Steve Drumwright

Padres Minor-League Transactions None. CAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Storm Win 5th Cal League Title Behind Strong Pitching, Big Offense For the fifth time, the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm are California League champions. Behind tremendous pitching and their trademark pressure offense, the Storm beat the host San Jose Giants 13-2 Wednesday in the decisive Game 3 of the California League Championship Series. The Storm have won the Cal League in two of the last five years (2022). They also won in 1996, 2001 and 2011. The 2001 title was shared with the Giants when the Championship Series was canceled due to the Sept. 11 attacks. The Giants, who won both halves of the North Division, were the defending Cal League champs. The Storm, who won the first half in the South and finished last in the second, had been swept by the Giants, who went 20-2 to close the regular season, in a six-game series at The Diamond just five weeks prior, being outscored 61-13, including a 21-2 loss. The Storm, who lost 11 straight as part of that Giants sweep, scored 26 runs in these three games. But this series was much different thanks to that offense and the Storm's pitching. The Giants had the Cal League's top offense, but scored just one run in the ninth inning of Game 1 and then two in Game 3. That was thanks to right-handers Coleman Borthwick and Lan-Hong Su. The 18-year-old Borthwick, the Padres' first-round draft pick this summer and Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect, started and struck out two over two shutout innings, allowing two hits and no walks in his second pro game. The 19-year-old Su struck out eight of the 15 hitters he faced, allowing a run on four hits with a walk. The eight strikeouts were the second-most of Su's debut season, having fanned nine in his last regular-season start over 4⅔ innings. A night after being no-hit in Game 2, the offense was also up to the big moment. Sixth-round draft choice Nu'u Contrades led off the second inning with a first-pitch homer and drove in three runs, while Qrey Lott had two doubles, a triple and a hit by pitch in four trips with two RBIs and three runs scored. Lott created a run in the third as he doubled and stole third and scored when shortstop Josuar Gonzalez threw wild to third. Second-round pick Elliot Lascelles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect) singled and scored on seventh-rounder Joe Tiroly's double to the left-center gap for a 3-0 lead. After Ty Harvey (Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect) reached on a one-out error in the third, Lott hit a flyball to left that got lost in the lights, winding up as an RBI triple. Lott scored on Tiroly's sacrifice fly to center. After the Giants got their first run in the bottom of the fourth, the Storm broke it open with a four-run sixth. Dawson Willis drew a leadoff walk and went to second on Harvey's groundout. Lott followed with his second double of the game, driving in Willis. Lott was caught off second, but a throwing error by the pitcher allowed him to score. Tiroly walked, stole second and fourth-rounder Alex Conover walked. Contrades followed with a two-run double and a 9-1 lead. Storm right-hander Jack Pineau, an undrafted free agent, allowed a run in one-plus inning, which could have been worse and left-hander Andrew Wright not induced the first batter he faced in the seven into a double play. After the RBI single, another single and a walk loaded the bases, but Wright got out of it with a popup to short. The Storm added a run in the eighth as Conover fouled out to left, with Lascelles, who had singled and took third on a throwing error, scoring to make it 10-2. In the ninth, the Storm added more cushion when Jorge Quintana (Padres Mission's No. 7 prospect) and Jose Verdugo singled, then Willis hit a single to center that was misplayed, leading to a Little League homer and a 13-2 advantage. Left-hander Rob Fitzpatrick, the Padres' eighth-round draft pick, closed out the ninth, allowing a one-out walk and seeing another runner reach on an error. But a flyout to right and a strikeout looking set off a Storm celebration. The Giants committed five errors, matching a season high. The Storm also drew seven walks. The Storm join Padres Gold, who won the Dominican Summer League, as Padres affiliates to win championships this season. LE1_0916.mp4 LE2_0916.mp4 LE3_0916.mp4 LE4_0916.mp4 LE5_0916.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles 5 2 2 0 1 2 Joe Tiroly 4 1 2 2 1 0 Alex Conover 4 1 0 1 1 2 Nu'u Contrades 4 1 2 3 1 1 Jorge Quintana 4 1 1 0 1 2 Jose Verdugo 5 1 1 0 0 0 Dawson Willis 4 2 2 0 1 0 Ty Harvey 4 1 0 0 1 1 Qrey Lott 4 3 3 2 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Coleman Borthwick 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 Lan-Hong Su 3 4 1 1 1 8 0 Jack Pineau 1 3 1 1 1 1 0 Andrew Wright 2 3 0 0 1 2 0 Sean Fitzpatrick 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Miguel Andujar Notches Only 2 Hits, Jason Adam Rocked For El Paso Rehabbing Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar had the only two hits for the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, who got a strong starting pitching performance of their own in a 12-0 loss to the Oklahoma City Comets. The Comets clinched a spot in next week's Pacific Coast League Championship Series vs. the Las Vegas Aviators. Another Padre on a rehab assignment, right-handed reliever Jason Adam, gave up five runs on four hits without recording an out. He walked one and threw 20 pitches, 12 strikes in his second rehab outing. After grounding out in his first two at-bats, Andujar broke up the perfect game by Comets left-hander Jackson Ferris as he hit a slow chopper toward third that Ferris fielded, whirled and threw late to first. Andujar then added his fifth double of his rehab assignment with two outs in the ninth. Andujar, coming back from a fractured right wrist, is 9-for-30 (.300/.300/.467) in seven rehab games. Ferris struck out 13 in 7⅔ innings and only allowed that one hit as well as a walk. Chihuahuas left-handed starter Jagger Haynes, Padres Mission's No. 13 prospect, allowed a run on five hits and a walk while striking out three in his final start of the season. He finished with a 5.80 ERA. https://padresmission.com/san-diego-padres-top-prospect-rankings/jagger-haynes-r129/ The Chihuahuas turned the first triple play in club history covering 1,760 games. It came after Haynes allowed two singles to open the top of the fourth inning. With the runners going on the pitch, Hyesong Kim then hit a liner right at first baseman Marcos Castanon, who stepped on first for the second out and threw to shortstop Gage Workman at second base to easily complete the triple play. EP1_0916.mp4 EP2_0916.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 4 0 0 0 0 2 Miguel Andujar 4 0 2 0 0 0 Nick Solak 4 0 0 0 0 2 Marcos Castañon 3 0 0 0 0 1 Gage Workman 3 0 0 0 0 2 Rosman Verdugo 2 0 0 0 1 1 Braedon Karpathios 3 0 0 0 0 1 Victor Duarte 3 0 0 0 0 2 Oswaldo Linares 3 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes 6 5 1 1 1 3 0 Jason Adam 0 4 5 5 1 0 0 Hans Crouse 1 1/3 3 4 4 3 1 0 Daison Acosta 1 2/3 2 2 2 0 3 1 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: 0-for-4, R, BB, K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 K Alex McCoy: DNP Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-3, K Lamar King Jr.: DNP Elliot Lascelles: 2-for-5, 2 R, BB, 2 K Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, L Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-2, BB, K View full article

With the end of the minor-league season upon us, it is time to look back at the progress—or lack thereof—of prospects in the San Diego Padres’ system. While it is well-documented that the Padres have the worst minor-league system in MLB, there are some players who jumped into the prospect picture that Friars fans should be excited about. One player who remained a constant was Ethan Salas, the No. 1 prospect who recently made his MLB debut. For this exercise, we are going by Padres Mission’s Top 20 list from the preseason and comparing it with the last one we did in August, coming off the trade deadline and including the draft. There is a stark difference in how the lists look for a variety of reasons, including the players lost at the trade deadline. Here is how the two lists look: Preseason Ethan Salas, C Kash Mayfield, LHP Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP Bradgley Rodriguez, RHP Miguel Mendez, RHP Jagger Haynes, LHP Humberto Cruz, RHP Ty Harvey, C Ryan Wideman, CF Kale Fountain, OF Romeo Sanabria, 1B Jorge Quintana, SS Lamar King Jr., C Garrett Hawkins, RHP Tirso Ornelas, OF Kavares Tears, OF Truitt Madonna, C Deivid Coronil, SS Eric Yost, RHP Francis Pena, RHP August Update Ethan Salas, C Ryan Wideman, CF Coleman Borthwick, RHP Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP Ty Harvey, C Kale Fountain, OF Jorge Quintana, SS Alex McCoy, LF Braedon Karpathios, RF Lamar King Jr., C Elliot Lascelles, SS Tucker Musgrove, RHP Jagger Haynes, LHP Jake Cunningham, OF Truitt Madonna, C Eric Yost, RHP Winyer Chourio, RHP Jesus Castro, RHP Michael Salina, RHP Rosman Verdugo, SS Who Dropped Out? A whopping 10 players are no longer on our Top 20 prospects list. One thing I will admit is that with Padres Mission just concluding our second season, we as a group are still getting a feel for some of the players in the system and what their value is. That said, two players from our preseason list were traded at the deadline. Left-hander Kash Mayfield, who began as our No. 2 prospect and held