, but he could factor eventually for the Padres. It remains to be seen if he will continue to start. His arm will dictate what the Padres do with him moving forward.

On the night, the TinCaps took the loss as Sam Keating had a rough night on the mound. The 22-year-old right-hander was tagged for five earned runs in one inning of relief. The former 4th-round pick allowed two hits and two walks on the night. Gabe Mosser followed Espinoza out of the pen and threw well, only allowing one earned run. Mosser had an excellent year in 2019 and looks to build off of that in 2021. Offensively, the TinCaps didn’t do much on the night, only racking up three hits. All three hits were of the extra-base variety, and that is how they managed their three runs. They will look to rebound on Friday.

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 9-7 over Visalia Rawhide) 

Noel Vela- 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, 7 K (65 pitches- 41 strikes)

Robert Hassell III- (3-for-5) HR, 2B, 3 Runs, 3 RBI, BB, 2 SB

Jordy Barley– (2-for-4) HR, 2 Runs, 4 RBI, BB, K, 2 SB

Brandon Valenzuela– (2-for-5) K, CS

A spectacular outing for @noelv2138 who goes 3.1 innings, striking out 7, and only allowing 1 hit.

/ Before The Show, This is Where They Go / pic.twitter.com/M5NCrKQXu4

— Lake Elsinore Storm Baseball (@Storm_Baseball) May 7, 2021

The Lake Elsinore Storm is 3-0 on the season as they, once again, took care of the Visalia Rawhide. The 800 plus spectators in attendance saw their team trail the whole game. Visalia rallied a few times to come within striking distance (including the 9th inning) but was unable to get the timely hit. Noel Vela started the game and recorded 10 outs for the Storm. The 22-year-old left-handed pitcher struck out seven in the game on 65 pitches. The 28th round pick in 2017 has a big arm and should be reliable this season for Lake Elsinore. Three errors in the game for the Storm allowed four unearned runs to score. Miguel Rondon got the win as the 20-year-old went 2.2 innings, striking out six batters without allowing an earned run.

Robert Hassell III slugged the first homer of his professional career in the win for Lake Elsinore. The outfielder batted leadoff and scored three runs. Joshua Mears left the game after two at-bats as Matthew Acosta came on to run for the outfielder after he was hit by a pitch in the 4th inning. Jordy Barley homered and drove in four in the win, and catcher Brandon Valenzuela recorded two hits, playing first base for Lake Elsinore. The 20-year-old switch-hitting catcher is showing a plus bat, and the Storm are trying to get his bat in the lineup more often. The offense produced 12 hits and eight walks in the game for the Storm. They look to continue their winning ways on Friday against the Rawhide.

Friday’s Probables

[wpedon id=”49075″ align=”right”]

El Paso- MacKenzie Gore

San Antonio- Osvaldo Hernandez

Fort Wayne- Edgar Martinez

Lake Elsinore- TBD

James Clark

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.