Padres Minor League Report: TinCaps Save Best For Last With 7-Run 11th In Final Game

[Steve Drumwright]

 

The final day of the season in which all four San Diego Padres full-season affiliates turned into only three playing due to some bad weather. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas blanked Las Vegas 7-0, the Double-A San Antonio Missions fell to Midland 5-1, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps finished their season with a 10-3 win in 11 innings and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm had their regular-season finale canceled due to wet grounds.

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Chihuahuas Notch First Shutout Of Season

For the first time this season, the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas have thrown a shutout. And it came against the best offense in baseball. Right-hander Evan Fitterer and three relievers combined on a six-hitter as the host Chihuahuas blanked the Las Vegas Aviators 7-0. The Chihuahuas (56-82, 21-42 second half), who have two weeks left in their season, split the six-game series.

Facing an Aviators team that has scored the most runs and has the most hits of anyone in the pro baseball (yes, including MLB), Fitterer allowed just a walk while striking out three over four hitless innings, while right-hander Logan Gillaspie went two hitless innings with no walks or strikeouts. Right-hander Daison Acosta took over in the seventh and got the first two outs before the no-hit bid ended on a double. Acosta would allow two more hits in the eight, with no walks or strikeouts. MLB veteran Jose Leclerc came on for the ninth, dancing around three hits and a walk thanks to a double play to secure the shutout. The Chihuahuas entered the game with the second-worst team ERA in all of baseball. It is now 6.38.

Will Wagner, who had two hits, hit a three-run homer, while Nick Solak went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Carlos Rodriguez went 2-for-4, including his eighth triple (third in the Pacific Coast League), with an RBI and two runs scored. Wagner's three-run blast, his ninth of the season, came in the fifth inning.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Mason McCoy, CF	4	1	0	0	1	0
Nick Solak, 1B	4	1	3	1	0	0
Carlos Rodríguez, RF	4	2	2	1	0	2
Marcos Castañon, DH	4	1	1	1	0	1
Nick Pratto, LF	4	0	1	1	0	1
Will Wagner, 2B	4	1	2	3	0	0
Rodolfo Durán, C	3	0	0	0	1	1
Gage Workman, SS	3	0	0	0	1	1
Clay Dungan, 3B	3	1	0	0	1	0

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Evan Fitterer	4	0	0	0	1	3	0
Logan Gillaspie	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Daison Acosta	2	3	0	0	0	0	0
José Leclerc	1	3	0	0	1	0	0

Missions Stumble In Home Finale

The Double-A San Antonio Missions completed their home schedule with a 5-1 loss to the Midland RockHounds. The Missions (58-74, 27-36 second half), who travel to Amarillo to finish the season, split the series 3-3.

Braedon Karpathios (Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect) capped a huge week with two more hits, finishing the series 14-for-23 with two homers and 13 RBIs. Albert Fabian went 2-for-4, but the Missions had just six hits. Karpathios and Fabian each had a double. The Missions' lone run came in the sixth as Oswaldo Linares had a leadoff walk, a passed ball sent him to second and a Karpathios flyball sent him to third. After a walk to Alex McCoy (Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect), Romeo Sanabria hit a sacrifice fly.

Missions left-handed starter Jamie Hitt allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while punching out six over five innings. Left-hander Harry Gustin gave up two runs over two innings, while right-handers Johan Moreno and Francisco Pena each had a scoreless inning.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Braedon Karpathios, CF	3	0	2	0	1	0
Alex McCoy, RF	3	0	0	0	1	2
Romeo Sanabria, 1B	3	0	0	1	0	1
Albert Fabian, DH	4	0	2	0	0	1
Jack Costello, LF	4	0	1	0	0	0
Ryan Jackson, 2B	3	0	1	0	1	1
Justin DeCriscio, SS	4	0	0	0	0	1
Luis Verdugo, 3B	3	0	0	0	0	1
Oswaldo Linares, C	2	1	0	0	1	1

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Jamie Hitt	5	5	3	3	4	6	1
Harry Gustin	2	2	2	2	0	4	1
Johan Moreno	1	2	0	0	1	2	0
Francis Peña	1	0	0	0	0	2	0

TinCaps End With A Flurry, Score 7 On 2 Homers In 11th

A tough second half of the season ended with a thrilling victory for the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps, who scored seven runs in the top of the 11th for a 10-3 victory over the host Lansing Lugnuts. The TinCaps finished the season at 56-74, including 29-35 in the second half, winning their final three games to take four of six in the series. The TinCaps took fourth in the Midwest League's East Division in the second half.

Rosman Verdugo delivered the biggest blow of the 11th with a grand slam, his 15th homer of the season. Yimy Tovar hit his first High-A homer as part of a 3-for-4 game with two runs scored, hitting a three-run shot that snapped the tie in the 11th. The TinCaps forced extra innings as Dylan Grego tripled with one out in the ninth, scoring Yoiber Ocopio, who had a leadoff single. The Lugnuts held a 2-0 lead when the TinCaps tied it in the seventh. Ocopio had a one-out single and Tovar had his first High-A double to make it 2-1. Tovar, who went to third on his double after a throwing error by the catcher, scored on Grego's groundout to first.

The TinCaps used six pitchers in their season finale, with right-hander Jack Pineau, an undrafted free agent out of Creighton, going the final three innings to earn his first professional victory in his fifth game.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Kasen Wells, CF	4	0	0	0	1	0
Ryan Gerety, LF	4	1	2	0	2	0
Rosman Verdugo, DH	6	1	1	4	0	2
Kerrington Cross, 3B	5	0	0	0	1	3
Lamar King Jr., C	3	0	0	0	0	1
Luke Cantwell, 1B	3	1	0	0	0	0
Yoiber Ocopio, C	5	3	3	0	0	1
Yimy Tovar, SS	4	2	3	3	1	0
Dylan Grego, 2B	5	1	2	2	0	0
Conner Westenburg, RF	5	1	1	0	0	2

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Carson Montgomery	1	0	0	0	0	1	0
Brandon Langley	2	0	0	0	1	2	0
Sean Barnett	1 2/3	3	2	2	1	2	0
Will Koger	1 1/3	2	0	0	0	1	0
Jeferson Villabona	2	0	1	0	2	1	0
Jack Pineau	3	0	0	0	0	0	0

Storm Regular-Season Finale Canceled; Playoffs Start Tuesday

Due to wet grounds following a big overnight storm, the final game of the regular season between the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm and the Inland Empire 66ers was canceled. The Storm (66-65, 27-38 second half) won four of the five games in the series. While finishing last in the second half of the California League's South Division, the Storm won the first-half championship and will face the second-half winner, the Ontario Tower Buzzers, in the best-of-three league semifinals. Game 1 is Tuesday in Ontario, with Game 2 on Thursday in Lake Elsinore and Game 3, if necessary, also at The Diamond.

Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance

1. Ethan Salas: 0-for-3, 1 K
2. Ryan Wideman: On injured list
3. Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona
4. Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP
5. Ty Harvey: DNP
6. Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season
7. Jorge Quintana: DNP
8. Alex McCoy: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
9. Braedon Karpathios: 2-for-3, 2B, BB
10. Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-3, K
11. Elliot Lascelles: DNP
12. Tucker Musgrove: On injured list
13. Jagger Haynes: DNP
14. Jake Cunningham: DNP
15. Truitt Madonna: DNP
16. Eric Yost: DNP
17. Winyer Chourio: DNP
18. Jesus Castro: DNP
19. Michael Salina: On injured list
20. Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-6, HR, 4 RBI, 2 K

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