Steve Drumwright

The four full-season affiliates of the San Diego Padres went 3-1 on Friday with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas falling to Las Vegas 8-5, the Double-A San Antonio Missions rallied past Midland 8-7, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps beat Lansing 8-6 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm rolled past Inland Empire 12-3. Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Two Solo HRs Not Enough For Chihuahuas Bryce Johnson and Nick Solak homered, but the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas gave up three runs in the sixth that proved to be the difference in an 8-5 loss to the Las Vegas Aviators. Johnson, Solak, Mason McCoy and Will Wagner each had two hits for the Chihuahuas, with Johnson drawing the team's only walk. Johnson also had two RBIs. Chihuahuas left-handed starter Jagger Haynes (Padres Mission's No. 13 prospect) allowed four runs in just 2⅓ innings on eight hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Solak hit a solo homer in the second inning, his 16th of the season, while Johnson hit his solo shot in the seventh, his second of the year. Trailing 4-1 entering the bottom of the fourth, the Chihuahuas tied it as Rodolfo Duran brought in a run when he reached on an error, then Clay Dungan and Johnson had RBI singles. But the RockHounds regained control with a three-run sixth and another in the seventh. EP1_0904.mp4 EP2_0904.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy, SS 5 0 2 0 0 2 Gage Workman, LF 5 0 0 0 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez, DH 4 0 1 0 0 1 Nick Solak, RF 4 1 2 1 0 1 Nick Pratto, 1B 4 1 1 0 0 1 Will Wagner, 2B 4 1 2 0 0 0 Rodolfo Durán, C 4 1 0 0 0 2 Clay Dungan, 3B 4 0 1 1 0 1 Bryce Johnson, CF 3 1 2 2 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes 2 1/3 8 4 4 1 2 0 Garrett Hawkins 2 1/3 1 0 0 1 3 0 J.P. France 1 1/3 3 3 3 1 3 0 Hans Crouse 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 Ty Adcock 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 José Leclerc 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 Braedon Karpathios Has 4 More RBIs, 2 In 8th, As Missions Win Braedon Karpathios continued his RBI binge by driving in four, with his two-run single in the eighth the host Double-A San Antonio Missions squeaked past the Midland RockHounds 8-7. Karpathios (Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect) has had two four-RBI games and one five-RBI performance in the first four games of this season. He was already the Missions' RBI leader, but now has 13 of his 73 this week. Karpathios had two doubles as part of his three-hit game. Tirso Ornelas had two hits, including a homer, and two RBIs for the Missions, who trailed 6-1 after the top of the fifth. Missions left-handed starter Fernando Sanchez allowed four runs over 3⅔ innings on six hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts. Right-hander Sadrac Franco gave up two runs in 1⅓ innings, while right-hander Carlos Medina pitched two scoreless innings in his Double-A debut after also pitching at Low-A Lake Elsinore and High-A Fort Wayne this year. Right-hander Josh Mallitz gave up a run in two innings. Down 6-1 entering the bottom of the fifth, the Missions scored four times. Karpathios drove in two with his 20th homer of the season, then Brendan Durfee scored on a wild pitch and Ornelas' 32nd double of the year brought in Karpathios. Romeo Sanabria tied the game with an RBI single with two outs in the seventh that scored Karpathios. The RockHounds pushed across a run in the top of the seventh, then the Missions went to work in the bottom half. With one out, Luis Verdugo and Wyatt Hoffman singled, prompting a pitching change. Alex McCoy (Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect) walked to load the bases, setting up Karpathios' single to right through a drawn-in infield, with Verdugo scoring easily and Hoffman diving headfirst to beat the throw home with the go-ahead run. Mallitz worked around a walk and a single to finish this one off. SA_0904.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Braedon Karpathios, CF 5 2 3 4 0 1 Albert Fabian, RF 5 0 0 0 0 3 Tirso Ornelas, LF 5 1 2 2 0 0 Romeo Sanabria, DH 2 0 1 1 1 1 Kai Roberts, DH 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ryan Jackson, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jack Costello, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 1 Luis Verdugo, SS 3 2 2 0 1 0 Wyatt Hoffman, 2B 4 2 2 0 0 2 Brendan Durfee, C 2 1 0 0 1 1 Alex McCoy, PH 0 0 0 0 1 0 Anthony Vilar, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Fernando Sanchez 3 2/3 6 4 4 3 2 0 Sadrac Franco 1 1/3 4 2 2 0 1 0 Carlos Medina 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 Josh Mallitz 2 4 1 1 1 1 0 Carlos Rodriguez Homers, Has 3 Hits, 3 RBIs In TinCaps' Triumph Carlos Rodriguez went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps used early offense to produce an 8-6 victory over the host Lansing Lugnuts. Rodriguez also had a walk and scored twice, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances, during his second three-hit performance in his last three games. Luke Cantwell went 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored, while Lamar King Jr. (Padres Mission's No. 10 prospect) had two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the TinCaps. The TinCaps used three right-handed pitchers going three innings each. Nick Falter made his first start in 39 games of his debut season, allowing two runs (one earned) on just one hit with two walks and three strikeouts. Isaiah Lowe also gave up a pair of runs on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts and Miguel Alvarez also allowed two runs on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Alvarez earned his first save at the High-A level after having two last year in the Dominican Summer League. He has pitched for four teams this year: DSL, Arizona Complex League, Low-A Lake Elsinore and the TinCaps. Rodriguez's homer was a two-run shot with two outs in the top of the second inning, his seventh of the season bringing home Cantwell, who had doubled with one out. Ryan Gerety and Rosman Verdugo had back-to-back doubles in the third to put the TinCaps up 3-1. They made it 6-2 in the fourth when Rodriguez singled home Cantwell, then scored along with King when Kasen Wells reached on a throwing by the third baseman. Two more runs were added when Kerrington Cross and Cantwell walked with one out and King had an RBI single. After Rodriguez walked to load the bases, Dylan Grego grounded into a run-scoring forceout. FW_0904.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells, CF 4 0 1 0 1 1 Ryan Gerety, LF 4 1 1 0 1 1 Rosman Verdugo, SS 5 0 1 1 0 2 Kerrington Cross, 3B 3 1 0 0 2 2 Luke Cantwell, 1B 3 3 2 0 1 0 Lamar King Jr., DH 4 1 2 1 0 2 Carlos Rodriguez, C 3 2 3 3 1 0 Dylan Grego, 2B 4 0 0 1 0 0 Conner Westenburg, RF 4 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Nick Falter 3 1 2 1 2 3 0 Isaiah Lowe 3 6 2 2 3 2 0 Miguel Alvarez 3 6 2 2 1 2 0 Jorge Quintana, Dawson Willis Have Inside-The-Park HRs In Storm Win Jorge Quintana and Dawson Willis each hit inside-the-park homers and drove in three runs, while Ty Harvey also had three RBIs as the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm cruised to a 12-3 win over the Inland Empire 66ers. Storm left-handed starter Kruz Schoolcraft (Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect) went five innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Left-hander Adler Cecil struck out five over 2⅔ innings, giving him 107 this year in 61⅔ innings. He allowed one run on three hits and walked two. Harvey (Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect) went 3-for-5 with a run scored, while Quintana and Willis each had two hits, with Quintana scoring twice. Fourth-round draft pick Alex Conover had two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored, while Jose Verdugo had two hits and two runs scored. Eighth-round draft pick Sean Fitzpatrick struck out four in 1⅓ shutout innings in the best of his three pro outings, allowing two hits. The Storm jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Conver had an RBI single and Quintana slapped an opposite-field grounder inside the third-base line and down into the corner, where it got past the left fielder, allowing Quintana to score standing up for his eighth homer this year. Conover scored on the play. With one out in the fourth, Willis hit a deep fly ball that bounced off the wall in left and ricocheted back toward the infield. Willis slowed down coming around third but was waved home, diving in headfirst with his sixth homer of the season for a 4-2 lead. The Storm got four more in the fifth as Harvey had an RBI single, Quintana scored on a wild pitch and Willis had a two-run double. Harvey added a two-run single in the sixth to make it 10-2, then Conover had a run-scoring double and Quintana an RBI single in the eighth. LE1_0904.mp4 LE2_0904.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles, SS 4 2 1 0 0 1 Jose Verdugo, SS 3 2 2 0 1 0 Nu'u Contrades, 2B 1 1 1 0 0 0 Alex Conover, LF 5 2 2 2 0 1 Jorge Quintana, 3B 3 2 2 3 2 0 Ty Harvey, DH 5 1 3 3 0 2 Jesmaylin Arias, RF 4 1 0 0 0 1 Joe Tiroly, RF 1 0 0 0 0 0 Dawson Willis, 1B 4 1 2 3 0 1 Truitt Madonna, C 4 0 0 0 0 3 Qrey Lott, CF 3 0 0 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kruz Schoolcraft 5 3 2 2 3 3 0 Adler Cecil 2 2/3 3 1 1 2 5 0 Sean Fitzpatrick 1 1/3 2 0 0 0 4 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas, C: DNP Ryan Wideman, CF: On injured list Coleman Borthwick, RHP: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K Ty Harvey, C: 3-for-5, 3 RBI, 2 K Kale Fountain, OF: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana, SS: 2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB Alex McCoy, LF: 0-for-0, BB Braedon Karpathios, RF: 3-for-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, K Lamar King Jr., C: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 K Elliot Lascelles, SS: 1-for-4, K Tucker Musgrove, RHP: On injured list Jagger Haynes, LHP: 2⅓ IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Jake Cunningham, OF: DNP Truitt Madonna, C: 0-for-4, 3 K Eric Yost, RHP: DNP Winyer Chourio, RHP: DNP Jesus Castro, RHP: DNP Michael Salina, RHP: On injured season Rosman Verdugo, SS: 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K View full article

