Steve Drumwright

The San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates failed to win a game in similar fashion as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas lost to Oklahoma City 6-3, the Double-A San Antonio Missions fell to Midland 5-2, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps lost to West Michigan 8-5 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm dropped a 6-2 decision to Rancho Cucamonga. Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Chihuahuas Can't Dig Way Out Of 6-Run Hole Against Comets Despite digging an early 6-0 hole, the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas clawed back to have the tying run on base or at the plate in two innings but lost to the host Oklahoma City Comets 6-3. Padres catcher Freddy Fermin, in the second game of his rehab assignment following a head contusion, went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI while again serving as the Chihuahuas' designated hitter. After having just seven singles the night before, the Chihuahuas had only six hits (five singles, one double), while drawing four walks. In addition to Fermin, leadoff hitter Mason McCoy and No. 9 hitter Anthony Vilar each had a single and a walk. McCoy picked up his 20th stolen base, the third time in four seasons he has swiped at least 20. He stole 25 in each of the 2023 and 2024 seasons in the minors. He had 19 between El Paso and the Padres last year. Down 6-0, the Chihuahuas put up three runs in the top of the fifth. It started with a pair of strikeouts, then Clay Dungan was hit by a pitch, Vilar singled, then McCoy and Fermin each had RBI singles and Carlos Rodriguez a run-scoring double. Rodriguez has reached base in 41 of his last 42 games. After a pitching change, Nick Solak, with two runners on, grounded out. The Chihuahuas also started the top of the sixth with a pair of strikeouts, then loaded the bases on Bryce Johnson's single and stolen base and walks to Dungan and Vilar, but McCoy flew out to end the threat. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Evan Fitterer allowed six runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks with two walks in five innings. Right-hander Matt Flynn pitched two scoreless innings and right-hander Ethan Routzahn a scoreless eighth. EP_0709.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 4 1 1 1 1 0 Freddy Fermin 4 0 1 1 1 0 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 1 1 0 1 Nick Solak 4 0 0 0 0 2 Marcos Castanon 4 0 1 0 0 2 Nick Pratto 4 0 0 0 0 4 Bryce Johnson 4 0 1 0 0 3 Clay Dungan 2 1 0 0 1 0 Anthony Vilar 3 1 1 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Evan Fitterer 5 5 6 4 3 2 0 Michael Flynn 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Ethan Routzahn 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Early Homers Subdue Missions In Loss To RockHounds A three-run second inning that featured a pair of homers was enough to upend the Double-A San Antonio Missions, who dropped a 5-2 decision to the Midland RockHounds. Missions right-handed starter Andrew Thurman, back in affiliated ball after stepping away from the game entirely following the 2017 season, went a season-high five innings, but gave up four runs on seven hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts. The 34-year-old gave up an RBI double in the first inning, then back-to-back homers to begin a three-run second inning after the Missions had tied it. Thurman did finish by retiring 12 of the final 15 batters he faced. Jake Cunningham had two of the Missions' eight hits. Albert Fabian tripled in Cunningham in the second inning and Tirso Ornelas scored on a wild pitch in the fourth as Ryan Jackson walked. The Missions did put up a threat in the ninth as, with two outs, Wyatt Hoffman and Luis Verdugo singled, but Ethan Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, grounded to shortstop Leo De Vries to end it. SA_0709.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Luis Verdugo 4 0 1 0 1 1 Francisco Acuna 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ethan Salas 5 0 1 0 0 1 Tirso Ornelas 4 1 1 0 0 2 Jake Cunningham 4 1 2 0 0 1 Braedon Karpathios 3 0 1 0 1 2 Ryan Jackson 3 0 0 0 1 1 Albert Fabian 4 0 1 1 0 1 Kai Roberts 3 0 0 0 1 1 Wyatt Hoffman 4 0 1 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Andrew Thurman 5 7 4 4 2 2 2 Francis Pena 2 3 1 1 1 1 0 Clay Edmondson 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Late Rally Too Little Too Late For TinCaps Seven runs over the first three innings, including five in the second, spelled doom for the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps in an 8-5 setback to the host West Michigan Whitecaps. Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect and the minors' stolen-base leader with 50, went 2-for-5, including a double, with an RBI and a run scored. Wideman has a hit in 11 of 13 games since being promoted from Low-A Lake Elsinore. This was his third multihit game with the TinCaps. Eight of the nine TinCaps batters had at least one hit and five had RBIs. TinCaps right-handed starter Carson Montgomery was lit up for seven runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts in five innings. Left-hander Braian Salazar struck out three and allowed a run in two innings, while right-hander Will Varmette pitched two scoreless innings. The TinCaps were held to a fifth-inning Wideman RBI double before the offense really came to life late. The scored twice with two outs in the eighth on Rosman Verdugo's RBI triple and Jack Costello singling home Verdugo. In the ninth, Kasen Wells was hit by a pitch with one out and Wideman singled, with both runners moving up on a wild pitch. Justin DeCriscio hit a sacrifice fly to left and Kerrington Cross singled home Wideman. But that threat ended as Kavares Tears struck out to end the game. FW_0709.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 1 2 1 0 1 Justin DeCriscio 4 1 1 1 1 2 Kerrington Cross 5 0 1 1 0 2 Kavares Tears 5 0 1 0 0 1 Rosman Verdugo 3 1 1 1 1 2 Jack Costello 4 0 1 1 0 1 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 1 0 0 1 Oswaldo Linares 4 1 0 0 0 0 Kasen Wells 3 1 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carson Montgomery 4 7 7 7 3 4 1 Braian Salazar 2 1 1 1 0 3 1 Will Varmette 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 Storm Unable To Overcome Early Quakes Surge Dawson Willis had two hits and scored a run, while Bradley Frye drove in a pair, but the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm were beaten by the host Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6-2. Storm right-hander Lan-Hong Su had a third straight rocky start since being promoted from the Arizona Complex League. Su, a 19-year-old key international signing last year, gave up four runs on five hits and one walk with no strikeouts in two-plus innings. He has given up four runs in each of his three Storm starts over 7⅔ innings for a 14.09 ERA. Frye singled home Willis in the top of the first, then the Quakes scored three in the second and one in the third, then added another in the fifth for a 5-1 lead. In the sixth, the Storm pulled within 5-2 as Qrey Lott had an infield single, Yimy Tovar walked and both runners advanced on Jose Verdugo's sacrifice bunt. After a pitching change, Willis walked to load the bases and Frye drew a free pass to force in a run. But the next two batters were retired to end the inning. The Storm got two runners on in each of the seventh and eighth innings, but were unable to chip into the Quakes' advantage. Player AB R H RBI BB K Yimy Tovar 4 0 1 0 1 1 Jose Verdugo 3 0 0 0 0 1 Dawson Willis 2 1 2 0 1 0 Bradley Frye 2 0 1 2 1 1 Truitt Madonna 3 0 0 0 1 3 Dylan Grego 4 0 0 0 0 3 Conner Westenburg 4 0 0 0 0 1 Alcides Hernandez 3 0 1 0 1 2 Qrey Lott 3 1 1 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Lan-Hong Su 2 5 4 4 1 0 1 Daichi Moriki 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 Zack Qin 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 Isaiah Lowe 2 2 1 1 0 2 1 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-5, 1 K Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ryan Wideman: 2-for-5, 2B, 1 K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Jorge Quintana: DNP Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-3, 2 K Jagger Haynes: DNP Lamar King Jr.: DNP Tucker Musgrove: DNP Truitt Madonna: 0-for-3, 3 K Alex McCoy: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-3, 3B, 2 K Garrett Hawkins: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP View full article

Could A.J. Preller make another blockbuster move involving Mason Miller at this year's trade deadline? Other front offices certainly think it is a possibility for the San Diego Padres, as MLB.com's Mark Feinsand laid out in this article. Preller, the Padres' president of baseball operations and general manager, made a huge splash at last year's deadline when he sent four prospects, led by shortstop Leo De Vries (at the time MLB Pipeline's No. 3 prospect in baseball), to the A's for Miller and left-handed starter JP Sears. In addition to his devastating repertoire as a closer, Miller is also attractive as he still has three more years of club control. That would benefit the Padres in terms of what they would get back from a team if Preller decides to sell. The Padres entered play Thursday at 46-46 and 4½ games out of the third and final NL wild-card spot. “They have to consider it if they keep playing like this,” an NL executive said. “They won’t get De Vries-type value back for him, but they’ll still do well if they trade him.” “I would think he would be capable of two Top 100 [players] or a Top 100 and another two players that are organizational Top 10s or so,” an NL executive said. “But I’m not sure they would feel it would be worth it.” View full rumor

