Padres Down on the Farm: September 20 (Mitchell homers, Vasquez solid in EP)
El Paso Chihuahuas
San Diego Padres affiliates went 1-0 on Friday.
Here is a recap of the night’s events.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 11-4 vs Las Vegas) (63-85 on the season)
Cal Mitchell – 3-for-4, Home Run, Four RBI
Luis Campusano – 2-for-4, RBI, Run Scored
Randy Vasquez – 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K (65 pitches – 45 strikes)
Nine in a row became a reality for the Chihuahuas under the Friday night lights as the Chihuahuas blew out the Las Vegas Aviators by a final score of 11-4. Randy Vasquez took the mound coming off two outings that were polar opposites, and it begged the question of which version of the right-hander the team would see. The Chihuahuas got the strong version of Vasquez, as he fired off five innings of two-run baseball on a mere 65 pitches. Vasquez struck out four batters, with seven of his 15 outs recorded coming on the ground ball. The last two starts have shown signs of the potential that Vasquez can bring to a major league rotation, as he allowed only two runs in eleven innings with 12 strikeouts against two walks. If Vasquez can show more of this sort of performance as opposed to his previous two starts (4 IP & 10 ER, 4.1 IP & 9 ER), it’d go a long way to cement a role for him with the big league club in 2025.
The Chihuahuas’ offense once again roared to life as the team slugged three home runs and 14 total hits. Cal Mitchell homered for the fourth time this series, and Kevin Plawecki hit a massive three-run home run. Six of nine starters for El Paso posted RBI in the game, including two sacrifice flies as part of a 3-for-12 day with runners in scoring position. Luis Campusano once again posted a multi-hit game, batting .526 in the series so far with six RBI.
El Paso’s bullpen had three relievers toss the final four innings. Kevin Kopps allowed one run in two innings, and Francia Pena struck out three in the eighth inning while allowing a run. While Pena is still acclimating to the PCL environment, the swing-and-miss stuff that led to his rapid rise is beginning to show. Paul Fry tossed the final half-inning in scoreless fashion for the second consecutive game, sealing a seven-run win and a ninth consecutive win for the Chihuahuas.
Saturday’s Probable Pitchers:
El Paso – Matt Waldron (0-0, 4.30 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.