that spot, was dealt to the Detroit Tigers in the Casey Mize trade. The other is right-hander Miguel Mendez, who was hurt much of the season and was No. 5 at the start of the year, went to the San Francisco Giants for left-hander Robbie Ray. Another player graduated from prospect status in right-handed reliever Bradgley Rodriguez, now a key component of the Padres’ bullpen. A fourth player, right-hander Humberto Cruz, was the No. 7 prospect, but had been arrested in an immigration case where he helped transport people illegally into the U.S. and pled guilty to misdemeanor charges. Six players had their prospect star fade this season. First baseman Romeo Sanabria (No. 11 to begin the year), right-handed reliever Garrett Hawkins (No. 14), outfielder Tirso Ornelas (No. 15), outfielder Kavares Tears (No. 16), shortstop Deivid Coronil (No. 18) and right-hander Francis Pena (No. 20) all dropped from the Top 20. With the exception of Coronil, who was injured all season, it was more of other players surpassing them as none had a truly bad season. Who Jumped Up? Now, for the exciting part. Let’s start with the draft picks. First-round selection Coleman Borthwick, who just made his pro debut with the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm, checks in at No. 3. Second-rounder Elliot Lascelles is No. 11 (and will certainly move up in our next round of rankings). Lascelles finished the regular season for the Storm with a .321/.406/.429 slash line in 15 games. Three players came from off the board right to the middle of the pack. That group is led by outfielder Alex McCoy (now at No. 8), who is joined by outfielder Braedon Karpathios (No. 9) and right-handed reliever Tucker Musgrove (No. 12), another player who should be higher in our rankings upon the next update. McCoy and Karpathios are both undrafted free agents. McCoy earned a promotion to Double-A San Antonio and finished with a .278/.355/.467 slash line with 31 doubles, 19 homers (a system best) and 71 RBIs in 123 games between the Missions and High-A Fort Wayne. In 25 games at Double-A, he slashed .314/.360/.467 with four homers and 16 RBIs. Karpathios was just promoted to Triple-A El Paso, has a season slash line of .262/.350/.432, having hit 17 homers with 73 RBIs in 126 games entering the final week of the season. Musgrove, who finished the season on the injured list, has split this year between High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio, appearing in 34 games with a 4.19 ERA and a 42.8% strikeout rate and 15.7% walk rate. Outfielder Jake Cunningham is No. 14 after doing a lot of damage for Fort Wayne and then getting bumped up to San Antonio. He had a .269/.369/.560 slash line with 15 homers, including a three-homer game, and 35 RBIs in 57 games for the TinCaps, then slashed .301/.370/.459 with four homers and 26 RBIs for the Missions in 39 games. The final four players moved from outside the Top 20 into the final four slots. Those would be right-handed starters Winyer Chourio (No. 17) and Jesus Castro (No. 18), right-hander Michael Salina (No. 19), who battled injuries this year coming back from Tommy John surgery, and infielder Rosman Verdugo (No. 20). Chourio had a combined 3.31 ERA between Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne, with a 14% walk rate and 29.9% strikeout rate, while Castro had a 4.18 ERA and a 7.9% walk rate and 25.4 strikeout rate. Salina, a fourth-round draft pick in 2024, appeared in just seven games with an 8.22 ERA, with a walk rate of 12.2% and strikeout rate of 19.5% in 7⅔ innings. Verdugo has spent the last two seasons at Fort Wayne and slashed .225/.340/.389 in 109 games this year, then got a brief promotion to Triple-A El Paso this past weekend. View full article

The California League Championship Series will come down to a decisive Game 3 after the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm were no-hit in a 9-1 loss to San Jose. Meanwhile, the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas began their final series of the season with an 11-5 victory over Oklahoma City Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres optioned 2B Mason McCoy to El Paso Chihuahuas. El Paso Chihuahuas placed C Rodolfo Durán on the 7-day injured list. C Oswaldo Linares assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. CAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Storm Are No-Hit In Game 2, Go For Title In Decisive Game 3 It will come down to a final game to determine whether the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm win their second title in five years and finish runner-up for the second time in three years. The Storm were no-hit by three pitchers in losing to the host San Jose Giants 9-1 in Game 2 of the California League Championship Series. Game 3 in the best-of-three series is Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. back in San Jose. The Giants, who won both halves of the North Division, are looking to win back-to-back titles. Right-hander Argenis Cayama went the first five hitless innings, right-hander Ian Korn, the Giants' 10th-round draft choice, the next two and right-hander Eric Nachtsheim, the Giants' sixth-rounder, went the final two. Cayama struck out seven. Left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft (Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect) is a strong possibility to start for the Storm, who are looking for their fifth championship in their 11th trip to the Cal League finals. They shared the 2001 title with the Giants due to the finals being canceled following the Sept. 11 attacks. The Storm also won in 1996, 2011 and 2022. Right-hander Coleman Borthwick, the Padres' first-round draft pick and Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect, would likely be in a relief role after making his debut in the clinching Game 2 of the South Division Series with two innings. After the Storm held the Cal League's best offense off the scoreboard until the ninth inning of Sunday's Game 1, they didn't have the same fortune in Game 2. Storm right-handed starter Jesus Castro, Padres Mission's No. 18 prospect, started with four shutout innings before things started to turn in the fifth. He allowed two runs on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts. The Storm took a 1-0 lead without the benefit of a hit in the third inning. Dawson Willis walked and went to second on a balk. After two strikeouts, a passed ball moved Willis to third. Second-round draft choice Elliot Lascelles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect) walked and then started a double steal, stopping short of second as Willis swiped home and Lascelles took second. The Giants tied it in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out RBI single to short that Jose Verdugo nearly got the inning-ending out at first. Castro nearly made it through five innings, getting the first two outs before hitting a batter and giving up a flare double that Willis made a diving effort in center only to deflect away, with the run scoring for a 2-1 Giants lead. Right-hander Tyler Pitzer came in and got the final out. But Pitzer gave up three straight singles to load the bases in the sixth, left-hander Rob Evans, the Padres' 12th-round draft choice, was asked to put out the fire. Evans walked the first batter he faced to make it 3-1, then struck out the next two before a passed ball by Ty Harvey (Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect) and an ensuing throwing error allowed two runs to score for a 5-1 Storm deficit before getting out of the inning with a fly to center. The Giants added four more in the seventh. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles 2 0 0 0 1 0 Augie Lopez 1 0 0 0 0 1 Joe Tiroly 4 0 0 0 0 1 Alex Conover 2 0 0 0 0 0 Nu'u Contrades 3 0 0 0 0 2 Jorge Quintana 3 0 0 0 0 1 Jose Verdugo 2 0 0 0 0 1 Jesmaylin Arias 1 0 0 0 0 0 Dawson Willis 2 1 0 0 1 1 Ty Harvey 2 0 0 0 0 2 Truitt Madonna 1 0 0 0 0 1 Qrey Lott 2 0 0 0 0 1 Chris McHugh 1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 26 1 0 0 2 11 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jesus A. Castro (L, 1-1) 4 2/3 5 2 2 1 3 0 Tyler Pitzer 1/3 3 3 1 0 1 0 Rob Evans 1 1/3 2 2 1 1 2 0 Yoesmerli Beltre 1/3 1 2 0 2 0 0 Rordy Mejia 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 8 11 9 4 5 6 0 Mason McCoy Drives In 4 As Chihuahuas Win Opener Mason McCoy returned from a weekend with the Padres by driving in four runs, including a bases-loaded double, and right-hander Ian Koenig turned in six strong innings to lead the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas to an 11-5 victory over the Oklahoma City Comets to begin their final series of the season. The Chihuahuas prevented the Comets from clinching the Pacific Coast League's East Division second-half title. Miguel Andujar, in his second week of a rehab assignment following a fractured right wrist, went 1-for-5 with two RBIs and a strikeout while playing a full game on defense in left field. This was his second game in left, having played seven innings Thursday. Gage Workman went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, while Nick Solak had two hits and a run scored. Marcos Castanon scored three runs without a hit, walking once and being hit by a pitch. Koenig allowed one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. The run came on a fifth-inning solo homer. He is scheduled to start the season finale Sunday. Right-hander Ty Adcock came on for two perfect innings, striking out three. Right-hander Trevor Gott, in his second appearance with the Chihuahuas after being released by the Washington Nationals, couldn't get an out in the ninth, giving up three runs. Right-hander Alek Jacob came in to get out of the mess, giving up a run on a solo homer. Already up 1-0 in the second inning, McCoy lined his 22nd double of the season to right-center, scoring all three runners on base for a 4-0 lead. The teams traded fifth-inning runs, then the Chihuahuas took control with a five-run sixth inning. Bryce Johnson had an RBI single, McCoy a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch scored another run and Andujar capped the rally by chopping a two-run single up the middle for a 10-1 advantage. EP1_0915.mp4 EP2_0915.