Steve Drumwright

The four full-season affiliates for the San Diego Padres went 1-3 Sunday in the series finales. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas pulled out a 4-3 win over Sugar Land, the Double-A San Antonio Missions lost a tight one to Corpus Christi 4-3, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps fell to Lansing 6-2 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm got stomped by Ontario 11-5. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres optioned RHP Jhony Brito to El Paso Chihuahuas. Bryce Johnson Walks It Off For Chihuahuas Bryce Johnson singled home Clay Dungan with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning as the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas overcame a three-run seventh inning to walk off the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 4-3. The Chihuahuas (42-53, 7-13 second half) snapped a six-game losing streak of the abbreviated three-game series due to the All-Star break. Carlos Rodriguez homered and had two hits along with Johnson and Blake Hunt for the Chihuahuas, who built a 3-0 lead. Right-hander Michael Flynn started the bullpen game and went two scoreless innings. Flynn has not allowed a run in his last six appearances covering nine innings since yielding six in two-thirds of an inning June 25. Six pitchers would follow Flynn, allowing putting up zeroes except for right-hander Daison Acosta, who gave up three runs (one earned) in the seventh inning. After giving up a homer, Acosta committed a fielding error that led to the final two runs of that inning scoring. Right-handers Ethan Routzahn and Alek Jacob pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings. The Chihuahuas grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Nick Solak doubled with two outs and scored on Will Wagner's single. Wagner took second on a wild pitch and scored on Nick Pratto's single. It became 3-0 in the sixth on Rodriguez's third homer of the season. After the Hooks tied it in the seventh, Dungan singled with one out in the ninth, Hunt singled him to second and Johnson grounded a single up the middle, with Dungan scoring easily from second. EP_0719.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Dustin Harris 4 0 1 0 0 0 Mason McCoy 4 0 0 0 0 2 Carlos Rodríguez 4 1 2 1 0 1 Nick Solak 4 1 1 0 0 0 Will Wagner 3 1 1 1 1 1 Nick Pratto 4 0 1 1 0 0 Clay Dungan 3 1 1 0 1 1 Blake Hunt 4 0 2 0 0 1 Bryce Johnson 4 0 2 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Michael Flynn 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Ty Adcock 1 2/3 1 0 0 2 1 0 Logan Gillaspie 1 1/3 2 0 0 0 2 0 Johan Moreno 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Daison Acosta 1 3 3 1 0 1 1 Ethan Routzahn 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Alek Jacob 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Ethan Salas Has Pair Of Hits In Missions' Setback Ethan Salas and Albert Fabian each went 2-for-4, but a rough start from right-hander Andrew Thurman led to the host Double-A San Antonio Missions dropping a 4-3 decision to the Corpus Christi Hooks. The Missions (41-49, 10-11 second half) took two of three in the series. Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, had his 12th double this year and scored twice, while Fabian drove in a pair of runs. The duo had four of the Missions' seven hits. Fabian singled home Salas in the bottom of the first to tie it, but the Hooks took the lead for good with a run in the third and two in the fourth. Fabian again singled home Salas in the sixth inning to pull within 4-2, then Ryan Jackson drove in Jake Cunningham in the eighth to make it 4-3. Thurman was touched up for four runs on six hits and three walks while punching out a season-high six in three-plus innings. Right-handers Francis Pena, Garrett Hawkins (Padres Mission's No. 17 prospect) and Sadrac Franco each went two scoreless innings, each allowing just one hit. Franco struck out four. Pena did have an error after coming on with two runners on that led to both scoring for a 4-1 Hooks lead. SA_0719.