Padres Minor League Report: Nick Pivetta Goes 3 Solid Innings In Rehab Reboot

With just a few weeks left in the minor-league season, the San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates went 1-3, while a short-season one will be playing for a championship. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas hung on for a 4-3 win over Oklahoma City, the Double-A San Antonio Missions were dumped by Springfield 8-0, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps fell to Dayton 9-6 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm dropped a 5-3 decision to Rancho Cucamong. In the Dominican Summer League, Padres Gold swept its semifinal series with an 8-3 win over Giants Black.

Padres Minor-League Transactions

• San Diego Padres sent RHP Nick Pivetta on a rehab assignment to Lake Elsinore Storm.
• San Diego Padres optioned 2B Sung-Mun Song to El Paso Chihuahuas.
• San Diego Padres selected the contract of LF Dustin Harris from El Paso Chihuahuas.
• San Antonio Missions placed RHP Tucker Musgrove on the 7-day injured list.
• San Antonio Missions activated C Oswaldo Linares from the Development List.
• RHP Jack Pineau assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm.
• RHP Miguel Alvarez assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres.

Gage Workman, Sean Boyle Spearhead Chihuahuas' Victory

Gage Workman went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and right-handed starter Sean Boyle went six solid innings as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas turned back the host Oklahoma City Comets 4-3.

Rehabbing Padres left fielder Samad Taylor went 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts, while Mason McCoy had two hits and an RBI and Blake Hunt had a triple, an RBI and two walks for the Chihuahuas. For Workman, it was his third straight multihit game. Rehabbing Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith hit a two-run homer for the Comets.

Boyle earned his ninth win by allow two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three. He did give up Smith's homer in the fifth inning. Right-hander J.P. France allowed a run in 1⅓ innings, while right-hander Alek Jacob went the final 1⅔ innings without allowing a hit.

The Chihuahuas scored two in the third and two in the fifth. Hunt had a leadoff triple to center in the third inning and scored after two walks on an RBI single by Carlos Rodriguez. After a flyout, Workman singled home Ethan Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect who had walked. In the fifth, Nick Solak had a one-out single, Workman doubled him to third, Will Wagner walked to load the bases and McCoy singled home Solak. After a popout, Hunt drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 4-0. Smith homered in the bottom of the inning and the Comets pulled within 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth.

Missions Shut Out, Give Up Four Homers

Right-handed starter Eric Yost was tagged for doube-digit hits and three homers as the Double-A San Antonio Missions were blanked by the host Springfield Cardinals. Springfield had four homers overall.

Yost, Padres Mission's No. 16 prospect, gave up 11 of the Cardinals 15 hits over five innings, allowing six runs. He surrendered a pair of solo homers in the first inning. Left-hander Harry Gustin allowed two runs in two innings, while right-hander Francisco Pena pitched a scoreless eighth.

Luis Verdugo had two of the Missions' seven hits.

TinCaps Can't Keep Up With Dragons

Kasen Wells hit a two-run homer and Luke Cantwell also drove in a pair, but the host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps were toppled by the Dayton Dragons 9-6.

Fourth-round draft pick Robbie Lavey went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while Kerrington Cross also had two hits for the TinCaps.

TinCaps right-handed starter Winyer Chourio, Padres Mission's No. 17 prospect, struck out seven in 2⅔ innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits and no walks. The TinCaps had two nice relief outings. Right-hander Nick Falter went 1⅔ hitless innings, while right-hander Will Varmette struck out five in the final 2⅓ innings.

Lavey had an RBI single and Cantwell a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first for a 2-0 TinCaps lead. The Dragons tied it in the top of the second, with the TinCaps getting two more in the bottom half on Wells' second homer of the year. Wells' other homer was an inside-the-parker June 19. It was more back-and-forth in the third as the Dragons got another two, but the TinCaps only got one back on Cantwell's RBI single that put Fort Wayne up 5-4. The Dragons took the lead with a two-run fifth and tacked on three more in the seventh.

Nick Pivetta Returns To Mound, Turns In 3 Innings In Storm Loss

Nick Pivetta's second attempt at a rehab outing went much better than the first. The Padres' right-handed starter went three innings in the Low-A Lake Elisnore Storm's 5-3 loss to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. The Storm have lost eight straight.

Pivetta was three weeks removed from walking off the mound during his first rehab outing with right elbow discomfort. It turned out to be more of a scare than a setback, although it was that, too. Pivetta went 48 pitches (35 strikes), allowing three runs on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts. He was taken deep twice by third-round Los Angeles Angels draft pick Gavin Grahovac. Otherwise, Pivetta looked decent for a first rehab outing. He struggled a bit in the first inning, throwing 28 pitches and giving up a pair of runs on two three hits. He was very sharp in his second inning, throwing eight pitches, all strikes, and covering first base on an inning-ending grounder to the first baseman. He had a pitch-clock violation in the third inning and also yielded Grahovac's second homer of the day. Grahovac entered with three homers in his first 16 pro games.

Sixth-round draft pick Nu'u Contrades hit his third pro homer, while Jose Verdugo and Dawson Willis each went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored for the Storm.

After Pivetta left, right-hander Rordy Mejia pitched a scoreless fourth and right-hander Jesus Castro, normally a starter, pitched the final four innings in relief, striking out seven while allowing two runs on four hits and no walks. The game was tied 3-3 going into the sixth, where the Quakes scored twice.

Padres Gold Advance To DSL Championship Series

Box score

Padres Gold scored all eight runs in the final four innings, including a four-run eighth inning, to beat Giants Black 8-3 and sweep the best-of-three Dominican Summer League semifinal series. Padres Gold advances to face the Reds, who swept Royals Fortuna in the other semifinal. The championship series is also a best-of-three.

While being outhit 9-6, Padres Gold drew 11 walks, while their pitchers only issued four. Second baseman Yorvin Morla capped the four-run top of the eighth with a two-run double. Catcher Dayquer Alfonzo had a double and a triple, scoring twice. Former Padres prospect Joniel Hernandez, traded to the San Francisco Giants in the Robbie Ray deal, had an RBI single in the third inning.

Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance

1. Ethan Salas: 0-for-4, BB, K
2. Ryan Wideman: DNP
3. Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona
4. Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP
5. Ty Harvey: 0-for-4, RBI, K
6. Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season
7. Jorge Quintana: 0-for-4, 2 K
8. Alex McCoy: 1-for-4, 3 K
9. Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-4, 3 K
10. Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-4, K
11. Elliot Lascelles: 0-for-4, 3 K
12. Tucker Musgrove: On injured list
13. Jagger Haynes: DNP
14. Jake Cunningham: DNP
15. Truitt Madonna: DNP
16. Eric Yost: 5 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 6 ER, BB, 4 K, 3 HR
17. Winyer Chourio: 2⅔ IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, HR
18. Jesus Castro: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
19. Michael Salina: DNP
20. Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-4, HBP, K

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