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 4 1 1 4 1 1 Miguel Andujar 5 0 1 2 0 1 Carlos Rodríguez 5 0 1 1 0 1 Nick Solak 4 1 2 0 0 1 Nick Pratto 4 1 1 0 0 1 Marcos Castañon 2 3 0 1 1 0 Gage Workman 4 1 2 1 0 0 Bryce Johnson 4 1 1 1 0 1 Anthony Vilar 2 3 1 0 2 0 Totals 34 11 10 10 4 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig (W, 3-0) 6 3 1 1 1 4 1 Ty Adcock 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 Trevor Gott 0 1 3 3 1 0 0 Alek Jacob 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 Totals 9 5 5 5 2 8 2 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: 0-for-2, 2 K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: 0-for-3, K Alex McCoy: DNP Braedon Karpathios: DNP Lamar King Jr.: DNP Elliot Lascelles: 0-for-2, BB Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: 0-for-1, K Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: 4⅔ IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 3 K, L Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: DNP View full article

With the Triple-A regular season concluding this week, most of the San Diego Padres' minor-league players are done with competitive games for 2026. Except for a select few who were picked to represent the Padres in the Arizona Fall League. Led by catcher Ty Harvey, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect, eight Padres prospects will be in the annual MLB showcase. The Arizona Fall League is considered a finishing school for many prospects, but also provides an opportunity for key players who had their season disrupted by injury to get high-quality appearances. Other players selected are outfielder Alex McCoy (Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect), right-handed starter Winyer Chourio (Padres Mission's No. 17), infielder Justin DeCriscio, left-hander Igor Gil and right-handers Kannon Kemp, Francis Pena and Jordan Valenzuela. All of the Padres' prospects will play for the Peoria Javelinas. Peoria is where the Padres have their spring training and minor-league headquarters. Harvey fits the bill of a player whose season was disjointed due to injury. The 20-year-old had a quad injury that cost him three weeks early in the season (April 14-May 12), then had his left hand broken as it was hit by a batter on a catcher's interference play two weeks later that sidelined him until late July. Harvey is an offensive force who is a work in progress behind the plate. Those injuries limited him to 46 games at Low-A Lake Elsinore, where he slashed .218/.310/.329 with three homers and 28 RBIs while also stealing nine bases. This was Harvey's first full season in the pros after being a fifth-round pick by the Padres last year out of Inspiration Academy in Bradenton, Fla. McCoy earned this honor through his performance on the first. An undrafted free agent who was signed in 2025, McCoy rocketed from relative unknown up to No. 8 on our prospect list with his production at High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio. The 24-year-old had a combined .278/.355/.467 slash line with 19 homers, 71 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. His 19 homers tied for the system lead with Jake Cunningham and his 31 doubles were second to Tirso Ornelas (33). Chourio started the season strong at Low-A Lake Elsinore, earning him a midseason promotion. He had his struggles in the second half with the TinCaps. He finished the year with a 4.56 ERA and 122 strikeouts (29.9% strikeout rate), which led the system, in 92⅔ innings, while walking 57 (14% walk rate) and limiting opponents to a .229 batting average. View full rumor

This weekend in San Francisco changed a lot regarding the San Diego Padres' postseason possibilities. Not only did the Padres sweep the Giants in three games, but they went from a half-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks to 2½ games up thanks to a seven-game winning streak. The Padres are 81-78 with 13 games remaining, while the Diamondbacks are 79-71 with 12 games remaining. The swing game comes Thursday in the Friars' finale of a four-game series vs. the Colorado Rockies. Of course, still looming is the three-game set to end the regular season against Arizona at Petco Park. There is a chance that the Padres will have less at stake in that series than you would have thought entering this past weekend. Elsewhere in the NL wild-card race, the Padres also got good news. There is a chance the Friars could improve their seeding for the postseason. The Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, once head and shoulders ahead of the Padres, are now tied for the top two NL wild-card spots, 1½ games clear of San Diego. Depending on your outlook, the Padres should either just sit in the No. 6 seed (No. 3 wild card) or try to jump one or both of the Cubs and Phillies. Whether that is possible, is another thing. In the No. 5 or 6 position, the Padres would be on the road. The No. 4 seed would host the No. 5 seed in the best-of-three NL Wild Card Series. The No. 6 seed will be the visiting team against the worst of the three division winners, which is currently Atlanta, 2½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Milwaukee Brewers are 2½ up on the Dodgers for the No. 1 seed. The top two teams get first-round byes. Let's take a look at the remaining schedules for the four teams battling for the three NL wild cards. San Diego Padres If you don't have this memorized by now, are you even a Padres fan? Just kidding (sort of). As mentioned above, the Friars begin the final two weeks in Denver against the Rockies, MLB's worst team at 55-94. The Rockies have been much more competitive this season as a whole, but they are still destined to lose 100 games for the fourth year in a row. The Padres, in order, will send right-handers Casey Mize, Walker Buehler, Robbie Ray and Michael King to the mound. After riding left-hander Adrian Morejon and right-handed closer Mason Miller hard in the last week-plus, a few blowouts to give them extra rest would certainly be nice. This weekend, the Padres return home against a dangerous Miami Marlins team. The Marlins have some weapons to play spoiler and will have a chance to do so (as I will expound upon in a bit), with a combination of pitching and power. Remember, this is the series the Padres swept in July as they started their second-half push. Then we come to the final week of the season. First up, after their next day off next Monday, is three games on the road against the Dodgers. At that point, the Dodgers will have the NL West wrapped up and could still be jockeying with Atlanta and the Brewers for a first-round bye. Rivals will always want to ruin the other's season, so those three games will be intense as always. Then the Diamondbacks come to Petco Park for the last three games of the regular season. Mize, Buehler and Ray are lined up for that series barring right-hander Randy Vasquez getting a spot start during this current stretch of 10 consecutive games. That also puts King in position to start the playoff opener, but also available to jump up and pitch the final Sunday of the season if needed. The Padres and Diamondbacks are currently tied in the season series 5-5, so if it comes to that, whoever wins two games in the series will win the tiebreaker. The Padres, however, lose the tiebreakers to the Phillies (0-6) and Cubs (1-5), so they would need to finish ahead of either to get a better seed. Arizona Diamondbacks Remember how we talked about the Marlins playing spoiler? They could be the Padres' best friend to start this week as they begin a nine-game road trip against the Diamondbacks. Arizona has already been swept in Miami and is the definition of a .500 team, having gone 24-22 since July 25. The Padres have gone 26-19 in that same stretch, including 1-5 to begin that run. Arizona is in the middle of a nine-game homestand, which opened with a 1-2 series against the Texas Rangers, a team that hadn't won a road series in two months. After the Marlins, the Diamondbacks host the New York Yankees, who are pretty locked in as the AL's top wild-card team at the moment. Right-handers Cam Schlittler and Gerrit Cole will each get a start this weekend. Before the Diamondbacks come to Petco Park, they will also face the Rockies, this one being three games in Denver. Like the Padres, Arizona will have next Monday off, meaning that they will come directly to San Diego after playing in the Denver altitude, which can sometimes be a challenge for a team for at least a day. Philadelphia Phillies The Phillies have 12 games remaining and have a favorable schedule this week, although that is on the road. After a day off Monday, the Phillies have a pair of games against the Washington Nationals and then four against the New York Mets. Both teams are capable of playing a spoiler role and the Phillies have lost seven of their last 11. After that, the Phillies return home for the final six regular-season games. But those are two tough series, facing the Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays, the probable No. 1 seeds in the NL