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 3 0 0 0 1 2 Kai Roberts 0 0 0 0 0 0 Braedon Karpathios 1 0 0 0 0 1 Ethan Salas 4 2 2 0 0 0 Tirso Ornelas 4 0 0 0 0 0 Jake Cunningham 3 1 1 0 1 0 Albert Fabian 4 0 2 2 0 1 Ryan Jackson 4 0 1 1 0 1 Kai Murphy 3 0 0 0 1 3 Francisco Acuna 4 0 0 0 0 1 Wyatt Hoffman 4 0 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Andrew Thurman 3 6 4 4 3 6 0 Francis Peña 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Garrett Hawkins 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Sadrac Franco 2 1 0 0 1 4 0 Abraham Parra's Solid Start Upended In TinCaps' Loss Right-handed starter Abraham Parra continued his string of good outings by not allowing an earned run in five innings, while Carlos Rodriguez and Kavares Tears hit solo homers, but the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps fell to the host Lansing Lugnuts 6-2. After the series opener was postponed due to poor air quality, the TinCaps (37-52, 10-13 second half) split the two games. The 20-year-old Parra has one earned run or fewer in six of his 16 appearances (14 starts). He allowed one run over 7⅔ innings in his last two outings. He did allow two runs Sunday, but both were unearned on a throwing error by first baseman Jack Costello in the fourth inning. Parra allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out three. Rodriguez hit his fifth homer of the season in the second inning for a 1-0 TinCaps lead, then the Lugnuts scored twice in the fourth to take the lead. Tears tied it up with his 13th of the year, matching his total from his debut season in 2025. Lansing then scored twice off left-hander Braian Salazar in his 1⅓ innings and twice in the eighth off right-hander Luis German. FW_0719.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 5 0 0 0 0 1 Ryan Wideman 3 0 0 0 1 2 Alex McCoy 4 0 1 0 0 3 Kavares Tears 4 1 2 1 0 1 Kerrington Cross 3 0 0 0 1 2 Carlos Rodriguez 4 1 1 1 0 0 Jack Costello 2 0 0 0 1 0 Luke Cantwell 2 0 1 0 2 0 Oswaldo Linares 4 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Abraham Parra 5 2 2 0 1 3 0 Braian Salazar 1 1/3 2 2 2 3 1 0 Will Koger 0 2/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 Luis Germán 0 1/3 1 2 2 1 0 0 Javier Chacon 0 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Storm Buried By Constant Flow Of Runs By Tower Buzzers A constant stream of pressure led to the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm being outgunned by the host Ontario Tower Buzzers 11-5. The Storm (46-44, 7-17 second half) dropped the final two games of the three-game set. Ontario scored two runs in the second, third and fourth innings, three in the fifth and two more in the seventh. The Storm were held to five hits by six Tower Buzzers pitchers. Lake Elsinore was down 6-0 when George Bilecki led off the top of the fifth with his 13th double of the season and took third on a throwing error by the right fielder. One out later, Qrey Lott doubled off the wall in left-center to make it 6-1. The Tower Buzzers put up three more in the bottom of the fifth, with the Storm breaking through with four runs in the top of the seventh. A hit by pitch, two singles and two walks made it 9-4 and a sacrifice fly capped the inning. The Storm used six pitchers, with the first five giving up at least two runs each. Right-hander Brandon Langley was the only pitcher to go unscathed, going the final 1⅔ innings scoreless. LE_0719.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Bradley Frye 5 1 1 0 0 3 Jorge Quintana 3 1 1 0 2 2 Dawson Willis 2 1 0 1 2 2 Yoiber Ocopio 2 0 0 0 0 1 Colton Vincent 2 0 1 2 0 0 Dylan Grego 5 0 0 0 0 2 Jose Verdugo 3 0 0 1 0 1 George Bilecki 2 1 1 0 2 0 Conner Westenburg 4 0 0 0 0 0 Qrey Lott 3 1 1 1 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Luis Maracara 1 1/3 1 2 2 4 0 0 Landry Jurecka 1 2/3 2 2 2 2 0 1 Isaiah Lowe 1 3 2 2 1 1 1 Jeferson Villabona 1 4 3 2 1 1 0 Daichi Moriki 1 1/3 4 2 2 2 2 0 Brandon Langley 1 2/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas, C: 2-for-4, 2B Kash Mayfield, LHP: DNP Miguel Mendez, RHP: DNP Ryan Wideman, CF: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP: DNP Jorge Quintana, SS: 1-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K Ty Harvey, C: On injured list (rehab assignment) Kale Fountain, OF: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios, OF: 0-for-1, K Jagger Haynes, LHP: DNP Lamar King Jr., C: DNP Tucker Musgrove, RHP: DNP Truitt Madonna, C: DNP Alex McCoy, OF: 1-for-4, 3 K Jesus Castro, RHP: DNP Rosman Verdugo, SS: DNP Garrett Hawkins, RHP: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K Eric Yost, RHP: DNP Michael Salina, RHP: DNP Winyer Chourio, RHP: DNP View full article

