Padres affiliates went 3-1 on Friday night.

Let’s dive right into the games’ events; buckle up, we’re in for a ride. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 8-5 vs Las Vegas) (54-82 on the season)

Bryce Johnson – 2-for-3, Home Run, Two RBI

Nick Solak – 2-for-4, Home Run, RBI

Jagger Haynes – 2.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K (60 pitches – 38 strikes)

After erasing a 4-1 deficit, the El Paso bullpen allowed four runs in a loss to Las Vegas. Starting pitcher Jagger Haynes was not as sharp as he had been in recent games. Despite throwing his fastball in the zone on 72.7% of fastballs thrown, five of the eight batted balls against the heater were hit over 95 mph. The left-hander’s slider fared better, registering a 50% whiff rate and no barrels. Las Vegas swung and missed on 34.5% of swings against Haynes, which was a strong mark. Garrett Hawkins made his return to El Paso, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Though the altitude somewhat nerfed the rise on his fastball, he still fanned two on the pitch. J.P. France took the loss, allowing three runs in the sixth inning. Hans Crouse allowed a solo home run in the seventh, but nothing more. Ty Adcock struck out one batter in a scoreless eighth, and Jose Leclerc worked around two walks for a scoreless inning. 

Bryce Johnson had two hits in the game, including his second home run of the campaign. Johnson tied the game with an RBI single in the fourth inning, scoring Rodolfo Duran. Johnson later homered against Wander Suero to score the Chihuahuas’ fifth and final run. Will Wagner was back in the lineup, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Nick Solak had two hits, hitting a solo home run in the second inning. Mason McCoy hit his 20th double of the season in the loss. 

BEEJ, PLEASE. ?‍

ELP 5 | LV 8 | BOT 7 pic.twitter.com/0iNve6wR9I

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) September 5, 2026

San Antonio Missions (Won 8-7 vs Midland) (58-72 on the season)

Braedon Karpathios – 3-for-5, Two Doubles, Four RBI

Tirso Ornelas – 2-for-5, Home Run, Double, Two RBI

Fernando Sanchez – 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 K (83 pitches – 51 strikes)

San Antonio’s mad dash to the finish line saw them overcome a 6-1 score to win 8-7 in regulation. Starting pitcher Fernando Sanchez pitched into the fourth inning, but did not have his usual swing and miss. Sanchez struck out just two batters, walking three batters. The left-hander allowed six hits, with three of those hits going for extra bases. The Missions’ bullpen had to shoulder the workload yet, and Sadrac Franco was the first man out of the pen. Franco allowed two runs in 1.1 innings of relief. Carlos Medina, who was just called up to the Missions, pitched two scoreless innings of relief, striking out one. The 21-year old Medina has shown a composure beyond his years, which could be due to his experience in the Mexican League from 2025. Josh Mallitz allowed one run in the eighth inning, but earned the win, ultimately closing out the game with a scoreless ninth. 

The Missions’ offense was led by the duo of Braedon Karpathios and Tirso Ornelas. Karpathios had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and drove in four runs. The Missions’ center fielder hit a two-run double in the fifth inning, and his third hit of the night was a two-run single through the right side of the infield to give the Missions an 8-7 lead. Karpathios is 12-for-19 in the series with a 1.703 OPS (yes, that’s OPS) with four extra-base hits. Tirso Ornelas went 2-for-5 in the game with his 16th home run of the season. Ornelas also hit an RBI double in the game, driving in his 51st and 52nd runs of the season. Romeo Sanabria hit an RBI single, reaching in two of his three plate appearances. Kai Roberts, who pinch-ran for Sanabria late in the game, stole two bases. Luis Verdugo and Wyatt Hoffman each had two hits in the contest, both scoring two runs. 

Braedon Karpathios’ third hit of the game puts the Flying Chanclas ahead 8-7 in the eighth.

In this series alone, Karpathios is 12-for-19 with 2 HR, 2 2B, and 13 RBI, slashing .632/.650/1.053 in four games.

