San Diego Padres affiliates went 1-3 on Saturday.

Here is a recap of the day’s events.

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 6-0 vs Reno) (54-83 on the season)
Eguy Rosario – 1-for-4
Brandon Valenzuela – 1-for-3
Omar Cruz – 3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 3 K (76 pitches – 41 strikes)

Despite five hits, the Chihuahuas’ lineup was held off the scoreboard, losing 6-0 against the Reno Aces. Eguy Rosario and Brett Sullivan logged singles in the game, as did Bryce Johnson. Matthew Batten reached base twice on two walks, but the team failed to capitalize on their opportunities, stranding six runners.

Omar Cruz started for El Paso and allowed four runs in three-plus innings. The left-hander did not have his sharpest command in the outing, walking four batters and allowing a season-high seven hits. Ethan Routzahn pitched his longest outing of the season in relief, tossing three innings and allowing one earned run. Routzahn has a 3.21 ERA (4.27 FIP) and 47.6% ground ball rate with El Paso and could be an interesting candidate for a 40-man roster spot come the offseason.

San Antonio Missions (Lost 5-4 vs Tulsa in 11 innings) (58-71 on the season)
Robbie Tenerowicz – 4-for-5, Double, Two RBI
Robert Perez Jr – 4-for-5, Two-RBI
Ryan Bergert – 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K (90 pitches – 56 strikes)

A strong start from Ryan Bergert was not enough fot San Antonio to emerge victorious, taking the game to extra innings, falling by one run in the eleventh. Bergert allowed just one run over five innings. While the right-hander struck out just four, he limited Tulsa’s lineup to three hits. Bergert has returned to his 2023 form since the end of July and looks to finish the season in a strong fashion.

The main catalysts for the offense was the duo of Robert Perez Jr and Robbie Tenerowicz. Both recorded four hits, each driving in two runs. Cole Cummings reached base three times via the walk and once on a single, showing strong and improved plate discipline. Marcos Castanon worked three walks as well, three of the Missions’ eight walks in the game. However, the team squandered opportunities to cash in, finishing 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position in the loss.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 5-2 vs South Bend) (53-78 on the season)
Devin Ortiz – 1-for-1, Three Walks
Rosman Verdugo – 1-for-4, RBI
Jose Reyes – 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K (63 pitches – 42 strikes)

A pair of multi-run innings for the South Bend Cubs led to an eventual 5-2 loss for the TinCaps. TinCaps starter Jose Luis Reyes lasted five innings, the first four of which were scoreless. Reyes was in a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth but induced a double play to get two outs, albeit with the game now tied. He was one strike away from ending the inning still tied, but infielder Pedro Ramirez hit an infield single to shortstop, scoring the go-ahead run. Long reliever Eric Yost allowed three runs in the sixth inning but tossed three shutout frames the rest of the way, striking out three.

Fort Wayne’s batters swung early and staked the team to an early 1-0 lead courtesy of an RBI single from Rosman Verdugo. Ethan Salas drove in the team’s second run on an eighth-inning RBI groundout. Devin Ortiz reached base four times, three times from bases on balls. Three hits and five walks generated ten chances for the TinCaps with runners in scoring position, but the team went 1-for-10 in those scenarios, including 0-for-9 after Rosman Verdugo’s first-inning knock.

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 3-2 vs Inland Empire) (71-58 on the season)
Braedon Karpathios – 1-for-3, Sac Fly
Ryan Wilson – 0-for-1, Walk, Sac Fly
Miguel Mendez – 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K (49 pitches, 35 strikes)

Despite being held to a lone single in the hit column, the Storm capitalized on eight walks to win 3-2 against the 66ers. Braedon Karpathios recorded the team’s lone hit in the fourth, but the team broke through in the sixth and seventh frames. Karpathios hit a sac fly to score Ryan Wilson to bring the game to 2-1, and the seventh saw Lake Elsinore take the lead. Brandon Butterworth grounded out with the bases loaded to score a run, and Ryan Wilson hit a sac fly to score Oswaldo Linares.

Miguel Mendez ford four strong innings in his start, allowing a lone run on four hits. Mendez was efficient with his pitches, throwing 35 of 49 for strikes and generating six outs in the air or on the ground. Reliever Yovannki Pascual tossed three innings of one-run baseball, being credited with the win in his fifth game with the Storm. Tyson Neighbors pitched around two hits in the eighth to strike out two batters and keep the lead, and Luis German earned his third save of the season in the ninth to close out a 3-2 Storm win.

Sunday’s Probable Pitchers:
El Paso – Randy Vasquez (0-5, 8.78 ERA)
San Antonio – Isaiah Lowe (2-2, 4.44 ERA)
Fort Wayne – Miguel Cienfuegos (3-2, 5.21 ERA)
Lake Elsinore – TBD

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.