Padres affiliates went 2-3 on Friday.

Let’s jump right into the games played.

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 5-4 in 10 innings vs Oklahoma City) (53-77 on the season)

Mason McCoy – 2-for-5, Home Run, Two RBI

Carlos D. Rodriguez – 3-for-5, Three Singles, RBI

Ian Koenig – 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K (83 pitches – 50 strikes)

Right-hander Ian Koenig threw five innings in his El Paso debut. The Chihuahuas’ starter struck out four batters, walking just one. Koenig threw six different pitches in his debut, with his curveball, sinker, and slider posting minuscule xWOBACon marks. His sinker helped him generate four ground ball outs, and the right-hander generated seven swings and misses from the Comets’ lineup. For a first impression at Triple-A, Koenig fared well. Daison Acosta threw two scoreless innings, striking out four batters. Ethan Routzahn retired two of three batters faced, and J.P. France picked up the final out of the inning. El Paso turned to Hunter Stratton to close out the game, but a two-out RBI single from Alex Freeland tied the game. Stratton returned to the mound in the tenth inning with El Paso leading by one, but he ran into trouble. With the bases loaded and one out, back-to-back RBI singles walked the game off for the Comets.

At the dish, the Chihuahuas tallied 11 hits, going 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Mason McCoy had two hits in the game, driving in two runs. McCoy put the Chihuahuas on the board with an RBI single in the sixth inning. McCoy had yet another run-scoring hit in the game, with his ninth-inning home run tying the game at two. Rodolfo Duran then turned on an up-and-in fastball for his fifth home run of the season at Triple-A. Duran gave the Chihuahuas a lead with his home run, a lead that did not last. In the tenth inning, Carlos D. Rodriguez hit his third single of the game to score Sung-Mun Song. Bryce Johnson had two hits in the game, and Nick Solak reached base twice in the loss.

San Antonio Missions (Lost 10-6 vs Springfield) (54-70 on the season)

Jack Costello – 2-for-4, Home Run, RBI

Oswaldo Linares – 2-for-4, Double, Two RBI

Abraham Parra – 0.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 0 K (34 pitches – 19 strikes)

Right-hander Abraham Perra struggled in his Double-A debut, as he allowed five runs in two-thirds of an inning. Parra allowed five hits and two walks in his outing, throwing 34 pitches. Parra got two outs while allowing two runs, but four straight two-out singles chased him from the game. Sadrac Franco allowed a two-run home run to Won-Bin Cho, striking out three batters in 2.1 innings. Francis Pena allowed a solo home run in two innings, striking out four batters. Harry Gustin struck out four batters in two innings, not allowing a run. Igor Gil threw one inning, striking out three but allowing a two-run single.

Three Missions batters had multi-hit games in the loss. Jack Costello went 2-for-4 with two extra-base hits. Costello launched his second Missions home run in the eighth inning, also doubling in the game. Oswaldo Linares had two hits, driving in two runs for San Antonio. Linares’ fifth-inning double drove in the first two runs of the game for the Missions. Kai Roberts had two singles in the game, with his fifth-inning base hit scoring two runs. Luis Verdugo‘s sixth-inning single scored Jack Costello. San Antonio went 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position, clawing to within two runs at one point in the contest, though the comeback effort came up short.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 9-6 vs Dayton) (51-71 on the season)

Ryan Gerety – 3-for-3, Double, RBI

Yimy Tovar – 1-for-4, Go-Ahead Two-RBI Single

Bryan Balzer – 3 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 4 K (70 pitches – 43 strikes)

Despite a short start from Bryan Balzer, the TinCaps offense scored five unanswered runs in the back third of the game to earn a comeback win over Dayton. Starting with Bryan Balzer, the TinCaps’ starter allowed two home runs in three innings, walking two and fanning four. Seven outs recorded by the right-hander came either as a strikeout or a groundout. Balzer labored in each of his three innings, dealing with constant base traffic, but was able to generate timely ground balls to prevent an inning from snowballing. Will Varmette came on for the fourth inning and went on to pitch two scoreless innings. Varmette struck out three of eight batters faced; in his last three outings, Varmette has thrown 6.2 innings with 11 strikeouts and just five baserunners allowed. Sean Barnett allowed three runs in the sixth inning, including a two-run home run to top Reds draftee Justin Lebron. Brandon Langley struck out three of six batters faced between the seventh and eighth innings, earning the win. Jeferson Villabona threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning with two strikeouts to seal the win.