The minor-league season is entering it final weeks, so some pitchers are having their innings curtailed while others are still building following injuries that might have gotten their seasons off the late starts. Here are the ones who stood out in August in the San Diego Padres' farm system. Ranking Padres' Best Minor-League Pitchers In August Honorable Mention: RHP Hunter Stratton, RHP, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas August stats: 0-1, 1.54, 9 games (all relief), 0 saves (2 chances), 11⅔ IP, 11 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 12 K, .250 opponent average An under-the-radar acquisition at the trade deadline, the right-handed reliever was picked up in exchange for another promising reliever in right-hander Andrew Moore. Stratton has 62 games of MLB experience and would be an option if the Padres need an injury replacement in September. Stratton has been dealt twice this year, going to the Pirates from Atlanta for catcher Joey Bart. The 29-year-old has been very good since joining Triple-A El Paso, not allowing a run in his first seven appearances, before allowing one Wednesday and then three (one earned) Friday. He doesn’t put up big strikeout numbers (12 in 11⅔ innings) and did walk seven. Honorable Mention: RHP Josh Mallitz, Double-A San Antonio Missions August stats: 1-0, 2.45 ERA, 9 games (all relief), 2 saves (3 chances), 14⅔ IP, 12 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 13 K, .240 opponent average The 24-year-old right-hander continues to be one of the most consistent pitchers in the Padres’ system. An undrafted free agent who was signed out of Mississippi in 2024, Mallitz is usually good for multiple innings each time he takes the mound. Seven of his nine outings in August required getting more than three outs, with Mallitz going 2⅓ on Aug. 13. He has a just-above-average 26.4% strikeout rate for the season and his 10% walk rate is the highest of his three seasons. 3. Ian Koenig, RHP, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas August stats: 2-1, 3.52 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 30⅔ IP, 25 H, 12 R, 12 ER, 5 BB, 26 K, .219 opponent average The right-handed starter made his Triple-A debut Friday in a month where he has logged the most innings of the season. The 25-year-old went five innings and allowed two runs against the Oklahoma City Comets in a 5-4 loss in a game that featured Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith going 0-for-3 on a rehab assignment. He got Smith to pop up, ground out and strike out. That was his shortest outing of August. His other four for Double-A San Antonio were all six innings or more, including seven shutout innings Aug. 11 against the Frisco RoughRiders. He gave up five hits and a walk while striking out four. It was the third time Koenig has made it through seven innings this season. He is the only Missions pitcher to make it seven innings. Koenig, an undrafted free agent who signed in 2022, was promoted after leading the Texas League in innings with 121⅓. One of his biggest issues is allowing home runs. Koenig has given up 20 in 126⅓ innings after allowing 17 in 103⅓ last year at High-A Fort Wayne. He went seven innings twice in 2025 and will finish this season around 150 innings depending on if he gets three or four starts in the final three weeks of the Triple-A season. His previous best was the 103⅓ from last year. 2. Brandon Langley, RHP, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps August stats: 2-0, 2.57 ERA, 1 save (2 chances), 14 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 9 BB, 22 K, .235 opponent average In his first pro season since signing as an undrafted free agent last summer, the 21-year-old right-hander has been a solid reliever this season, with the usual bumps along the way. He spent the entire season at Low-A Lake Elsinore until getting promoted to High-A Fort Wayne last week. His first two outings with the TinCaps against the Great Lakes Loons were really good, both of the two-inning variety and facing just one over the minimum combined in the four innings. He struck out four in one game and three in the other, while not allowing a hit and walking one. The rest of his month wasn't shabby, either. In 10 games and 12 innings with the Storm, Langley allowed four runs on 12 hits and eight hits and 15 strikeouts. As with any first-year pro, he has had trouble with walks, putting up a 15.5% walk rate, though he's countered that with a nice 28.4% strikeout rate. With this being the last week of the TinCaps' season, Langley is likely to return to High-A next season following an offseason of working on what his coaches want him to adjust. 1. Adler Cecil, LHP, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm August stats: 1-0, 3.38 ERA, 4 games (1 start), 13⅓ IP, 7 H, 11 R, 5 ER, 11 BB, 27 K, .149 opponent average A 19th-round draft choice in 2023 out of Temecula Valley High School, just down the road from Lake Elsinore, Cecil has certainly increased his visibility since coming up to the Storm at the end of July. The Padres have a love of young left-handers and Cecil certainly fits the bill. The 6-foot-4, 160-pounder has been handled with care as he comes back from Tommy John surgery, which took him out of the entire 2025 season. But since returning, he has been on fire. This month alone, he struck out 27 in just 13⅓ innings, a total that led the entire Padres system. He is tied for the third-most strikeouts in the pipeline for the season with 102 while his innings total (59) is much less than the two above him. That translates to a strikeout rate of 39.5%. While Adler doesn't (yet) have that type of velocity, Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski is at 38.9% this year. In his most recent game, he struck out eight in 3⅔ innings against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. His other three outings had strikeout totals of six, seven and six while pitching 2⅔, four and three innings, respectively. He has reached five innings twice this season, both while in the Arizona Complex League, and twice struck out 10, once in five innings and the other in four. Adler was a project coming out of high school, with Baseball America ranking him as the No. 488 prospect (taken by the Padres with the 581st selection). He has two or maybe three appearances left this season depending on how the Storm do in the postseason after winning the California League's South Division first-half championship. They will play the Ontario Tower Buzzers, the second-half South champ, in the best-of-three semifinals next week. Cecil is likely to move up to High-A Fort Wayne next season. View full article

Yes, we know the caveat to this story. But still, this is what is going on as of now. The San Diego Padres will open Cactus League play against their Peoria Sports Complex co-tenant, the Seattle Mariners, on Feb. 19. That will technically be a road game. The Friars' first home game will be the next day against the Arizona Diamondbacks. All 30 MLB teams will play Feb. 19. Wrapping up Cactus League play, the Padres will host the Mariners on March 22. There will be one split-squad game, Feb. 26 against the two Chicago teams, at home vs. the Cubs and on the road against the White Sox (Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.). Times will be announced at a later time as will report dates for pitchers and catchers as well as position players for workouts in Peoria, Ariz. The caveat, of course, is whether owners and the MLB Players Association will have agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement in time to have a normal spring training. In 2022, the two sides agreed to a new CBA on March 10, three weeks before the scheduled Opening Day. In 2027, Opening Day is scheduled for March 25, when the Padres are to take on the D'backs at Petco Park. This will be the first spring training for new owners Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones. View full rumor

The San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates went just 1-3 Thursday as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas posted the only victory, a 9-3 decision over Las Vegas. The Double-A San Antonio Missions were shut out by Midland 3-0, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps bowed to Lansing 8-3 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm tumbled to Inland Empire 11-1. Padres Minor-League Transactions El Paso Chihuahuas placed RHP Ethan Routzahn on the 7-day injured list. El Paso Chihuahuas activated DH Will Wagner from the temporarily inactive list. RHP Garrett Hawkins assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. San Antonio Missions activated C Oswaldo Linares from the Development List. RHP Carlos Medina assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps. Lake Elsinore Storm placed RHP Michael Salina on the 7-day injured list. LHP Jeronimo Palmeros assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. Gage Workman Drives In 4 As Chihuahuas Fly By Aviators Gage Workman went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, while Carlos Rodriguez and Blake Hunt also had three hits as the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas cruised to a 9-3 victory over the Las Vegas Aviators. Rodriguez and Nick Solak each drove in a pair of runs, while Hunt scored three times. Clay Dungan went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored and Nick Pratto was on base three times with a single and two walks. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Ian Koenig, in his second Triple-A start, struck out a career-high eight over five innings, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks. Right-hander Logan Gillaspie fanned five over three shutout innings, allowing just one hit. Right-hander Hunter Stratton turned in another scoreless inning, his eighth in 10 games since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trade deadline. The Chihuahuas combined to limit the RockHounds to four hits. Mason McCoy had a sacrifice fly and Workman an RBI single to put the Chihuahuas up 2-1 in the bottom of the second. They made it 6-1 in the fourth. Hunt had a leadoff single, Bryce Johnson walked and McCoy loaded the bases on a bunt single. Workman had a sac fly, Rodriguez an RBI single and Nick Solak a two-run single after Rodriguez's 20th steal of the season. After the RockHounds made it 6-3 in the fifth, Workman singled to begin the sixth and scored on Rodriguez's 18th double of the season. In the seventh, Dungan and Hunt singled, Johnson bunted both up a base and Workman drove both home with a single to center. EP_0903.