Padres affiliates went 1-3 on Thursday.

Let’s dive right into the games’ events. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 9-3 vs Las Vegas) (54-81 on the season)

Gage Workman – 3-for-4, Three Singles, Four RBI

Carlos D. Rodriguez – 3-for-5, Double, Two RBI

Ian Koenig – 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 8 K (82 pitches – 51 strikes)

El Paso starter Ian Koenig allowed three runs in five innings, but that wasn’t the main story of his outing. The right-hander from San Jose, California, matched a season-high with eight strikeouts. Koenig went heavy on the sinker and slider, and each pitch picked up four strikeouts. His slider and cutter each picked up whiffs on 50% of swings against, while the sinker sat comfortably at 93-96 mph with 13 inches of horizontal movement on average. For Koenig, his first two starts at Triple-A have gone quite well, and he will likely have three more starts to continue to impress at the highest level of the minor leagues. Logan Gillaspie did yeoman’s work for a depleted bullpen, as the right-hander threw three scoreless innings, striking out five of 11 batters faced. Hunter Stratton pitched a scoreless ninth inning, generating all three of his outs on the ground. Stratton has a 1.42 ERA since coming to the Padres organization.

Right-hander Ian Koenig matched his season high with eight strikeouts vs Las Vegas on Thursday.

His sinker/slider approach was effective at limiting base hits (3 all outing), and he recorded 10 whiffs on 35 swings.

A UDFA from Cabrillo JC, he’s an arm to watch for 2027! pic.twitter.com/nCWbN7jEMV

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) September 4, 2026

The Missions offense did plenty of work, carrying their offense’s momentum from a high-scoring game on Wednesday. Gage Workman had three hits and drove in four runs for the Chihuahuas. Workman put El Paso in front with an RBI single in the second inning, adding on another run in the fourth with a sacrifice fly. The former Tigers draftee also put the proverbial nail in the coffin with a two-run single in the seventh inning. Mason McCoy had two hits, both singles, while also hitting a sac fly to put El Paso on the board in the second. Blake Hunt had three singles, scoring three of the nine runs in the win. Hunt has crushed the PCL in his return to the Padres organization, hitting .303 with a 1.004 OPS in 132 at-bats. Clay Dungan went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two runs scored as well, raising his OPS over .700. Carlos D. Rodriguez had a double and two singles, driving in two runs. Nick Solak hit a two-run single as part of a four-run fourth inning. El Paso went 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position. 

San Antonio Missions (Lost 3-0 vs Midland) (57-72 on the season)

Braedon Karpathios – 2-for-3, Two Singles, Walk

Romeo Sanabria – 3-for-4, Three Singles

Abraham Parra – 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 4 K (89 pitches – 55 strikes)

Right-hander Abraham Parra’s second Double-A start went much better than his first. The right-hander pitched five innings, striking out four batters. Parra allowed three hits and three runs, two of which were earned. Former Padres prospect Euribiel Angeles was responsible for two of Midland’s three runs, scoring on a wild pitch in the first and driving in a run on a groundout in the fifth. Outside of the first and fifth innings, Abraham Parra succeeded by generating soft contact in the air, which plays well at The Wolff. Francis Pena threw two scoreless innings in relief with some help from catcher Oswaldo Linares. Though Pena allowed two separate singles in the sixth, Linares threw out both runners attempting to steal second. Pena faced the minimum in his two frames before handing the ball to Harry Gustin. The southpaw struck out three of seven batters faced, retiring a batter via pickoff as well. Midland was 0-for-3 in the stolen base department.

Tonight’s @FrostBank Player of the Game is catcher Oswaldo Linares. pic.twitter.com/ZdHt1ceK9h

— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) September 4, 2026

San Antonio’s lineup matched Midland with seven hits, but as has been so often the case, it was unable to get the extra-base hits to capitalize on its opportunities. Braedon Karpathios’ scorching series against Midland continued, as the Missions’ right fielder went 2-for-3 with two singles in the loss. Karpathios reached base three times total, and is slashing .355/.427/.618 with a 1.045 OPS and seven home runs since August 1. Romeo Sanabria had three hits, all singles. Sanabria has reached base safely in 17 of 19 games since returning to the Missions on August 11. Alex McCoy and Jack Costello each had a single in the loss, with Albert Fabian drawing one of two walks for San Antonio.   

