Padres Down on the Farm: September 8 (Harvey homers in LE playoff opener)
Credit: Lake Elsinore Storm
Padres affiliates went 1-2 on Tuesday.
Let’s jump right into the days’ events, which includes playoff results and system-wide promotions.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 8-7 vs Tacoma) (56-83 on the season)
Miguel Andujar – 1-for-4, RBI Double
Nick Pratto – 2-for-3, Double, RBI
JP Sears – 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (55 pitches – 37 strikes)
El Paso starter JP Sears pitched four innings of one-hit baseball in the team’s 8-7 loss to Tacoma. Sears struck out five batters while walking just one, facing one batter over the minimum in his four innings. Ty Adcock allowed two runs in 1.2 innings of relief, striking out three batters. Hans Crouse walked four batters in one inning, allowing two runs. Alek Jacob struck out two batters in 1.1 innings. Brent Honeywell made his fourth appearance for the Chihuahuas in the ninth, going for the save. The right-hander saw Tacoma load the bases against him, and with one out, Patrick Wisdom sent a Honeywell screwball just fair down the line for a walk-off slam.
Braedon Karpathios made his Chihuahuas debut in the contest, fresh off Texas League Player of the Week honors. Karpathios drew three walks and scored a run in his debut. Miguel Andujar served as the Chihuahuas’ DH in his first game on rehab assignment, going 1-for-4 with an RBI double. Nick Pratto had two hits, and drove in one run on a sacrifice fly. Carlos Rodriguez and Rodolfo Duran had RBI singles, and Clay Dungan drove in two runs with a single in the sixth. Gage Workman went 1-for-5 with an RBI single.
San Antonio Missions (Lost 7-6 vs Amarillo) (58-75 on the season)
Tirso Ornelas – 2-for-5, Home Run, Two RBI
Luis Verdugo – 1-for-3, Home Run, RBI
Victor Lizarraga – 5 IP, 6 H, 6 R (5 ER), 3 BB, 5 K (94 pitches – 59 strikes)
Amarillo clinched the Texas League second half crown with a 7-6 win over the Missions. Missions starter Victor Lizarraga pitched five innings, but allowed three home runs to a potent Amarillo lineup. Lizarraga struck out five while walking three, with three of his outs recorded coming on the ground. Carlos Medina threw two innings in relief, allowing one run on three hits. The right-hander struck out two batters. Sadrac Franco pitched a scoreless eighth inning, striking out one batter.
The Missions offense had plenty of fight in them tonight, scoring six runs in a comeback attempt. The team actually drew first blood, as an RBI double from Tirso Ornelas scored Kai Roberts. Ornelas scored on an RBI single by Romeo Sanabria, who drove in two runs in the contest. Brendan Durfee hit an RBI single in the sixth inning, and Alex McCoy scored a run in the seventh inning when Romeo Sanabria grounded out. Luis Verdugo’s solo home run in the eighth inning brought San Antonio within two, and Ornelas’ solo home run brought the team ever so close, but the rally did not bring in the tying run.
Fort Wayne TinCaps – No Game, Season Over
The TinCaps, with their season over, promoted a trio of players to Double-A San Antonio for the final week of the Double-A season. Starter Carson Montgomery, infielder Kerrington Cross, and right-hander reliever Will Varmette were promoted to the Missions, and all three will be making their debuts at the Double-A level when they make their first in-game appearances. Look for Montgomery to make one more start with the Missions this season, likely on Friday or Saturday.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 10-9 vs Ontario) (1-0 in Postseason Play)
Alex Conover – 4-for-5, Double, Three Singles, Two RBI
Ty Harvey – 1-for-4, Three-Run Home Run
Jesus A. Castro – 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K (80 pitches – 46 strikes)
Right-hander Jesus A. Castro’s dominance over the Tower Buzzers helped pave the way for a Game 1 win. Castro pitched six innings of one-run baseball, holding Ontario to two hits. Both hits against Castro came off the bat of Easton Shelton. Castro struck out five batters, walking just one. While Castro only got eight swings and misses, he was able to neutralize the potent Ontario offense. Jordan Valenzuela was the first man out of the bullpen, and he allowed a two-run home run that just evaded the glove of Dawson Willis. Andrew Wright pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, striking out three of six batters faced. Sean Fitzpatrick allowed one run in two-thirds of an inning, and Albert Roblez allowed two runs while recording just one out. Rob Evans allowed a three-run home run to Johendry Vargas, but recorded the final out to give the Storm a 10-9 win.
Alex Conover had a four-hit game, the first of his career, in the Storm win. Conover opened the scoring with an RBI single, and doubled in the fourth to score another run. The Storm scored four runs in the fourth inning, as they loaded the bases against Marlon Nieves. Elliot Lascelles grounded out to score a run, and Joe Tiroly grounded a two-run single to left field. Conover’s double closed the four-run frame. Qrey Lott, who was noted by both broadcasts as a player who crushes the Tower Buzzers, launched a deep home run to left field over the patio and concession stands. Lake Elsinore entered the ninth leading 6-3, and added four crucial insurance runs in the ninth. Dawson Willis hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, and Ty Harvey swung at a 3-0 fastball for a three-run opposite field home run. Lake Elsinore went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position, and will return to their home at Diamond Stadium on Thursday to look and close out the series. Lake Elsinore went 7-5 against Ontario at home this season.
In other news, the Storm have received a major boost for their playoff push. Right-hander Coleman Borthwick, the Padres’ 2026 first-rounder, was assigned to Lake Elsinore’s roster prior to the series opener.
Wednesday’s Probable Pitchers
El Paso – RHP Ian Koenig (1-0, 4.50 ERA)
San Antonio – RHP Abraham Parra (0-2, 11.12 ERA)
Lake Elsinore – Off Day
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.