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy, CF 4 1 2 1 0 0 Gage Workman, 2B 4 1 3 4 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez, RF 5 1 3 2 0 1 Nick Solak, DH 5 0 1 2 0 1 Nick Pratto, 1B 3 0 1 0 2 0 Marcos Castañon, 3B 5 0 0 0 0 0 Clay Dungan, SS 3 2 2 0 1 0 Blake Hunt, C 4 3 3 0 0 0 Bryce Johnson, LF 1 1 0 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig 5 3 3 3 2 8 1 Logan Gillaspie 3 1 0 0 0 5 0 Hunter Stratton 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Missions Blanked By RockHounds Despite matching in the hit column, the host Double-A San Antonio Missions dropped a 3-0 decision to the Midland RockHounds. The Missions were shut out for the ninth time this season. The difference was the Missions got three hits from Romeo Sanabria and two from the red-hot Braedon Karpathios (Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect) but only two from the rest of the lineup, while the RockHounds had six players contribute hits. Missions right-handed starter Abraham Parra gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits over five innings, walking three and striking out four. Right-hander Francisco Pena went two scoreless as did left-hander Harry Gustin, who struck out three. Player AB R H RBI BB K Braedon Karpathios, RF 3 0 2 0 1 0 Alex McCoy, LF 4 0 1 0 0 3 Albert Fabian, DH 3 0 0 0 1 1 Romeo Sanabria, 1B 4 0 3 0 0 0 Ryan Jackson, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jack Costello, 3B 4 0 1 0 0 0 Justin DeCriscio, SS 4 0 0 0 0 1 Kai Roberts, CF 4 0 0 0 0 2 Oswaldo Linares, C 3 0 0 0 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Abraham Parra 5 3 3 2 3 4 0 Francis Peña 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 Harry Gustin 2 2 0 0 0 3 0 Yoiber Ocopio Homers For TinCaps, Who Fall To Lugnuts Yoiber Ocopio hit his first High-A home run, but that was the lone highlight for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, who fell to the host Lansing Lugnuts 8-3. Ocopio staked the TinCaps to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, scoring Kerrington Cross, who singled leading off the inning. It was his first homer in 14 games with the TinCaps after hitting five in 66 games with the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm. TinCaps right-handed starter Bryan Balzer gave up five runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks and two strikeouts over 3⅓ innings. He gave up two runs in the third inning to tie the game and then three in the fourth. The RockHounds added three in the seventh against right-hander Jeferson Villabona. Meanwhile, right-hander Sean Barnett went 1⅔ scoreless innings with two strikeouts, while right-hander Will Varmette had 1⅓ scoreless with three punchouts. FW_0903.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells, CF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Ryan Gerety, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Rosman Verdugo, SS 2 0 1 0 2 0 Robbie Lavey, C 4 0 1 0 0 0 Kerrington Cross, 3B 3 1 1 0 1 1 Luke Cantwell, DH 4 0 0 0 0 2 Yoiber Ocopio, 1B 4 1 1 2 0 2 Yimy Tovar, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 1 Dylan Grego, RF 4 0 2 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Bryan Balzer 3 1/3 6 5 3 3 2 0 Sean Barnett 1 2/3 1 0 0 1 2 0 Jeferson Villabona 1 2/3 5 3 3 1 1 0 Will Varmette 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 3 0 Lan-Hong Su Dazzles With 9 K's, But Storm Pounded Right-handed starter Lan-Hong Su struck out nine over 4⅔ innings, but the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm didn't produce much offensively in an 11-1 loss to the Inland Empire 66ers. Jose Verdugo had two of the Storm's six hits, while seventh-round draft pick Joe Tiroly drove in the only run, an eighth-inning single that plated second-rounder Elliot Lascelles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect). Su, the 19-year-old touted international free agent, has had his two biggest strikeout games of his debut season in his last two starts. He followed up a seven-strikeout performance over three innings Aug. 27 vs. Rancho Cucamonga with two more against the 66ers. He only allowed one hit, a two-run homer to his last batter that broke up a scoreless game. Storm left-hander Rob Evans, the Padres' 12th-round draft choice, made his pro debut, giving up one unearned run in one inning on a hit and a walk with one strikeout. Left-hander Jeronimo Palmeros made his Storm debut after nine games in the Arizona Complex League, allowing three runs on a hit and four walks in one inning. Another player made his pro pitching debut. That was 10th-round draft choice Augie Lopez, a catcher who started the game as the designated hitter. Lopez got the final two outs in the top of the ninth and allowed a run. LE_0903.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles, SS 4 1 1 0 0 0 Nu'u Contrades, 1B 3 0 0 0 1 1 Joe Tiroly, 3B 3 0 1 1 1 1 Alex Conover, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Chris McHugh, RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 Jose Verdugo, 2B 3 0 2 0 0 0 Jesmaylin Arias, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 Truitt Madonna, C 4 0 1 0 0 2 Augie Lopez, P 4 0 0 0 0 3 Dawson Willis, CF 3 0 1 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Lan-Hong Su 4 2/3 1 2 2 0 9 1 Yoesmerli Beltre 1/3 2 1 1 0 0 1 Rob Evans 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 Jeronimo Palmeros 1 1 3 3 4 0 0 Albert Roblez 1 1/3 3 3 3 2 3 0 Augie Lopez 2/3 1 1 1 2 0 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-4, 3 K Braedon Karpathios: 2-for-3, BB Lamar King Jr.: DNP Elliot Lascelles: 1-for-4, 2B, R Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: 1-for-4, 2 K Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-2, 2B, 2 BB View full article

As a result of president of baseball operations A.J. Preller's wheeling and dealing of prospects as if they were cotton candy at a birthday party, the San Diego Padres' minor-league system is the worst in MLB. Still, there have been some small wins for the Friars in recent years, though they're few and far between. Ethan Salas, however, is a huge victory. When Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, was called up Tuesday as rosters expanded, then made his MLB debut Wednesday in a 7-3 road loss to the Cincinnati Reds, it was the culmination of a process that began several years ago with scouts watching a young Salas as he grew up in Florida. Because of his family ties to Venezuela, Salas qualified as an international free agent, which made him eligible to be signed as a 16-year-old. Salas was the top international free agent in the 2023 class due to his advanced defensive skills, including a rocket arm, and his ability to hit, including being a left-handed hitter. The Padres then signed Salas for what at the time was a record $5.6 million bonus. The rest of his story is well-known. He made his pro debut at Low-A Lake Elsinore two days before his 17th birthday while many other international free agents were playing in the Dominican Summer League, at least a year or two before coming to the U.S. Yet he was already playing in full-season ball. We know everything that happened after that, but you have to give credit to the Padres for identifying and landing a top talent, then developing him into a major-league player who made his debut as a 20-year-old. But this was one of the few developmental triumphs for the Padres. If you take a look at the current 40-man roster, there are only six other homegrown players. Five of them play significant roles with the team, including Jackson Merrill and right-handed reliever Bradgley Rodriguez. Merrill was the Padres' first-round draft choice in 2021 out of a Maryland high school as a shortstop who was shifted to center in spring training before he made his debut in 2024. Rodriguez was signed as an international free agent in 2021 out of Venezuela as a 17-year-old and worked his way up to making his debut in May 2025, going down after one game and coming back up for six September appearances and then being included on the postseason roster. The other four homegrown players on the 40-man roster are left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon (international, 2016), catcher Luis Campusano (second-round pick, 2016), right-handed reliever David Morgan (undrafted free agent, 2022) and right-handed reliever Alek Jacob (16th-round draft pick, 2021). All are in the majors except for Jacob, who is at Triple-A El Paso. To be fair, Preller has used many of those draft picks, international players and undrafted free agents in trades to improve the roster for a specific season. Also, they missed on some players, already releasing two players from the 2025 draft. Otherwise, the lack of a productive farm system has made the Padres reliant on signing veteran free agents, like third baseman Manny Machado and shortstop Xander Bogaerts, or finding someone on the transaction scrap heap, like first baseman Gavin Sheets, left fielder Luis Rengifo or outfielder Samad Taylor. But now with Salas making his debut and all of the celebration around his call-up, that should send a signal to Preller and the Padres. Fans identified with Salas early and watched him come up, riding the highs and the lows along with him. They could do the same with Kruz Schoolcraft and Coleman Borthwick, two high school pitchers taken in the first round the last two years. Raising these players to become major leaguers also helps with salary. As things currently stand, the first three years, a player makes a minimum salary, then has three years of arbitration. Of the 47 players on the Padres' 40-man roster (players on the 60-day injured list don't technically count), 15 are making some version of the minimum. Conversely, the Los Angeles Dodgers have 20 such players on their 40-man roster, which also has 47 players. I am not saying Preller should abandon his philosophy of trading prospects for MLB roster upgrades, but there can be some restraint. Was sending their five 2024 draft choices, including their second-, third- and fourth-round picks, in a six-player package for a rental first baseman (Ryan O'Hearn) and an average outfielder who had another year on his contract (Ramon Laureano) the right price or an overpay? It felt like a heavy price. Who knows if any of those players amount to much, but what did O'Hearn and Laureano contribute (Laureano's injury aside)? Certainly not anything worth the type of investment made in those prospects. Regardless, Salas' MLB debut Wednesday showed the type of payoff sticking with prospects can benefit a team. Otherwise, you'll be left digging for diamonds in the rough every year. View full article