and AL, respectively. The Phillies went 1-6 vs. the Cubs, thus losing the tiebreaker. Chicago Cubs You can make a good argument that the Cubs have the toughest schedule in the final two weeks. And their travel schedule doesn't help. The Cubs wrap up a six-game homestand beginning Monday against Atlanta, then travel to the Cincinnati Reds for three games. The Reds (70-79) are the cushiest opponent remaining for the Cubs. The Marlins come back into play as the Cubs go back home for three games vs. Miami. There are days off before and after the Reds series for the Cubs, mitigating the short road trip to Cincinnati. But there is not a break for the Cubs following the Marlins series as they travel to the Boston Red Sox to finish the regular season. The series could mean nothing to the Red Sox, who enter the final two weeks as the probable No. 2 wild card in the AL. Conclusion The Padres are sitting in a good spot entering the Rockies series and that might be the best position for them entering the postseason. As the last wild card, the Friars are likely to face Atlanta in the NL Wild Card Series. (Atlanta has a fairly challenging schedule in the Cubs, Houston Astros, Reds and Marlins.) San Diego would need a lot to happen in order to climb over the Cubs and Phillies and claim the top wild-card spot. So it really comes down to which team would the Padres rather play on the road: the Cubs or Phillies? While the Phillies have been struggling recently, they have two weeks to correct that and have the starting pitching that can shut an opponent down, not to mention the game-changing power of Kyle Schwarber. The Cubs, on the other hand, have had to scramble all season to put competent starters out there and their bullpen is a mess. Offense is the strength of the Cubs, who can trot out probable NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong and a loaded lineup behind him. Considering the Padres were swept at Wrigley Field, including a forgettable 23-3 loss in the series finale, a couple weeks before the All-Star break, the Friars would probably love a chance to redeem themselves for that, as well as last year's three-game NL Wild Card Series loss to the Cubs. View full article

Get ready for a little bit of dad strength this week. First baseman Ty France was activated from the paternity list Monday by the San Diego Padres. France and his wife, Magdalena, were expecting twins. The couple also have a 2-year-old son, Luka. France is expected to be in the lineup for Monday's series opener against the Colorado Rockies in Denver. The Friars have a 2½-game lead for the third and final NL wild card over the Arizona Diamondbacks. To make room for France, infielder Mason McCoy was optioned back to Triple-A El Paso for the final week of the Chihuahuas' season. McCoy came up Friday for the three-game series against the San Francisco Giants, but did not play. France has been a boon for the Padres this year, compiling a .294/.363/.510 slash line with 20 homers, matching his career best, 63 RBIs and anchoring the defense at first base. There could be two more activations coming, perhaps Monday or during the Rockies series. Those would be designated hitter-left fielder Miguel Andujar, who has been on a rehab assignment at El Paso, and right-handed reliever Jason Adam, who made a rehab appearance Sunday for the Chihuahuas. View full rumor

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot Record last week: 6-0 Runs scored last week: 37 Runs allowed last week: 23 (season run differential: plus-22) Scores Game 144 (Monday): Padres 3, Nationals 2 Game 145 (Tuesday): Padres 5, Nationals 4 Game 146 (Wednesday): Padres 9, Nationals 2 Thursday: Off. Game 147 (Friday): Padres 7, Giants 5 Game 148 (Saturday): Padres 7, Giants 6 Game 149 (Sunday): Padres 6, Giants 4 Week in Review and Highlights Nationals series Game 1: Right-hander Nick Pivetta returned to the Padres' rotation surprisingly early and gave the Friars a boost with his terrific performance. Pivetta, who hadn't pitched since leaving an April 12 start with a flexor injury in his right elbow, returned by throwing five shutout innings in a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. The victory kept the Padres a half-game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the battle for the third and final NL wild-card berth. Pivetta returned after making just two rehab starts after he walked off the mound Aug. 4 after his elbow didn't feel right in his initial rehab assignment. Other than having an issue with being sharp, Pivetta did more than what the Padres expected him to against one of the top offenses in MLB. He retired the first seven batters he faced and 15 of 17 overall, giving up just two hits while striking out two. The Nats were aggressive but didn't generate much in the way of quality contact, aside from the second batter of the game lining out to Jackson Merrill as he crashed into the center-field wall and a double off the wall by James Wood in the third inning. The offense did just enough. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Merrill each had three hits with Manny Machado adding two. Merrill also drove in a pair of runs. Merrill had an RBI single in the first inning to stake Pivetta to an early lead, then the Padres added two more in the third on singles by Machado and Merrill. Tatis and Merrill each stole a base, too. One Pivetta left, the Nats got their runs. Those came courtesy of a two-run homer by Dylan Crews off left-hander Kyle Hart, who had allowed just two runs in his previous seven outings. Right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez and left-hander Adrian Morejon took care of the seventh and eighth without incident, then superstar Mason Miller closed out the ninth, allowing a one-out hit while striking out two for his 34th save. Game 2: It might not have been the best win of the season, but it was certainly the most important to date. Faced with the prospect of going down 1½ games in the NL wild-card race with the D'backs already posting a victory, the Padres got off the floor with a run in the seventh and four in the eighth to steal a 5-4 victory over the Nationals. That kept the Friars within a half-game of the D'backs for the third and final NL wild-card spot. To be clear, this is a two-team race for one spot, with an outside chance of the two teams ahead of the D'backs in the wild-card race having the potential of making all three of those seeds an open competition. The Padres are five games clear of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the No. 5 team in the NL wild-card standings. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs are three games ahead of D'backs and the Philadelphia Phillies 3½. But this game went from being on the verge of an embarrassing and regrettable loss to a thrilling victory. The Nats have the second-worst bullpen ERA in MLB and this was a bullpen game for them. The only bullpen technically worse than the Nats is the A's, who play in a slightly juiced atmosphere of a minor-league ballpark. Which made the start of the game that much more concerning. The mish-mash group of relievers held the Padres to just a fifth-inning Luis Campusano single through six innings. Two more hits and a wild pitch set up Merrill's sacrifice fly in the seventh. In the eighth and facing a left-hander in just his third MLB game, the Padres drew three walks to begin the inning. The Nats went deeper into their bullpen and brought in another lefty who was making his seventh MLB appearance. Pinch-hitter Austin Hays lofted a sac fly to make it 4-2, then, after a passed ball put runners on second and third, Machado bounced a single just past the pitcher and into center that scored two, tying the game 4-4. Ty France followed with a single that sent Machado to second. With two outs, Campusano lofted a broken-bat single into the Bermuda Triangle of right-center that brought in Machado with the decisive run. From the pitching side, it was a good performance. Critically, right-hander Casey Mize turned in a decent start after three stinkers that had many questioning his spot in the rotation. Mize went 5⅔ innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out seven, the most since he came over at the trade deadline. Right-hander Randy Vasquez, in his first relief appearance since getting bumped from the rotation with Pivetta's return, was called upon with runners on first and second and two outs. He gave up an 0-1 two-run double that put the Nats up 3-0, then a flyout to end the inning before a 1-2-3 seventh. Left-hander Yuki Matsui gave up a homer in the eighth to make it 4-1, with right-hander David Morgan to get the final out with a runner on second. That left the ninth to Morejon, with Miller down after pitching the previous two games and three of the last four. Morejon had the same workload as Miller in the previous four games, but his arm was in a better spot to close this one out, which he did with a perfect ninth for his third save of the year. Game 3: You most definitely aren't getting a two-homer, six-RBI game from Merrill even once a week for the rest of the season. But as long as the Padres are getting a productive Merrill, they should be in a good spot once the regular season comes to an end. However, Merrill did do that in the series finale against the Nationals, leading to a 9-2 victory and completing a three-game sweep. The D'backs lost, meaning the Friars are once again in the No. 3 NL wild-card spot, a half-game ahead of Arizona and 2½ behind the Chicago Cubs, who hold the No. 2 wild-card position. If you are curious, the half-game between the Padres and D'backs will remain until the