Padres Down on the Farm: September 2 (Agustin Ruiz homers for SA/Scholtens 5 Ks for EP/Tirso Ornelas homers for FW)

The San Diego Padres’ affiliates went 2-4 on Thursday.

Here is a recap of the day’s action.

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 2-1 over Round Rock) (42-60 on the season)

3B Ivan Castillo – 2-f0r-3, 2B, RBI

SS Matt Batten – 1-for-3, BB, 2 SB

SP Jesse Scholtens – 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K

RP Parker Markel – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K

The Chihuahuas held on to defeat the Express 2-1 in a pitcher’s duel that saw El Paso allow only one run, a ninth-inning solo home run by Round Rock shortstop Ryan Dorow.  Six different pitchers took the mound for El Paso on Thursday night, with five of them going at least one inning while allowing no runs.

El Paso took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Ivan Castillo in the bottom of the second inning and then scored again on an error in the seventh.  Looking for the shutout victory heading into the ninth, El Paso fell short on the Dorow home run but was able to hold on to a one-run victory.

San Antonio Missions (Lost 6-5 to Amarillo) (50-55 on the season)

SS Eguy Rosario – 2-for-4, 2B, R

1B Allen Cordoba – 1-for-3, RBI, BB

RF Agustin Ruiz – 1-for-4, 2-run HR, K

SP Osvaldo Hernandez – 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 6 K

In a back-and-forth game against the Sod Poodles of Amarillo, the Missions seemed to finally take hold of things in the bottom half of the seventh inning after scoring four times to take a 5-2 lead. Unfortunately, the bullpen could not hold the lead for San Antonio, as Amarillo scored four runs of their own in the very next half inning to take a 6-5 lead.

Missions’ reliever Carlos Belen came in to try and hold the newly acquired lead in the eighth inning but was unsuccessful and allowed all four runs to be scored in the eighth. The tough bullpen outing erased a strong start from Missions’ starter Osvaldo Hernandez, who struck out six and allowed only two runs in five innings of work.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 5-1 to Great Lakes) (50-55 on the season)

CF Robert Hassell III – 1-for-3, BB

RF Tirso Ornelas – 2-for-3, HR, RBI, BB, K

2B Chris Givin – 2-for-4

RP Gabe Morales – 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 8 K

Fort Wayne fell behind early after allowing three runs in the first inning and could never find a groove offensively in a 5-1 loss to Great Lakes on Thursday. Starting pitcher Gabe Mosser found his groove after the rough first inning, finishing with scoreless innings in the second and third innings, but the damage had been done.

Mosser was replaced by Gabe Morales, who allowed a pair of runs in just over three innings of work. Morales was impressive outside of the two runs allowed, finishing with eight strikeouts. Robert Hassell III had a quiet night for the TinCaps after his three home run night Wednesday, collecting a hit while also reaching base on a walk.

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 8-4 to Rancho Cucamonga) (46-58 on the season)

RF Jack Stronach – 1-for-3, HR, 2 R, BB

LF Angel Solarte – 1-for-3, 2B, R, BB, K

1B Carlos Luis – 3-for-4, RBI

RP Hazahel Quijada – 1.1 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

The Storm fell 8-4 to the Quakers in a lackluster performance in which they held a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, and then not again the rest of the game. Storm right fielder Jack Stronach hit a solo home run in the seventh, but the pitching and defense let the Storm down on Thursday night.

The Storm pitching allowed eight runs on the night, but only four of those were earned. Relief pitcher Hazahel Quijada was a bright spot for the storm pitching corps, striking out four while allowing one unearned run over an inning and a third.

Arizona Complex League Padres (Won 6-0 over ACL Royals Gold) (21-24 on the season)

SS Jackson Merrill – 2-for-4, R, SB

1B Cole Cummings – 2-for-4, 2-run HR, K

RP Elvis Saba – 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 K

RP Wilton Castillo – 3.0 IP, H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K

After a quiet start to the game for both teams, the ACL Padres exploded for six runs over the last four innings of the game to beat the ACL Royals Gold team 6-0.  The scoring for the Padres came from three home runs and a steal of home.

In the top of the fifth, Pierce Jones gave the Padres a 1-0 on his third home run of the summer. Following the Jones home run, Jackson Merrill stole second base, enabling Max Ferguson to steal home for the second run of the game. Justin Farmer and Cole Cummings followed up later in the game with two-run home runs each.

The pitching for the ACL Padres was dominant on Thursday night, with five separate arms combining to shut out the Royals Gold team on only three hits and punching out 13.

Dominican Summer League Padres (Lost 4-3 to DSL Blue Jays) (26-9 on the season)

SS Victor Acosta – 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI

DH Daniel Montesino – 2-for-4, R, RBI, K

CF Samuel Zavala – 2-for-4, 2B

RP Walki Lezan – 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K

Victor Acosta led the way offensively for the Dominican Summer League Padres, hitting a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning, but it was not enough as the Padres fell to the Blue Jays 4-3 on Thursday afternoon.  Acosta’s home run put the Padres in the lead 2-1 at the time, but the lead was quickly erased in the bottom half of the inning. The Padres fell behind 4-2 in the seventh inning and could not climb all the way back out of that hole.

Padres’ starter Adrian De Los Santos gave the team a strong outing, going four innings and only allowing a run, but the bullpen could not support him, as they allowed three runs that were the difference in the game.

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Friday’s Scheduled Starters

El Paso – TBD

San Antonio – Tyler Viza (1-0, 3.00 ERA)

Fort Wayne – Noel Vela (0-2, 2.91 ERA)

Lake Elsinore – TBD

ACL – TBD

DSL – TBD

Kevin Modafferi

Kevin is a San Diego Native covering the San Diego Padres and their affiliates