San Diego Padres affiliates went 2-7 on Thursday.

Here is a recap of the day’s events.

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 5-0 vs Oklahoma City) (39-51 on the season)
Mason McCoy – 2 for 3, Double
Nate Mondou – 1 for 4
Jhony Brito – 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K (70 pitches, 52 strikes)

Right-hander Jhony Brito had his best start at Triple-A this season, tossing five scoreless innings against the Oklahoma City Baseball Club. Brito leaned heavily on his slider in the game, tossing the pitch 25 times and getting whiffs on 46% of swings on the slider. Brito’s slider usage marks a major development, as he only tossed the pitch 9.4% of the time in big-league action. On the other side of the ball, the offense was stymied by OKC pitching, only mustering four hits and one walk. The offense went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, as Mason McCoy was the lone member of the Chihuahuas with an extra-base hit.

San Antonio Missions (Lost 9-3 vs Amarillo) (41-41 on the season)
Robert Perez Jr – 3 for 4, RBI Single
Marcos Castanon – 1 for 3, Run Scored
Austin Krob – 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB. 10 K (99 pitches, 63 strikes)

The Missions’ offense took advantage of early baserunners, scoring two runs on a single by catcher Michael De La Cruz. The team recorded eight hits and walked five times, but after the first inning, they were held off the scoreboard until the ninth inning, where they posted a run on a single by Robert Perez Jr. Starter Austin Krob continued his recent success, pitching his third quality start in his last four games. The left-hander struck out ten batters and walked only one and has now posted a 13.1 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in his previous four starts (24 innings). Reliever Raul Brito was charged with the loss, allowing two runs in two innings of relief, while Carter Loewen allowed five runs while only getting one out.

Rylan Renteria was in attendance for EVT. Here is the link to his photos and recap.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 4-1 vs Great Lakes in Game 1) (34-49 on the season)
Jay Beshears – 1 for 2, Run Scored
Anthony Vilar – 2 for 3, Two Singles
Jagger Haynes – 5 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 Bb, 0 K (73 pitches, 45 strikes)

TinCaps starter Jagger Haynes allowed four runs on a pair of two-run home runs across five innings, allowing eight baserunners and failing to record a strikeout for only the second time this season. Haynes walked four batters in this game, bringing his season total to 40 across 66 innings in 14 games. In his second full season, Haynes has exhibited command issues throughout the season, walking three or more batters in 11 of his 14 games.

The offense was held scoreless until the final frame when Jay Beshears scored the TinCaps’ lone run on a wild pitch. Anthony Vilar was 2 for 3 in the seven-inning game, while Homer Bush Jr. had a hit of his own. The team’s 0-for-5 certainly did not make the cut, as the team narrowly avoided a shutout loss.

Game 2 (Won 3-2 vs Great Lakes) (35-49 on the season)
Ethan Salas – 1 for 3, Double, Stolen Base
Anthony Vilar – 1 for 3, Go-Ahead Two-Run Single
Sam Whiting – 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K (61 pitches, 37 strikes)

Ethan Salas and Anthony Vilar led a sixth-inning rally to lead the TinCaps to a close win against the Great Lakes Loons. Salas scored the tying run on a base hit by Devin Ortiz, and Anthony Vilar continued his recent hot streak with a go-ahead two-run single, scoring Ortiz and Romeo Sanabria. The team’s 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position was just enough to push past the Loons’ lead, as the Fort Wayne pitching staff held the lead. Starter Sam Whiting tossed 3.1 innings of one-run baseball, striking out six in an abbreviated start, his first time reaching the fourth inning at High-A this season. Left-hander Fernando Sanchez earned the win in relief of Whiting, and Manuel Castro struck out four of the last six batters to close out the 3-2 win.