Padres conclude a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies next week. Merrill had been slumping before hitting his previous homer before Wednesday, which came July 26 vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the 13 games since, Merrill has had six multihit games, capped by the 4-for-5, two-homer performance that led to a career-best six RBIs. That also included a triple, making him the third Padre to have two homers and a triple in the same game (Greg Vaughn 1988, Ryan Klesko 2001). Merrill got his triple first and helped erase the Nationals' early 2-0 lead. After France had an RBI single in the third, Merrill ripped a liner just to the right of the 396-foot sign in center that Jacob Young nearly caught as he smashed into the wall. Two runs scored on the play for a 3-2 Padres lead. In the fourth, Samad Taylor had his team-high fourth bunt single that led to an error by the pitcher, scoring a run. Tatis added an RBI single to make it 5-2. Merrill then lofted his 23rd homer of the season, a two-run shot, to left in the fifth for a 7-2 advantage. He added his 24th, another two-run blast, into the bullpen in left-center. Pitching had a weird hiccup, but it ended up playing out well. Right-handed starter Walker Buehler retired the first six batters he faced, then allowed a leadoff homer to Keibert Ruiz in the third. A walk, Nasim Nunez's MLB-leading 46th steal, Young's single and a walk to Wood loaded the bases. Crews singled home a run for a 2-0 lead. After a popout for the first out, manager Craig Stammen came out to the mound. He had forgotten that pitching coach Rueben Niebla had already made a visit in the inning. Stammen said he had intended to remove Buehler, but changed his mind as he walked out and wanted to see how his right-hander felt. Buehler had to exit, with Hart coming in and retiring the next two hitters. Hart went 2⅓ innings, Morgan one-third, Matsui one inning, left-hander Wandy Peralta two innings and right-hander Griffin Canning the ninth, with none of the five relievers allowing a run and only one hit. Giants series Game 1: Whew. This was one of those games where you could pull the hair out of your head. It was a rout early and should have been worse. Then it got tight and then even tighter at the very end. Still, the Padres did just enough to escape with a 7-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants. With their fifth straight win, the Padres maintained their half-game lead over the D'backs for the third and final NL wild-card spot and pulled within 2½ of the Phillies for the No. 2 position. Style points don't matter at this time of year, just the bottom line. Save the various debates for elsewhere. This one started very promising as Dustin Harris and Fermin drove in runs in the top of the second. A five-run third featured an RBI double by Campusano, a two-run double by Xander Bogaerts, Harris' run-scoring triple and another RBI double, this one by Fermin. The bottom of the order had a big role in building a 7-1 lead. There were opportunities to add on, but those were not taken advantage of, which would come back to haunt the Friars. Padres left-handed starter Robbie Ray was doing good things through four innings, but fell apart in the fifth. A double and two walks loaded the bases for Giants superstar Rafael Devers, who blasted a grand slam to trim the Friars lead to 7-5. While another day off would have been good for the Padres' primary bullpen arms, the slam put the A Team into action. Matsui, Morejon and Rodriguez retired nine of the 10 batters they faced, setting up Miller. But Miller was sharp. He did get help with a terrific sliding catch by left fielder Jase Bowen in foul territory for the first out on the first pitch. After a strikeout, Miller issued a six-pitch walk and then a bunt single caught the Padres off-guard, putting two runners on and bringing Devers up again. But Miller couldn't get Devers to bite any of the three sliders he threw before walking him on five pitches to load the bases. Rookie slugger Bryce Eldridge was next and Miller fell behind 2-0 before coming back with three straight sliders, then punching out Eldridge when he dotted a 102.8 mph four-seamer at the bottom outside corner of the zone. Game 2: Similar song, different day. While the Padres' offense again put up a good day, there were glitches on the pitching side that made this one closer than it needed to be. It wasn't Michael King's fault as the right-hander turned in his seventh straight quality start despite yielding a pair of homers, while Merrill and Tatis went deep again as the Padres pulled out a 7-6 victory, their sixth in a row. With the D'backs losing to the Texas Rangers, the Padres finally have their biggest lead while holding the final NL wild-card position. They are 1½ up on the D'backs while now also trailing the Phillies by that same margin for the No. 2 spot. However, the Padres lose the tiebreaker to the Phillies, so would need to surpass them. The dynamic duo of Morejon and Miller were needed again to come up big, which they did. After King turned in a good seven innings, allowing three runs and the two long balls, Rodriguez came in and had his worst outing of the season. The 22-year-old rookie gave up two homers himself and three runs without recording an out in the eighth that reduced the Friars' lead to 7-6. Morejon sprung into action to face the Giants' two best power hitters in Devers, who had homered earlier, and Eldridge. The left-hander won the battle, striking out both sluggers, then getting a tapper back to the mound. Miller took care of the ninth, striking out two of the three batters he faced for his 36th save. After Devers took King deep for a two-run shot in the first, Harris, inserted into the No. 2 spot in the lineup for the first time, continued to be a surprising contributor when he followed two singles and a walk by grounding a single through the hole to left to tie it 2-2. King gave up his second homer in the bottom of the second before the Padres' offense used the slow-drip method to take control of the game. They scored single runs in each of the next five innings as Merrill hit his 25th homer, Harris a sacrifice fly, Jake Cronenworth an RBI single, Tatis his 21st homer and Tatis again when he reached on an error in the seventh to make it 7-3. After Rodriguez's blowup, the overworked but still effective Morejon and Miller came to the rescue once again. Morejon has pitched in six of the last seven games and Miller five of those seven (there was a team day off in there). Game 3: Facing a second last-place team of the week, the Padres did what they should have done and swept both. Although neither was a walk in the park, the Padres now find themselves in their best postseason position of the season entering the final 13 games. Pivetta made his second start and still wasn't sharp, while Machado homered, Tatis had three hits and two RBIs and 20-year-old Ethan Salas notched his first MLB hit as the Friars made due without their top bullpen arms in a 6-4 victory over the Giants. After back-to-back three-game sweeps extended their winning streak to seven games, the Padres are now 2½ games clear of the D'backs, who lost again, and just 1½ games behind the Phillies and Cubs for the No. 1 (and 2) NL wild-card spots. The Padres jumped on Giants ace right-hander Logan Webb for six runs over five innings, five of those runs coming in the first two innings. Merrill had a two-run double in the first, Tatis had an RBI single and Machado cracked his 27th homer, a two-run shot, in the second. Salas finally secured his first MLB hit in the fourth inning. It was a long fly ball that caromed off the tall wall in right field at Oracle Park and he displayed his speed, sliding into third base with a triple. It was his first hit after an 0-for-15 start to his career. That more than offset the two-run homer Pivetta gave up in the bottom of the second. Pivetta made it through four innings, allowing five hits and no walks while punching out five. It was another positive step for Pivetta, who probably could have used another rehab start or two had the Padres not been in the thick of a heated postseason race. With the usual late bullpen arms unavailable, Stammen had to map out a different path to the finish. That involved Hart, Morgan and Peralta getting to the eighth inning, where Vasquez stepped into the setup role and overcame two walks to put up a clean inning. Who would close? Matsui took on that role, one he held in Japan. He allowed a two-out single in securing his first save of the season and second in his Padres career. Now, the Padres continue their seven-game road trip with four against the Colorado Rockies, another team they need to handle like they did the Nationals and Giants if they want to lock up their postseason berth and improve their seeding. Marvelous Mason Miller Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer: Season stats: 5-2, 1.14 ERA, 60 games, 36 saves (38 chances), 63⅓ IP, 31 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 23 BB, 117 K, .144 opponent average Thus far in September, has converted all four save opportunities. Of the 18 outs he has recorded, 13 have been via strikeouts. With his appearance Saturday, tied his career high for games in a season with 60, the same number he had last year between the A's and Padres. Random Stats The Padres officially passed the 3 million mark in attendance with the Labor Day matinee, the second team in MLB to do so (the Los Angeles Dodgers are the other). Monday also marked the 59th time in 73 home games they had a crowd of 40,000 or better. With the first of his two hits Tuesday vs. the