Padres Down on the Farm: August 21 (Barnett hits first homer/Salas heats up in FW)
TinCaps
San Diego Padres farm affiliates went 1-3 on Wednesday.
Here is a recap of the day’s events.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 5-2 vs Oklahoma City) (46-76 on the season)
Cal Mitchell – 1 for 3, Home Run
Jose Azocar – 1 for 3, Sac Fly
Randy Vasquez – 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K (77 pitches, 47 strikes)
A three-run fifth from the Oklahoma City Baseball Club saw the El Paso Chihuahuas lose by a final score of 5-2. The Chihuahuas had a first-and-third, no-out situation set up, and Jose Azocar provided a lead with a sacrifice fly. Randy Vasquez took the mound for El Paso and immediately got into trouble as OKC left fielder Dalton Rushing roped an RBI double off the right-hander. Rushing would score on a fielder’s choice to put OKC up 2-1. Vasquez’s struggles in El Paso have the same factors behind them as his struggles at the big league level: a lack of whiffs and struggles in two-strike counts.
The Chihuahuas tied the game in the fifth inning when Cal Mitchell homered off right-hander Nick Anderson, but that would be the last scoring for the visiting team. Vasquez returned to the mound in the bottom of the frame but only saw two batters; Andy Pages homered on a 3-0 fastball against him, and Dalton Rushing was hit by a 2-2 fastball. Jayvien Sandridge was summoned from the bullpen, and after loading the bases with two outs, the left-hander allowed a two-run double to infielder Alan Trejo. The Chihuahuas brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth inning with two outs, but Tirso Ornelas was rung up on a borderline strike three call to end the rally. While the Chihuahuas rallied again in the ninth, Brandon Valenzuela struck out swinging to end the game.
San Antonio Missions (Lost 9-3 vs Frisco) (53-61 on the season)
Marcos Castanon – 4 for 5, Double, RBI
Connor Hollis – 3 for 5, Home Run
Ryan Bergert – 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 4 K (88 pitches, 55 strikes)
The Missions faced a tough task in matching up against Rangers’ top prospect Kumar Rocker, and Ryan Bergert fared admirably over his first five frames. Coming off a season-best six no-hit innings, Bergert allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in those five innings. Bergert returned to the mound for the sixth but was welcomed by a walk and double to end his outing. Reliever Daniel Camarena allowed a three-run home run to the very next batter, scoring both inherited runners, which makes Bergert’s final line less indicative of his strong performance. Relievers Jose Geraldo and David Morgan each allowed two runs over the final 2.2 innings.
Marcos Castanon and Connor Hollis were the story for the Missions’ bats, as Castanon notched a season-high four hits in the loss. Castanon has struggled this season but seems to be turning a corner offensively in August, slashing .286/.357/.444. Hollis hit his second home run of the season in the sixth inning, reaching base three times. Robert Perez Jr hit a double off Rocker as part of a two-hit day, and Romeo Sanabria continues to heat up at Double-A, singling twice and scoring a run in the loss.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 3-2 vs Peoria) (45-71 on the season)
Ethan Salas – 2 for 4, Two Doubles
Kai Murphy – 2 for 3, Home Run
Isaiah Lowe – 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K (90 pitches, 53 strikes)
Domination was the name of the game for right-hander Isaiah Lowe, who definitely had his groove back in his start against the Peoria Chiefs. Lowe struck out six batters in six innings, scattering three walks and two hits along the way. Batters whiffed on 36.3% of swings against the right-hander, including two strikeouts on his changeup.
Kai Murphy led off the game with a home run, his sixth home run of the season. The TinCaps as a team scratched across five hits, with two being doubles off the bat of Ethan Salas. Salas has found his stroke at the plate in August, posting a .760 OPS with eight doubles and two homers. One of Salas’ doubles scored Kai Murphy to put the team up 2-0, but that would be the last scoring for the TinCaps. Tyler Morgan tossed two innings in relief of Isaiah Lowe, allowing a run on two hits and striking out two. Tasked with locking down the win, Manuel Castro allowed a leadoff single and struck out the next batter, but Chiefs designated hitter Darlin Moquete turned on Castro’s first pitch, sending it deep into the Peoria night for a walk-off home run, ending the game as a 3-2 TinCaps loss.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 7-5 vs Rancho Cucamonga) (61-53 on the season)
Sean Barnett – 1 for 3, Home Run, Two Runs Scored
Braedon Karpathios – 2 for 4, Home Run, Two Runs Scored
Javier Chacon – 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K (74 pitches, 39 strikes)
What started as a mellow 0-0 game after three escalated into what became a 7-5 comeback victory for the Lake Elsinore Storm. Starter Javier Chacon allowed three runs on three hits in five innings, his longest start of the season. Reliever Luis German allowed two runs on three walks in one inning of relief. The relief effort of Alejandro Lugo played a big role in the comeback, as Lugo delivered three shutout innings from the seventh to the ninth.
Braedon Karpathios hit his eighth home run of the season in the fifth inning, knotting the game at one. After the Quakes took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the inning, Jack Costello drew the Storm to within one with an RBI single, and Ryan Wilson tied the game in the seventh on a fielder’s choice that generated a throwing error. After Luis German allowed two runs in the seventh, the Storm’s offense emerged from the thunder, as Sean Barnett, in only his second professional game, socked a game-tying home run to left center field. The momentum was now clearly on the Storm’s side, and B.Y. Choi ensured such, with a two-run double in the top of the ninth to put Lake Elsinore up 7-5. With a two-run lead, Alejandro Lugo returned to the mound in the ninth inning and retired three consecutive batters, striking out Zyhir Hope to end the game.
Thursday’s Probable Pitchers:
El Paso – Gabe Mosser (6-6, 5.79 ERA)
San Antonio – Miguel Cienfuegos (2-0, 4.91 ERA)
Fort Wayne – Enmanuel Piinales (3-9, 3.93 ERA)
Lake Elsinore – TBD
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.