Padres affiliates went 2-2 on Wednesday night.

Let’s dive right into the events of a high-scoring night up and down the system. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 14-12 vs Las Vegas) (53-81 on the season)

Nick Solak – 4-for-5, Home Run, Four RBI

Blake Hunt – 3-for-5, Home Run, Three RBI

JP Sears – 3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K (66 pitches – 40 strikes)

El Paso lost a high-scoring affair by a 14-12 final. JP Sears allowed four runs in 3.1 innings, striking out three. Sears allowed one home run in the game, with two of the runs he was charged with scoring after he departed the game. Daison Acosta allowed two runs on a grand slam, registering two outs. Ethan Routzahn gave up six runs in 1.2 innings, including a home run. Brent Honeywell threw two innings of one-run baseball, striking out one batter. Alek Jacob threw 1.1 innings of one-run ball. Nick Solak had four hits in the contest, including a home run, driving in four runs. Blake Hunt launched his 11th home run with El Paso this season, driving in three runs. Marcos Castanon hit his 17th home run of the season in the loss, picking up two RBI on two hits. Nick Pratto homered in the first inning, also walking twice and scoring two runs. 

San Antonio Missions (Won 13-5 vs Midland) (57-71 on the season)

Braedon Karpathios – 5-for-6, Home Run, Four RBI

Tirso Ornelas – 2-for-5, Home Run, Three RBI

Luis Gutierrez – 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (50 pitches – 31 strikes)
The Missions clobbered 19 hits in a dominant 13-5 win over the Midland Rockhounds. Braedon Karpathios had quite a day, picking up his first career five-hit game in the win. Karpathios launched a solo home run in the second inning and picked up an RBI single to bookend the scoring in the inning. Karpathios’ eighth-inning single added two more runs in the board for San Antonio. Anthony Vilar added a solo home run in the third inning, his first with San Antonio. Tirso Ornelas crushed a three-run home run of his own in the first inning, putting the Missions in the driver’s seat. Ornelas has had a sneakily solid season at Double-A, providing a veteran presence in a mostly young lineup. Romeo Sanabria had three hits in the game, scoring two runs. Sanabria’s OPS with San Antonio is up to .805 after this game. 

Luis Gutierrez threw three scoreless innings, reaching the 50-pitch mark. The southpaw was dominant, striking out four of 12 batters faced. Gutierrez’s final stretch of the season may be focused on getting him back on the mound, but he has shaken off the rust and returned to pitching in the dominant way that he did early this season. Victor Lizarraga threw 3.2 innings in long relief, allowing five runs on nine hits. Lizarraga fanned three batters against one walk. Sadrac Franco threw 1.1 scoreless innings in relief, earning a hold. Johan Moreno threw a scoreless ninth, sealing the win. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 10-1 vs Lansing) (53-73 on the season)

Kerrington Cross – 2-for-4, Double, Run Scored

Conner Westenburg – 1-for-2, Single

Matthew Watson – 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 0 K (67 pitches – 41 strikes)

The TinCaps lost what started out as a close game by a 10-1 final. Matthew Watson pitched three innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Watson did not record a strikeout, with four of his nine outs coming on the ground ball. Brandon Langley threw two-thirds of an inning, striking out two. The right-hander allowed five runs when he was on the mound, with two bequeathed runners scoring after he departed. Florangel Vasquez threw 2.1 innings of one-run baseball, allowing two inherited runners to score. Vasquez made his High-A debut in the outing, striking out one. Jack Pineau struck out two in two scoreless innings, throwing 22 of 31 pitches for strikes. Kerrington Cross had two hits, including a double. Cross scored the TinCaps’ only run on a base hit by Luke Cantwell. Cantwell, however, was not credited with an RBI due to a throwing error on the play. Conner Westenburg, Kasen Wells, and Rosman Verdugo all hit a single in the loss. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 12-11 vs Inland Empire) (64-64 on the season)

Joe Tiroly – 3-for-4, Two Doubles, Three RBI

Elliot Lascelles – 3-for-5, Double, Two RBI

Zimo Qin – 3.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K (66 pitches – 39 strikes)

Lake Elsinore tallied 14 hits in what was a much tenser than initially appearing 12-11 win over Inland Empire. Joe Tiroly had three hits, driving in three runs. The Storm’s first baseman hit two doubles and a single in the game, raising his OPS to 1.107. Jorge Quintana had three hits, including a double, scoring two runs. Nu’u Contrades hit a double and drove in two runs, crossing home twice in the winning effort. Elliot Lascelles had three hits at the top of the lineup, also stealing home. Both Qrey Lott and Truitt Madonna went 1-for-2 in the eight and nine spots in the lineup, driving in a run each. 

Zimo (Zack) Qin made his first start since June 11 in the ACL, allowing five runs in 3.1 innings. Qin struck out two and walked two, allowing six hits. Rordy Mejia allowed one run on three hits in two-thirds of an inning. Michael Salina earned his first Single-A win, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings of relief. Jordan Valenzuela allowed three runs on four walks in one inning. James Guyette made his pro debut, pitching 1.2 innings of one-run baseball to bridge the game into the ninth. Tyler Pitzer struck out two batters in the ninth inning, stranding the tying run on base and earning his first save as a professional.  

Thursday’s Projected Pitchers

El Paso – RHP Ian Koenig (0-0, 3.60 ERA)
San Antonio – RHP Abraham Parra (0-1, 67.50 ERA)
Fort Wayne – TBD
Lake Elsinore – RHP Lan-Hong Su (0-3, 5.93 ERA)

Diego Garcia

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.