Ryan Gerety made his first start as a pro, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish. Gerety hit an RBI single in the second inning, scoring a run. Yoiber Ocopio opened the scoring with an RBI single, and he has now reached base safely in four of his last five games. Dylan Grego tied the game with an RBI double in the fifth inning, scoring on a groundball single by Robbie Lavey. Kerrington Cross reached base twice in the game, with his RBI double in the seventh scoring Fort Wayne’s fifth run. Cross came around to score when a batted ball off the bat of Lamar King Jr was misplayed by third baseman Tyson Lewis. The TinCaps loaded the bases for Yimy Tovar, who singled on a line drive to left field to give the team an 8-6 lead. Robbie Lavey’s eighth-inning single scored Kasen Wells, who scored three runs in the contest.

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 6-1 vs Inland Empire) (61-63 on the season)

Alex Conover – 1-for-4, RBI Single

Jose Verdugo – 2-for-4, Two Singles, Stolen Base, Run Scored

Kruz Schoolcraft – 3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K (60 pitches – 33 strikes)

Adler Cecil – 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K (67 pitches – 37 strikes)

Lake Elsinore’s pitching staff struck out 14 batters, but four runs against starter Kruz Schoolcraft put the team down early. Schoolcraft generated 10 swings and misses on 33 strikes, but allowed a two-run double in the first inning. The left-hander allowed a solo home run in the second inning, and Gavin Grahovac scored the 66ers’ fourth run against Schoolcraft with an RBI double. All four strikeouts from Schoolcraft came in the second and third innings. Florangel Vasquez allowed two runs in 1.2 innings, giving up two hits and two walks. Adler Cecil came on in long relief, and the former Temecula Valley southpaw threw 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. Cecil also generated 10 swings and misses, walking three and striking out eight batters. The 21-year old now has 32 strikeouts in his first 17.2 innings as a member of the Storm, and he is likely to slot into the 2027 Storm’s starting rotation based on his performances this season. The Storm tallied four total bases in the game. Jose Verdugo had two singles in the game, stealing his 24th base of the season. Verdugo scored the team’s only run on an RBI single by Alex Conover. Qrey Lott hit a single in the loss, and Jorge Quintana worked the team’s only walk of the game.

DSL Padres Gold (Won 6-4 vs DSL Reds) (1-1 in DSL Cup Finals) 

Cristian Benavides – 3-for-4, Double, RBI, Run Scored

Dayquer Alfonzo – 2-for-4, Two Singles, RBI

Yunny Tovar – 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 3 K

The DSL Cup Finals are going to a winner-take-all game. The Padres Gold rode a first-inning five-spot to a comfortable lead throughout. With two outs, an Endy Rios triple set the stage, with Dayquer Alfonzo singling to score Rios. Two straight hit batters loaded the bases, and Timothy Mogen hit an infield single to give the Padres a 2-0 lead. Dawry Guerrero walked with the bases loaded, and a single from Jeanfranco Fernandez scored the fourth and fifth runs in the inning. Cristian Benavides had three hits in the game, with his seventh-inning RBI single scoring the team’s sixth and final run. Yunny Tovar pitched four innings of one-run baseball, striking out three. The left-hander continued his outstanding postseason, lowering his playoff ERA to 1.35. Jederson Paez allowed two runs in 1.2 innings, striking out two. Edwyn Hernandez threw a scoreless inning, and Joseph Uzeta threw two innings of one-run ball. Albieris Polanco picked up the final out of the game, sending the series to a must-win game.

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.