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 10-5 vs Fresno) (41-41 on the season)
Xander Bogaerts – 2 for 3, RBI Single
Ethan Long – 2 for 3, Three RBI
Eric Yost – 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K (84 pitches, 50 strikes)

The floodgates certainly came open, courtesy of the Storm’s offensive output. Rosman Verdugo notched three hits and an RBI, and a rehabbing Xander Bogaerts had two hits in four plate appearances, singling twice and drawing a walk. Ethan Long recorded the team’s lone extra-base hit with a second-inning double. The offense was clicking on all cylinders, their bats going 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Starter Eric Yost tossed a strong start, allowing two runs in five innings. Yost succeeded with his combination of ground ball outs and timely strikeouts, holding the Grizzlies off the scoreboard for four of his five innings. Left-hander Harry Gustin tossed two scoreless innings of relief in the game, his fourth consecutive scoreless appearance.

ACL Padres (Lost 5-4 vs ACL Athletics) (21-29 on the season)
Yendry Rojas – 2 for 4, Two Triples
Lucas Dunn – 1 for 1, Two Walks, Sac Fly
Abraham Parra – 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K

The ACL Padres took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning before four unanswered runs scored. Yendry Rojas hit two triples in the game, and Lucas Dunn reached base three times in four plate appearances. Right fielder Colton Vincent reached base twice on two hits as well. Starter Abraham Parra struck out five in 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, and Igor Gil was charged with the loss, as two runners he let reach base came around to score on a single and balk off Ruben Salinas.

DSL Padres Gold (Lost 1-0 vs DSL CLE Goryl) (12-15 on the season)
Alcides Hernandez – 1 for 3, Single
Eduarlin Tejeda – 1 for 3, Single
Luis Maracara – 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K

Starter Luis Maracara pitched the rare complete-game loss, allowing one run over six innings and striking out six along the way. The right-hander has now allowed only one run over 11 innings in July, posting an 11.45 K/9 and 1.63 BB/9 in that span. The Padres Gold’s offense was stymied at the dish in the game, only recording two singles and a walk in the ballgame, with no baserunners reaching second base in the game. Alcides Hernandez and Eduarlin Tejada hit the lone two singles, and Gustavo Marquez walked once in the loss.

DSL Padres Brown (Lost 4-1 vs DSL Braves in Game 1) (6-18 on the season)
Michael Martinez – 0 for 1, Two Walks, Run Scored
Estiven Giron – 1 for 2, RBI Double
Manuel Davila – 2.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K

In the first of two games, the Padres Brown took a first-inning lead on an RBI double by catcher Estiven Giron, but starter Manuel Davila allowed four unanswered runs in 2,2 innings to seal the loss. Davila walked one and struck out three, now sporting 25 strikeouts in 21 innings as a 16-year-old. Reliever Edinson Hernandez tossed 3.1 hitless innings of relief with four strikeouts, the first scoreless outing of the 18-year-old right-hander’s career. The Padres Brown’s offense went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position in the loss, stranding seven baserunners in the loss.

Game 2 (Lost 3-1 vs DSL Braves) (6-19 on the season)
Fabian Alcantara – 1 for 2, Double
Eddson Martinez – 1 for 2, Two Walks
Rordy Mejia – 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 5 K

Padres Brown starter Rordy Mejia allowed three runs across four innings of work, striking out five and walking none. The right-hander had a long second inning, only made longer by his own throwing error on a pickoff play. Mejia struck out a season-high of five batters, and he has now not walked a batter over his last nine innings. At the plate, the offense only mustered two hits but had ample opportunities to score as a result of a whopping 11 walks. The eleven walks were a good sign, but the 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position was most certainly not. The team’s lone run would score in the sixth inning on a wild pitch, and Padres batters struck out six times in the loss.

Friday’s Probable Pitchers:
El Paso – Luke Westphal (1-1, 6.48 ERA)
San Antonio – Jared Kollar (8-3, 3.33 ERA)
Fort Wayne – Henry Baez (1-3, 3.18 ERA)
Lake Elsinore – TBD
ACL – TBD
DSL Gold – TBD
DSL Brown – 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.