Editor's note: Padres Mission spoke with two industry experts about the state of the San Diego Padres' minor-league system, what they have done right, what they have done wrong and how they got to this state. This is the first of four articles on the subject. There is no question about it. The San Diego Padres enter this weekend’s draft with the worst minor-league system in baseball. So says Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, The Athletic and ESPN. That is the price the Padres have paid, and more specifically president of baseball operations A.J. Preller, to keep the major-league roster in contender status. The churn of acquiring prospects either through the draft or international free agency, developing said prospects, then shipping out those prospects to add talent to the major-league roster has taken a significant toll on the organization. No trade deadline took a bigger bite out of the system than 2025, when Preller made five deals on deadline day that reaped seven players, but shipped 14 to other franchises. Basically, they traded half a full minor-league affiliate, including one of the top prospects in all of baseball, for those seven players, all but one added to the major-league roster. The exiting talent originally came to the organization from all avenues. Six were their own draft picks (one from 2021, five from 2024), three were international free agents (2017, 2019, 2024), two were undrafted free agents (2022, 2024), one was a minor-league free agent (2024), one was a Rule 5 pick (2023), and another arrived in a trade (2024). The headliner in that exit party, of course, was shortstop Leo De Vries, who was a top-five prospect in all of baseball at the time the Padres shipped him to the A’s for all-world closer Mason Miller and left-handed starter JP Sears. The cost for outfielder Ramon Laureano and first baseman Ryan O’Hearn was five draft picks from 2024, including second-round left-hander Boston Bateman, third-round shortstop Cobb Hightower and fourth-round right-hander Tyson Neighbors. But it really left the cupboard pretty bare. And as we approach the 2026 trade deadline of Aug. 3, the Friars are on the outside of the playoff picture and need a roster boost. So the big question is: What do the Padres have left to deal and is it enough to acquire anything of consequence? The biggest assets the Friars have are Padres Mission’s No. 1 and No. 2 prospects, catcher Ethan Salas and left-handed starter Kash Mayfield. Right-hander Miguel Mendez, our No. 3 prospect, and center fielder Ryan Wideman, No. 4 in our rankings, are also certain to be hot names bandied about in front-office discussions. Any deals the Padres make this year in order to contend will make an already-barren system more so. “It's the thinnest it's been probably since after A.J. Preller's first year, when he traded Trea Turner and a bunch of other prospects to try to build a win-now roster and that didn't work,” said Keith Law, senior baseball writer at The Athletic who analyzes prospects across the sport. “And then he went about it kind of his way after that, I think, in terms of trying to really lean heavily into scouting, player development, building a huge stable of prospects and then using those guys later on to build a roster and to trade to try to supplement that roster. “But I think we sort of now have reached the other end of that cycle, right? He's gone all the way sort of up the mountain and now we've come back down the other side, where it's Ethan Salas, and maybe an interesting pitcher or two. And I do like Ty Harvey, so I don't want to be too dismissive, but it's kind of Ethan Salas and not a lot else.” No one ever wants to admit they are the worst at anything from a professional point of view, but sometimes simple analysis tells the story. “Anybody with the Padres will tell you they don't view it that way (as the worst system),” said Sam Dykstra, a senior reporter at MLB Pipeline. “They always think that the next crop of good Padres players or good next trade pieces are in the organization, people just haven't seen it yet. We're starting to see a little bit of that spring through this year, but it's still something that, I mean, you trade away a Leo De Vries, you trade away as many other just depth pieces that they have in recent years and I would struggle to say it's a deep system in any way. Now, again, there are still some interesting pieces here, there have been some nice breakouts this year, some nice development stories. But as far as overall health of the farm system, it's still pretty tough.” That will make Preller's job more difficult as the trade deadline approaches if the Padres are buyers. View full article

Wednesday saw the four full-season San Diego Padres affiliates go 1-3. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas were bounced by Oklahoma City 9-2, the Double-A San Antonio Missions dropped an 8-4 decision to Midland, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps were hammered by West Michigan 14-1 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm prevailed in 10 innings over Rancho Cucamonga 6-4. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres selected the contract of 3B Luis Rengifo from El Paso Chihuahuas. San Diego Padres sent C Freddy Fermin on a rehab assignment to El Paso Chihuahuas. Chihuahuas Held To Singles As Comets Blast 4 Homers Left-handed starter Jackson Wolf gave up four runs in the first three innings and the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas managed seven singles in a 9-2 loss to the Oklahoma City Comets. Padres catcher Freddy Fermin, who went on the 10-day injured list Friday with a head contusion, began a rehab assignment. Serving as the designated hitter, Fermin went 1-for-4 with a fifth-inning RBI single to shortstop. Wolf's four runs came on eight hits and a walk in five innings while striking out five. He did cough up a pair of homers, one an inside-the-parker. Right-hander Daison Acosta, in his second Chihuahuas appearance since coming off the 60-day injured list, was tagged for four runs on four hits and three walks in 1⅔ innings, while right-hander Ty Adcock gave up a solo homer in one inning while striking out three. The Comets hit four homers. Mason McCoy had two of the Chihuahuas' seven singles, the only batter with multiple hits. Clay Dungan also reached base twice with a single and a walk. All of the Chihuahuas' hits came off Comets left-handed starter Cole Irvin, who went six innings. EP_0708.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 5 0 2 0 0 1 Freddy Fermin 4 0 1 1 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez 4 0 1 0 0 0 Marcos Castañon 4 0 1 0 0 2 Will Wagner 4 0 0 0 0 2 Blake Hunt 3 1 0 0 1 1 Nick Schnell 4 0 1 0 0 0 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 0 0 0 0 Clay Dungan 3 1 1 0 1 1 Totals 35 2 7 1 2 7 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jackson Wolf 5 8 4 4 1 5 2 Daison Acosta 1 2/3 4 4 4 3 0 1 Ty Adcock 1 1/3 1 1 1 1 3 1 Totals 8 13 9 9 5 8 4 Four Homers Not Enough As Missions Succumb To RockHounds Tirso Ornelas hit his team-leading 12th homer as one of four solo homers, but the Double-A San Antonio Missions didn't notch another hit in falling to the Midland RockHounds 8-4. The Missions also hit four homers in a game this year on May 19. Braedon Karpathios, Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect, hit his eighth homer, Carson Tucker his first and Kai Roberts his third for the Missions and second in three games. Tucker's homer was his first in affiliated ball since 2023 after spending 2024 and 2025 in independent ball. He has hit exactly one homer in each of his four seasons with an affiliate. Ornelas went deep in the first inning and Karpathios in the second for a 2-0 lead before the RockHounds tied it in the bottom of the second. Tucker and Roberts then went back-to-back with one out in the fourth to go up 4-2. The RockHounds clawed one back in the bottom of the fourth, then went ahead with two in the sixth and added three more in the seventh. Missions right-handed starter Victor Lizarraga lasted three innings and gave up three runs on six hits, including a homer, with three walks and three strikeouts. Left-hander Harry Gustin covered the next 2⅔ innings, allowing two runs, while right-hander Garrett Hawkins, Padres Mission's No. 17 prospect, surrendered three runs in 1⅓ innings. Right-hand Ryan Och, who spent a good chunk of the season on the injured list, made his first appearance at Double-A with a scoreless eighth inning. He pitched in 45 games for the Missions last year and then 10 games at High-A Fort Wayne this year. SA_0708.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 3 1 1 1 1 0 Kai Roberts 4 1 1 1 0 2 Tirso Ornelas 3 1 1 1 1 0 Jake Cunningham 2 0 0 0 2 1 Braedon Karpathios 4 1 1 1 0 0 Francisco Acuna 4 0 0 0 0 1 Albert Fabian 4 0 0 0 0 0 Luis Verdugo 4 0 0 0 0 1 Brendan Durfee 3 0 0 0 0 3 Totals 31 4 4 4 4 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Victor Lizarraga 3 6 3 3 3 3 1 Harry Gustin 2 2/3 3 2 2 0 3 0 Garrett Hawkins 1 1/3 3 3 3 1 3 0 Ryan Och 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 8 12 8 8 5 9 1 TinCaps Halt Scoreless Streak, Issue 11 Walks In Loss Jack Costello snapped the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps' scoreless streak at 22 innings with a solo homer, but that would be the extent of their scoring in an 11-1 setback to the West Michigan Whitecaps. The TinCaps produced just three hits and lost for the third game in a row, having been shut out in the previous two, and for the eighth time in 10 games. TinCaps right-handed starter Winyer Chourio, Padres Mission's No. 20 prospect, had a rough go of it for the second straight time in three starts since being promoted from Low-A Lake Elsinore. The 22-year-old made it through just 2⅔ innings, allowing five runs on four hits, including a homer, and four walks while striking out two. Left-hander Javier Chacon followed by giving up six runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks with one punchout in 2⅓ innings, while right-handed Will Koger surrendered three runs on three hits and three walks with two strikeouts in two innings. Right-hander Nick Falter pitched a scoreless eighth, but issued the 11th walk of the day for the TinCaps. West Michigan opened the scoring with five runs in the third inning before Costello finally put the TinCaps on the board with his 10th homer of the season with one out in the top of the fourth. The Whitecaps came back with two more in the bottom of the fourth and four more in the fifth for an 11-1 advantage. FW_0708.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 3 0 1 0 1 0 Kasen Wells 4 0 1 0 0 0 Kerrington Cross 4 0 0 0 0 0 Alex McCoy 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jack Costello 4 1 1 1 0 2 Lamar King Jr. 4 0 0 0 0 2 Luke Cantwell 3 0 0 0 0 1 Oswaldo Linares 3 0 0 0 0 2 Zach Evans 2 0 0 0 1 1 Totals 31 1 3 1 2 10 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Winyer Chourio 2 2/3 4 5 5 4 2 1 Javier Chacon 2 1/3 4 6 3 3 1 2 Will Koger 2 3 3 3 3 2 0 Nick Falter 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 8 11 14 11 11 5 3 Qrey Lott Makes A Difference As Storm Win In 10 Qrey Lott doubled home the go-ahead run and scored in the top of the 10th inning to help the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm overcome a blown save for a 6-4 victory over the host Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Lott capped a 3-for-3 day with his second RBI double of the game, a one-out chopper over the third baseman that scored zombie runner George Bilecki as Lott raced into second. After a walk to Yimy Tovar, Jorge Quintana hit a grounder to the second baseman, who threw to the shortstop for the forceout as Lott took third. But Tovar became tangled with the shortstop and Lott scooted home without a throw. Storm right-handed starter Carlos Medina matched his season high with five innings, allowing one run on four hits with no walks and four punchouts. Right-hander Jeferson Villabona, who had allowed one run in 9⅓ innings in his first four Storm appearances, gave up a pair of runs in the sixth inning as the Quakes pulled within 4-3. Right-hander Brandon Langley pitched a perfect seventh and right-hander Jordan Valenzuela a scoreless eighth. Right-hander Sean Barnett came on for the save in the ninth, but hit a batter, had two wild pitches and gave up a sacrifice fly to tie the game. He did pick up the win and closed out the bottom of the 10th by retiring all three batters. Lott also had an RBI double in the third inning and Jose Verdugo a run-scoring triple in the fourth to make it 2-0. Tovar also had an RBI triple in the fifth and Quintana drove in a run with a single to put the Storm up 4-1. LE_0708.