The San Diego Padres' pitching staff is a step closer to being at full strength, but will that be enough to snap out of their doldrums? Right-handed starter Randy Vasquez was activated from the 15-day injured list Sunday by the Padres, who also got left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta back from the bereavement list. That cost two players their roster spot: right-handed reliever Ron Marinaccio was designated for assignment and right-hander Jhony Brito was optioned to Triple-A El Paso. Vasquez was hit on the right ankle July 2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers and placed on the IL the next day with an ankle contusion. The night of the injury, Vasquez was being taken to get an X-ray at Dodger Stadium when he fainted and then taken to a hospital. He was released from the hospital the next morning and was back at the team hotel before the decision was made to put him on the IL. Vasquez did make one rehab appearance in the Arizona Complex League. After a strong start to his season, Vasquez has been a bit of an enigma since. In 17 games, he currently has a 4.91 FIP (4.71 ERA) with a good 7.3% walk rate and below-average 16.3% strikeout rate. Vasquez is not scheduled to pitch any of the first three games in Atlanta, meaning he could be coming out of the bullpen either Sunday vs. the Kansas City Royals or Monday against Atlanta before possibly rejoining the rotation later in the week. Marinaccio was out of options and posted a 5.31 FIP (4.79 ERA) in 33 games with a walk rate of 8.9% and strikeout rate of 18.7%. If he goes unclaimed off waivers, which feels unlikely, he can be outrighted to Triple-A. Brito pitched a scoreless inning in Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Royals, his third appearance this the last two weeks since coming back up following internal brace and flexor tendon surgery in April 2025. View full rumor

The San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates won just once Saturday as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas fell to Sugar Land 8-3, the Double-A San Antonio Missions let one slip away against Corpus Christi 5-2, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps pulled out a 2-0 win in 11 innings over Lansing and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm were beaten by Ontario 9-4. Padres Minor-League Transactions C Truitt Madonna assigned to ACL Padres from Lake Elsinore Storm. C Colton Vincent assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. Chihuahuas Can't Hold Back Surge By Space Cowboys All four pitchers gave up a pair of runs as the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas watched the Sugar Land Space Cowboys pull away for an 8-3 victory. El Paso has lost six straight for the first time since August 2024. The Chihuahuas managed just five hits, although they did draw six walks. Dustin Harris, signed last week after being released by the Chicago White Sox, had his first hit in three games and walked twice out of the leadoff spot, scoring once. Nick Solak and Will Wagner each drove in a run. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Evan Fitterer went four innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks with a strikeout. Right-hander Misael Tamarez gave up a pair of runs in 1⅔ innings on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts, while right-hander Andrew Moore also went 1⅔ with two runs (one earned) on no hits and three walks. Right-hander Justin Yeager went the final 1⅔, allowing two runs on a hit and a walk and three strikeouts. The Chihuahuas got a run in the first on Mason McCoy's double, a fly ball and a wild pitch. The Space Cowboys tied it in the top of the third on a Cavan Biggio homer, with the Chihuahuas regaining the lead on an Anthony Vilar single, a Harris walk, an error and Wagner drawing a bases-loaded walk. Sugar Land tied it in the fifth and El Paso went back on top 3-2 on Solak's RBI groundout. But the Space Cowboys went up with two in the sixth and put it away with four in the eighth. EP_0718.