Credit: EVT Sports (Farm Report)
Padres minor league affiliates went 4-3 on Friday.
Here is our recap of games played.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 7-3 vs Las Vegas) (48-43 on the season)
Nate Mondou – 1-for-3, RBI Single
Luis Campusano – 1-for-4, Single, Run Scored
Wes Benjamin – 4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K (86 pitches – 58 strikes)
El Paso fell behind 6-3 after five innings, and were unable to mount a comeback in what was ultimately a 7-3 loss to Las Vegas. Chihuahua starter West Benjamin pitched into the 5th inning, but was tagged for eight hits and five runs in that span. As a pitch-to-contact arm, Benjamin struck out two while also walking two batters. The left-hander was not able to escape the fifth inning, with Jason Blanchard relieving him and allowing a two-run inside-the-park home run to Willie MacIver. Sean Reynolds walked three and allowed a run in 0.2 innings, and southpaw Miguel Cienfuegos allowed no runs in 2.1 innings of work.
The offense was stymied by Las Vegas’ Aaron Brooks, who held the Chihuahuas to four hits in seven innings. El Paso failed to record an extra-base hit, only putting up five total hits in the game. Mike Brosseau and Rodolfo Duran each drove in a run in the second inning on outs in play. Nate Mondou hit an RBI single in the third inning to score the team’s third run. The team was 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position, grounding into two double plays in the loss.
San Antonio Missions (Won 7-2 vs Wichita) (47-38 on the season)
Albert Fabian – 3-for-4, Two-RBI Single
Romeo Sanabria – 3-for-5, Double, RBI
Braden Nett – 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K (71 pitches – 42 strikes)
While right-hander Braden Nett only pitched into the fourth inning, he only allowed one run in his outing. Nett punched out four batters his start, but walked three. Despite this, he worked out of a first inning jam thanks to his defense. Nett walked three in the fourth inning, and after a 1-2 pitch with one out, the training staff came out and Nett was removed from the visibly walking to the clubhouse with a bit of a hobble. Ryan Och entered and left the bases loaded, earning the win. J.B. Wendelken threw two scoreless innings, and Jake Higginbotham threw a scoreless ninth.
Albert Fabian continues to do damage in the Texas League, as he hit three singles and drove in two runs. Romeo Sanabria had three hits, including a double, driving in a run. Moises Gomez had three hits, also driving in one run. Ripken Reyes reached base three times in the win, and Francisco Acuna drove in a run on a force out.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 8-6 vs Quad Cities) (42-42 on the season)
Brendan Durfee – 2-for-4, Home Run, Three RBI
Braedon Karpathios – 2-for-3, Home Run, Three RBI
Isaiah Lowe – 5 IP 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K (81 pitches – 54 strikes)
Isaiah Lowe continued his recent resurgence, as the right-hander pitched five innings of two-run baseball. Lowe struck out four batters, but was able to induce two double plays. If Lowe can continue to use his fastball and sinker effectively in the bottom of the zone, he has a chance at a dominant second half. Fernando Sanchez earned the win with two dominant innings of relief, striking out two batters. Bodi Rascon and Ruben Galindo combined to throw the final two innings, but Galindo allowed three runs.
The TinCaps were led by a pair of their left-handed sluggers, with Brendan Durfee and Braedon Karpathios each driving in three runs, Durfee hit a two-run home run in the second inning to score Brandon Butterworth, and Karpathios gave the team a 3-2 lead in the seventh with his 11th homer of the season. Back from Lake Elsinore, Kaden Hollow launched a homer of his own in the seventh, his first with Fort Wayne this season. Durfee and Karpathios did further damage in the eighth, with Durfee driving in one more run on an RBI single. Karpathios hit an opposite-field double to score two runs. Hollow had two hits, and Brandon Butterworth had three hits in the win.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 6-0 vs Visalia) (39-46 on the season)
Zach Evans – 4-for-5, RBI Single, Run Scored
Ryan Wilson – 3-for-4, Go-Ahead Two-Run Home Run
Maikel Miralles – 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K (60 pitches – 42 strikes)
Maikel Miralles returned to vintage form, striking out seven batters in four scoreless innings of work. Miralles allowed only one hit in his outing, with all but five outs coming via the K. Johan Moreno was equally as strong, as in his own four innings, Moreno struck out five while allowing only two hits. Braian Salazar finished off the win with a scoreless ninth inning. While all three arms are not some of the most publicized in the Padres’ system, all possess intriguing upside to their game.