Nationals, Manny Machado moved into second place in Padres history for career hits, passing Garry Templeton's 1,135. Of course, he has a ways to go to catch the legendary Tony Gwynn, who has 3,141. The temperature at first pitch Wednesday was 95, the hottest in Padres history. The previous high was 93 on Sept. 10, 2015, vs. the Colorado Rockies. Fernando Tatis Jr. had three hits Wednesday to surpass his previous career high for hits in a season. That game gave Tatis 161 hits, two more than he had in 2025. He had 148 in 2023, the year after he returned from a performance-enhancing drug suspension, and 135 in 2021, when he finished third in NL MVP voting. Tatis is also on track to play in a career high number of games. He had 155 last year and is at 147 following this weekend. Jackson Merrill hit his 25th homer of the year Saturday, making him the fourth player in Padres history to have 25 homers and 25 steals in a season. The others are Reggie Sanders (1999), Wil Myers (2016) and Tatis (2021, 2023, 2025). Michael King has 17 quality starts this season. The Padres have 34. At 20 years, 140 days, Ethan Salas is the youngest player to triple for their first MLB hit since a guy named Manny Machado (20 years, 34 days) did it Sept. 8, 2012. Transactions Monday: Activated RHP Nick Pivetta from the 60-day injured list. Monday: Optioned RHP Jhony Brito to El Paso Chihuahuas. Monday: Designated C Blake Hunt for assignment. Tuesday: Sent DH Miguel Andujar on a rehab assignment to Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Tuesday: Signed free agent RHP Trevor Gott to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Tuesday: Released C Blake Hunt. Friday: Placed 1B Ty France on the paternity list. Friday: Recalled IF Mason McCoy from Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Sunday: Sent RHP Jason Adam on a rehab assignment to Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Website Highlights Slight cracks are forming in Morejon's armor — Randy Holt Lineup reinforcements could soon be on their way for Padres — Steve Drumwright Campusano's defensive growth goes beyond his arm — Randy Holt Pivetta's triumphant return cause for celebration (and a little skepticism) — Steve Drumwright Merrill is slumping again, but his numbers are lying to Padres — Sam Caulder Padres' remaining schedule should set up a thrilling finish — Sam Caulder Looking Ahead Monday: Padres (Casey Mize) at Rockies (Tomoyuki Sugano), 5:40 p.m. Tuesday: Padres (Walker Buehler) at Rockies (TBA), 5:40 p.m. Wednesday: Padres (Robbie Ray) at Rockies (Mason Adams), 5:40 p.m. Thursday: Padres (Michael King) at Rockies (Tanner Gordon), 1:10 p.m. Friday: Marlins (Nick Pivetta) at Padres, 6:40 p.m Saturday: Marlins (Casey Mize) at Padres, 5:40 p.m Sunday: Marlins (Walker Buehler) at Padres, 1:10 p.m View full article

A second San Diego Padres affiliate moved closer to a league championship as another full-season team had its regular season come to end Sunday. The Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm won Game 1 of the California League Championship Series 10-1 over San Jose, while the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas lost 1-0 to Tacoma and the Double-A San Antonio Missions won its final game of the season 11-10 over Amarillo. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres sent RHP Jason Adam on a rehab assignment to El Paso Chihuahuas. LHP Benjamin Stubbs assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. RHP Jack Pineau assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from Fort Wayne TinCaps. RHP Luis Maracara assigned to ACL Padres from Lake Elsinore Storm. LHP Zack Qin assigned to ACL Padres from Lake Elsinore Storm. CAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Tyler Schmitt, Adler Cecil Lead Storm To Game 1 Victory Right-handed starter Tyler Schmitt and three relievers combined to hold the league's highest-scoring team off the board until the ninth inning, while fourth-round draft choice Alex Conover hit a two-run homer in the first and drove in four runs to fuel the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm to a 12-0 victory over the San Jose Giants in Game 1 of the best-of-three California League Championship Series. The Storm can win their second Cal League title in five years with a win in Game 2, which is Tuesday in San Jose. Game 3, if necessary, is Wednesday. The Storm have won four Cal League titles overall (1996, 2001, 2011, 2021). The 2001 title was shared with the Giants after the playoffs were canceled in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Schmitt went 4⅓ scoreless innings, striking out three while allowing four hits and three walks. Right-hander Jack Pineau, an undrafted free agent, struck out one in two-thirds of an inning, before giving way to left-hander Adler Cecil, who punched out five and allowed two hits and two walks over final three innings and left-hander Benjamin Stubbs, the Padres' ninth-round draft choice, made his pro debut in the ninth. He allowed a run on a chopper after loading the bases with a single and two walks, but then got a game-ending 4-6-3 double play. Conover had two hits and a walk to go along with his four RBIs, the most he has driven in during his 23-game career. Qrey Lott was 3-for-3 with a walk, a triple, two RBIs and a run scored, seventh-round draft choice Joe Tiroly went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and run scored, second-rounder Elliot Lascelles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect) was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored and Jose Verdugo went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. Ty Harvey (Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect) walked three times and scored twice. The Storm did most of their offensive damage early. Lascelles had a leadoff double in the bottom of the first, then Conover launched his homer with one out to stake the Storm to a 2-0 lead. Sixth-round draft pick Nu'u Contrades reached on an error by the shortstop, went to second on a groundout and scored on a Verdugo single to make it 3-0. The Storm added two more in the second as Harvey drew a leadoff walk, Lott singled and Tiroly punched an opposite-field single to right to bring in Harvey. A wild pitch plated Lott for a 5-0 lead. It became 6-0 in the third as Lott tripled home Verdugo. In the sixth, Conover singled home Tiroly, who had doubled. Three more runs came in the seventh as Lott was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded following three walks, Lascelles had an infield single to bring in another and Conover grounded out to bring in the 10th run. The Storm made it 12-0 in the eighth as Lascelles singled to left, bringing in Jorge Quintana and Harvey. LE1_0913.mp4 LE2_0913.mp4 LE4_0913.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles, 2B 6 1 3 3 0 1 Joe Tiroly, 1B 5 1 3 1 0 1 Alex Conover, LF 4 1 2 4 1 1 Nu'u Contrades, DH 4 1 0 0 1 1 Jorge Quintana, 3B 4 1 0 0 1 1 Jose Verdugo, SS 4 2 2 1 1 1 Dawson Willis, CF 4 1 0 0 1 0 Ty Harvey, C 2 3 0 0 3 0 Qrey Lott, RF 3 1 3 2 1 0 Totals 36 12 13 11 9 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Tyler Schmitt 4 1/3 4 0 0 3 3 0 Jack Pineau 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Adler Cecil 3 2 0 0 2 5 0 Benjamin Stubbs 1 2 1 1 2 0 0 Totals 9 8 1 1 7 9 0 Miguel Andujar Gets A Hit, Jason Adam Perfect; Chihuahuas Fall 1-0 In a rare Pacific Coast League 1-0 game, the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas came up on the short end despite allowing just four hits in the loss to the host Tacoma Rainiers. The Chihuahuas (58-86, 23-46 second half) went 2-4 in the six-game series. The Chihuahuas will wrap up their regular season at home against Oklahoma City. Miguel Andujar, in perhaps his final rehab outing as he returns from a fractured right wrist, went 1-for-5 and is 6-fo-21 (.286) with four doubles and an RBI in five games. He played designated hitter in four games and left field in the other. Padres right-hander Jason Adam made his first and perhaps only rehab appearance, pitching a perfect sixth inning, striking out one. Adam threw 11 pitches, seven for strikes. Adam got a strikeout looking, a groundout to third with a terrific play at first on an off-target throw and a popup behind third. Chihuahuas left-handed starter JP Sears allowed two hits over 2⅔ innings, right-hander Logan Gillaspie allowed the only run on a homer in his 2⅓ innings. After Adam, Brent Honeywell allowed a hit in his one inning and right-hander Garrett Hawkins gave up a hit and a walk in one inning. The only run of the game came in the fourth on Connor Joe's 10th homer of the year. Bryce Johnson had two hits and a walk for the Chihuahuas, while Nick Pratto had a single and two walks. EP_0913.