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Yimy Tovar 4 1 1 1 1 1 Jorge Quintana 5 0 1 2 0 2 Dawson Willis 5 0 0 0 0 2 Bradley Frye 4 0 1 0 0 1 Yoiber Ocopio 3 1 0 0 1 2 Jose Verdugo 4 0 1 1 0 2 George Bilecki 4 1 0 0 0 1 Conner Westenburg 3 1 0 0 1 0 Qrey Lott 3 2 3 2 0 0 Totals 35 6 7 6 3 11 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carlos Medina 5 4 1 1 0 4 0 Jeferson Villabona 1 2 2 2 0 0 1 Brandon Langley 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Jordan Valenzuela 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Sean Barnett 2 0 1 1 0 3 0 Totals 10 7 4 4 0 8 1 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ryan Wideman: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Jorge Quintana: 1-for-5, 3 SB, 2 K Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-4, HR Jagger Haynes: DNP Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-4, 2 K Tucker Musgrove: DNP Truitt Madonna: DNP Alex McCoy: 0-for-4, 2 K Jesus Castro: DNP Rosman Verdugo: DNP Garrett Hawkins: 1⅓ IP, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K Eric Yost: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Winyer Chourio: 2⅔ IP, 5 R, 4 BB, 2 K View full article

San Diego Padres full-season affiliates began a new week by going 1-3. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas posted the only win, beating Oklahoma City 8-5, while the Double-A San Antonio Missions were pounded by Midland 11-1, the Fort Wayne TinCaps blanked by West Michigan 3-0 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm falling to Rancho Cucamonga 6-2. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres recalled RHP Jhony Brito from El Paso Chihuahuas. San Diego Padres optioned RHP Alek Jacob to El Paso Chihuahuas. RHP Johan Moreno assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. RHP Eric Yost assigned to San Antonio Missions from El Paso Chihuahuas. El Paso Chihuahuas activated RHP Logan Gillaspie from the 7-day injured list. El Paso Chihuahuas released RHP Triston McKenzie. RHP Landry Jurecka assigned to ACL Padres from San Antonio Missions. RHP Clark Candiotti assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from San Antonio Missions. LHP Jamie Hitt assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps. LHP Ryan Och assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps. Fort Wayne TinCaps activated RHP Kannon Kemp from the 60-day injured list. Fort Wayne TinCaps released LHP C.J. Widger. All Chihuahuas Contribute Offensively, Win On 7-Run Second Inning Marcos Castanon had two hits and two RBIs, including being one of six players to drive in a run during a seven-run second inning that vaulted the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas to an 8-5 victory over the Oklahoma City Comets. The seven runs equaled the most the Chihuahuas have scored in any inning this year. Padres right-handed starter Matt Waldron worked three hitless innings with no walks and three strikeouts in his fifth rehab outing as he comes back from a right brachialis muscle injury. His rehab assignment ends next week, with his last start coming up Sunday. Waldron has allowed four runs in 15 innings, with five walks and 10 strikeouts. Four of those walks came in one game. Waldron threw just 30 pitches, including 20 strikes. Luis Rengifo also had two hits, a walk, an RBI and a run scored as the Chihuahuas got hits from seven of their nine batters and seven also scored a run. Mason McCoy scored twice, but didn't have a hit as he walked twice. McCoy and Carlos Rodriguez each had two of the Chihuahuas' season-high eight stolen bases. In the big second inning, in which the Chihuahuas sent 13 batters to the plate, Bryce Johnson, Nick Pratto and Rengifo had consecutive RBI singles, then Castanon had his two-run single to make it 5-0. Will Wagner added his own run-scoring single and Carlos Rodriguez capped the rally with a bases-loaded walk to put the Chihuahuas up 7-0. Nick Solak added a run-scoring double in the third inning. EP_0707.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Luis Rengifo 4 1 2 1 1 1 Mason McCoy 3 2 0 0 2 1 Nick Solak 5 0 1 1 0 2 Marcos Castañon 5 1 2 2 0 1 Will Wagner 4 0 1 1 1 0 Blake Hunt 3 1 1 0 2 0 Carlos Rodríguez 4 1 1 1 1 0 Bryce Johnson 4 1 1 1 1 1 Nick Pratto 5 1 1 1 0 1 Totals 37 8 10 8 8 7 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Matt Waldron 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 Miguel Cienfuegos 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Logan Gillaspie 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Justin Yeager 2 1 1 1 2 1 0 Ethan Routzahn 1/3 0 4 4 4 0 0 Misael Tamarez 1 2/3 1 0 0 0 2 0 Missions Hammered By RockHounds Right-handed starter Ian Koenig was roughed up for five runs in two innings as the Double-A San Antonio Missions were rocked by the Midland RockHounds 11-1. Former Padres prospect Leo De Vries went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and a run scored for the RockHounds. Carson Tucker had two of the seven hits by the Missions. The lone run came in the sixth inning as Ethan Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, singled and went to third on a double by Tucker. After a lineout, Jake Cunningham sent Salas home with a sacrifice fly to right field. Koenig gave up those five runs on seven hits with no walks and one strikeout. Right-hander Bernard Jose walked four and gave up two runs over the next 2⅔ innings with three strikeouts, while right-hander Sadrac Franco allowed three runs on four hits in one inning. Right-hander Clay Edmondson surrendered a run on two hits and two walks with one strikeout in 1⅓ innings. Catcher Chris Sargent pitched a perfect ninth. SA_0707.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ethan Salas 5 1 1 0 0 0 Carson Tucker 4 0 2 0 0 1 Tirso Ornelas 3 0 1 0 0 0 Wyatt Hoffman 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jake Cunningham 3 0 1 1 0 0 Braedon Karpathios 3 0 0 0 1 0 Ryan Jackson 4 0 0 0 0 2 Albert Fabian 4 0 1 0 0 1 Francisco Acuna 3 0 0 0 1 2 Luis Verdugo 4 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 33 1 7 1 2 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig 2 7 5 5 0 1 0 Bernard Jose 2 2/3 2 2 2 4 3 0 Sadrac Franco 1 4 3 3 0 2 0 Clay Edmondson 1 1/3 2 1 1 2 1 0 Chris Sargent 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 TinCaps Blanked Again, Held To 4 Hits By Whitecaps After putting up 13 runs in a 14-inning victory Saturday, including scoring in the final five innings, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps turned in their second straight scoreless performance as the host West Michigan Whitecaps prevailed 3-0. The TinCaps had just four hits, including two by Justin DeCriscio, as they were shut out for the eighth time this year. This was the 14th multihit game for DeCriscio since being promoted May 12 and he has reached base in 15 of his last 17 games. Right-handed starter Kannon Kemp, the Padres' eighth-round draft choice in 2023, came off the 60-day injured list following an oblique injury in spring training and made his TinCaps debut. The 21-year-old went three innings, allowing two runs on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Right-hander Clark Candiotti, just demoted from Double-A San Antonio, pitched a scoreless fourth inning and right-hander Matthew Watson, traditionally a starter, pitched the final four innings, allowing a run on three hits with a pair of walks and three punchouts. FW_0707.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 4 0 0 0 0 2 Justin DeCriscio 4 0 2 0 0 0 Alex McCoy 4 0 0 0 0 1 Kavares Tears 3 0 0 0 0 2 Rosman Verdugo 3 0 1 0 0 1 Lamar King Jr. 2 0 0 0 0 0 Carlos Rodriguez 3 0 1 0 0 0 Jack Costello 3 0 0 0 0 0 Zach Evans 3 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 29 0 4 0 0 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kannon Kemp 3 2 2 2 2 2 0 Clark Candiotti 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Matthew Watson 4 3 1 1 2 3 0 Jorge Quintana Has 3 Hits, But Storm Otherwise Silenced Jorge Quintana had three hits, but right-handed starter Jesus Castro gave up a four-run second inning as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm fell to the host Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6-2. Quintana, Padres Mission's No. 6 prospect, has started July off strong, going 6-for-13 in four games, including a double Tuesday to go along with a triple and homer. He also had two three-hit games in May. Unfortunately, that was half of the Storm's hits on this day. https://padresmission.com/san-diego-padres-top-prospect-rankings/jorge-quintana-r133/ Castro lasted five innings and gave up five runs on eight hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Right-hander Carson Swilling went two scoreless innings with three punchouts and left-hander Cal Riehl pitched the eighth, allowing a run. The Storm's runs came on a double steal in the second, with Jose Verdugo swiping home for his 24th steal this year, and the eighth, with Quintana doubling home Dylan Grego. LE_0707.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Bradley Frye 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jorge Quintana 4 0 3 1 0 0 Dawson Willis 3 0 1 0 1 1 Yoiber Ocopio 3 0 0 0 1 1 George Bilecki 3 0 0 0 0 2 Yimy Tovar 1 0 0 0 0 1 Qrey Lott 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jose Verdugo 4 1 1 0 0 0 Truitt Madonna 2 0 0 0 2 1 Conner Westenburg 4 0 0 0 0 1 Dylan Grego 4 1 1 0 0 1 Totals 32 2 6 1 4 10 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jesus A. Castro 5 8 5 5 0 3 0 Carson Swilling 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 Cal Riehl 1 2 1 1 1 0 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-5 Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ryan Wideman: 0-for-4, 2 K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Jorge Quintana: 3-for-4, 2B Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-3 Jagger Haynes: DNP Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-2 Tucker Musgrove: DNP Truitt Madonna: 0-for-2, K Alex McCoy: 0-for-4, K Jesus Castro: 5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 K Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-3, K Garrett Hawkins: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP View full article