It was a good month for hitters in the San Diego Padres' system, which always makes picking which players to highlight a good problem to have. Let's give flowers to those prospects most deserving from August. Ranking Padres' Best Minor-League Hitters In August Honorable mention: Dustin Harris, OF, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas August stats: .390/.444/.634, 82 games, 17 R, 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 7 BB, 7 K, 7 SB, 1 CS Before getting called up by the Padres, his third MLB team of the season, Harris was blazing hot. Should he be higher on this list? You could make the argument for that when a player hits .390 for 22 games before he got called up, but this is a pretty good list this month. Anyways, Harris has always had a good hit tool, but hasn't been able to stick on an MLB roster when given a chance. While off to a tremendous start with the Padres (8-for-18), he had a 20-for-88 (.227) mark before this in 38 games with the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox. Honorable mention: Carlos Rodriguez, OF, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas August stats: .341/.358/.516, 23 games, 11 R, 2 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 3 BB, 9 K, 5 SB, 3 CS The light-hitting outfielder finished the month with a 12-game hitting streak that ended Sunday during which he hit .383. As the Chihuahuas' top hitter, he ranks fifth in the Pacific Coast League with 131 hits for the season and is fifth in the PCL with a .313 batting average. Rodriguez has hit four of his six homers in the last two months. 3. Ethan Salas, C, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas August stats: .308/.378/.487, 21 games, 11 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 10 BB, 7 K, 3 SB, 2 CS Farewell, sweet prince. While Salas' month wasn't as good as others on this list or others in the system, he gets this spot more as a recognition for his terrific season and, barring a catastrophe, the last time we can include Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect for any sort of weekly or monthly minor-league award article. The 20-year-old catcher's only full month at Triple-A was really good, as he hit three of his 10 homers on the season and only struck out seven times in 90 plate appearances. That's despite the fact that he was, on average, nearly seven years younger than the other players in the PCL. That includes pitchers with major-league experience who were either on rehab assignments or down for another reason. Salas has risen to the occasion in front of him, not fazed by the challenge. 2. Joe Tiroly, 2B-3B, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm August stats: .308/.357/.673, 13 games, 7 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 12 K, 0 SB, 1 CS Three weeks does not make a month (much less a career), but the seventh-round draft choice out of Virginia certainly has announced himself with authority to begin his pro career. Tiroly homered in his first game for Low-A Lake Elsinore then had a gap before hitting his second. But this last weekend, he mashed, hitting four homers in three games, including his first two-homer game. That gave him six bombs in his first 13 games. His pre-draft scouting report noted his fondness for pulling the ball and he has definitely shown that, but his blast Sunday went out to dead center off the batter's eye against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. His presence should be a boon for the Storm as they finish the regular season this week and then head into the postseason as a result of winning the California League's South Division in the first half. (They will face the Ontario Tower Buzzers, a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate, in the semifinals.) 1. Braedon Karpathios, OF, Double-A San Antonio Missions August stats: .313/.394/.552, 24 games, 14 R, 8 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 13 BB, 41 K, 0 SB, 2 CS No one truly knows why a player suddenly starts to perform better just because the calendar changes to a new month, but Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect certainly did that in August. Coming off a below-average June (.250/.347/.398) and a poor July (.218/.262/.397), the lefty-hitting outfielder started cranking out the hits again in August. He had 30 hits in the month after having 39 combined in the two months prior, including five of his 15 homers for the season. That has helped pull his season mark up to .249/.337/.413, which is on par with what he has done in his three previous full seasons. Another productive undrafted free agent, it wouldn't be surprising to see Karpathios return to Double-A San Antonio next season to see if he can build some consistency and perhaps raise his floor. He will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason, but it would be surprising for an MLB team to commit to putting him on the roster for a full season. View full article

Wednesday saw the four full-season affiliates of the San Diego Padres go 2-2 with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas getting outslugged by Las Vegas 14-12, the Double-A San Antonio Missions cruised past Midland 13-5, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps fell 10-1 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm hung on against Inland Empire 12-11. Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Chihuahuas Hit Back-To-Back-To-Back HRs, But Lose; Solak Has 4 Hits Nick Solak went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and hit one of host Triple-A El Paso's three consecutive homers in the first inning, but the Chihuahuas allowed 11 runs over the middle three innings in a 14-12 loss to the Las Vegas Aviators. Devin Taylor, the A's second-round draft pick in 2025 who made his Triple-A debut Tuesday, went 4-for-6 with two homers and seven RBIs for the Aviators. Marcos Castanon, Nick Pratto and Blake Hunt also homered for the Chihuahuas, who scored five runs in the bottom of the first. Solak had two doubles and a walk in addition to his 15th homer of the season. Hunt went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored, while Mason McCoy went 3-for-5 with a walk and scored three times. Castanon and Gage Workman each had two hits, with Castanon driving in two and scoring twice. Chihuahuas left-handed starter JP Sears allowed four runs in 3⅓ innings on six hits, including a homer, and a walk with three strikeouts. Right-hander Ethan Routzahn was tagged for six runs in 1⅔ innings. Solak hit a two-run homer three batters into the bottom of the first on a 1-0 pitch, then Castanon followed with his team-high 17th on an 0-1 pitch and Pratto his 11th (sixth with El Paso) on an 0-1 pitch. Hunt would add an RBI single to make it 5-0. Hunter drilled his 11th homer with two outs in the third to make it 6-1, but the Aviators scored five in the fourth, four in the fifth and two in the sixth. EP_0902.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy, SS 5 3 3 0 1 1 Carlos Rodríguez, CF 3 1 1 0 2 0 Nick Solak, RF 5 1 4 4 1 0 Marcos Castañon, 2B 6 2 2 2 0 0 Nick Pratto, 1B 4 2 1 1 2 1 Rodolfo Durán, DH 5 1 1 1 1 1 Gage Workman, 3B 5 0 2 0 1 1 Blake Hunt, C 5 2 3 3 1 1 Kai Murphy, LF 4 0 0 0 1 2 Totals 42 12 17 11 10 7 Player IP H R ER BB K HR JP Sears 3 1/3 6 4 4 1 3 1 Daison Acosta 0 2/3 1 2 2 3 0 1 Ethan Routzahn 1 2/3 5 6 6 2 2 1 Brent Honeywell 2 2 1 1 0 2 0 Alek Jacob 1 1/3 2 1 1 1 2 0 Totals 9 16 14 14 7 9 3 Braedon Karpathios Pounds Out 5 Hits, Including HR, In Missions' Win Braedon Karpathios homered for the second night in a row as part of a career-high five hits while driving in four runs as the host Double-A San Antonio Missions jumped out to an 8-0 lead en route to a 13-5 victory over the Midland RockHounds. Karpathios, Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect, had four singles plus the homer and has now driven in nine runs the past two days after his grand slam, five-RBI game Tuesday. Tirso Orneals and Anthony Vilar also homered, with Vilar going 3-for-5 with two homers and two runs scored. Romeo Sanabria had three hits, while Ornelas had two hits, three RBIs and a run scored. Wyatt Hoffman went 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored once. Missions left-handed starter Luis Gutierrez threw three shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out four. After right-hander Victor Lizarraga gave up five runs in 3⅔ innings, right-handers Sadrac Franco and Johan Moreno pitched 2⅓ scoreless innings.Karpathios and Alex McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect, opened the bottom of the first with singles, Ornelas belted his 15th homer of the season out to right field for a 3-0 lead. Vilar singled home a run to make it 4-0. Karpathios led off the second with his team-high 17th homer, then Vilar hit his first of the year with two outs in the third. Hoffman singled and scored on Kai Roberts' triple, with Karpathios driving in Roberts with a single and an 8-0 cushion. After the RockHounds pulled within 8-5 in the top of the seventh, the Missions put the game away with sacrifice flies by Roberts and McCoy in the seventh, then Hoffman's run-scoring single and Karpathios' two-run single to cap his five-hit day. SA_0902.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Braedon Karpathios, RF 6 2 5 4 0 1 Alex McCoy, LF 5 1 1 1 0 1 Tirso Ornelas, DH 5 1 2 3 0 1 Romeo Sanabria, 1B 4 2 3 0 1 0 Justin DeCriscio, SS 5 0 1 0 0 2 Luis Verdugo, 3B 4 2 1 0 1 1 Anthony Vilar, C 5 2 3 2 0 2 Wyatt Hoffman, 2B 4 2 2 1 1 0 Kai Roberts, CF 3 1 1 2 1 1 Totals 41 13 19 13 4 9 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Luis Gutierrez 3 3 0 0 0 4 0 Victor Lizarraga 3 2/3 9 5 5 1 3 1 Sadrac Franco 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 Johan Moreno 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 Totals 9 14 5 5 2 10 1 TinCaps Yield 8-Run Fourth In Rout By Lugnuts It was another tough night for the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps, who had just six hits and gave up an eight-run fourth inning in a 10-1 loss to the Lansing Lugnuts. Kerrington Cross had two of the TinCaps' hits, including a double. TinCaps right-handed starter Matthew Watson allowed two runs on four hits and three walks with no strikeouts over three innings. Right-hander Brandon Langley, coming off three straight scoreless outings including his first two with the TinCaps, was pounded for seven runs in two-thirds of an inning. Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells, LF 4 0 1 0 0 1 Ryan Gerety, RF 3 0 0 0 1 1 Rosman Verdugo, SS 4 0 1 0 0 2 Kerrington Cross, 3B 4 1 2 0 0 0 Luke Cantwell, 1B 4 0 1 0 0 1 Lamar King Jr., C 3 0 0 0 0 1 Carlos Rodriguez, DH 3 0 0 0 1 1 Yimy Tovar, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 0 Conner Westenburg, CF 2 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 31 1 6 0 2 7 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Matthew Watson 3 4 2 2 3 0 0 Brandon Langley 0 2/3 4 7 7 2 2 0 Florangel Vasquez 2 1/3 4 1 1 1 1 0 Jack Pineau 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 8 14 10 10 6 5 0 Trio of 3-Hit Games Power Storm Victory Second-round pick Elliot Lascelles, seventh-rounder Joe Tiroly and Jorge Quintana each had three hits with Tiroly driving in three as the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm jumped out to an 8-2 lead in a 12-11 victory over the Inland Empire 66ers. Lascelles, Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect, drove in two and scored three times, while sixth-round selection Nu'u Contrades went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, two RBIs and two runs scored. Lascelles, Contrades and Tiroly, who had two doubles, went a combined 8-for-13 from the top three spots in the order with seven RBIs and five runs scored. Storm right-hander Zack Qin, in his first Low-A start after 10 relief appearances, was knocked around for five runs in 3⅓ innings on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Right-hander Michael Salina, Padres Mission's No. 19 prospect, pitched a scoreless 1⅓ innings, while right-hander James Guyette, the Padres' fifth-round draft pick, made his pro debut with 1⅔ innings, allowing a run on one hit with no walks and no strikeouts. The Storm used their vaunted running game to score twice in the bottom of the first. Contrades and Lascelles pulled a double steal, with Lascelles swiping home, then Contrades scored as Tiroly was thrown out stealing second. Contrades doubled home a pair of runs in the second, then scored on Tiroly's first double of the game to make it 5-1. Truit Madonna and Qrey Lott had sac flies and Lascelles an RBI double in the third for an 8-2 advantage. After the 66ers scored four in the fourth, 11th-round draft pick Chris McHugh had an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, then the Storm added three in the fifth on Lascelles' infield RBI single and Tiroly's two-run double to make it 12-6. LE1_0902.mp4 LE2_0902.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles, SS 5 3 3 2 0 1 Nu'u Contrades, 2B 4 2 2 2 1 1 Joe Tiroly, 1B 4 0 3 3 1 1 Ty Harvey, C 5 0 0 0 0 1 Jorge Quintana, 3B 5 2 3 0 0 1 Chris McHugh, RF 4 1 1 1 1 0 Jesmaylin Arias, LF 3 1 0 0 1 1 Truitt Madonna, DH 2 1 1 1 1 1 Qrey Lott, CF 2 2 1 1 1 1 Totals 34 12 14 10 6 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Zack Qin 3 1/3 6 5 5 2 2 1 Rordy Mejia 0 2/3 3 1 1 0 0 0 Michael Salina 1 1/3 1 0 0 2 1 0 Jordan Valenzuela 1 0 3 3 4 2 0 James Guyette 1 2/3 1 1 1 0 0 0 Tyler Pitzer 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 Totals 9 12 11 11 10 7 1 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 0-for-4, 2 K Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: 0-for-5, K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, K Alex McCoy: 1-for-5, RBI, R, K Braedon Karpathios: 5-for-6, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, K Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-3, K Elliot Lascelles: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, K Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: 1-for-2, RBI, BB, R, K Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Michael Salina: 1⅓ IP, H, 0 R, 2 BB, K, W Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-4, 2 K View full article

Beginning the final week of all four San Diego Padres full-season affiliates being in action, the system posted a 3-1 record. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas suffered the only loss, falling to Las Vegas 6-0, with the Double-A San Antonio Missions needing 11 innings to beat Lansing 6-4 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm won 11-7 over Inland Empire. The TinCaps and Storm are playing their final series in the regular season, while the Missions have two weeks left in their season and the Chihuahuas three weeks. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres selected the contract of C Ethan Salas from El Paso Chihuahuas. San Diego Padres recalled RHP Jhony Brito from El Paso Chihuahuas. 2B Victor Duarte assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from ACL Padres. El Paso Chihuahuas activated RHP Ty Adcock from the 7-day injured list. San Antonio Missions placed RHP Clay Edmondson on the 7-day injured list. San Antonio Missions transferred C Oswaldo Linares to the Development List. RHP Bernard Jose assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps. Fort Wayne TinCaps placed 3B Bradley Frye on the 7-day injured list. RHP Florangel Vasquez assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. RHP Miguel Alvarez assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. RHP James Guyette assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. LHP Rob Evans assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. RHP Tyler Pitzer assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. Lake Elsinore Storm placed RHP Cameron Nohos on the 7-day injured list. Chihuahuas Can't Get Going Offensively, Blanked By Aviators Despite a really good bullpen effort, the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas couldn't overcome a rough first inning in a 6-0 loss to the Las Vegas Aviators. Nick Pratto had three of the Chihuahuas' six hits. This was the sixth time the Chihuahuas have been shut out this year. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Evan Fitterer allowed four runs in the first inning and made it through three innings. Right-hander Jose Leclerc allowed one hit in two scoreless innings, then right-hander J.P. France allowed two unearned runs in the sixth inning, with right-handers Hans Crouse (two innings) and Ty Adcock (one inning) not allowing a run to finish it off. Player AB R H RBI BB K Bryce Johnson, RF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Mason McCoy, CF 3 0 1 0 1 1 Carlos Rodríguez, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Marcos Castañon, 2B 3 0 0 0 1 1 Nick Solak, DH 4 0 1 0 0 1 Gage Workman, SS 2 0 1 0 1 1 Nick Pratto, 1B 3 0 3 0 0 0 Blake Hunt, C 3 0 0 0 0 1 Clay Dungan, 3B 2 0 0 0 1 1 Totals 28 0 6 0 4 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Evan Fitterer (L) 3 4 4 4 1 3 0 José Leclerc 2 1 0 0 2 2 0 J.P. France 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 Hans Crouse 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 Ty Adcock 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 9 9 6 4 3 8 0 Braedon Karpathios' Early Slam Gives Missions Grand Victory Braedon Karpathios hit a grand slam and Albert Fabian also went deep as the host Double-A San Antonio Missions opened their final home series with a 7-1 triumph over the Midland RockHounds. Karpathios (Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect) had two hits and drove in five runs, Fabian also doubled as he went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Tirso Ornelas, Romeo Sanabria and Luis Verdugo each had two hits for the Missions. Verdugo, who also walked, also scored twice. Missions left-handed starter Jamie Hitt went three shutout innings, allowing three hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Right-hander Francisco Pena pitched a hitless fourth inning, while right-hander Bernard Jose allowed a run over two innings in his return to the Missions, left-hander Igor Gil had two scoreless innings and right-hander Josh Mallitz pitched a perfect ninth. Karpathios got the Missions off to a grand start in the second inning. Fabian had a leadoff double, Verdugo singled with one out and Brendan Durfee walked to load the bases. Karpathios then launched his slam on the first pitch he saw to right-center, his 16th homer of the season. The next inning, Karpathios singled home Verdugo, who had walked, for a 5-0 lead. In the fourth, Ornelas laced his 30th double of the season and trotted home on Fabian's 12th homer of the season, which banged off the right-field scoreboard for a 7-0 advantage. SA_0901.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Braedon Karpathios, CF 5 1 2 5 0 1 Alex McCoy, RF 5 0 1 0 0 1 Tirso Ornelas, LF 5 1 2 0 0 1 Romeo Sanabria, DH 5 0 2 0 0 2 Ryan Jackson, 2B 5 0 1 0 0 1 Albert Fabian, 1B 4 2 3 2 0 0 Justin DeCriscio, SS 3 0 0 0 1 1 Luis Verdugo, 3B 3 2 2 0 1 1 Brendan Durfee, C 3 1 1 0 1 0 Totals 38 7 14 7 3 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jamie Hitt 3 3 0 0 3 4 0 Francis Peña (W) 1 0 0 0 2 3 0 Bernard Jose 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 Igor Gil 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 Josh Mallitz 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 9 6 1 1 7 11 0 Robbie Lavey Delivers In 11th To Lift TinCaps Fourth-round draft pick Robbie Lavey hit a go-ahead two-run with two outs in the top of the 11th inning as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps pulled out a 6-4 victory over the host Lansing Lugnuts in the opener of their final series of the season. Kerrington Cross hit an early three-run homer, Rosman Verdugo went 3-for-4 with two walks and two runs scored, while Kasen Wells and Lamar King Jr. each had two hits for the TinCaps. Wells also had two steals, giving him 25 this year. TinCaps right-handed starter Carson Montgomery allowed a run in four inings with two walks and three strikeouts, finishing the season with a 4.70 ERA. After right-hander Isiah Lowe gave up a pair of runs in two-thirds of an inning, left-hander Javier Chacon went 2⅓ hitless innings. Right-hander Will Koger gave up a run in two innings and right-hander Will Varmette continued his good stretch with his fourth straight game not allowing an earned run with two hitless innings. Cross struck for his sixth homer with the TinCaps and 17th of the season, a three-run blast in the top of the first inning, his second homer in five games. Wells singled, went to second on a hit batter, then stole third and scored on a bad throw by the catcher in the second to make it 4-0. The Lugnuts got one back in the third and two in the fifth to make it 4-3, then tied it in the eighth. After a scoreless 10th, Conner Westenburg was the zombie runner and went to third on Wells' bunt single. However, Westenburg was out at home on an attempted double steal, with Wells safe at second. After a strikeout, an intentional walk to Verdugo put runners on first and second. Both would come home when Lavey, coming off a four-RBI game Sunday, crushed the first pitch he saw into the right-center gap, his fourth double in 14 pro games. FW_0901.