Padres Down on the Farm: August 29 (Diaz hits game-winner for EP)

San Diego Padres farm affiliates went 1-3 on Thursday.

Here is a recap of the day’s events.

Photo byAP Photo

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 5-3 vs Tacoma) (50-79 on the season)
Elias Diaz - 1 for 3, Go-Ahead Home Run
Tirso Ornelas - 1 for 4, Double, RBI
Carl Edwards Jr.- 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 7 K (76 pitches, 52 strikes)

Don’t look now, but these Chihuahuas have some bite to them! The El Paso Chihuahuas used a five-run sixth inning to take down the division-leading Tacoma Rainiers. Carl Edwards Jr. started for El Paso and, after a tumultuous first two innings, settled in to toss five innings, striking out a season-high seven batters. Kevin Kopps tossed a scoreless sixth inning with two strikeouts, earning the win. The former Golden Spikes winner has made two scoreless appearances since returning from the injured list, and while he may not get a call-up this season, he could look to bolster his resume for spring training in 2025.

The Chihuahuas barked back in the sixth inning as Clay Dungan and Brandon Lockridge reached on singles to open the inning. Tirso Ornelas doubled in Dungan to cut the deficit to 3-1, and Jose Azocar drove the team to within one run with a sacrifice fly to put El Paso down by one with two outs. Brett Sullivan walked to bring Elias Diaz to the plate. Diaz turned on a 3-2 pitch to left-center field, giving El Paso a 5-3 lead. The lead would last, as Jayvien Sandridge had an electric two innings of work, striking out four batters. Logan Gillaspie came on in the ninth inning, and after retiring the first two batters, Gillaspie struck out Terrin Vavra on a fading changeup to end the game.

San Antonio Missions (Lost 6-5 vs Midland) (55-66 on the season)
Robbie Tenerowicz - 2 for 4, Home Run, Double
Ray-Patrick Didder - 1 for 4, RBI Single
Sam Whiting - 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 0 K (31 pitches, 19 strikes)

Starter Sam Whiting lasted all of 31 pitches, failing to escape the first inning. Whiting succumbed to some brutal batted ball luck, as each of the three hits made contact with an infielder’s glove in a way that altered the trajectory of the ball. Whiting also got no help from the home plate umpire, as a 3-2 fastball in the lower third of the zone was called ball four and became his last pitch of the game. At the risk of having the inning snowball, reliever Carter Loewen reared back and blew a 96 mph fastball past Midland shortstop Jeremy Eierman to end the threat. Loewen recorded seven outs while striking out five batters, a much-needed bounce-back outing for the former Hawaii hurler.

Ray-Patrick Didder brought the score to 2-1 with an RBI single, but the real damage came in the third inning. Romeo Sanabria tied the game with a sacrifice fly, and Robbie Tenerowicz (in his second game off the IL) launched a three-run home run to put San Antonio up 5-2. The Missions' bullpen looked to be en route to patching together a win in what became a de facto bullpen game, but the game was changed on one swing. Denzel Clarke launched a game-tying home run off David Morgan in the sixth inning, and in the seventh inning, Morgan allowed a go-ahead double to Brayan Buelvas off a 97 mph fastball. There would be no comeback in San Antonio, as, despite the hard-hit balls off the Missions’ bats in the final three outs, all found leather as the final nine batters were retired in a row for a crushing 6-5 loss.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 6-2 vs Lansing) (48-75 on the season)
Rosman Verdugo - 2 for 4, Double
Devin Ortiz - 2 for 4, RBI Single
Jagger Haynes - 5.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 7 K (87 pitches, 55 strikes)

A dominant outing from Jagger Haynes imploded in the sixth inning, which saw the left-hander surrender five runs. Haynes was cruising through five innings, allowing one run with five strikeouts. Haynes was one out away from a quality start but left several pitches over the plate, which Lugnuts hitters hammered. Haynes allowed three doubles, a single, and a hit by pitch, all with two outs in the sixth. It was a tough punctuation for Haynes’ August, as the southpaw had delivered three solid starts in the month.

The team’s offense delivered in the sixth inning, with Ethan Salas knotting the game up at one run with a sacrifice fly. Devin Ortiz provided the team a lead with an RBI single to score Rosman Verdugo. The bats got seven hits but only went 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position in the loss. Tyler Robertson went 1 for 4 in the game, extending his hitting streak to six games. Robertson is hitting .424 with a .896 OPS in eight games since returning to action after missing sixteen days from a stint on the injured list.

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 6-4 vs Modesto) (66-55 on the season)
Kai Roberts - 1 for 3, Two Walks, Three Stolen Bases
Jack Costello - 1 for 3, RBI Triple
Maikel Miralles - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K (79 pitches, 46 strikes)

Another game, another steal from Kai Roberts. The Storm’s center field displayed lightning speed at The Diamond, stealing three bases and scoring a run. Jack Costello had yet another big swing, starting something of a third-inning night rally with an RBI triple, his first three-bagger of the season. The fourth inning was the real lightning strike for Lake Elsinore, as Colton Vincent tripled in Ryan Wilson to extend the lead to two runs. Chase Valentine scored Vincent on a single to left, advancing all the way to third base on a fielding error. Valentine came in to score two batters later, as a wild pitch from Nuts reliever Gage Boehm scored him from third.

Maikel Miralles dazzled in front of the home crowd once more, tossing five shutout innings with five strikeouts. The right-hander induced timely ground balls to end opponents’ rallies, with a fifth-inning double play punctuating his outing. The right-hander has a 0.60 ERA in his last three starts (1 ER in 15 innings), striking out 13 against four walks in that stretch. Reliever Bernard Jose entered in the sixth and was ambushed with a bunt single before losing an eight-pitch battle to walk Luis Suisbel. The very next batter, shortstop Tai Peete, sent a three-run home run deep into the night, bringing the score to 4-3. Three batters later, Josh Caron doubled in the tying run, knotting the game up at four. Braian Salazar entered in relief and tossed 2.2 innings with five strikeouts. Unfortunately, he also surrendered a go-ahead home run to Luis Suisbel and was tagged for another run in the eighth inning. Lake Elsinore had the 8-9-1 spots due up in the ninth to face reliever Hunter Cranton, but Modesto’s closer struck out the side to end the game, snapping Lake Elsinore’s five-game winning streak.

Friday’s Probable Pitchers:
El Paso - Nabil Crismatt (2-3, 6.34 ERA)
San Antonio - Austin Krob (4-10, 4.63 ERA)
Fort Wayne - Braden Nett (4-2, 4.56 ERA)
Lake Elsinore - TBD