The long road back for Jhony Brito has officially taken him to Petco Park. The Padres called up the right-hander from Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday and optioned right-hander Alek Jacob back to Triple-A. Brito, one of the five players the Padres acquired from the New York Yankees in the Juan Soto trade in 2024, is back in the majors with the Friars for the first time since that 2024 season. Brito began the 2025 season by having an internal brace procedure on his right elbow and flexor tendon surgery that April. He began a rehab assignment in early May and pitched well in the minors before being activated from the 60-day injured list and being assigned to El Paso. In four starts for the Chihuahuas, Brito has a 0.96 ERA in 18⅔ innings with nine walks and 19 strikeouts. Brito is expected to make his season debut in a relief role Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, following starter German Marquez. Jacob was called up Friday and appeared in just one game, tossing a much-needed three innings in Monday's series-opening 8-0 loss to the D'backs. View full rumor

Let's check in on the San Diego Padres prospects who made a mark in the last week (check out Padres Mission's latest Top 20 rankings as well!): Jagger Haynes, LHP, Double-A San Antonio Missions Season stats: 3-3, 4.10 ERA, 16 games (all starts) 85⅔ IP, 69 H, 41 R, 39 ER, 37 BB, 76 K, .223 opponent average The last time the 23-year-old Missions left-hander made two starts in the same week, the second did not go as well as the first, as he followed up six shutout innings with four runs in 4⅔ innings in late May against Corpus Christi. It was a similar scenario to his second and third starts of the season vs. Midland. But last week, facing the Amarillo Sod Poodles on Tuesday and Sunday, Padres Mission's No. 10 prospect had a slightly better performance in the second game. In his five innings Sunday, the 2020 fifth-round draft choice gave up just one run on two hits with three walks and four strikeouts in a 1-0 loss (the only run scored in the first inning). That came after he matched his season high with 6⅔ innings, two runs, four hits, four walks and four strikeouts. While his walk rate is better this season, down to 10.3% after being at 14% last year at San Antonio, it is still an area to be worked on. He had seven in those two games last week. He did go 6⅔ in the two previous starts to Sunday, the third time this year of that distance to go with four more of exactly six innings. Jamie Hitt, LHP, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps Season stats: 1-5, 5.13, 14 games (13 starts), 59⅔ IP, 65 H, 43 R, 34 ER, 24 BB, 54 K, .270 opponent average While some of the numbers don't look fantastic, you have to take into consideration that Hitt, who turns 24 Wednesday, is in his first pro season after being an eighth-round draft choice out of Oklahoma and doing it at the High-A level with the TinCaps. That says a bit about the makeup Hitt has and also what the Friars think of him. To wit, Hitt has turned in four quality starts this season, including two in his last three outings. The latest one came Sunday as Hitt went six innings, gave up a pair of runs on three hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Unfortunately, it came in a 5-0 loss to the Great Lakes Loons. Hitt improved his draft stock last year by showing out in a bullpen role at Oklahoma, but he has more time as a starter in college, first at Texas Tech then for three years with the Sooners. Hitt's season actually started at Low-A Lake Elsinore with a single relief appearance before being promoted to Fort Wayne and inserted into the rotation since. He doesn't have overpowering stuff, having peaked at 95 mph on his four-seamer in college, but he does have decent control. Those two items have led to a walk rate of 8.8% and a strikeout rate of 19.8% this year. He did strike out a season-high eight in his fourth game of the season and also has three games (out of 14) with no walks. Kavares Tears, OF, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps Season stats: .241/.349/.518, 59 games, 26 R, 13 2B, 3 3B, 12 HR, 41 RBI, 32 BB, 78 K, 1 SB, 3 CS The left-handed slugger only played in four of the six games last week, but that was good enough to put up some gaudy numbers. The 23-year-old had an OPS of 1.224 with three of his five hits going for homers. He drove in eight runs and also walked three times. As mentioned in this article when Tears earned Padres Mission's Minor-League Hitter of the Month for June, the 2024 fourth-round pick out of Tennessee has been on a roll since mid-May. Tears' two-homer game Wednesday against the Great Lakes Loons was just his second in his two pro years after having one in August for the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm. Tears appears to have figured something out since mid-May, with his slash line at .275/.355/.615 since. Even that hot stretch pulled his career slash line up to .232/.330/.429. He has 12 homers in 59 games so far this year after hitting 13 in 107 contests with the Storm. Conner Westenburg, OF, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm Season stats: .274/.364/.387, 74 games, 47 R, 15 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 34 RBI, 20 BB, 68 K, 34 SB, 5 CS After a rough June, the 22-year-old outfielder began July with a bang, putting up a .429/.500/.619 that included three games with multiple hits, including three in last week's series opener against the Stockton Ports. He also had a season-high five-RBI game Saturday after not having a multi-RBI day since May 24. This is Westenburg's first pro season after signing as an undrafted free agent out of McNeese State. Speed is also a big part of Westenburg's game. He had four steals last week to bring his season total up to 34 in 39 attempts. That number is second only to Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect who leads the minors with 50 steals (43 with the Storm), in the Padres' system. He had 20 and 27 steals in his final two seasons at McNeese State. That speed helps him to get out of slumps like the one he experienced in June, when he had a .194/.325/.254 slash line, yet still swiped 11 bases, his second month with double-digit steals. Westenburg had 14 in April as he slashed .333/.403/.449. Albert Fabian, OF, Double-A San Antonio Missions Season stats: .244/.308/.389, 58 games, 16 R, 8 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 30 RBI, 19 BB, 37 K, 3 SB, 0 CS The 24-year-old left-handed hitter led the Padres' full-season affiliates in batting average as part of a .438/.444/.875 slash line last week. His big five games began with a 3-for-4 performance in which he homered and doubled, missing the triple for the cycle. He drove in four in that game against Amarillo and had seven in the series. Fabian has been in the Padres' system since signing as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. He had a chance to leave the organization in the offseason, yet chose to return. He has been pretty consistent over the last five seasons, never going lower than a .242 average, nor higher than .258, while producing a career slash line of .245/.325/.415. Fabian has six homers this year, which is one off his total from all of 2025, although he spent time on the 60-day injured list. His career best is 16 in each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. View full article

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot Record last week: 1-6 Runs scored last week: 27 Runs allowed last week: 56 (season run differential: minus-42) Scores Game 83 (Monday): Cubs 3, Padres 2 Game 84 (Tuesday): Cubs 9, Padres 7 Game 85 (Wednesday): Cubs 23, Padres 3 Game 86 (Thursday): Dodgers 12, Padres 7 Game 87 (Friday): Dodgers 4, Padres 3 Game 88 (Saturday): Dodgers 3, Padres 0 Game 89 (Sunday): Padres 5, Dodgers 2 Week in Review and Highlights Cubs series Game 1: In the only three games the Padres will play outside of SoCal in the three weeks before the All-Star break, a taught affair escaped the Friars' clutches. This game came down to two wind-blown flyballs to left field, with the second one coming in the ninth inning and providing a walk-off 3-2 victory for the Chicago Cubs. The ninth inning certainly deserves scrutiny as that is where the game was ultimately decided, but the Cubs' first run came after left fielder Samad Taylor, whose only previous appearance in left field at Wrigley Field came in one game in 2023, misplayed a Seiya Suzuki fly that went for a double. Suzuki would score three batters later to trim the Padres' lead to 2-1. More importantly, the ninth came down to Jason Adam being extended to a second inning and not being able to get an out. Adam needed 13 pitches for a perfect eighth inning, but then gave up a single on a 3-2 changeup to Dansby Swanson and a single to Pete Crow-Armstrong on a 2-2 changeup. That prompted manager Craig Stammen to bring in superstar right-handed closer Mason Miller. While it wasn't technically a save situation, it certainly felt like it considering the circumstances. Miller gave up a single on a 1-0 slider to Alex Bregman, loading the bases. Michael Busch then hit a shallow fly near the left-field line that Jase Bowen, who came in to play left after Taylor was pinch-hit for in the top of the ninth, caught and fired a one-hopper to catcher Freddy Fermin to easily nail Swanson at the plate for a double play. That brought up Suzuki, who launched an 88 mph slider on a 1-0 count deep to left field. Bowen was back at the wall, but his leap was just off, leaving him with just a handful of ivy as Crow-Armstrong crossed home with the winning run. Otherwise, the Padres had to be encouraged by some things from this game. That included the start by embattled right-hander Griffin Canning. After having an opener in his previous two outings, Canning started and went 4⅓ innings after getting just two outs last time. He looked better, giving up a pair of runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts. He was pulled in the fifth after giving up a leadoff double to Swanson and a one-out walk to Bregman. Left-hander Kyle Hart came in and walked the switch-hitting Busch to load the bases and then a sacrifice