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Bryce Johnson, CF 4 0 2 0 1 2 Miguel Andujar, DH 5 0 1 0 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez, LF 3 0 0 0 1 0 Marcos Castañon, 2B 3 0 0 0 1 0 Nick Pratto, 1B 2 0 1 0 2 0 Gage Workman, SS 4 0 0 0 0 2 Braedon Karpathios, RF 4 0 0 0 0 2 Rosman Verdugo, 3B 4 0 1 0 0 2 Anthony Vilar, C 1 0 0 0 1 0 Nick Solak, PH 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 30 0 5 0 7 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR JP Sears 2 2/3 2 0 0 2 2 0 Logan Gillaspie 2 1/3 1 1 1 0 1 1 Jason Adam 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Brent Honeywell 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Garrett Hawkins 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Totals 8 4 1 1 3 6 1 Missions Have A Blast, Bash 4 HRs In Season Finale A frustrating season had a happy conclusion as the Double-A San Antonio Missions erupted for four homers and 17 hits, hanging on for an 11-10 victory over the host Amarillo Sod Poodles, snapping a seven-game losing streak. The Missions won just the final game of the series to finish with a 59-79 record, including 28-41 for last place in the five-team Texas League South Division. The Sod Poodles won the second-half title at 41-28. Romeo Sabria went 3-for-4 with a homer, a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored, Albert Fabian went 3-for-6 and Luis Verdugo also had three hits with a homer, three RBIs and two runs scored for the Missions. Kerrington Cross hit his first Double-A homer as part of a two-hit, three-RBI day and Justin DeCriscio also went deep for the first time at Double-A, finishing 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored. Missions right-handed starter Victor Lizarraga gave up five runs over four innings on eight hits, including a pair of homers. Right-hander Sadrac Franco, right-hander Johan Moreno and left-hander Igor Gil each pitched a scoreless inning, while right-hander Josh Mallitz gave up three runs and right-hander Carlos Medina two runs as each had an inning. The Missions were up 11-5 entering the bottom of the eighth, with Medina getting the final out after yielding a two-run homer with two outs and then stranding the tying run at second for his first Double-A save. SA1_0913.mp4 SA2_0913.mp4 SA3_0913.mp4 SA4_0913.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Romeo Sanabria, DH 4 2 3 2 1 0 Alex McCoy, CF 6 1 1 1 0 2 Albert Fabian, LF 6 0 3 0 0 1 Kerrington Cross, 1B 6 1 2 3 0 3 Jack Costello, RF 5 1 1 0 0 0 Justin DeCriscio, SS 4 2 2 2 1 1 Ryan Jackson, 2B 4 1 0 0 1 1 Luis Verdugo, 3B 5 2 3 3 0 0 Oswaldo Linares, C 4 1 2 0 1 2 Totals 44 11 17 11 4 10 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Victor Lizarraga 4 8 5 5 0 1 2 Sadrac Franco 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Johan Moreno 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Josh Mallitz 1 3 3 3 0 1 0 Igor Gil 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 Carlos Medina 1 3 2 2 1 0 1 Totals 9 16 10 10 2 6 3 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-2, 3B, K Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: 0-for-2, 3 BB Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: 0-for-4, BB, K Alex McCoy: 1-for-6, RBI, 2 K Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-4, 2 K Lamar King Jr.: DNP Elliot Lascelles: 3-for-6, 2B, 3 RBI, K Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-4, 2 K View full article

The Lake Elsinore Storm are looking to add another California League championship to their trophy case. The Storm host the San Jose Giants on Sunday at 4:35 p.m. at The Diamond in Game 1 of the best-of-three Cal League Championship Series. Game 2 will be in San Jose on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., while Game 3, if necessary, is Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Right-hander Tyler Schmitt will start for the Storm. The 22-year-old has a 4.76 ERA with a 12.7% walk rate and 24.4% strikeout rate in 23 games. He finished with 106 strikeouts. He did not pitch in the South Division Series. The Storm won the first-half South Division title, then finished last in the second half. Still, they swept the Ontario Tower Buzzers, a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate who won the second half. The Giants present a much bigger task. San Jose won both halves of the North Division and then swept the Stockton Ports in the Division Series. The Storm and Giants also met a few weeks ago, with the Giants winning all six games of the series as part of a 20-2 finish to the regular season. The Storm last won the Cal League title in 2022 and lost in the Championship Series in 2024 to the Modesto Nuts. The Giants are in the postseason for the seventh straight season and are led by the San Francisco Giants' No. 1 prospect, shortstop Josuar Gonzalez. He slashed .357/.444/.566 with three homers, 35 RBIs and 13 steals in 31 games with San Jose. The Giants led the Cal League in runs scored this season. The Storm offense had a good Division Series with a 10-9 victory in Game 1 and 6-1 triumph in the clincher. Sixth-round draft pick Nu'u Contrades went 5-for-7 with a double and two RBIs, while fourth-rounder Alex Conover went 5-for-8 with two doubles and three RBIs. The Game 2 starter for the Storm is likely to be right-hander Jesus Castro, who turned in a strong performance in Game 1 of the Division Series. View full rumor

Saturday saw the San Diego Padres' top two full-season affiliates split their games, with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas winning 4-1 over Tacoma and the Double-A San Antonio Missions falling 9-6 to Amarillo. San Diego Padres Transactions None. Miguel Andujar Has 3 Hits, Evan Fitterer Goes 5 Shutout For Chihuahuas Right-hander Evan Fitterer pitched five shutout innings out of the bullpen and a rehabbing Miguel Andujar went 3-for-4 as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas turned back the host Tacoma Rainiers 4-1. Andujar, typically the Padres' designated hitter who is coming back from a fractured right wrist, had two doubles among his three hits and also scored a run while playing in left field, his first time on defense this week. All but one of his five hits in his four games on this assignment have been doubles. Andujar is 5-for-16 this week. Nick Pratto also doubled in his two hits with an RBI and two runs scored, while Marcos Castanon had two hits and an RBI and Rosman Verdugo, in his Triple-A debut, went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Right-hander Jhony Brito started and went just one inning, allowing a hit and a walk, before Fitterer came in for a bulk role. His five shutout innings were the second-most he has had this year after 5⅓ innings without a run in a May 22 start vs. Round Rock. Against the Rainiers, he allowed four hits and two walks while striking out two. Right-hander Ty Adcock pitched one scoreless inning, right-hander Hans Crouse allowed a run in his inning and right-hander Hunter Stratton pitched a perfect ninth for his second save with the Chihuahuas and fourth of the season. Verdugo got things started in his first Triple-A at-bat since being promoted the day before from High-A Fort Wayne as a replacement for infielder Mason McCoy, who went up to the Padres as first baseman Ty France went on the paternity list. Verdugo had a line-drive single for his first hit, then Pratto doubled for the 18th time, driving in Verdugo. Andujar followed with his single and Carlos Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring in Pratto. Andujar doubled with one out in the fifth and scored on Marcos Castanon's 22nd double of the year. After the Rainiers made it 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth, the Chihuahuas restored the three-run lead in the top of the ninth as Pratto had a one-out single and Johnson doubled, with Pratto scoring when the left fielder booted the ball. EP_0912.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Nick Pratto 5 2 2 1 0 1 Miguel Andujar 4 1 3 0 0 0 Bryce Johnson 1 0 1 0 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez 3 0 0 1 0 0 Marcos Castañon 5 0 2 1 0 0 Nick Solak 4 0 0 0 0 1 Rodolfo Durán 3 0 1 0 0 1 Gage Workman 1 0 0 0 0 0 Braedon Karpathios 3 0 1 0 1 0 Victor Duarte 4 0 1 0 0 1 Rosman Verdugo 4 1 2 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jhony Brito 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 Evan Fitterer 5 4 0 0 2 2 0 Ty Adcock 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Hans Crouse 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 Hunter Stratton 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Late Homers Too Little As Missions Fall Short Romeo Sanabria and Alex McCoy homered in the ninth, but the Double-A San Antonio Missions fell victim to a five-run fifth inning that led to a 9-6 loss to the host Amarillo Sod Poodles. The Missions will conclude their season Sunday. Sanabria had two hits, two walks, three RBIs and two runs scored, while Jack Costello had two hits (including a double), two walks and an RBI and Kerrington Cross a single and two walks. It was a tough day pitching for left-handed starter Jamie Hitt and right-hander Eric Yost (Padres Mission's No. 16 prospect). They covered all eight innings, with Hitt allowing four runs on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts in four-plus innings, while Yost gave up five runs on six hits with a walk and no strikeouts, taking over for Hitt during the fifth. Down 1-0 entering the top of the third, Albert Fabian had an RBI groundout and Costello a run-scoring single. After the five-run fifth put the Sod Poodles up 6-2, Sanabria singled home Cross in the seventh, but Amarillo got a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth for a 9-3 lead. Sanabria hit his 11th homer of the season and ninth with the Missions, a two-run shot with one out. McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect, went back-to-back with his 19th homer of the year, which leads the Padres' system, and fourth with the Missions, a 455-foot blast. SA1_0912.mp4 SA2_912.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kai Roberts 3 2 1 0 2 1 Romeo Sanabria 3 2 2 3 2 0 Alex McCoy 5 1 1 1 0 0 Albert Fabian 4 0 0 1 1 0 Jack Costello 3 0 2 1 2 1 Justin DeCriscio 4 0 1 0 0 0 Brendan Durfee 5 0 0 0 0 1 Kerrington Cross 2 1 1 0 2 0 Wyatt Hoffman 4 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jamie Hitt 4 6 4 4 1 4 0 Eric Yost 4 6 5 5 1 0 1 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 0-for-2 Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-5, HR, RBI Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-3, BB Lamar King Jr.: DNP Elliot Lascelles: DNP Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: DNP Eric Yost: 4 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HR Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: 2-for-4, K View full article

