Padres Down on the Farm: September 16 (Dungan, Tamarez lead Chihuahuas to win)
Credit: EVT Sports (Farm Report)
Padres minor league affiliates went 1-0 on Tuesday.
Here is our daily recap of games played, along with the week-opening roster roundup.
Roster Roundup
- Prior to their series-opening game against Sugar Land, the El Paso Chihuahuas made a trio of transactions. Right-handers Jared Kollar and Andrew Moore were promoted to El Paso, along with left-hander Luis Gutierrez. Gutierrez has a shot at starting one of the remaining five games of the Chihuahuas’ season. In corresponding moves, reliever Raul Brito was placed on the 7-day injured list, likely ending his season. Fellow right-handers Maikel Miralles and Clay Edmondson reassigned to High-A and Single-A respectively.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 5-3 vs Sugar Land) (78-66 on the season)
Clay Dungan – 3-for-5, Go-Ahead Two-RBI Single
Francisco Acuna – 1-for-3, Home Run
Misael Tamarez – 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K (51 pitches – 36 strikes)
Entering the game five games back of a playoff spot with six games left, the Chihuahuas did their darnedest to keep the playoff chances alive with a win over Sugar Land. Logan Gillaspie was one of six pitchers El Paso used on their way to a win, pitching two innings of one-run baseball. Jared Kollar, returning to El Paso, struck out four in two innings of one-run baseball. Stephen Jones walked one batter before exiting with what appeared to be a lower-back injury. Former Space Cowboy Misael Tamarez threw three innings of one-run baseball against his former ball club, leading both teams in swings-and-misses on the night with nine.
The Chihuahuas’ lineup took a 3-2 lead after three innings. Marcos Castanon scored the Chihuahuas’ first run of the game, launching a sacrifice fly. Francisco Acuna hit his first career Triple-A home run in the third inning, giving El Paso a 2-1 lead. Yonathan Perlaza added on with an RBI single, extending his single-season franchise RBI record. After Sugar Land tied the game in the sixth inning, El Paso rallied in the eighth inning against Sugar Land’s Luis Contreras. Nate Mondou and Marcos Castanon reached base to open the frame, but two straight outs left runners on second and third with two outs. Tim Locastro was plunked with two outs, and Clay Dungan made the Space Cowboys pay. Dungan lined a single to right field, scoring two runs and giving the Chihuahuas a 5-3 lead. Tirso Ornelas finished with a double as part of a three-hit game, and is hitting .250 with a .738 OPS in September.
Manuel Castro pitched a scoreless eighth inning, striking out one batter. Sean Reynolds was called upon for the ninth inning, and while he walked two batters, he successfully closed out the win. With the victory, El Paso sits 4.5 games behind Tacoma for the league’s best record, leading the PCL East at 40-29 in the second half.
Down 5.5 with one series left. Technically the math says there’s still a chance. A small chance, but a chance nonetheless. pic.twitter.com/exhPcnPgk5
— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) September 15, 2025
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.