fly to Suzuki that tied the game 2-2. The Padres had built a 2-0 lead with runs in the third and fourth innings, with a Fernando Tatis Jr. fielder's choice driving in Xander Bogaerts for a 1-0 lead and Miguel Andujar and Bogaerts doubling for a 2-0 advantage. Game 2: Imagine a game where Tatis goes deep twice and the Friars four times overall and you still didn't feel like you really had a chance to win the game. That is basically what happened as the Padres dropped a 9-7 decision to the Cubs. Chicago had a 5-1 lead after two innings and the Padres made a late push with a four-run eighth inning to pull within the final margin. But it was another familiar story: A poor start by the pitching staff. This time, it was left-hander JP Sears. After a terrific first MLB start this season last week, Sears didn't have the same stuff and was tagged for seven runs (six earned) in 4⅔ innings, including five runs (four earned) in the first two innings. Sears was hammered for three homers, two coming in a four-run second. Swanson hit a pair of homers after coming into the series with a .190/.287/.362 slash line, but is 5-for-8 in the first two games vs. the Padres. Tatis' two blasts gave him 157 for his career, moving him past Phil Nevin and into fourth in Padres history. He led off the game with a monster blast to left, his fourth of the season. His fifth was a solo blast into the basket in right field. That came a batter after Gavin Sheets hit a three-run blast. Machado also went deep for his team-leading 16th, a two-run shot in the top of the third that pulled the Padres within 5-3. The Cubs created space with a three-run fifth off Sears and right-hander Ron Marinaccio, who gave up Swanson's second blast of the game. Game 3: What do you say after a 23-3 loss? Not much. So here it is. Swanson hit three homers, including a grand slam, and drove in eight. The Padres gave up a club-record eight homers. Sung-Mun Song hit his first career homer for the Friars. Right-handed starter Walker Buehler gave up nine runs in a game for the first time in his career. The 20-run loss was a club record. The 23 runs tied a club record. Career minor-league catcher Rodolfo Duran pitched two more innings, his second appearance in five days, to save the pitching staff, but giving up eight runs. The Padres have lost five straight as they head to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers. Dodgers series Game 1: For a brief time, it looked like the Padres were well on their way to snapping their five-game losing streak. They hit three home runs in the first two innings to jump out to a quick 6-0 lead against the Dodgers. Then, the rotation issues struck again. An avalanche of Dodgers runs followed and the Friars were on the wrong end of a 12-7 decision, extending their skid to six games, matching their season worst. The streak made the Padres a .500 team at 43-43 for the first time since they were 6-6 on April 8. Right-handed starter Randy Vasquez, who had a scary incident after leaving the game, lasted just three innings and gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk. No telling whether Vasquez was feeling off while in the game, which could have led to his fainting spell. Still, it was a dispiriting loss for the Padres after smacking around Dodgers right-handed starter Roki Sasaki in the first two innings. Machado hit a two-run homer, his 17th this season, in the first inning, then Jackson Merrill hit a solo shot, his ninth, and Cronenworth unloaded a three-run blast, his second this year and first since coming off the concussion list to begin the week, to put the Friars comfortably on top 6-0. Only these are the Dodgers and they are clicking at the moment. Two runs in each of the bottom of the second and third innings and a four-run fourth put L.A. up 8-6, but it continued with two more in the fifth and another in the sixth for a 12-6 advantage. In another scary situation, Fermin took another foul tip off his facemask and could be heading back to the concussion list for the second time this season. He went out for a mound visit a couple pitches after taking a Freddie Freeman foul, with teammates signaling for help as the meeting was breaking up. The good news is Luis Campusano (broken right big toe) was on a rehab assignment at Triple-A El Paso, so he could easily step in. Game 2: While the day started off with good news that Vasquez was OK following his fainting spell, it most certainly did not end well. Michael King, the de facto No. 1 in this rotation, bounced back from a miserable last start, but a rare blip by a top bullpen arm relegated the Padres to a 4-3 loss, their season-worst seventh straight, dropping the team below .500 at 43-44. The Padres also lost Vasquez (bruised ankle) and Fermin (head contusion) to the 10-day injured list. The Friars built a 3-0 lead against ace right-hander Shohei Ohtani, including Merrill's 10th homer of the season. King, after throwing just 68 pitches, was sent out to begin the seventh inning, where he walked cleanup hitter Mookie Betts and gave up a single to Max Muncy. Left-hander Adrian Morejon was asked to extricate the Padres from this situation against a surging Dodgers offense. Kyle Tucker's potential double-play ball was mishandled by Cronenworth at second, loading the bases. The very next pitch, a center-cut slider, was sent 419 feet into the Dodger Stadium bleachers for a grand slam. While Cronenworth and Merrill each had two hits in the game, and Merrill scoring twice, the Padres couldn't get a baserunner on in the final two innings, putting a nail in a frustrating loss in a frustrating stretch. Game 3: One of the nice things about the Friars' offense being in a better place than it was a month ago is that they have been able to not be stifled by another team's star pitcher. Well, Yoshinobu Yamamoto proved to be an exception to that pattern as the Dodgers' right-hander struck out 10 and allowed three hits over seven innings in a 3-0 shutout of the Padres on the Fourth of July, San Diego's eighth loss in a row, the worst streak of the year and longest since 2013 (10 games). Two of the Padres' four hits in the game came in the first inning on singles by Tatis leading off and Sheets with two outs. Bogaerts singled leading off the second, which was the last hit the Padres would get until Tatis' two-out double in the eighth. Canning, back with an opener in left-hander Wandy Peralta, pitched four effective innings, giving up one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Left-hander Kyle Hart allowed a run in two innings with three punchouts and right-handed closer Mason Miller, having not pitched since Monday and who was named an All-Star before the game, worked the eighth, but gave up a run and didn't have a strikeout. Game 4: Give the Padres credit. Despite being in a funk for the last week-plus, they put themselves in position to win three of the four games against the Dodgers. And after dropping the first three games of this series, it would have been easy for the Friars to be in their feelings and check out of the finale against their NL West rival. Instead, the Padres stood strong and this time held a lead unlike the first two games of the series, coming away with a 5-2 victory that snapped MLB's longest active losing streak at eight games. Maybe it was the fight that the coaching staff showed on the game's third pitch when a check-swing appeal went against Tatis. That prompted persistent chirping from infield coach Ryan Goins, who was ejected by the home plate umpire. Stammen came out to get an explanation and then offered his 2 cents, which earned him the rest of the day off. Did that inspire left-handed starter Sears, who had a 7.99 ERA at Triple-A and was rocked for seven runs just five days earlier, yet held the two-time defending World Series champions to zero hits until there were two outs in the fifth inning? Did that fuel Machado, who delivered the crushing offensive blow with a three-run homer on an 0-2 fastball in the top of the seventh? Regardless of where it came from, the Padres showed a lot of fortitude in ending a seven-game road trip in which the future of their season came into question with, while not spectacular, a rock-solid victory. The only glitch on the day was a two-run bottom of the seventh in which Morejon worked in and out of trouble after inheriting a runner at first base. Miller struck out one of the three batters he faced in a perfect ninth for his 22nd save in as many chances. But in order for this win to mean anything, other than preventing the Dodgers from becoming the first MLB team this season to reach 60 wins, the Padres will need to show the same mettle when they host the Arizona Diamondbacks for the next four games at Petco Park. The Padres and D'backs are tied at 44-45, four games out of an NL wild-card spot. Marvelous Mason Miller Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer: Season stats: 2-1, 0.98 ERA, 35 games, 22 saves (22 chances), 36⅔ IP, 17 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 13 BB, 67 K, .137 opponent average Named to his second All-Star Game, also going in 2024 with the Oakland A's. The Padres have had their closer in the last four All-Star Games. With 22 saves, is tied for the NL lead with Riley O'Brien of the St. Louis Cardinals. Of the 110 outs he has recorded, 67 have come via strikeout (60.9%). Did not have a strikeout Saturday, his first outing since May 19 without one and his first in a full inning without a punchout since back-to-back outings April 23 and April 25. Has gone 58 innings without allowing an extra-base hit, the longest in the Expansion Era (1961), surpassing the 56 innings by Luis Aquino of the Kansas City Royals (1988-89). Random Friars Stats Manny Machado's homer run Sunday gave him the most homers in Padres history against the Dodgers with 26, breaking a tie with Dave Winfield. Fernando Tatis Jr.'s on-base streak ended at 23 games in the series finale vs. the Cubs as he went 0-for-4. That streak matched his career best and was tied for the longest in MLB. Tatis now has 17 career leadoff homers. Tatis' leadoff double Thursday had an exit velocity of 115.7 mph, his hardest ball in play since Sept. 11, 2024, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Per Opta Stats, the Padres became only the second team in MLB history to lose six consecutive games while giving up 75 hits, 60 runs, 15 homers and 30 walks, joining the 1929 Philadelphia Phillies. Wandy Peralta, who started as an opener Saturday, has seven shutout innings in his six starts and has allowed a .167/.200/.208 slash line. Transactions Monday: Activated 2B Jake Cronenworth from the 7-day concussion list. Monday: Recalled RHP Bradgley Rodriguez from Double-A San Antonio. Monday: Placed RHP David Morgan