Ryan Wilson’s two-run home run gave the Storm a lead that would never be threatened. Zach Evans finished the game with four hits, scoring and driving in a run, Cobb Hightower had an RBI late in the game, and the Storm capitalized on two wild pitches by the Rawhide, scoring runs on each. Victor Figueroa reached base three times in the game, and Yendry Rojas drew two walks and scored a run.
ACL Padres (Lost 13-12 vs ACL Brewers) (12-39 on the season)
Kasen Wells – 2-for-5, RBI Single, Stolen Base
Jose Sanabria – 2-for-2, Double, Three RBI
Luis Maracara – 0.2, 6 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 2 K (34 pitches – 19 strikes)
Luis Maracara failed to get out of the first inning, eventually being charged with seven earned runs in his outing. He was able to strike out two batters, but bad luck on some singles allowed let the base runners pile up. A balk and wild pitch did not help the young hurler. Joseph Herrera allowed four runs in 1.1 innings, and Elvis Reyes allowed one run in two innings. Ruben Salinas pitched three scoreless frames, striking out five of 10 batters faced. Turning to Jimmy Reyes in the eighth, he pitched a scoreless inning, but with one out and a runner on second base in the ninth, Reyes allowed a ground-rule double to Handelfry Encarnacion to end the game in the Brewers’ favor.
Kasen Wells continues to rehab with the ACL Padres, hitting two singles and driving in a run. More positively, his speed appeared to be back, as the speedy Wells swiped a base. Jose Sanabria made the most of his two at-bats, driving in three runs in the game, His replacement, Emil Turbi, drove in a run on a base hit in two ABs of his own. Ismael Javier drove in two runs on two hits, and catcher Yoiber Ocopio hit two sacrifice flies, also stealing a base. Kevin Hacen had a double and an RBI in the game, finishing with two hits.
DSL Padres Gold (Won 5-0 vs DSL Athletics) (19-10 on the season)
Eduarlin Tejeda – 3-for-5, Two Runs Scored
Fabian Alcantara – 2-for-4, RBI Single
Raymel Belliard – 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 K
Yet another strong pitching performance made the day for the Padres Gold. Raymel Belliard struck out 11 batters in five innings for the Padres Gold, allowing only one out on a fly ball. The 11 strikeouts were a season-high for any DSL Padres arm this season. Belliard also threw hitless baseball in his outing, dominating on all facets. Florangel Vasquez struck out two in two innings, and Yoesmerli Beltre struck out five in his own two innings. At the plate, Eduarlin Tejeda continues to hit well, hitting three singles and scoring two runs. Jhojan Downer hit an RBI single, and Jhoan De La Cruz drove in a run when he was plunked with the bases loaded. Fabian Alcantara had two hits out of the nine spot, including an RBI single.
DSL Padres Brown (Lost 9-4 vs DSL Royals Ventura) (15-13 on the season)
Dayquer Alfonzo – 1-for-2, Two-RBI Single
Yonaiker Hernandez – 1-for-4, Single, Run Scored
Kelvin Marte – 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Allowing six unanswered runs in the final three innings spelled doom at a Padres Brown win, as the team lost 9-4. Dayquer Alfonzo had one of the team’s four hits, a two-RBI single. Tom Guerrero hit into a fielder’s choice that scored a run, and would come in to score on a balk. Yonaiker Hernandez hit a single, as did Darian Castillo. On the mound, Kelvin Marte allowed three runs in four innings, striking out two batters. An even 5-4 groundout to flyout ratio allowed him to limit the damage to three runs. Guillermo Romeo allowed two runs in 0.1 innings, charged with the loss. Ariel Dilone allowed four runs (three earned) over the final two innings.
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.
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