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells, CF 6 2 2 0 0 2 Ryan Gerety, LF 3 1 0 0 2 2 Rosman Verdugo, SS 4 2 3 0 2 0 Robbie Lavey, C 6 0 1 2 0 1 Kerrington Cross, 3B 5 1 1 3 1 4 Lamar King Jr., DH 5 0 2 0 0 0 Yoiber Ocopio, 1B 4 0 0 0 1 1 Dylan Grego, 2B 5 0 1 0 0 2 Conner Westenburg, RF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 42 6 10 5 6 13 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carson Montgomery 4 2 1 1 2 3 0 Isaiah Lowe 2/3 3 2 2 1 2 1 Javier Chacon (H) 2 1/3 0 0 0 2 2 0 Will Koger (BS) 2 2 1 1 0 2 1 Will Varmette (W) 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 Totals 11 7 4 4 6 10 2 2 Homers, Elliot Lascelles' 4 Hits Carry Storm To Win Second-round draft pick Elliot Lascelles had his first career four-hit game, while Qrey Lott and Ty Harvey each homered as the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm rode a six-run third inning to an 11-7 victory over the Inland Empire 66ers to open their final regular-season series. The Storm will play in the California League semifinals next week after winning the first-half title in the South Division. They will face the Ontario Tower Buzzers in the best-of-three series beginning Tuesday on the road. Lascelles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect), drove in two and scored twice and Lott went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored, while fourth-round draft pick Alex Conover and Jorge Quintana (Padres Mission's No. 7 prospect) each went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Right-hander Jesus Castro went five innings and gave up just one run on four hits and no walks, striking out three. Left-hander Andrew Wright, an undrafted free agent, allowed a run in two innings with three strikeouts before eighth-round draft pick Sean Fitzpatrick, in his second pro game, was tagged for five runs while getting just four outs. Right-hander Yoesmerli Beltre finished the final two-thirds of an inning, striking out two. Lott opened the scoring with a two-run homer to left in the third, his eight of the year, then Conover and Quintana had RBI singles and Jesmaylin Arias a two-run double for a 6-0 lead. Lascelles made it 7-0 with an RBI double in the fourth, then scored on Harvey's third homer of the year for a 9-0 cushion. Jose Verdugo plated a run in the sixth as he grounded into a double play and Lascelles capped the Storm scoring with a run-scoring single to center. LE1_0901.mp4 LE2_0901.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles, DH 5 2 4 2 0 1 Jose Verdugo, 2B 4 0 1 0 0 0 Alex Conover, LF 4 1 2 1 0 1 Ty Harvey, C 4 1 1 2 0 2 Jorge Quintana, SS 4 1 2 1 0 0 Nu'u Contrades, 3B 3 1 0 0 1 0 Jesmaylin Arias, RF 4 0 1 2 0 2 Dawson Willis, 1B 3 1 0 0 0 1 Qrey Lott, CF 3 4 3 2 0 0 Totals 34 11 14 10 1 7 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jesus A. Castro (W) 5 4 1 1 0 3 0 Andrew Wright 2 4 1 1 1 3 0 Sean Fitzpatrick 1 1/3 5 5 5 0 3 1 Yoesmerli Beltre 2/3 1 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 9 14 7 7 1 11 1 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: 2-for-4, RBI Alex McCoy: 1-for-5, K Braedon Karpathios: 2-for-5, HR, 5 RBI, K Lamar King Jr.: 2-for-5 Elliot Lascelles: 4-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, K Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W Michael Salina: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 3-for-4, 2B, 2 BB View full article

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!). Joe Tiroly, 2B-3B, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm Season stats: .308/.357/.673, 13 games, 7 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR, 3 BB, 12 K, 0 SB, 1 CS The Padres' seventh-round draft pick this year made a splash by homering in his first pro game about three weeks ago. He definitely one-upped himself with what he did this past weekend. The 21-year-old infielder, drafted out of Virginia, hit four homers in his last three games and has five in his last six games, giving him six in 13 pro games. It was part of a nice week for Tiroly, whose display of power helped him put up a .353/.353/1.059 (6-for-17) slash line with six RBIs in four games against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Four of his six hits last week went out of the ballpark. Tiroly hit 16 homers and had 66 RBIs, both team highs, this spring at Virginia. He played two seasons at Rider, where he hit 18 homers and was Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2025. In addition to three games at designated hitter for the Storm, Tiroly has split his 10 games in the field evenly between second and third base. His range has been questioned at second, while having enough of an arm to play third. Carlos Rodriguez, OF, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas Season stats: .313/.373/.430, 108 games, 55 R, 17 2B, 7 3B, 6 HR, 69 RBI, 44 BB, 48 K, 18 SB, 5 CS One of the most consistent hitters in the Padres' system this year, the 25-year-old outfielder had another terrific week, producing a .478/.520/.609 slash line with a double, a triple and three RBIs. Rodriguez had back-to-back three-hit games after having back-to-back two-hit games in the series against the Oklahoma City Comets. Rodriguez ranks fifth in the Pacific Coast League. He doesn't bring much power to the plate, with just six homers this year, but he is a left-handed bat, which is always coveted. Those six long balls are the second-most of his eight minor-league seasons, two shy of his 2025 total. His big week boosted his August slash line to .341/.358/.516. Lamar King Jr., C, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps Season stats: .232/.328/.328, 89 games, 33 R, 14 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 38 RBI, 36 BB, 88 K, 16 SB, 4 CS In one game, you could see the offensive potential the Padres see in the 22-year-old. That game came Sunday when Padres Mission's No. 10 prospect had two doubles and a triple with four RBIs in a 9-3 win over the Dayton Dragons. Sunday capped a week in which he had a slash line of .375/.412/.688 (6-for-16) with a third double mixed in to go along with six RBIs. The 2022 fourth-round draft choice hasn't had the offensive season he has had the last three seasons. He had a .271/.379/.421 slash line in 2024 in the Arizona Complex League and Low-A Lake Elsinore and .274/.353/.384 in 2025 at Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne. He has spent the entire season with the TinCaps, playing in 89 games. Adler Cecil, LHP, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm Season stats: 2-3, 4.12, 18 games (11 starts), 59 IP, 38 H, 36 R, 27 ER, 36 BB, 102 K, .182 opponent average Sure, the Padres' system isn't very deep in legit prospects. But the 6-foot-4 21-year-old wants to make sure you know who he is. The left-handed starter has been a strikeout machine in a limited number of innings. In his latest start, he fanned eight in a 6-1 loss to Rancho Cucamonga on Friday. He did that in 3⅔ innings. It was his fourth start this month in which he didn't go more than four innings and struck out at least six each time. His strikeout numbers are amazing. In 18 games and 59 innings, he has struck out 102, which is tied for third-most in the Padres' system. The only two higher totals are Winyer Chourio's 116 and Jagger Haynes' 110, and they have pitched 87⅔ and 123⅔ innings, respectively. Not a bad comeback after Tommy John surgery sidelined Cecil throughout all of 2025. Will Varmette, RHP, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps Season stats: 3-2, 7.14 ERA, 40 games (all relief), 4 saves (6 chances), 51⅔ IP, 61 H, 44 R, 41 ER, 33 BB, 55 K, .292 opponent average The 23-year-old right-handed reliever might be finally figuring some things out as he nears the end of his third full season and fourth overall since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2023. In two appearances last week against Dayton, Varmette struck out eight over 4⅓ innings while allowing just two hits and two walks. That continued a strong August in which he had a 2.61 ERA over eight appearances and 10⅓ innings. He has allowed three earned runs in his last 10 outings after giving up a seven-spot July 23 against Lake County. This has been his first season sticking at one level. Even in a partial 2023 debut season, he was at three levels, including one game at Fort Wayne, yet he has a 7.14 ERA. The last two seasons have been split between Fort Wayne and Low-A Lake Elsinore. View full article

After the news broke of Ethan Salas' promotion Monday, the move became official Tuesday as the calendar flipped to September. Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, officially had his contract selected by the San Diego Padres from Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday and is likely to make his MLB debut on the road against the Cincinnati Reds. Salas is the youngest player in the majors this year at 20 years, 92 days. Joining Salas on the Padres as rosters expand by two slots is right-hander Jhony Brito, who also comes up from the Chihuahuas. To make room on the 40-man roster for Salas, outfielder-infielder Luis Rengifo was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL. Brito made three relief appearances for the Padres in July. That capped a comeback from internal brace surgery and right flexor tendon surgery in May 2025. View full rumor

The time has come. Ethan Salas, the 20-year-old catcher who is Padres Mission’s No. 1 prospect, will be called up Tuesday as the San Diego Padres continue to make a push for the postseason, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune reported Monday. Salas will have his contract selected Tuesday from the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas as major-league rosters expand from 26 to 28. The Padres will have to make room on the 26- and 40-man rosters for Salas, who will become the youngest player in the majors when he debuts. Salas has been having the best of his four pro seasons this year, posting a slash line of .296/.374/.448 in 96 games, with career highs in homers (10), runs (54), RBIs (61) and stolen bases (17). That includes a .326/.410/.539 slash line with three homers and 24 RBIs at El Paso in 24 games. He joins Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin on the Padres’ roster, both of whom are right-handed hitters. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Salas will not be the youngest player to make his MLB debut for the Padres, although not by much. Fernando Tatis Jr. was 20 years, 85 days old when he played his first MLB game on Opening Day in 2019. Salas will be 20 years, 92 days old Tuesday when he joins the Padres for the second game of a three-game road series against the Cincinnati Reds. Salas will become the youngest catcher to appear in an MLB game since Ivan Rodriguez on Oct. 22, 1991, when he was 19 years, 309 days. A left-handed hitter who plays excellent defense, Salas signed with the Padres for a $5.6 million bonus in January 2023 as a 16-year-old as the international signing period opened. At the time, it was the largest signing bonus for an international player under the current capped system. Salas was born in Kissimmee, Fla., but his father, Jose Sr., is from Venezuela. He made a splashy debut, appearing in his first pro game that year, just two days before turning 17 on June 1. Salas went 2-for-3 with a walk in his first game for the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm, then 2-for-2 with two walks in his second game. Salas would go on to put up a .267/.350/.487 slash line with nine homers, 35 RBIs and five stolen bases in 47 games at Lake Elsinore. He was promoted to the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps and played in nine games, producing a .200/.243/.229 (7-for-37) slash line with three RBIs, then was aggressively moved up to the Double-A San Antonio Missions, who had won the first-half Texas League South Division championship and were playing in the postseason. He played in another nine games with a slash line of .179/.303/.214 (5-for-28). In 2024 as a 17-year-old, Salas played the entire season at Fort Wayne, where he struggled offensively. He had a slash line of .206/.288/.311 with four homers, 53 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 111 games. Salas was selected by the Padres to play in the Arizona Fall League, a prospect showcase, and had a .228/.327/.424 slash line in 23 games, hitting four homers and driving in 21 with four steals. That set him up for a promotion to Double-A San Antonio as an 18-year-old to begin 2025. But Salas developed a stress reaction in his lower back that limited him to just 10 games to begin the season. That lost season and his struggles in the previous season saw his prospect status among various publications plummet, with some not including him in their Top 100 after reaching as high as No. 8 in all of baseball by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline before the 2024 season. Salas, however, did a lot of work while sidelined and also gave him a chance to breathe following a whirlwind beginning to his pro career. That time off would be very beneficial to Salas, who has regained the luster on his star status this season. Salas started the season back at Double-A San Antonio and got off to a strong start to the season, posting a .286/.361/.417 slash line with seven homers, 37 RBIs and 14 steals in 72 games, including a .311/.359/.503 mark in his first two months. That earned him a second trip to the Futures Games during All-Star weekend. The Padres promoted Salas to Triple-A on July 29 and started off with two big games. In his Chihuahuas debut, Salas went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, a triple, a run scored and two RBIs. The next day, he had two more hits, both doubles, a walk and two RBIs. Salas has two brothers also in affiliated ball. Jose Salas Jr., 23, is currently an infielder at High-A in the Minnesota Twins’ organization, while 18-year-old Andrew Salas is a shortstop in the Miami Marlins’ chain who played the first half of the season at Low-A and then went to the Florida Complex League. View full article

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot Record last week: 1-5 Runs scored last week: 19 Runs allowed last week: 25 (season run differential: plus-10) Game 2: Any loss is costly during this portion of the season, but some hurt more than others. This one had more than an impact on the standings. Rengifo sustained what could be a season-ending right knee injury on a play that led to two additional runs to score to tie the game in what would be a 7-6 loss to the Rays. The loss, combined with a Phillies win and a D'backs doubleheader split, left the Padres four games behind Philadelphia for the No. 2 NL wild-card spot and tied with Arizona for the No. 3 position. Rengifo was injured in the middle of what was essentially the game-deciding sequence. Rodriguez came on to start the seventh and issued a walk and two singles to load the bases. Diaz then hit a rocket over Merrill's head that bounced off the center-field wall. Merrill grabbed it on one hop and fired to Rengifo, who was making his first start at second with the Padres and was covering second on this play. Rengifo noticed a runner caught between second and third and chased him toward third base. Then the runner on third took off for home and Rengifo pivoted, with his right knee crumbling as he made a wide throw to the plate. All three runners who were on base scored, two as a result of Rengifo's throw. Morejon would replace Rodriguez with the game tied, no outs and a runner on third. After a groundout and intentional walk, Morejon got a strikeout before Simpson slapped an opposite-field single to left to drive in the go-ahead run in a four-run seventh. That outburst came after the Padres scored three runs in the top of the seventh. Rengifo, as he has done since coming up July 8, started things with a leadoff walk, then Harris, who had three hits in his first four Padres games, twice failed to put down a bunt before getting his third single of the day and Tatis put down a rare bunt single to load the bases. After Cronenworth struck out, Machado came through with a tiebreaking two-run single two-run single to put the Friars up 5-3. Machado and Tatis then pulled a double steal, with Tatis taking home for a 6-3 cushion. But the Rays showed, in part, why they are the best team in the AL by taking advantage of the Padres in the bottom of the seventh. Game 3: After an emotional loss the day before, this was perhaps the Padres' most frustrating loss of the season. After all, they had the game-ending out in their glove. Then it wasn't. In a game packed with storylines, the Padres were unable to execute in the late going, which resulted in a 5-4 walk-off loss in 11 innings. The three-game sweep dropped the Padres out of an NL wild-card spot for the first time since Aug. 10, a half-game behind the idle D'backs for the No. 3 position. The most talked-about play of the game will be the catch that was not a catch by left fielder Samad Taylor, who was back with the Padres following Rengifo's injury. With two outs, a runner on and Miller in to protect a 3-1 lead, Jonny DeLuca launched an 0-1 pitch down the left-field line. Taylor tracked it down in the corner and initially made the catch, but the ball came out of his glove as he banged into the wall at the foul pole and went over the fence for a tying two-run homer. Initially, Miller reacted as if Taylor had caught it, but when Taylor bent over in disappointment, Miller walked nearly all the way to the Padres' dugout, thinking it had been a walk-off loss. He recovered to strike out the next batter. In the 10th, the Padres had a failed bunt by Cronenworth and a caught stealing by Bowen, who was in the game after Tatis and Stammen were ejected after the top of the seventh. Matsui escaped damage in the bottom of the 10th, then the Padres took the lead in the top of the 11th as Machado, the zombie runner, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on France's sac fly to deep right-center. Right-hander David Morgan came on for the bottom of the 11th and struck out Junior Caminero before Liam Hicks singled zombie runner Richie Palacios to third. Pinch-runner Kenny Piper stole second, leading to an intentional walk of the speedy Simpson to load the bases. DeLuca hit a one-out chopper to a drawn-in Bogaerts, who charged the ball but bobbled in a moment of indecision when he should have been coming home to nail the tying run. With the bases still loaded and one out, the defense all around was playing in when former Padre Jorge Mateo lined the walk-off single over a leaping Taylor. Tatis and Stammen were ejected after Tatis put down a two-out bunt for a base hit in the top of the seventh. Tatis did initially run just barely on the grass in fair territory as he raced to first base, with the throw from the pitcher going down in the bullpen in right-field foul territory and Tatis ending up on second. But the umpires ruled that because Tatis had been running on the grass, however slightly, he was out. That led to a demonstrative protest by Tatis and Stammen, who were both run. Ray had turned in a nice start for the Padres, going six innings and allowing a run on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts. The only run he gave up was Caminero's 37th homer of the year, his second in as many days. Marvelous Mason Miller Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer: Season stats: 4-2, 1.26 ERA, 55 games, 32 saves (34 chances), 57⅓ IP, 28 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 20 BB, 104 K, .143 opponent average The home run to Oneil Cruz was the first allowed since Aug. 5, 2025, Mason Miller's second game with the Padres. He allowed four homers with the A's last year before the trade. That was also just the second run given up in Miller's last 20 appearances. Was handed his second blown save Sunday on the ninth-inning homer that Samad Taylor had fall out of his glove. Was also the second homer allowed in as many outings after not giving one up since last season. Random Stats Fernando Tatis Jr. was named the NL Player of the Week after hitting .480 with four homers with six runs scored and 11 RBIs. Monday's 12-inning loss to the Pirates snapped an eight-game home winning streak. Ty France hit his 100th career homer Saturday, 19 coming this season. He has 26 career homers with the Padres. France has reached base in 24 of his last 25 games at Petco Park. Randy Vasquez retired the first nine batters Wednesday for the second start in a row, the first Padres pitch to do that since Chris Paddack in 2019. Manny Machado's two-hit game Saturday was his 308th career multihit game, tying him for second in Padres history with Dave Winfield. Tony Gwynn has the club record with 951. The sweep by the Rays was the first against the Padres since the June 29-July 1 series against the Chicago Cubs. Entering the weekend, their three times being swept was tied for the second-fewest in MLB. This makes four times. The Padres are 11-22 (.333) vs. the Rays all time, their worst record against any team. Transactions Monday: Optioned 2B Sung-Mun Song to Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Monday: Selected the contract of LF Dustin Harris from Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Monday: Transferred RHP Lucas Giolito (right elbow inflammation) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Sunday: Placed LF Luis Rengifo on the 10-day injured list with sprained right knee. Sunday: Placed 1B Gavin Sheets on the 10-day injured list with sprained left foot. Sunday: Activated LF Samad Taylor (strained left oblique) from the 10-day injured list. Sunday: Recalled 2B Sung-Mun Song from Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Sunday: Sent RHP Nick Pivetta on a rehab assignment to El Paso Chihuahuas. Website Highlights Padres' admirable plan to rest Machado never materialized — Steve Drumwright Has France established himself as Padres' long-term first baseman? — Randy Holt Rengifo's injury creates new options for Padres when rosters expand — Steve Drumwright Impending Taylor, Andujar returns further cloud Padres' convoluted bench — Randy Holt Miller is nearing a career-high workload. How should Padres use their bullpen down the stretch? — Yirsandy Rodriguez Breaking down the Padres' remaining schedule as September approaches — Steve Drumwright Song's demotion has wide-ranging impact on Padres' bench — Randy Holt Salas is giving Padres plenty to think about ahead of September — Sam Caulder New Padres owners introduce themselves with passionate, personal touch — Steve Drumwright Looking Ahead Monday: Padres (Michael King) at Reds (Brady Singer), 3:40 p.m. Tuesday: Padres (Randy Vasquez) at Reds (Nick Lodolo), 3:40 p.m. Wednesday: Padres (Casey Mize) at Reds (Rhett Lowder), 9:40 a.m. Thursday: Off Friday: Yankees at Padres (Walker Buehler), 6:40 p.m. Saturday: Yankees at Padres (Robbie Ray), 4:15 p.m. Sunday: Yankees at Padres (Michael King), 1:10 p.m. View full article