on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Sunday with left knee inflammation. Monday: Optioned IF Will Wagner to Triple-A El Paso. Thursday: Placed RHP Jason Adam on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Tuesday with a right shoulder strain. Thursday: Activated RHP German Marquez from the 15-day injured list. Friday: Placed RHP Randy Vásquez on the 15-day injured list with a right ankle contusion. Friday: Placed C Freddy Fermin on the 10-day injured list with a head contusion. Friday: Activated C Luis Campusano from the 10-day injured list. Friday: Recalled RHP Alek Jacob from Triple-A El Paso. Website Highlights After brutal loss and sweep, Padres feel like a team on the brink of collapse — Randy Holt Song remains a perplexing evaluation for Padres — Yirsandy Rodriguez Adam's injury will hurt more than his WAR suggests — Randy Holt After one start, Sears has reintroduced himself as a viable rotation candidate — Randy Holt Padres hitters of the month for June: Tatis rediscovers stardom — Gottie Chavez Padres pitchers of the month for June — Brendan Dentino Padres minor-league hitters of the month for June — Steve Drumwright Padres minor-league pitchers of the month for June — Steve Drumwright Padres Mission podcast — Randy Holt and Steve Drumwright Looking Ahead Monday: Diamondbacks at Padres (Walker Buehler), 6:40 p.m. Tuesday: Diamondbacks at Padres (German Marquez), 6:40 p.m. Wednesday: Diamondbacks at Padres (Michael King), 7:10 p.m. Thursday: Diamondbacks at Padres (Griffin Canning), 6:40 p.m. Friday: Blue Jays at Padres (JP Sears), 6:40 p.m. Saturday: Blue Jays at Padres (Walker Buehler), 5:40 p.m. Sunday: Blue Jays at Padres (German Marquez), 1:10 p.m. View full article

Sunday's series finales saw the San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates win just once. That came courtesy of the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, who dispatched Sacramento 11-1, while the Double-A San Antonio Missions lost to Amarillo 1-0, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps were stifled by Great Lakes 5-0 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm couldn't keep up with Stockton 10-8. Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Big Homers Back Solid Start As Chihuahuas Roll To Victory Marcos Castanon hit a three-run homer and Nick Schnell added a two-run shot to back the seven-strikeout performance of right-handed starter Sean Boyle, matching his season best, as the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas cruised to an 11-2 triumph over the Sacramento River Cats. The Chihuahuas (40-47, 5-7 second half) won their third straight game and took four out of six in the series. Castanon had three hits and scored twice, Schnell had a pair of his and scored twice, Nick Solak had two hits (double), an RBI and two runs scored and Luis Rengifo capped his first week back in Triple-A with two hits for the Chihuahuas. Mason McCoy drew three of the Chihuahuas' nine walks, while Will Wagner and Bryce Johnson each had a pair of free passes. Boyle surrendered two runs on seven hits and no walks over five innings, his third straight start of matching his season best. The 29-year-old's seven wins are the most in the Padres' system this year. Right-hander Daison Acosta made his first non-rehab appearance after being on the 60-day injured list with an undisclosed injury. He was signed to a major-league contract by the Padres in the offseason and then waived off the 40-man roster in spring training. He went two hitless innings in his Chihuahuas debut, walking two and striking out none. Right-hander Andrew Moore pitched the final two scoreless innings, striking out a pair. Castanon hit his team-leading 13th homer in the third inning for a 3-1 lead, then the Chihuahuas broke it open with a five-run sixth inning that included Romeo Sanabria's RBI double and Schnell's 12th homer of the year. EP_0705.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Luis Rengifo 5 0 2 0 0 2 Mason McCoy 2 1 0 0 3 0 Nick Solak 5 2 2 1 0 0 Marcos Castañon 5 2 3 3 0 0 Will Wagner 2 1 1 0 2 0 Bryce Johnson 3 1 0 1 2 1 Blake Hunt 4 1 2 0 1 2 Romeo Sanabria 5 1 1 2 0 1 Nick Schnell 3 2 2 2 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Sean Boyle 5 7 2 2 0 7 1 Daison Acosta 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 Andrew Moore 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 Missions On Short End Of Pitchers' Duel With Sod Poodles Left-handed starter Jagger Haynes allowed one run over five innings, but that was all Amarillo would need as the host Double-A San Antonio Missions dropped a 1-0 decision to the Sod Poodles. The Missions (37-44, 6-6 second half) had their three-game winning streak snapped, but they did win four of the six games in the series. Haynes and right-handed relievers Johan Moreno and Josh Mallitz combined on a three-hitter, but the Sod Poodles' pitching kept the Missions off the board despite having eight hits. Two of the three hits came off of Haynes and both came in the first inning to produce the game's only run. Haynes also had an error on a pickoff play at second that preceded the RBI double. Haynes walked three and struck out four, while Moreno gave up a seventh-inning single in his two innings as he walked one and struck out a pair. Mallitz pitched the final two innings, walking one and punching out three. Player AB R H RBI BB K Ethan Salas 4 0 1 0 0 1 Carson Tucker 4 0 1 0 0 2 Tirso Ornelas 4 0 2 0 0 1 Kai Roberts 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jake Cunningham 4 0 1 0 0 2 Braedon Karpathios 4 0 0 0 0 2 Ryan Jackson 3 0 1 0 0 0 Albert Fabian 3 0 1 0 0 2 Francisco Acuna 3 0 1 0 0 1 Brendan Durfee 3 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes 5 2 1 1 3 4 0 Johan Moreno 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 Josh Mallitz 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 Jamie Hitt Has Another Quality Start, Ryan Wideman Steals 50th Left-handed starter Jamie Hitt turned in six quality innings, but a lack of offense cost the host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps in a 5-0 loss to the Great Lakes Loons. The TinCaps (34-47, 7-7 second half) dropped the finale after back-to-back wins, their only ones in this six-game series. In his fourth quality start of the season and second in a row, Hitt allowed two runs on three hits with no walks and six strikeouts. The only runs came on a sixth-inning homer with two outs. The Loons got two more in the seventh and another in the eighth. TinCaps leadoff man Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect, singled to begin the fourth inning and, following a walk and a strikeout, stole third as part of a double steal with Justin DeCriscio for his seventh steal with Fort Wayne, boosting his minors-leading total to 50. Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 4 0 1 0 0 0 Justin DeCriscio 3 0 1 0 1 0 Kerrington Cross 4 0 0 0 0 3 Kavares Tears 4 0 1 0 0 2 Luke Cantwell 3 0 0 0 1 2 Rosman Verdugo 2 0 0 0 1 2 Carlos Rodriguez 3 0 1 0 0 0 Oswaldo Linares 3 0 0 0 0 1 Kasen Wells 3 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jamie Hitt 6 3 2 2 0 6 1 Maikel Miralles 1 1/3 2 3 3 4 2 0 Braian Salazar 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Late Rally Comes Up Short As Storm Fall To Ports If this had been a soccer match, the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm would have lost the first half 9-0, but won the second half 8-1. It all added up to a 10-8 victory for the Stockton Ports, who scored those nine runs in the first five innings. The Storm (43-38, 4-11 second half) won just twice in the six-game series. Jorge Quintana and Dylan Grego homered, while Quintana, Alcides Hernandez and Dawson Willis each drove in a pair of runs for the Storm. Quintana, Willis (triple) and Qrey Lott each had two hits, with Lott scoring three times and Quintana twice. Storm starter Luis Maracara, an 18-year-old right-hander, gave up seven runs, including a homer, on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts in three innings. Five Storm relievers combined to limit the Ports to three hits and three runs from there, with right-hander Rordy Mejia fanning four in two perfect innings. Quintana, Padres Mission's No. 6 prospect, hit a two-run blast in the seventh inning, his third this year, while Grego hit his second Storm homer and third of the season, a solo shot, in the eighth inning to make it 10-6. The Storm made it close in the bottom of the ninth as Lott reached on a throwing error by the shortstop that plated a run and Hernandez had a one-out sacrifice fly for the other to bring the tying run to the plate in Willis, who popped out to end the game. LE_0705.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Yimy Tovar 5 0 0 0 0 0 Jorge Quintana 4 2 2 2 1 1 Yoiber Ocopio 2 0 0 0 0 1 Alcides Hernandez 2 1 1 2 0 0 Dawson Willis 5 0 2 2 0 1 George Bilecki 3 0 0 0 1 2 Dylan Grego 4 1 1 1 0 1 Truitt Madonna 4 0 0 0 0 4 Conner Westenburg 3 1 1 0 0 0 Qrey Lott 4 3 2 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Luis Maracara 3 7 7 7 2 3 1 Jordan Valenzuela 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Daichi Moriki 1 1 2 2 3 1 0 Rordy Mejia 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 Yoesmerli Beltre 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 Sean Barnett 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-4, 1 K Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-4, 1 SB Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Jorge Quintana: 2-for-4, HR, 1 K Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-4, 2 K Jagger Haynes: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 0 HR Lamar King Jr.: DNP Tucker Musgrove: DNP Truitt Madonna: 0-for-4, 4 K Alex McCoy: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-2, 2 K Garrett Hawkins: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP View full article

