Padres Minor League Report: TinCaps Rally Late After MLB Starter Shuts Them Down

San Diego Padres affiliates went 2-2 Saturday. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas fell to Reno 7-1, the Double-A San Antonio Missions eked out a 2-1 win over Corpus Christi, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps rallied for a 3-2 win over South Bend and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm fell to San Jose 11-8.

Padres Minor-League Transactions

• El Paso Chihuahuas activated OF Pablo Reyes from the 7-day injured list.

Chihuahuas Sputter As Aces Pull Away

A solid start from left-hander Jackson Wolf couldn't overcome an offense that was held to just four hits in the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas' 7-1 loss to the Reno Aces. The four hits tied the Chihuahuas' season low.

Wolf scattered eight hits over five innings, giving up two runs, including a homer, and a walk with three strikeouts and benefited from a defense that turned three double plays on the night. Right-hander Logan Gillaspie gave up two runs on four hits in his lone inning, while right-hander Ty Adcock allowed a run on two hits in the seventh and right-hander Misael Tamarez two runs in two innings.

After Reno scored in the top of the first, the Chihuahuas tied it in the bottom half as Bruce Johnson reached on an error by the third baseman, stole second and scored on Carlos Rodriguez's one-out ground-rule double. But that would be the extent of the offense for the Chihuahuas, who managed just three more singles the rest of the way.

The Aces snapped the 1-1 tie with a run in the fifth, then two in the sixth, one more in the seventh and two again in the eighth.

Victor Lizarraga, Missions Capture Pitchers' Duel

Right-hander Victor Lizarraga turned in a strong start, while Tirso Ornelas and Kai Roberts each had two hits and drove in a run as the Double-A San Antonio Missions slipped past the host Corpus Christi Hooks 2-1.

Romeo Sanabria reached base four times with three hits and a walk, Ryan Jackson had two hits and a free pass, while Luis Verdugo and Albert Fabian also had a pair of hits.

Lizarraga went 6⅔ innings, one out shy of matching his career best, allowing just a run on four hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts. He had a stretch where he retired 12 straight and also induced 12 grondouts. Right-hander Josh Mallitz didn't allow a hit in 1⅓ innings while walking two and striking out two and left-hander Harry Gustin pitched a perfect ninth with one punchout for his first save of the season and seventh of his career.

After Lizarraga gave up the lone run on three hits in the second inning, the Missions took the lead with runs in the third and fourth innings. With two outs in the third, Sanabria doubled and scored just ahead of the throw on Ornelas' line single to right. Verdugo, coming off a two-homer game, opened the fourth with a single, went to second on a groundout and scored without a play on Roberts' ground single to center.

TinCaps Withstand MLB Starter, Rally To Win With 3 In Eighth

In a game started by Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd, the host Fort Wayne TinCaps rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, capped by Lamar King Jr.'s go-ahead single, to snatch a 3-2 victory from the South Bend Cubs. Boyd struck out seven of the 14 hitters he faced in four shutout innings, giving up a pair of hits and no walks in his first game since having meniscus surgery. Justin DeCriscio and King had first inning singles off Boyd, who picked off two TinCaps.

TinCaps right-hander Abraham Parra matched his career high with six innings, allowing a pair of runs on five hits and two walks while punching out four. Both runs came in his final frame. He reached six innings for the sixth time, having done so four times last year with Low-A Lake Elsinore and once in 2023 in the Dominican Summer League. Left-hander Javier Chacon pitched two hitless innings and right-handed closer Clay Edmondson pitched a perfect ninth for his minors-leading 11 save this season. This was just the third outing of 23 this season in which Edmondson did not record a strikeout.

After Parra gave up a pair of runs in the top of the sixth on an RBI triple and a sacrifice fly, the TinCaps entered the bottom of the eighth having been held scoreless and to just three hits. With a new South Bend reliever in the game, Kavares Tears (infield) and Zach Evans led off the eighth with singles. After a failed sacrifice bunt by Wyatt Hoffman forced Tears out at third, DeCriscio's grounder to short advanced both runners. Kasen Wells then tied the game by grounding a single through the right side, scoring Evans and Hoffman beating the throw home. Wells took second on the play and King, Padres Mission's No. 10 prospect, lined a go-ahead two-out single to left, with Wells scoring ahead of the throw.

Storm Succumb To 7-Run Eighth Inning By Giants

Despite a nice start by right-hander Tyler Schmitt and four home runs, the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm coughed up a seven-run eighth inning en route to dropping an 11-8 decision to the San Jose Giants.

Kerrington Cross (11th this year), Jose Verdugo (fourth), Luke Cantwell (second) and Jorge Quintana (second) each went deep for the Storm, while Verdugo had three hits and three RBIs and Cantwell two hits and three RBIs. Quintana is Padres Mission's No. 6 prospect.

Schmitt, coming off an 11-strikeout performance last week vs. Ontario, went five innings and struck out just two, while yielding three runs on five hits and a walk. Right-hander Nick Falter allowed a run in 1⅔ innings, but right-handers Vicarte Domingo (four runs) and Will Koger (three runs) could each only get two outs and combined to allow all seven eighth-inning runs.

The Storm were down 3-0 entering the fifth and they scored in each of their final five at-bats, with one in the fifth, one in the sixth, two in the seventh, three in the eighth to take a 7-4 lead and one in the ninth.

Padres Mission Top 20 Prospect Performance

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