Padres Down on the Farm: September 16 (Storm win California League Championship)
Credit - Lake Elsinore Storm, MiLB
Padres minor league affiliates went 1-1 on Wednesday.
Let’s dive right into the games’ events.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 12-0 vs Oklahoma City) (59-87 on the season)
Miguel Andujar – 2-for-4, Double, Single
Rosman Verdugo – 0-for-2, Walk
Jagger Haynes – 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K (74 pitches – 50 strikes)
Jagger Haynes threw a quality start in his ninth Triple-A start, but received no run support in a 12-0 loss. Haynes allowed one run in six innings of work, giving up five hits. The left-hander struck out three batters, and his slider-heavy approach allowed him to generate soft contact. Haynes also induced a triple play on a line drive to second base, the first triple play by the Chihuahuas in franchise history. Jason Adam made a rehab outing, but failed to retire any of the five batters he faced. Adam was charged with four earned runs while getting no outs. Hans Crouse pitched 1.1 innings of three-run baseball, allowing two inherited runners to score. Crouse departed the game in the eighth with the bases loaded, and Daison Acosta came in. Acosta allowed all three inherited runners to score, also giving up two runs of his own. The Chihuahuas offense struck out 13 times as a unit, not recording a hit until the seventh inning. Miguel Andujar had both of El Paso’s hits, hitting a seventh-inning single and a ninth-inning double against Edwin Diaz. Rosman Verdugo drew the team’s lone walk of the game.
Jagger Haynes threw a quality start for the Chihuahuas this morning/afternoon, tossing six innings of one-run baseball.
His slider-first approach allowed him to rack up 10 whiffs despite just three K’s.
Unfortunately, El Paso trails 4-0. @EVT_News pic.twitter.com/OaiZVXvFBy
— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) September 16, 2026
Jackson Ferris carries a perfecto into the 7th and sets a career high with 13 K’s ?
The @Dodgers‘ No. 17 prospect has a 1.00 ERA with 48 K’s against 11 BBs in 36 IP across his past 6 outings with the Triple-A @OKC_comets. pic.twitter.com/3CNWWB6bI9
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 16, 2026
Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 13-2 vs San Jose) (Won California League Championship 2-1, 4-1 in postseason)
Qrey Lott – 3-for-4, Two Doubles, Triple, Two RBI
Nu’u Contrades – 2-for-4, Home Run, Double, Three RBI
Coleman Borthwick – 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (26 pitches – 18 strikes)
Lan-Hong Su – 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K (62 pitches – 42 strikes)
They faced it all, and they stood tall, and did it their way! The Lake Elsinore Storm rode an offensive outburst paired with a dominant showing from the tandem of Coleman Borthwick & Lan-Hong Su to a California League Championship. The Storm handed the ball to Coleman Borthwick in a do-or-die Game 3, and the right-hander answered the call. Borthwick pitched two innings of scoreless baseball, striking out two batters. Borthwick escaped the first inning with a double play, giving the Storm momentum.
2026 first-rounder Coleman Borthwick (@Padres) tosses 2 scoreless frames with a pair of strikeouts in a winner-take-all Single-A title game! pic.twitter.com/H9hPrhvPjK
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 17, 2026
Nu’u Contrades capitalized on the momentum shift, hitting the first pitch of the second inning out to deep left field for a solo home run. The Storm added on in the third, as Qrey Lott hit a one-out double before taking off for third base. Lott successfully stole third and broke for home, and the throw home by shortstop Josuar Gonzalez was not on target, allowing Lott to score. Elliot Lascelles then singled, coming around to score on a double from Joe Tiroly.
THANKU’U CONTRADES!!! Storm lead it 1-0 through 2 innings played!#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/uH4o2f5Boc
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) September 17, 2026
Joe Tiroly puts one in the gap!!! We’re up 3-0!!!#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/6gUkkB4tNE
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) September 17, 2026
Lake Elsinore turned to Lan-Hong Su in the third inning, and the right-hander came out firing. Su was consistently touching 95-97 mph, and he pitched three innings of one-run baseball. The right-hander struck out eight batters while walking just one, generating 14 swings and misses. Su allowed one run to score on a wild pitch, but his final six outs recorded all came on strikeouts. It was a comically dominant outing for the 19-year old right-hander, who struck out 50% of batters faced in his two postseason outings.
LAN-HONG SU GETS OUT OF THE BASES LOADED JAM!!!!
THAT’S 8 STRIKEOUTS IN 3 INNINGS!!!! pic.twitter.com/pr1Umrxznu
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) September 17, 2026
The Storm did not stop scoring at three, as Qrey Lott tripled to score Ty Harvey in the fourth inning. A sacrifice fly from Joe Tiroly allowed Lott to jog home and score, giving the Storm a 5-1 lead. Lake Elsinore proceeded to pounce on the San Jose bullpen, scoring three runs off right-hander Chen-Hsun Lee. Dawson Willis scored on a double from Lott, his third extra-base hit of the game. Lott scored from second on another forced error on a stolen base attempt, and Nu’u Contrades drove in two runs with a double to center field; the score was now 9-1. Jack Pineau relieved Lan-Hong Su, pitching a scoreless sixth inning. Pineau allowed the first two batters he faced to reach in the seventh, prompting a pitching change. Andrew Wright was called on and generated a quick double play to put a runner on third with two outs. Jeremiah Jenkins hit a single to center field to score a run for the Giants, who now trailed 9-2. Despite loading the bases, the Giants saw their best scoring chance slip away, as Wright induced a pop-up to end the inning. Alex Conover’s sac fly made it 10-2 Storm, and after another scoreless frame from Andrew Wright, the Storm were three outs away.
Let’s get Qrey-zy!!!!!!
Qrey Lott has 3 hits, 3 Runs, 2 RBIs, 2 doubles, & 1 triple tonight! It’s 7-1 Storm! pic.twitter.com/toRPmp2cIn
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) September 17, 2026
Nu’u Contrades makes it NINE runs with even more loud contact!!!#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/8Yrq018Mpi
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) September 17, 2026
Jorge Quintana and Jose Verdugo led off the ninth inning with singles, bringing up Dawson Willis. Willis lined a single to center field that ricocheted off center fielder Andy Polanco’s glove and rolled to the wall. Willis came all the way around to score, giving him a three-run inside the park home run in the Championship Game. Sean Fitzpatrick entered in the ninth inning, looking for three outs. With two outs and two on, Fitzpatrick dotted a 3-2 pitch to Andy Polanco, striking out the final batter of the game and of the season, as the Lake Elsinore Storm won the series.
The best out is the final out ?#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/VtM0eKc3nZ
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) September 17, 2026
The win was Lake Elsinore’s first Championship since 2022, and their first under manager Brallan Perez, who won the DSL Cup last season with the DSL Padres Gold. To all the players, promoted players, coaches, staffers, broadcasters, front office personnel, ground’s crew, and all members of the Storm organization, the EVT Padres staff sends you a hearty congratulations on the series and Championship win.
These guys are CHAMPIONS!!#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/vlJWYLaWbg
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) September 17, 2026
Thursday’s Probable Pitchers
El Paso – LHP Luis Gutierrez (0-0, 2.25 ERA)
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.