It was a good month for a few San Diego Padres minor-league pitchers. The fact that four of the five names listed below come from either the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas or the Double-A San Antonio Missions is also encouraging, as some of the places those teams play can be very challenging for pitchers. Ranking Padres' Best Minor-League Pitchers In June Honorable mention: Josh Mallitz, RHP, Double-A San Antonio Missions June stats: 1-0, 1.35 ERA, 8 games (all relief), 2 saves (2 chances), 13⅓ IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 21 K, .111 opponent average The right-handed reliever's season started late due to injury, then he gave up 11 runs in his two April appearances. But since then, Mallitz has been impeccable, giving up just four runs in 24⅓ innings. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi in 2024 and continues to be a big contributor in his first full season at Double-A after getting into four games for the Missions last year. He struck out 21 in 13⅓ innings in June after having 10 in his previous 14 innings. Honorable mention: Omar Cruz, LHP, Double-A San Antonio Missions June stats: 1-1, 2.31 ERA, 6 games (1 start), 1 save (1 chance), 11⅔ IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 22 K, .171 opponent average With a start and a save during the month, you can tell how valuable the left-hander has been for the Missions this season. And that is part of Cruz's story this year: He started the season at Triple-A El Paso, but struggled in the Pacific Coast League environments to an 18.00 ERA in four innings over six games. That had the Padres move him down to Double-A San Antonio. Since that move in late April, all Cruz has done is put up a 3.45 ERA in 15 games and 28⅔ innings, with 45 strikeouts and 10 walks. He made his MLB debut with the Padres last year, appearing in two games, so getting back on track at San Antonio is nice to see. No. 3: Winyer Chourio, RHP, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps June stats: 2-0, 2.86 ERA, 4 games (all starts), 22 IP, 18 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 9 BB, 22 K, .228 opponent average The 22-year-old, who just moved into Padres Mission's Top 20 prospects list at No. 20, has had a breakthrough year in his first time in full-season ball. Some subtle changes have increased the 2024 international signee's velocity and improved the quality of his pitches. His performance in 12 games at Low-A Lake Elsinore (3.31 ERA, 74 strikeouts, 54⅓ innings) earned him a promotion to High-A Fort Wayne. He made his High-A debut last week with a familiar line from his Storm days: five innings, one run, five hits, three walks, four strikeouts. That came after his final two starts at Lake Elsinore went six innings, and included his second nine-strikeout performance of the season. In addition, he had a 10-strikeout game in May. Chourio does need to reduce his walks, as six of his 13 games this season have seen the right-hander issue three or more free passes. His walk rate this season is 11.9%, which is somewhat offset by his 33.1% strikeout rate, which is significantly up from 20.8% last year. His walk rate a year ago was at 10.2%. Chourio has also already matched his innings total from last year (56⅔), which will make his second half fascinating to watch. No. 2: Andrew Moore, RHP, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas June stats: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 games (all relief), 1 save (1 chance), 10⅓ IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 12 BB, 23 K, .063 opponent average Probably the most consistent reliever in the entire Padres system, the right-hander went the entire month without allowing a run, extending his scoreless streak to 11 appearances and 14 innings. That included a promotion from Double-A San Antonio to Triple-A El Paso for his final two outings covering 3⅔ in which he struck out eight. He also continued to excel at striking out opponents. In six of the seven games where he went at least one inning, he struck out two or more, leading to a 44.5% strikeout rate this season. However, he did walk 12 in June, the most of any month, and has a 24.4% walk rate. Five of those walks came in his first two Triple-A appearances. Moore also keeps contact at a minimum. He gave up just two hits last month, one in his first game and one in his last, for a .063 opponent average, dropping his season number to .112. Of the 10 hits he has allowed this year, only one has been for extra bases. In his 22 games this year between the two levels, he has a 1.61 ERA in 28 innings. No. 1: Jhony Brito, RHP, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas June stats: 2-1, 1.14, 5 games (all starts), 23⅔ IP, 15 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 9 BB, 21 K, .181 opponent average While no longer a prospect at age 28, Brito is coming off missing more than a year following internal brace and right flexor tendon surgery and still has his rookie status intact for when he returns to the MLB level. Brito came off the 60-day injured list after his first start of the month at Double-A San Antonio, then went to Triple-A El Paso for his first non-rehab games of the season. Even in the difficult PCL environment, Brito has excelled. In those four starts alone, Brito allowed two earned runs in 18⅔ innings (he did give up three unearned runs in his last game). He has also punched out 19 and walked nine. Brito's walk rate has been up at Triple-A at 11.8%, but is at a more reasonable 8.7% for the season. Aside from the rehabbing German Marquez and Matt Waldron, Brito would seemingly be next in line as a starting option at the major-league level. View full article

It was a Fourth of July sweep for the top four San Diego Padres affiliates as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas turned back Sacramento 8-6, the Double-A San Antonio Missions cruised past Amarillo 8-1, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps survived a 14-inning affair against Great Lakes 13-12 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm rolled past Stockton 11-1. Padres Minor-League Transactions RHP Eric Yost assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. El Paso Chihuahuas activated RHP Daison Acosta from the 60-day injured list. RHP Landry Jurecka assigned to San Antonio Missions from ACL Padres. Chihuahuas Capitalize On River Cats' Miscues For Victory Luis Rengifo drove in a pair runs and scored twice without having a hit as offense only had three hits and took advantage of four errors, while the bullpen turned in a strong effort as the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas stopped the Sacramento River Cats 8-6. The Chihuahuas also walked seven times. The Chihuahuas jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first two innings on a Carlos Rodriguez RBI single and Nick Solak run-scoring double-play grounder in the first and Anthony Vilar's sacrifice fly and Rengifo's RBI groundout in the second. The River Cats came back with a five-spot in the top of the fourth, but the Chihuahuas took control back with a five-run bottom of the fourth. After three walks opened the inning, Rengifo reached via error for the second time in the game to plate two runs to retake the lead, while an errant pickoff throw brought in another and an error on a stolen base attempt brought in the final Chihuahuas run. Right-hander Eric Yost made his Triple-A debut for the Chihuahuas with 3⅓ innings. After three scoreless, the River Cats got five off Yost in the fourth, finishing by allowing seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts. From there, the bullpen was on its game. Right-hander Misael Tamarez went 2⅔ scoreless, right-hander Ty Adcock allowed a run in the seventh, right-hander Michael Flynn had a scoreless eighth and right-hander Justin Yeager finished with a scoreless ninth. EP_0704.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Luis Rengifo 4 2 0 2 0 0 Mason McCoy 3 1 1 0 1 0 Carlos Rodríguez 3 0 1 1 1 0 Nick Solak 4 0 0 0 0 0 Marcos Castañon 4 0 0 0 0 0 Bryce Johnson 4 1 1 0 0 1 Nick Pratto 2 2 0 0 2 2 Nate Mondou 2 1 0 0 2 1 Anthony Vilar 1 1 0 1 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Eric Yost 3 1/3 7 5 5 3 3 0 Misael Tamarez 2 2/3 2 0 0 0 1 0 Ty Adcock 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 Michael Flynn 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Justin Yeager 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Stellar Pitching, Kai Roberts' 3-Run Blast Carry Missions To Win Kai Roberts hit a three-run homer as part of a six-run second inning, Braedon Karpatios also homered and five pitchers combined on a four-hitter as the host Double-A San Antonio Missions strolled to an 8-1 triumph over the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Right-hander Francis Pena started a bullpen game for the Missions, his first start in his five-year career, giving up just one hit and facing the minimum in three scoreless innings with no walks and three strikeouts. Right-hander Landry Jurecka, an 18th-round draft choice making his Double-A debut after coming up from the Arizona Complex League before the game, also went three innings, allowing a run on two hits with a walk and three punchouts. He had never pitched above Low-A Lake Elsinore before Saturday. From there, it was one inning each for right-hander Tucker Musgrove, Padres Mission's No. 12 prospect who walked two and struck out two, right-hander Clay Edmondson and right-hander Garrett Hawkins, Padres Mission's No. 17 prospect who fanned two in a perfect ninth. Karpathios, Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect, had two hits, an RBI and two runs scored, while Albert Fabian also went 2-for-4, including a triple, with two RBIs and a run scored. After Karpathios singled with one out in the second inning and an error, Fabian's first triple of the season brought in both runners. Two hit by pitches loaded the bases, the Ethan Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, had a sacrifice fly before Roberts mashed his second homer of the season, a three-run opposite-field shot off the left-field foul pole, for a 6-0 lead. The Missions hit for a team cycle in the second. Karpathios led off the third with his seventh homer of the season and Wyatt Hoffman drove in the eighth run with a single to center. SA_0704.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ethan Salas 4 0 1 1 0 0 Kai Roberts 5 1 1 3 0 1 Tirso Ornelas 4 0 1 0 0 2 Jake Cunningham 4 0 0 0 0 1 Braedon Karpathios 4 2 2 1 0 0 Ryan Jackson 4 1 0 0 0 2 Albert Fabian 4 1 2 2 0 1 Francisco Acuna 2 2 1 0 1 0 Wyatt Hoffman 2 1 1 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Francis Peña 3 1 0 0 0 3 0 Landry Jurecka 3 2 1 1 1 3 0 Tucker Musgrove 1 1 0 0 2 2 0 Clay Edmondson 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Garrett Hawkins 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 TinCaps Provide Plenty Of Fireworks In 14-Inning Walk-Off With their largest crowd of the season awaiting a Fourth of July fireworks show, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps provided plenty of on-field sparklers before Kasen Wells' RBI single with one out in the 14th inning provided the walk-off in a 13-12 win over the Great Lakes Loons. Each team scored in each of the five extra innings: one in the 10th, two in the 11th, one in the 12th and two in the 13th before the TinCaps got a pair in the 14th to the Loons' one. Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect, went 3-for-6 and scored twice, Kavares Tears homered, drove in four and scored three, Luke Cantwell homered and drove in three, Kerrington Cross had a pinch-hit two-run homer and Jack Costello also homered for the TinCaps. Cross' pinch-hit two-run homer came leading off the bottom of the 13th to tie it 11-11 for his second homer since being promoted to Fort Wayne and 13th overall. Tears drove in four runs for the second time in three games by hitting his third home run in that span, a two-run shot in the eighth that tied the game 5-5, drawing a bases-loaded walk in the 12th to again tie the game 9-9 and singling home the first run of the 14th to tie it 12-12. The 14th featured a wild pitch, a hit by pitch, Tears' RBI single, another hit by pitch to load the bases and Wells' line single to right to bring home Alex McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 14 prospect. FW1_0704.mp4 FW2_0704.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 6 2 3 0 1 0 Justin DeCriscio 6 1 2 0 0 1 Jack Costello 6 2 1 1 1 0 Alex McCoy 6 1 2 0 0 2 Kavares Tears 5 3 2 4 2 2 Lamar King Jr. 6 0 0 0 0 2 Luke Cantwell 5 1 2 3 0 0 Kasen Wells 2 2 1 1 0 1 Zach Evans 4 0 0 0 1 1 Kerrington Cross 1 1 1 2 0 0 Oswaldo Linares 3 0 0 0 0 0 Rosman Verdugo 2 0 1 1 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Bryan Balzer 3 2/3 4 3 1 1 6 0 Javier Chacon 2 2 0 0 2 2 0 Ryan Och 2 1/3 4 2 2 0 2 0 Igor Gil 2 3 1 1 2 5 0 Nick Falter 3 4 5 2 3 1 1 C.J. Widger 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 Tyler Schmitt Shines, Storm Offense Erupts For 2 5-Run Innings Right-handed starter Tyler Schmitt allowed just two hits over five innings, while Conner Westenburg doubled twice and drove in five runs as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm exploded like a firecracker for an 11-1 win over the Stockton Ports. The Storm had back-to-back five-run innings in the fourth and fifth. Schmitt allowed just a run while walking three and striking out six. Right-hander Jeferson Villabona, in his fourth Storm appearance following a demotion from Fort Wayne, went a season-high three innings, not allowing a run or a hit while punching out three to drop his ERA to 0.96 with the Storm. Dawson Willis (two steals) and George Bilecki each had two hits, an RBI and two runs scored, while Yoiber Ocopio had a pair of hits and scored once. Jose Verdugo scored three times on a walk and a single. Bilecki, who also doubled twice, walked once as he reached base three times. LE_0704.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Yimy Tovar 5 1 1 0 0 1 Yoiber Ocopio 4 1 2 0 1 2 Dawson Willis 5 2 2 1 0 1 Bradley Frye 4 1 1 0 1 0 George Bilecki 3 2 2 1 1 0 Jose Verdugo 2 3 1 0 1 0 Truitt Madonna 2 1 0 0 1 2 Conner Westenburg 3 0 2 5 0 0 Qrey Lott 2 0 0 0 1 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Tyler Schmitt 5 2 1 1 3 6 0 Jeferson Villabona 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 Brandon Langley 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-4 Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ryan Wideman: 3-for-6 Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Jorge Quintana: DNP Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 2-for-4, HR Jagger Haynes: DNP Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-6, 2 K Tucker Musgrove: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K Truitt Madonna: 0-for-2, 2 K Alex McCoy: 2-for-6, 2 K Jesus Castro: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-2, 1 K Garrett Hawkins: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K Eric Yost: 3⅓ IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K Michael Salina: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP View full article

The Reaper is heading to the All-Star Game. Right-handed closer Mason Miller was the only San Diego Padres player selected Saturday to the NL roster for the All-Star Game on July 14 at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park. Miller, in his first full season with the Padres after being acquired at last year’s trade deadline, is an All-Star for the second time in his four-year career, having also been picked in 2024. Miller is tied for the NL lead in saves with 21 without blowing a save. Jhoan Duran of the Philadelphia Phillies and Riley O’Brien of the St. Louis Cardinals also had 21 entering Saturday. Miller has struck out an amazing 50% of the hitters he has faced. Miller has not allowed an extra-base hit all season and has five of his 14 career four-out saves this year. He has a 0.78 ERA and a .136 opponent batting average in 34⅔ innings. The nine starters for each team were determined by two rounds of fan balloting, with Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement getting automatically selected to start by virtue of leading the first round in the NL and AL, respectively. The 23 reserves, which includes 12 pitchers as that position is not up for voting, are selected by player voting and the Commissioner's Office, which ensures that each team has a representative in the game. View full rumor

Although June wasn't the most promising month for the big-league club, the San Diego Padres did get some positive developments down on the farm. Assuming A.J. Preller continues his aggressive approach at the trade deadline to upgrade a deeply flawed roster, it's possible that some of these players could be playing elsewhere come August. For now, let's rank the prospects who had the best months at the plate in the Friars' organization. Ranking Padres' Best Minor-League Pitchers In June Honorable mention: Bradley Frye, 3B, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm June stats: .305/.438/.441, 19 games, 16 R, 6 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 12 BB, 12 K, 4 SB, 1 CS An undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech, the third baseman who turns 24 next week has been one of the unsung players on a Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm team that won the California League's South Division first-half championship. Frye came on strong following the midseason promotions last week, going 9-for-16 in the final four games of June with three of his six RBIs for the month. That brought his season slash line up to .282/.371/.380 with two homers and 33 RBIs. He also has 17 steals. Honorable mention: Dawson Willis, 3B-1B, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm June stats: .280/.341/.537, 22 games, 16 R, 6 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 7 BB, 34 K, 5 SB, 0 CS The 22-year-old undrafted free agent who played collegiately at Oklahoma and LSU split June, his first full month in pro ball, between the Arizona Complex League and the Cal League with Lake Elsinore. He did not disappoint offensively. The 6-foot-4 corner infielder had a .300/.373/.617 slash line with four homers and 13 RBIs in 16 ACL games, beginning in mid-May, before joining the Storm and put together a .295/.347/.500 slash line, hitting two homers and driving in 11 with three steals at each stop. One issue is he has a combined 38 strikeouts in 28 games, though the rest of his production is hard to poke holes in. No. 3: Carlos Rodriguez, OF, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas June stats: .323/.385/.398, 23 games, 10 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 10 BB, 6 K, 5 SB, 2 CS The 25-year-old outfielder hasn't stopped hitting just because his career-best hit streak came to an end. The left-handed hitter, who signed with the Padres on a minor-league deal in the offseason, had a 22-game run that ended in mid-June. He has hits in seven of the nine games since. He is more contact-oriented as only five of his 30 hits went for extra bases, with four doubles and a homer. But that also meant he struck out just six times in 93 June at-bats. He finished June by reaching base in 34 of his previous 35 games and led the team with 16 RBIs in the month. Rodriguez had a slow start in the first two weeks of the season, with his average at .212 on April 10. But then he had three hits in two of the next three games to set him on his way to a .303/.372/.390 slash line as he enters July. Thus far, this is Rodriguez's best season since signing out of Venezuela in 2018 aside from short-season ball in 2018 and 2019. It is perhaps telling that in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, Rodriguez hasn't tried to hit more homers. He hit a career-high eight last year in the Atlanta organization, but has two just past the halfway point this year. No. 2: Kerrington Cross, 1B, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps June stats: .294/.450/.588, 24 games, 20 R, 7 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 23 BB, 25 K, 11 SB, 2 CS The 24-year-old first baseman continues to be an interesting hitter to watch. A seventh-round draft choice last year out of Cincinnati, the Hawaii native slashed .313/.467/.608 with 11 homers, 46 RBIs and 17 steals in 58 games at Low-A Lake Elsinore, earning a promotion to High-A Fort Wayne. Surprisingly, the TinCaps, with a number of hitter promotions, have struggled to begin the second half offensively with Cross among them. He is off to a 5-for-23 start (.217/.419/.348) with a homer and three RBIs in seven games. One of Cross' best abilities is getting on base. After 43 walks and 56 strikeouts with the Storm, Cross has eight walks and four strikeouts with the TinCaps. That has allowed him to score four runs for Fort Wayne after 49 with Lake Elsinore. Before his promotion, he had hits in 10 of 12 games and RBIs in six of eight. An advanced hitter, he should get acclimated to the Midwest League pretty soon. No. 1: Kavares Tears, OF, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps June stats: .300/.364/.717, 17 games, 11 R, 5 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 6 BB, 23 K, 0 SB, 1 CS After a rough start to his season, the 23-year-old outfielder has turned things on since mid-May. Since homering as part of a 3-for-5, four-RBI game on May 15, the 2024 fourth-round draft choice out of Tennessee has put up a .272/.346/.576 slash line, which brought his numbers up from .176/.330/.341 to .236/.344/.489. He has hit seven of his nine homers in that span. It has been a steady climb for Tears. Following that initial three-hit game May 15, he has only had one more since then. That came June 24 when he came a triple shy of the cycle. Power was his big tool coming out of college as he hit 20 for Tennessee en route to a national championship in his draft year. He had an 106.4 mph max exit velocity in 2025, which was the third-best in the Padres' system, but the question for Tears was whether he would be able to make contact consistently. He has a 32.1% strikeout rate this season after being at 29.1% last year when he spent the full season at Lake Elsinore, which bears monitoring as his breakout season continues. View full article