With just two of the San Diego Padres' full-season affiliates in action, they went 0-2. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas dropped a 9-4 decision to Tacoma and the Double-A San Antonio Missions were crushed 17-1 by Amarillo. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres recalled 2B Mason McCoy from El Paso Chihuahuas. 2B Rosman Verdugo assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from Fort Wayne TinCaps. Chihuahuas Subdued By 8-Run Eighth Inning A grand slam capped an eight-run fourth inning that sent the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas to a 9-4 loss to the host Tacoma Rainiers. Rehabbing Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar did not play after starting the first three games. He is 2-for-12 with two doubles thus far. Marcos Castanon went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and Nick Pratto 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, while Rodolfo Duran had a pair of doubles, driving in a run and scoring once and Carlos Rodriguez also had two hits. The Chihuahuas outhit the Rainiers 13-10, but did commit two errors. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Sean Boyle allowed six runs, but only two were earned in 3⅔ innings on five hits and three walks while striking out five. Right-hander Daison Acosta gave up three runs in 2⅓ innings. Right-hander Trevor Gott, originally a sixth-round pick of the Padres in 2013, made his return to the organization with the Chihuahuas, pitching a perfect seventh and striking out one. Right-hander Brent Honeywell finished with a perfect eighth. The Chihuahuas scored three times in the top of the fourth as Pratto doubled in Castanon and then scored on Duran's double. Duran would come in on Gage Workman's single. Workman drove in the other run in the eighth on a groundout. EP_0911.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Bryce Johnson, RF 5 0 1 0 0 3 Carlos Rodríguez, DH 5 0 2 0 0 2 Nick Solak, LF 5 0 1 0 0 2 Marcos Castañon, 3B 5 2 3 0 0 0 Nick Pratto, 1B 5 1 3 1 0 1 Rodolfo Durán, C 4 1 2 1 1 2 Gage Workman, SS 4 0 1 2 0 2 Anthony Vilar, 2B 1 0 0 0 2 0 Braedon Karpathios, CF 4 0 0 0 0 3 Totals 38 4 13 4 3 15 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Sean Boyle 3 2/3 5 6 2 3 5 0 Daison Acosta 2 1/3 5 3 3 0 2 1 Trevor Gott 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Brent Honeywell 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 8 10 9 2 3 8 1 Missions Get Blitzed Early In Blowout Loss To Sod Poodles Right-handed starter Carson Montgomery's Double-A debut turned into a nightmare as he was thumped for 10 runs in the San Antonio Missions' 17-1 loss to the host Amarillo Sod Poodles. Montgomery allowed eight hits and three walks over 2⅔ innings, surrendering a pair of homers. His first nine pitches of the game were balls as the Sod Poodles got to him for three runs. After a run in the fourth, Montgomery gave up six more (five earned) in the third to end his day and his final game of the season. Offensively, the Missions mustered just three hits, including a double by Kerrington Cross, his first extra-base hit in his third game at Double-A, his third level this season. The Missions' lone run came in the seventh when Romeo Sanabria and Albert Fabian had leadoff walks and Jack Costello was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ryan Jackson then hit a grounder to second that brought in a run to make it 13-1. Player AB R H RBI BB K Tirso Ornelas, CF 2 0 0 0 0 0 Kai Roberts, CF 2 0 1 0 0 0 Romeo Sanabria, 1B 3 1 0 0 1 2 Albert Fabian, LF 2 0 0 0 2 0 Jack Costello, RF 3 0 0 0 0 1 Ryan Jackson, 3B 2 0 0 1 2 1 Kerrington Cross, DH 4 0 1 0 0 1 Luis Verdugo, SS 4 0 0 0 0 0 Wyatt Hoffman, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 0 Oswaldo Linares, C 3 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 29 1 3 1 5 5 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carson Montgomery 2 2/3 8 10 9 3 1 2 Bernard Jose 2 1/3 3 1 1 0 2 0 Harry Gustin 1 3 2 2 0 1 1 Carlos Medina 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Will Varmette 1 5 4 4 0 1 1 Totals 8 19 17 16 3 6 4 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: DNP Alex McCoy: DNP Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-4, 3 K Lamar King Jr.: DNP Elliot Lascelles: DNP Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: DNP View full article

The San Diego Padres are going to be without a clutch player for at least Friday and perhaps the entire weekend—for a good reason. First baseman Ty France was placed on the paternity list as his wife, Magdalena, is expecting twins. Infielder Mason McCoy was called up from Triple-A El Paso. France could be away for up to three days. The couple already have a son, 2-year-old Luka. After signing a minor-league contract at the beginning of spring training, France has slowly become the Padres' regular first baseman and is having a career year, posting a slash line of .294/.363/.510, matching his career best with 20 homers while also driving 63 runs and playing a terrific first base after winning the AL Gold Glove last year. McCoy will be making his first appearance in a Padres uniform this season, having spent the entire year at El Paso. There, he has a .284/.359/.408 slash line with 10 homers and 67 RBIs. He also has a Pacific Coast League-best 37 steals, surpassing his previous career high of 25 (2023-24). View full rumor

If you took a good look at the lineup the San Diego Padres trotted out for their series finale against the Washington Nationals, you might have felt a little uneasy about the final third. While the top six are lineup stalwarts—Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Ty France, Jackson Merrill and Luis Campusano—the bottom three were definitely not. In fact, if you had asked any Friars fan on Opening Day whether you thought the Padres were in contention if Austin Hays, Samad Taylor and Jase Bowen were starting on Sept. 9, the answers would have been a resounding "No!" But many didn't flinch when the lineup came out before the game. Taylor has been the best of the lot, now slashing .312/.390/.394 after having two more hits in that game. Hays has been serviceable since being picked off the scrap heap, going 10-for-40 in 18 games, including 2-for-2 in the aforementioned Nationals game. Bowen has been the least successful, but his forte is speed and defense, which is why he remains on the roster with a .161/.207/.276 slash line in 69 games. Another player should be added to this conversation and that is outfielder Dustin Harris. He came up from Triple-A El Paso on Aug. 24 has been a lineup regular, going 9-for-28 (.321/.345/.357) in 12 games. He has been released by two other MLB teams this year, the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros. These are the players who have helped the Padres at least tread water at their positions while injuries have hit expected key contributors. However, there are some better solutions that will improve the lineup's quality that should make an impact in the final 2½ weeks. Designated hitter Miguel Andujar, sidelined since July 20 with a fractured right wrist, began a rehab assignment this week at Triple-A El Paso, which means he could return next week when the Padres visit the Colorado Rockies, if not sometime this weekend vs. the San Francisco Giants. With the Padres struggling with offense from the No. 2 spot in the lineup, Andujar would resolve that issue hitting between Tatis and Machado. While Andujar is a valuable right-handed bat at DH, a left-handed hitter could also be returning soon. That would be Gavin Sheets, who has been battling plantar fasciitis in his left foot for a good spell. He is doing things like tracking pitches during pitchers' bullpen sessions. Whether he is taking swings is not known at the moment, but he would be a big bat off the bench with Ty France firmly entrenched as the Padres' starting first baseman. One other option for the lineup is left fielder Ramon Laureano. He was seen throwing down in Arizona last weekend. Laureano had right hip surgery and has been out since June 2. His return is much more in doubt. On the pitching side, right-hander Nick Pivetta has already returned to the starting rotation, while right-hander Joe Musgrove is unlikely to come back in a starting role, with a relief role a slight possibility. However, another right-hander could rejoin the bullpen. That would be Jason Adam, the Padres' primary setup man who has been sidelined since June 30 by a strained right shoulder. Adam threw a 30-pitch bullpen Monday, with a live batting practice Thursday in Arizona before a possible rehab outing Sunday with Triple-A El Paso. Adam could be activated quickly after that depending on how these next two steps go. Right-hander Jeremiah Estrada, who has a right shoulder impingement, hasn't started throwing yet, making his return unlikely. Hays, Taylor and Bowen have all made noteworthy contributions as the Padres have pulled into NL wild-card contention. The bullpen has also been rock solid and Adam will certainly be a welcome addition with the workload of some of the key arms. If things go well for the Padres from a health perspective, their lineup and pitching staff should get the reinforcements it needs ahead of October. View full article