Padres affiliates went 2-3 to open the week.

Let’s dive right into the day’s events, which include some postseason updates from the Dominican Summer League!

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 4-3 vs Oklahoma City) (51-75 on the season)

Gage Workman – 3-for-5, Two Doubles, RBI

Blake Hunt – 1-for-2, Triple, Two Walks, RBI

Sean Boyle – 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K (95 pitches – 60 strikes)

El Paso went on the road and rode a strong start from Sean Boyle to a win over Oklahoma City. Boyle pitched six innings of two-run baseball, a quality start. Yes, a quality start in the PCL, you read that correctly. Boyle struck out three and walked three, picking up four outs on the ground. The right-hander’s only runs allowed came on a two-run home run from a rehabbing Will Smith. After Boyle, J.P. France threw 1.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits. France’s charged run came after he left the game with the bases loaded. Pete Zamora turned to Alek Jacob for a five-out save, and though he gave up a sac fly, the sidewinding right-hander did the job. It was Jacob’s eighth save of the season. 

At the dish, Gage Workman notched three hits in the win. Workman hit two doubles in the first five innings, including one against right-hander Landon Knack. Neither double saw him earn an RBI, as his groundball single in the third inning scored Ethan Salas. Carlos Rodriguez drove in a run with an RBI single, and Mason McCoy’s bloop single in the fifth scored the team’s third run. Blake Hunt tripled in the game, scoring one run. Hunt drew two walks, and his fifth-inning walk against Paul Gervase scored the Chihuahuas’ final run of the game. Ethan Salas went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored as the team’s DH. 

San Antonio Missions (Lost 8-0 vs Springfield) (54-67 on the season)

Luis Verdugo – 2-for-4, Two Singles

Alex McCoy – 1-for-4, Single

Eric Yost – 5 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 4 K (86 pitches – 52 strikes)

Springfield launched four home runs against the Missions’ pitching staff, and the Missions had no answers for left-hander Liam Doyle in a shutout loss. San Antonio picked up seven hits, all singles, striking out thirteen times in the loss. Luis Verdugo went 2-for-4 with two singles, and five other members of the lineup had a single each. Justin DeCriscio and Alex McCoy each singled in the contest. Romeo Sanabria and Tirso Ornelas went 1-for-3 with a single and walk in the game. 

On the mound, right-hander Eric Yost allowed a season-high six runs on eleven hits. The right-hander struck out four batters, walking just one. Despite this, Springfield hit three home runs against the Missions’ starter, with Rainel Rodriguez hitting two home runs against Yost. Yost has pitched to a 2.84 ERA at The Wolff (or Southwest University Park), compared to a now-inflated 4.89 ERA on the road. Harry Gustin pitched two innings, allowing a two-run home run to Deniel Ortiz. The left-hander struck out three batters, and now has a 26.8% strikeout rate in 52 innings at Double-A this season. Francis Pena allowed two hits, but also struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 9-6 vs Dayton) (50-69 on the season)

Kasen Wells – 2-for-5, Two-Run Home Run

Robbie Lavey – 2-for-4, Double, RBI

Winyer Chourio – 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 7 K (70 pitches – 45 strikes)

Right-hander Winyer Chourio struck out seven batters in his start against the Dragons, walking none. Chourio allowed four hits and four runs (two of which were earned), recording eight outs. Seven of those outs came via the K, with 10 swings and misses throughout. The lack of walks was something worth noting for the right-hander, who has not had the same command at Fort Wayne that he did at Lake Elsinore. Right-hander Carlos Medina took the loss, allowing two runs in 1.1 innings of relief. Nick Falter made a scoreless relief appearance, throwing 1.2 innings with two strikeouts. Sean Barnett allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning, striking out one and walking one batters. Right-hander Will Varmette made another scoreless appearance, throwing 2.1 innings with five strikeouts. Four of his five strikeouts came swinging, including one of top prospect Justin Lebron, and Varmette struck out the side in the ninth. 

The TinCaps came to life early in the game, scoring twice in the opening frame. Kasen Wells, Bradley Frye, and Rosman Verdugo all reached base with no outs, and Robbie Lavey hit an RBI single to score Wells. Luke Cantwell hit a sac fly to score the second run, and it wouldn’t be his only batted ball to produce a run. Dylan Grego doubled to open the second inning, and Wells launched his first over-the-wall home run of the season in the second inning. Fort Wayne scored again in the third inning, with Robbie Lavey doubling before coming in to score on Luke Cantwell’s RBI single. Fort Wayne was held scoreless until the eighth inning after this, with Dylan Grego driving in a run with a groundout. Fort Wayne went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position in the loss. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 5-3 vs Inland Empire) (61-60 on the season)

Nu’u Contrades – 1-for-3, Home Run, RBI

Alex Conover – 1-for-2, Double, Two Walks

Nick Pivetta – 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K (47 pitches – 35 strikes)

Jesus A. Castro – 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 7 K (62 pitches – 43 strikes)

The Storm saw Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta join the team for a rehab start. Pivetta threw three innings of three-run baseball, striking out four. 35 of his 47 pitches were strikes, and the right-hander generated 10 swings and misses from 66ers batters. Rordy Mejia threw a scoreless inning, striking out one. Right-hander Jesus A. Castro, the team’s scheduled starter, pitched four innings of two-run ball in relief. Castro struck out seven batters, generating 11 whiffs from the 66ers. The right-hander was fairly dominant, as he only gave up four hits in his relief outing. It was the sort of rebound outing the right-hander needed. 

Nu’u Contrades hit a solo home run in the loss, his third as a professional. Alex Conover reached base three times, hitting a double and walking twice in the contest. Jose Verdugo hit two singles and drew a walk in the contest, scoring one run. Dawson Willis hit a double and scored a run, finishing with two hits. 

DSL Padres Gold (Won 8-3 vs DSL Giants Black) (2-0 in DSL Cup Semifinals)

Dayquer Alfonzo – 2-for-4, Triple, Double, Two Runs Scored

Yorvin Morla – 1-for-4, Two-RBI Double

Angel Gamarra – 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K 

DSL Cup Finals, the Padres Gold are back! The Padres Gold pulled off a comeback win over the DSL Giants Black. Angel Gamarra allowed two runs in the game, pitching 2.2 innings in the start. Gamarra struck out four, walking two. Edwyn Hernandez struck out four in two innings of scoreless ball. Jederson Paez pitched 2.1 innings in relief, striking out one and earning the win. Joseph Uzeta allowed one run in two innings, managing to successfully close out the contest and punch the team’s ticket to the Finals. 

The Padres Gold trailed 2-0 after five innings, but Endy Rios broke the shutout with an RBI groundout. The team failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded opportunity, but built momentum. After loading the bases, a wild pitch and a passed ball gave the Padres Gold a lead. The Padres Gold ran away with the contest in the eighth inning, driving in four runs. Jeanfranco Fernandez drove in a run with a single, Gabriel Teran drew a bases-loaded walk, and a two-run double from Yorvin Morla was the dagger, in NBA terms. The Padres Gold will now face the DSL Reds in the DSL Cup Finals.

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.