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 8-2 vs Lansing) (53-74 on the season)

Yoiber Ocopio – 1-for-4, Two-Run Home Run

Rosman Verdugo – 1-for-2, Double, Two Walks

Bryan Balzer – 3.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 2 K (81 pitches – 42 strikes)

Fort Wayne’s lineup went silent after the second inning, finishing the contest 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position in what became an 8-2 loss. Yoiber Ocopio was responsible for the one hit with a runner in scoring position, as the TinCaps’ first baseman launched a two-run home run into the left field seats. For Ocopio, it was his first home run at the High-A level. Rosman Verdugo hit a double and drew two walks in the game; he has now reached safely in four straight games. Kerrington Cross hit a single and walked once, scoring a run on the home run by Ocopio. Despite only hitting .232 in 49 games with Fort Wayne, he has still managed to reach base at a .357 clip. Dylan Grego picked up two hits from the nine-spot in the lineup, but was picked off after reaching base.

Yoiber says goodbye ?

His first High-A home run puts us on the board first pic.twitter.com/wpqFgLRZUx

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) September 3, 2026

Bryan Balzer pitched 3.1 innings in what could be his final start of the season. The right-hander struck out two while issuing three walks. Lansing’s offense tallied six hits against the TinCaps starting pitcher, who was charged with five runs. Balzer allowed a game-tying double to Jake Reinisch in the third inning on a ball that just got past a diving Dylan Grego in right field. A fourth-inning two-run triple later, Lansing led 4-2. Balzer was relieved by Sean Barnett, who allowed an inherited runner to score in the fourth, but nothing more in 1.2 innings of relief. Jeferson Villabona pitched 1.2 innings in relief, allowing three runs on five hits; all three runs came in the seventh inning. Will Varmette came on in relief for the second time in three days and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings. The right-hander struck out three batters and has a 1.97 ERA since August 1. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 11-1 vs Inland Empire) (64-65 on the season)

Joe Tiroly – 1-for-3, RBI Single

Elliot Lascelles – 1-for-4, Double, Run Scored

Lan-Hong Su – 4.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 9 K (64 pitches – 45 strikes)

Right-hander Lan-Hong Su had his best start as a member of the Lake Elsinore Storm, pitching into the fifth inning for the first time this season. The right-hander did not issue a walk, and the only hit he gave up was a two-run home run to Kelvin Alcantara. The biggest story of the night was the strikeouts; Su struck out a career-best nine batters in 4.2 innings. For those of you doing the math at home, nine of 14 outs he recorded came via the K. Su’s slider was the dominant pitch in the strikeout column, and the right-hander was landing the pitch to hitters from both sides of the plate. 

What a job by Lan-Hong Su!

I’m impressed with how he used his slider late in counts, both for chases and backdoor called strikes. The FB/SL/CH foundation is strong for a young arm at his age.

He is my No. 11 prospect in the Padres system. https://t.co/6oAtSpLqnb

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) September 4, 2026

The Storm bullpen struggled in the ensuing innings, with a pair of arms making their debuts. Yoesmeli Beltre pitched one-third of an inning, allowing a solo home run to Connor Dykstra. Left-hander Rob Evans allowed an unearned run in his first inning as a professional, striking out one batter. Fellow southpaw Jeronimo Palmeros walked four batters in one inning of relief, allowing three earned runs. Albert Roblez pitched a scoreless eighth before allowing one run in the ninth. Roblez departed with two runners on, and the Storm turned to position player Augie Lopez in an 8-1 game. Lopez allowed two inherited runs to score, as well as a run of his own. 

The Storm’s offense struggled against the reigning California League Pitcher of the Month in right-hander Jack Bowery. Lake Elsinore got just two hits off the 66ers starter, with Dawson Willis and Jose Verdugo each doubling. Elliot Lascelles went 1-for-4 with a double, scoring a run on Joe Tiroly’s RBI single. The aforementioned Jose Verdugo went 2-for-3, with him and Lascelles each picking up a stolen base.  

Friday’s Probable Pitchers

El Paso – LHP Jagger Haynes (0-4, 5.90 ERA)

San Antonio – LHP Fernando Sanchez (2-3, 4.65 ERA)

Fort Wayne – RHP Nick Falter (2-3, 6.29 ERA)

Lake Elsinore – LHP Kruz Schoolcraft (2-7, 6.05 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.