Padres Minor League Report: Ryan Wideman's Walk-Off Homer Puts Storm On Verge Of Clinching

San Diego Padres affiliate split their four games as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas lost  to Round Rock 5-4 in the ninth, the Double-A San Antonio Missions winning with a 12th-inning walk-off 6-5 over Frisco, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps were pummelled 17-1 by Dayton and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm winning 5-4 over Ontario on a ninth-inning walk-off.

Padres Minor-League Transactions

• San Diego Padres selected the contract of C Blake Hunt from El Paso Chihuahuas.
• C Colton Vincent assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from ACL Padres.
• San Diego Padres sent RHP Matt Waldron on a rehab assignment to El Paso Chihuahuas.
• El Paso Chihuahuas sent RHP Daison Acosta on a rehab assignment to Lake Elsinore Storm.

Matt Waldron Makes First Rehab Start, But Chihuahuas Walked Off

Padres right-handed starter Matt Waldron had a nice first rehab appearance, but the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas surrendered a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth-inning, including a walk-off bases-loaded walk, in a 5-4 loss to the Round Rock Express. The Chihuahuas (31-38) still won four of the six games in the series.

Carlos Rodriguez extended his career-high hitting streak to 20 games, with his on-base streak at 24 games, by going 2-for-5 with a run scored. Clay Dungan had a pair of hits and drove in two for the Chihuahuas. Marcos Castanon singled, giving him a hit in 23 of his last 24 games.

Waldron has been on the 15-day injured list since May 15 with a right brachialis muscle injury. In his first rehab start, he threw 27 pitches, including 19 strikes, and went 2⅓ innings, giving up just a hit with no walks or strikeouts. The Express scored twice in the fourth after Waldron exited, with Dungan getting one back on a fifth-inning RBI single, only to see Round Rock go back up 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth.

Dylan Grego, just promoted from Low-A Lake Elsinore due to recent Chihuahuas being called up by the Padres, and Nate Mondou had RBI singles in the top of the sixth to tie the game 3-3. Dungan then drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth to put the Chihuas on top 4-3. But a run-scoring double with one out and bases-loaded walk with two outs off right-hander Ethan Routzahn gave the Express the win in the bottom of the ninth.

Romeo Sanabria Launches 12th-Inning Walk-Off HR For Missions

Romeo Sanabria crushed a two-run walk-off homer with two outs to cap a three-run bottom of the 12th inning as the host Double-A San Antonio Missions rallied for a 6-5 victory over the Frisco RoughRiders. The win was just the second in the six-game series for the Missions (27-36).

After a scoreless 10th and 11th innings, Frisco scored twice in the top of the 12th to go up 5-3. With one out, Ethan Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, grounded a single up the middle to score zombie runner Kai Roberts. After a strikeout, Salas was caught stealing for the second out. But Braedon Karpathios kept the inning alive with a double to left. Sanabria stepped up and worked a full count, drilling the seventh pitch of the at-bat out to right-center for his seventh homer of the season.

Missions right-handed starter Victor Lizarraga gave up a pair of runs in five innings on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts. From there, the bullpen was really good as seven relievers allowed five hits over the final seven innings, but did give up the tying run in the top of the ninth. That came after the Missions scored three times in the eighth to take a 3-2 lead. Ryan Jackson had a two-run triple and scored on a two-out wild pitch.

TinCaps Pummeled By Dragons In Rain-Shortened Rout

Kavares Tears homered for the second game in a row, but a slew of High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps pitchers couldn't slow down a six-homer attack by the Dayton Dragons in a 17-1 loss. The game was called after seven innings due to rain. The TinCaps (25-38) won just once in the six-game series and have lost 10 of their last 11.

Tears hit a solo shot in the fifth inning, but by that time, the TinCaps were already down 6-0. The Dragons poured it on from there, with two more in the bottom of the fifth, six in the sixth and the final three in the seventh.

All six TinCaps pitchers gave up at least two runs, including four by right-hander Isaiah Lowe, who made his first start since April 29.

Ryan Wideman Drills Walk-Off HR As Storm Close To Clinching

Ryan Wideman, the minors' stolen base leader, smashed a walk-off homer on the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning as the host Lake Elsinore Storm pulled out an 8-7 victory over the Ontario Tower Buzzers. The Storm (36-27) won the final two games of the series to split the six-game set and lead the California League's South Division by 2½ games over Rancho Cucamonga. There are three games left in the first half, with the Storm's magic number down to one.

The homer, off the scoreboard in right-center field, capped a 4-for-5 day in which Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect, drove in three and scored two. He did not steal a base, but was picked off once, and has 42 for the season. The homer was Wideman's sixth of the season.

The Storm trailed 3-0, but scored seven times in the fifth inning, the only other inning they scored before Wideman's homer in the ninth. Yoiber Ocopio led off the inning with an infield single and went to second on a throwing error by the third baseman. After a strikeout and a pitching change, Jorge Quintana was hit by a pitch and a wild pitch advanced both runners. George Bilecki walked to load the bases, Conner Westenburg was hit by a pitch to drive in the first run, then Wideman singled home two more to tie the game 3-3. Kerrington Cross walked to reload the bases and, following a second pitching change in the inning, Jose Verdugo walked to snap the tie. Luke Cantwell and Ocopio, batting for the second time in the frame, also followed with bases-loaded walks to make it 6-3. After a strikeout, Quintana was hit by a pitch for the second time in the inning to bring in the final run of the seven-run rally.

Ocopio was the only other Storm player besides Wideman to get a hit, going 2-for-3.

The Storm needed seven pitchers to get through nine innings.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Lake Elsinore Storm (@lakeelsinorestorm)

Padres Mission Top 20 Prospect Performance

1. Ethan Salas: 1-for-5, K
2. Kash Mayfield: DNP
3. Miguel Mendez: DNP
4. Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP
5. Ryan Wideman: 4-for-5, HR, K
6. Jorge Quintana: 0-for-2
7. Ty Harvey: On injured list
8. Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season
9. Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-6, 2B, 4 K
10. Lamar King Jr.: 1-for-3
11. Jagger Haynes: DNP
12. Alex McCoy: 2-for-2
13. Truitt Madonna: 0-for-4, 2 K
14. Tucker Musgrove: DNP
15. Garrett Hawkins: DNP
16. Michael Salina: DNP
17. Eric Yost: DNP
18. Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-3, K
19. Bryan Balzer: DNP
20. Deivid Coronil: DNP

Interested in learning more about the San Diego Padres' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!