Padres Minor League Report: Roberts Rakes, King Jr. Climbs, TinCaps Stumble Late

[Brock Beauchamp]

Cody Roberts homered, drove in two, and scored twice as Triple-A El Paso clipped Sugar Land, 5-2. Devin Ortiz reached three times, but Double-A San Antonio fell, 5-0. Braedon Karpathios’ two-run single and four double plays weren’t enough in High-A Fort Wayne’s 5-4 walk-off loss. At Single-A, Lamar King Jr. collected three hits, a steal, and two runs while Bernard Jose and Vic Domingo combined for 12 strikeouts to secure Lake Elsinore’s 6-4 road victory.

Padres Transactions

• Signed RHP Jaxon Dalena
• Signed 3B Kerrington Cross
• Signed RHP Will Koger
• Signed LHP Jamie Hitt 

Roberts’ bat, fleet feet spark Chihuahuas past Sugar Land
Box Score

Cody Roberts supplied the thunder and the go-ahead spark as El Paso beat Sugar Land 5-2 at Southwest University Park.

The catcher opened the home third by driving a ball over the left-center wall for his second homer of the year, knotting the game at 1-1. Two innings later, Roberts lined a run-scoring single to right, capping a two-run frame highlighted by Nate Mondou’s two-RBI single that pushed the Chihuahuas in front for good. Roberts finished 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.

Mondou’s single was his only hit, but the second baseman walked once and plated the decisive runs. Brandon Lockridge doubled, singled, and swiped his sixth base, while fleet Mason McCoy reached three times, stole two bags, and scored. Yonathan Perlaza lofted an RBI double, and Forrest Wall singled, walked, and collected his 20th steal.

Matt Waldron (6-2) steadied the club with five innings of four-hit, two-run work, striking out four. Left-hander Omar Cruz followed with two scoreless frames, fanning four more, and righty Raúl Brito punched out two over the final two innings for his first Triple-A save.

El Paso’s offense finished 4-for-15 with runners in scoring position and stole five bases without being caught, giving the Chihuahuas enough cushion to claim their 52nd victory of the season.

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Ortiz’s two-hit night can’t spark Missions' offense in 5-0 loss
Box Score

San Antonio managed just four singles and one late double, dropping a 5-0 game Wednesday night at Nelson Wolff Stadium. First baseman Devin Ortiz set the tone at the plate, reaching three times on two singles and a second-inning walk. The Virginia product owns a .256 average and .653 OPS after his 2-for-3 effort.

The Missions’ best chance came in the fifth. Ripken Reyes lined a single to left, Addison Kopack worked a walk, and Wyatt Hoffman followed with a sharp single to load the bases with one out. Shortstop Francisco Acuna then bounced into a double play, ending the rally.

Kopack supplied San Antonio’s lone extra-base hit, ripping a leadoff double to the left-field corner in the eighth. Hoffman, Reye, and Kai Murphy also collected knocks, but the club finished 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded six.

On the mound, right-hander Jared Kollar struck out five over three innings but was tagged with two third-inning runs and took the loss. José Geraldo yielded three runs across two frames before the bullpen steadied. Stephen Jones scattered two hits while punching out three in 2 scoreless innings, and Tyson Neighbors followed with two shutout frames of his own, fanning three.

San Antonio pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts against just four walks, yet the early deficit proved too much for the quiet offense to overcome.

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Karpathios’ two-run knock, four TinCaps double plays go for naught in ninth-inning setback
Box Score

Fort Wayne built an early lead behind timely swings and crisp defense, but a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth flipped a 4-3 lead into a 5-4 loss Wednesday afternoon.

Braedon Karpathios put the TinCaps on top in the third, ripping a two-out, two-run single for a 2-0 advantage. An inning later, Ryan Jackson’s first High-A triple chased home Oswaldo Linares, and the visitors led 3-0.

Center fielder Kai Roberts sparked the offense all day. He reached base three times—single, walk, and hit-by-pitch—swiped his 17th and 18th bags, and scored twice. In the seventh, he stole second and third before Leo De Vries lined a run-scoring single that pushed the margin to 4-2. De Vries finished 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI, while Jackson, Karpathios, and Brandon Butterworth added one hit apiece.

Fort Wayne’s staff was stingy early. Clark Candiotti spun a scoreless first, and Sam Whiting followed with three no-hit innings. Fernando Sanchez bridged the middle frames with three scoreless, two-strikeout innings. The TinCaps turned four double plays—two started by Jackson at short—to back the bullpen.

Holding a one-run edge in the ninth, Nick Wissman (0-1) surrendered a leadoff double and a walk before the decisive two-run single dropped into right. The right-hander was charged with three runs over 1 1/3 innings.

Despite the late heartbreak, the TinCaps finished with nine hits and limited the opposition to 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

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King Jr. leads Storm offense, power bullpen seals 6-4 win
Box Score

Lake Elsinore erupted for three runs in the opening frame, riding Lamar King Jr.’s big night and a strikeout-heavy bullpen to a 6–4 victory at Banner Island Ballpark on Wednesday.

The first baseman jump-started the rally with a line-drive single before scoring on Kavares Tears’ RBI knock. Kale Fountain added a run-scoring single, and another run crossed on a misplay to stake the Storm to an early 3–0 edge. After the hosts briefly pulled in front, Lake Elsinore answered in the fourth when Cobb Hightower’s groundout plated Alex McCoy, and Zach Evans poked a two-out RBI single to reclaim the lead. King Jr. provided an insurance run in the seventh, sprinting home on Carlos Rodriguez’s sharp single.

King Jr. finished 3-for-5, reached base four times, and swiped his 16th bag of the season. Evans collected two hits, a run, and an RBI, while Tears drove in his 53rd run and walked once. Fountain reached twice, and Kasen Wells singled, walked, and stole his 24th and 25th bases.

Left-hander Kash Mayfield allowed only one earned run over 2 1/3 innings before Bernard Jose (1-2) fanned six in 2 2/3 frames to notch the win. Vicarte Domingo punched out six more over three spotless innings, and Adam Conrad worked the ninth for his second save. Storm pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts against six hits, issuing just three walks to secure the club’s 42nd victory.

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