Yes, that’s a SLG over 1.000? https://t.co/Pq6hIQo0te

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) September 5, 2026

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 8-6 vs Lansing) (54-74 on the season)

Carlos E. Rodriguez – 3-for-3, Home Run, Three RBI

Luke Cantwell – 2-for-3, Two Doubles, Three Runs Scored

Nick Falter – 3 IP, 1 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K (59 pitches – 39 strikes)

Right-hander Nick Falter made his first career start, a spot start, and allowed just one hit in his outing. Falter threw three innings on 59 pitches, striking out three batters. The right-hander was charged with two runs, one earned, generating six swings and misses. For the former Denison College starting pitcher, it was a solid first professional start, considering that he was not fully stretched out. There is a chance that the 6’5” right-hander receives starting chances in the 2027 season, but that would fall in the wait-and-see file. Right-hander Isaiah Lowe earned the win, allowing two runs on six hits in three innings. Despite his fastball rarely touching 92-93 mph, Lowe generated four groundball outs, striking out just two. Miguel Alvarez pitched the final three innings, allowing two runs on six hits. Alvarez allowed both run-scoring hits on sliders. The right-hander threw 33 of 54 pitches for strikes, earning his first save of the season. For a young pitcher who opened the season in the Dominican Summer League, it was quite an accomplishment. 

Carlos E. Rodriguez went 3-for-3 with a pair of extra-base hits. The TinCaps catcher hit a two-run home run in the second inning, later adding another run with an RBI single. Rodriguez was a triple shy of the cycle. Lamar King Jr continued his recent strong stretch, going 2-for-4 with an RBI single. Rosman Verdugo hit an RBI ground-rule double in the second inning, his only hit of the game. Luke Cantwell went 2-for-3 with two doubles, scoring all three times he reached base. Both Kasen Wells and Ryan Gerety reached base twice in the win, with Gerety scoring a run. 

Homer number 7⃣ of the year for CRod gives us the lead pic.twitter.com/kN42tnfUxY

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) September 4, 2026

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 12-3 vs Inland Empire) (65-65 on the season)

Ty Harvey – 3-for-5, Three Singles, Three RBI

Jorge Quintana – 2-for-3, Inside-the-Park Home Run, Three RBI

Kruz Schoolcraft – 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K (67 pitches – 42 strikes)

Talk about rounding to form at the right time! The Storm scored 12 runs in support of a strong pitching outing from Kruz Schoolcraft to earn a win on Merrill Madness Night at The Diamond. Ty Harvey had three hits, driving in three runs. Jorge Quintana hit an inside-the-park home run in the first inning on a ground ball through the shortstop hole, using his speed to round the bases. Dawson Willis hit the team’s second inside-the-park home run of the game in the fourth inning, making a bold turn at third after getting the wave and sliding in safely. Willis later drove in two more runs on a two-run double. Alex Conover and Jorge Quintana drove in the final two runs of the game in the eighth inning, with Conover hitting an RBI double. Elliot Lascelles went 1-for-4 with a single and two runs scored. 

After Jorge Quintana hit an inside-the-park HR earlier, Dawson Willis follows up with one of his own. Storm lead the 66ers 4-2 after four innings. @EVT_News pic.twitter.com/lP1he6EIER

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) September 5, 2026

Kruz Schoolcraft pitched five innings, allowing two runs. Though he only got four swings and misses, Schoolcraft was efficient. The left-hander struck out three and generated two ground-ball double plays. Six of 15 outs recorded by the former first-rounder came on the ground, with only three flyouts. Schoolcraft is on schedule to start a potential Game 3 of the California League Division Series next week, should the series go to three games. Adler Cecil continued to collect strikeouts, as the left-hander struck out five batters in 2.2 innings of relief. Cecil recorded nine whiffs to lead the Storm’s staff on Friday, allowing just one run on three hits. Sean Fitzpatrick closed out the win with 1.1 scoreless innings of relief. Though the left-hander allowed two hits, he recorded all four of his outs via the strikeout. 

Saturday’s Probable Pitchers

El Paso – RHP Sean Boyle (9-7, 5.88 ERA)

San Antonio – RHP Eric Yost (7-4, 4.20 ERA)

Fort Wayne – RHP Winyer Chourio (3-4, 7.00 ERA)

Lake Elsinore – RHP Tyler Schmitt (8-7, 4.81 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.