Padres Down on the Farm: September 12 (Fitterer, Andujar lead El Paso to win)
Image Credit - El Paso Chihuahuas
Padres affiliates went 1-1 on Saturday.
Let’s jump right into the games played.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 4-1 vs Tacoma) (58-85 on the season)
Nick Pratto – 2-for-5, RBI Double
Miguel Andujar – 3-for-4, Two Doubles, Run Scored
Evan Fitterer – 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K (71 pitches – 45 strikes)
El Paso used five doubles to snag a win over former Chihuahuas starter Gabe Mosser and the Tacoma Rainiers. Miguel Andujar hit two doubles in the game, scoring one run. Andujar had three hits while starting in left field, and is likely to remain with the Chihuahuas through the weekend. Nick Pratto led off for the Chihuahuas, going 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Marcos Castanon’s 22nd double of the season gave El Paso a 3-0 lead. Young Rosman Verdugo, who was called up to the Chihuahuas as an infield reinforcement sans Mason McCoy, picked up his first two hits at the Triple-A level. Verdugo scored a run in the contest as well.
Jhony Brito served as the opener for the Chihuahuas, pitching a scoreless inning. Despite not recording a strikeout, Brito stranded two baserunners. Evan Fitterer threw five innings in long relief, allowing no runs. The right-hander struck out two batters, walking two as well. Despite allowing four singles, Fitterer was able to successfully strand every runner to reach against him. Ty Adcock threw a scoreless seventh, bouncing back from a rough outing earlier in the week. The shutout ended in the eighth, as Stuart Fairchild launched a solo home run against Hans Crouse. Crouse did not allow anything more in the eighth inning, and Hunter Stratton earned his second save with El Paso, throwing a scoreless ninth.
San Antonio Missions (Lost 9-6 vs Amarillo) (58-78 on the season)
Romeo Sanabria – 2-for-3, Home Run, Three RBI
Alex McCoy – 1-for-5, Home Run, RBI
Jamie Hitt – 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K (60 pitches – 37 strikes
Left-hander Jamie Hitt allowed one run in four innings before departing the game with the bases loaded in the fifth. Hitt struck out four batters in four innings, allowing six hits. The left-hander was effective in his four full innings, generating a double play in the second inning and striking out three in the third. After three singles allowed to open the fifth, Hitt was relieved by Eric Yost, making his first relief appearance since August 19. Yost threw two wild pitches in the inning, allowing all three inherited runners to score. The right-hander ultimately allowed five earned runs in four innings, not recording a strikeout.
San Antonio hit two home runs in the game, but failed to take advantage of their opportunities with runners in scoring position. The Missions loaded the bases with two outs in the first inning, but were unable to cash in. This set an ominous tone for the lineup’s performance.The Missions saw their first two batters reach base in the third inning, and they got on the board two groundouts later. Jack Costello’s RBI single gave the team a 2-1 lead in the inning. San Antonio hit into double plays in the fifth and sixth inning to stymie their momentum. Romeo Sanabria hit an RBI single in the seventh inning, but they still entered the ninth inning trailing 9-3. Sanabria hit a two-run home run in the inning, and Alex McCoy launched a 450+ foot home run in the next plate appearance, giving the team back-to-back home runs. Albert Fabian and Jack Costello reached base with one out, bringing the tying run to the plate. Despite the opportunities, Justin DeCriscio and Brendan Durfee both popped out to end the game.
Lake Elsinore Storm – Off Day
Sunday’s Probable Pitchers
El Paso – LHP JP Sears (4-4, 7.82 ERA)
San Antonio – RHP Victor Lizarraga (4-10, 7.34 ERA)
Lake Elsinore – RHP Tyler Schmitt (Postseason Debut)
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.