The San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates went 1-3 to wrap up their weeklong series. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas dropped a tough 2-1 decision to Oklahoma City, the Double-A San Antonio Missions fell 8-6 to Springfield, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps prevailed 9-3 over Dayton and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm were outgunned 16-13 by Rancho Cucamonga. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres activated LF Samad Taylor from the 10-day injured list. San Diego Padres sent RHP Nick Pivetta on a rehab assignment to El Paso Chihuahuas. San Diego Padres recalled 2B Sung-Mun Song from El Paso Chihuahuas. Nick Pivetta Fans 7 In Strong Rehab Start; Chihuahuas Lose Rehabbing Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta struck out seven over 4⅓ innings, looking sharp in his second outing of his second rehab stint, but the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas were walked off by the host Oklahoma City Comets 2-1. The Chihuahuas (74-57, 18-39 second half), who were seeking their first series win since the end of June, went 3-4 in the series, which included a doubleheader. Pivetta, whose first outing when his initial rehab assignment more than three weeks ago ended abruptly with him walking off the mound, restarted his assignment Tuesday at Low-A Lake Elsinore and experienced the normal first-start bumps. But jumping up to Triple-A for this start, Pivetta was up to the task. He threw 64 pitches, 44 for strikes. The only question about Pivetta's outing was his velocity. His four-seamer started out in the 94 mph range, which is what he was throwing at the beginning of the season before his flexor injury, but it ticked down slightly with each inning. His fastest pitch was 94.4 mph to rehabbing Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith in the first inning, while dropping down to 91.5 in the top of the fifth. Ethan Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, was on base twice and drove in the Chihuahuas' only run, driving in Bryce Johnson on a broken-bat flair single to right to stake Pivetta to a 1-0 lead. It stayed 1-0 until the seventh, when the Comets got a two-out RBI single. With right-hander Alek Jacob on to start the bottom of the ninth, the Comets got a single, a flyout that advanced the runner to second, an intentional walk and an RBI single to right, with the runner scoring well ahead of the throw home. The Chihuahuas were held to four hits, with Nick Solak having two of them. Salas also had his third stolen base at Triple-A, giving him 17 for the season, matching the total he had in his first three pro seasons. Player AB R H RBI BB K Bryce Johnson, CF 2 1 0 0 1 1 Carlos Rodríguez, RF 3 0 0 0 1 0 Nick Solak, LF 4 0 2 0 0 0 Marcos Castañon, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 1 Ethan Salas, C 3 0 1 1 1 0 Mason McCoy, SS 4 0 0 0 0 0 Rodolfo Durán, DH 4 0 1 0 0 1 Nick Pratto, 1B 3 0 0 0 0 1 Gage Workman, 3B 3 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 30 1 4 1 3 5 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Nick Pivetta 4 1/3 2 0 0 1 7 0 Sean Boyle 2 2/3 5 1 1 0 2 0 Ethan Routzahn 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Alek Jacob (L, 6-7) 0 1/3 2 1 1 1 0 0 Totals 8 1/3 9 2 2 2 9 0 Alex McCoy's 3 Hits, 18th HR Not Enough For Missions Alex McCoy went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs, while Justin DeCriscio went 3-for-3, but the Double-A San Antonio Missions were done in by a five-run fifth inning that gave the host Springfield Cardinals an 8-6 victory. The Missions (55-71, 24-33 second half) went 1-5 in the series, while the Cardinals clinched the second-half title in the Texas League's North Division with two weeks left. Missions right-handed starter Eric Yost, Padres Mission's No. 16 prospect, was pounded for eight runs in 4⅓ innings, including three homers, all in the fifth. Braedon Karpathios, Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect, went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI, while McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect, also walked once and scored once. The Missions were down 3-0 when they tied the game in the top of the fifth on Kai Roberts' sacrifice fly, Karpathios' RBI single and McCoy's run-scoring single. But the Cardinals then hit three homers in a five-batter span during their five-run rally. McCoy hit his homer, a 435-foot two-run shot, in the seventh. It was his third in 14 games with the Missions and 18th of the season. SA_0830.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Braedon Karpathios, RF 4 2 2 1 1 1 Alex McCoy, LF 4 1 3 3 1 0 Romeo Sanabria, 1B 4 0 0 1 0 0 Albert Fabian, DH 4 0 1 0 1 0 Jack Costello, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 1 Justin DeCriscio, 2B 3 1 3 0 1 0 Luis Verdugo, SS 4 1 1 0 0 2 Anthony Vilar, C 3 1 0 0 1 0 Kai Roberts, CF 3 0 0 1 0 2 Totals 33 6 10 6 5 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Eric Yost (L, 7-4) 4 1/3 9 8 8 2 4 3 Harry Gustin 0 2/3 1 0 0 1 0 0 Clay Edmondson 0 1/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 Garrett Hawkins 2 2/3 0 0 0 1 4 0 Totals 8 10 8 8 5 8 3 Lamar King Jr., Robbie Lavey Help TinCaps Win Home Finale Lamar King Jr. and fourth-round draft pick Robbie Lavey each drove in a season-high four runs as the host Fort Wayne TinCaps exploded for eight runs in a two-inning stretch to bounce the Dayton Dragons 9-4 in their home finale. The TinCaps (52-72, 25-33 second half) won twice in the six-game series. King, Padres Mission's No. 10 prospect, had three extra-base hits, two doubles and a triple, while Lavey had two hits and scored twice in his third multihit day in 13 pro games. Kasen Wells also had two hits and scored twice for the TinCaps. TinCaps right-handed starter Winyer Chourio, Padres Mission's No. 17 prospect, was solid over five innings, allowing two runs on four hits and five walks while striking out four. The bullpen was pretty good, with four relievers each going an inning, allowing a solo homer with three hits and no walks. The TinCaps trailed 2-0 entering the bottom of the fourth. Wells had a leadoff double and Rosman Verdugo a one-out walk when Lavey notched his third double of the season to tie the game 2-2. One out later, King doubled Lavey home for a 3-2 TinCaps lead. They broke it open with a five-run fifth. Yimy Tovar, Conner Westenburg and Wells had singles to load the bases. After a pitching change, Ryan Gerety, an undrafted free agent in his fourth inning, drew the first of his two walks to force in a run. After a strikeout, Lavey singled home two more runs to make it 6-2. One out later, King's second double of the game brought in another two runs for an 8-2 cushion. King accounted for the final run when his seventh-inning triple brought in Verdugo, who had singled. FW_0830.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells, CF 5 2 2 0 0 1 Ryan Gerety, LF 3 1 0 1 2 1 Rosman Verdugo, SS 3 2 1 0 1 2 Robbie Lavey, C 4 2 2 4 0 1 Kerrington Cross, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 1 Lamar King Jr., DH 4 0 3 4 0 0 Yoiber Ocopio, 1B 3 0 0 0 0 0 Yimy Tovar, 2B 4 1 1 0 0 2 Conner Westenburg, RF 3 1 1 0 1 2 Totals 33 9 10 9 4 10 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Winyer Chourio (W, 3-4) 5 4 2 2 5 4 1 Isaiah Lowe 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Jack Pineau 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 Sean Barnett 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Jeferson Villabona 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 9 7 3 3 5 6 2 Joe Tiroly Goes Deep For 4th Time In 3 Games; Storm Drop Slugfest Seventh-round draft choice Joe Tiroly hit his fourth homer in three days and fourth-rounder Alex Conover drove in three, but the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm watched a 7-0 lead disappear with three four-run innings in a 16-13 loss to the host Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Tiroly, who has six homers in 13 pro games, led off the top of the ninth by crushing a 2-1 pitch off the batter's eye in center field to pull the Storm within 16-12. Nu'u Contrades, the Padres' sixth-round pick, added an RBI single with two outs, but the Storm couldn't keep the rally going. Tiroly, Conover, second-round pick Elliot Lescalles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect), Jose Verdugo and Ty Harvey (Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect) each had two hits. Tiroly, Verdugo and Qrey Lott each drove in a pair. As you might expect, the pitching was messy as the Storm allowed 16 hits and issued eight walks. LE_0830.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles, SS 5 1 2 0 1 1 Jose Verdugo, 2B 4 1 2 2 0 0 Nu'u Contrades, 2B 1 1 1 1 1 0 Alex Conover, CF 6 0 2 3 0 0 Chris McHugh, RF 3 1 0 0 1 2 Ty Harvey, DH 4 2 2 0 1 2 Joe Tiroly, 3B 5 1 2 2 0 2 Truitt Madonna, C 4 1 0 0 1 3 Dawson Willis, 1B 2 1 0 1 1 2 Augie Lopez, 1B 1 1 0 0 1 0 Qrey Lott, CF 3 1 1 2 0 2 Jesmaylin Arias, LF 0 2 0 0 2 0 Totals 38 13 12 11 9 14 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Luis Maracara 1 1 3 3 4 1 0 Rordy Mejia 2 5 4 4 3 1 0 Miguel Alvarez (L, 0-1) 3 5 5 5 1 2 1 Albert Roblez 1 2/3 4 4 4 0 3 0 Florangel Vasquez 0 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 8 16 16 16 8 7 1 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-3, RBI, BB Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: 2-for-4, 3B, BB, 2 K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: DNP Alex McCoy: 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, BB Braedon Karpathios: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB, K Lamar King Jr.: 3-for-4, 2 2B, 3B, 4 RBI Elliot Lascelles: 2-for-5, BB, K Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: 0-for-4, BB, 3 K Eric Yost: 4⅓ IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 3 HR Winyer Chourio: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, 1 HR Jesus Castro: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-3, BB, 2 K View full article