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Dustin Harris 3 1 1 0 2 0 Mason McCoy 4 1 1 0 1 1 Carlos Rodríguez 3 0 0 0 1 1 Nick Solak 4 0 1 1 0 0 Will Wagner 3 0 0 1 1 0 Marcos Castañon 4 0 0 0 0 1 Clay Dungan 3 0 0 0 1 1 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 1 0 0 0 Anthony Vilar 4 1 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Evan Fitterer 4 5 2 2 2 1 1 Misael Tamarez 1 2/3 2 2 2 2 3 1 Andrew Moore 1 2/3 0 2 1 3 0 0 Justin Yeager 1 2/3 1 2 2 1 3 0 Ian Koenig's Start Goes For Naught As Missions Falter Late A game that was scoreless through six innings turned into a spring to the finish, with the host Double-A San Antonio Missions not having the required kick to overtake the Corpus Christi Hooks, who won 5-2. The Hooks scored three runs in the top of the seventh and two in the eighth before the Missions got their runs in the bottom of the eighth. Jake Cunningham was on base three times with a pair of singles and a walk, while driving in one and scoring another for the Missions. Albert Fabian walked and stole two bases. But the Missions had just six hits, while drawing six walks. That also meant Missions starting pitching was pretty good. Indeed, right-hander Ian Koenig went six shutout innings, yielding three hits, while walking one and striking out five. The damage came against two of the top arms in the Missions' bullpen in right-handers Clay Edmondson, who gave up two runs in one-third of an inning, and Tucker Musgrove, Padres Mission's No. 12 prospect who surrendered a two-run homer in the eighth. Musgrove has allowed three homers in 20⅔ innings this year. Left-hander Harry Gustin gave up the other run in two-thirds of an inning after Edmondson in the seventh. Trailing 5-0, Kai Roberts singled with one out, went to second on a groundout and easily scored on Cunningham's single to right-center. A Braedon Karpathios (Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect) single and Luis Verdugo walk loaded the bases, with a wild pitch bringing in Cunningham to make it 5-2. The Missions put up a mild rally in the bottom of the ninth as Francisco Acuna had a leadoff walk, went to second on a wild pitch and stole third with two outs, but was stranded there. SA_0718.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 5 0 0 0 0 4 Kai Roberts 5 1 1 0 0 2 Tirso Ornelas 3 0 0 0 1 2 Jake Cunningham 3 1 2 1 1 1 Braedon Karpathios 4 0 1 0 0 2 Luis Verdugo 2 0 0 0 2 1 Albert Fabian 3 0 1 0 1 1 Francisco Acuna 3 0 1 0 1 0 Chris Sargent 3 0 0 0 0 2 Ethan Salas 1 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig 6 3 0 0 1 5 0 Clay Edmondson 0 1/3 1 2 2 1 1 0 Harry Gustin 0 2/3 2 1 1 0 0 0 Tucker Musgrove 1 2/3 2 2 2 1 5 1 Bernard Jose 0 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 TinCaps Score Twice In 11th As 6 Pitchers Combine For Shutout Ryan Wideman drove in the decisive run in the top of the 11th inning and six pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps outlasted the host Lancaster Lugnuts 2-0 despite having just three hits. TinCaps pitching was excellent. Left-handed starter Kash Mayfield, Padres Mission's No. 2 prospect who was fresh off appearing in the Futures Game, pitched two hitless innings, walking one and striking out one. After a scoreless inning by right-hander Carson Montgomery, right-hander Bryan Balzer struck out three in three innings of one-hit ball, walking one. Left-hander Igor Gil went two hitless innings, walking one and striking out three, while right-hander Will Varmette tossed two innings, allowing a hit and a walk with a strikeout. Right-hander C.J. Candiotti pitched the 11th, allowing a hit for his second save in two weeks and third of his career. In the top of the 11th, Kasen Wells hit into a fielder's choice that resulted in automatic runner Zach Evans being thrown out at third. Justin DeCriscio followed up with a double to left, moving Wells to third and extending his hitting streak to 10 games. With a drawn-in infielder, Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect, hit a chopper to the shortstop who double-clutched on the throw and got Wideman at first as Wells scored. Alex McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 14 prospect, drew a full-count walk with ball four being a wild pitch, plating DeCriscio. FW_0718.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 5 1 1 0 0 0 Ryan Wideman 5 0 0 1 0 3 Alex McCoy 3 0 0 0 2 2 Kavares Tears 5 0 0 0 0 1 Rosman Verdugo 3 0 0 0 0 0 Lamar King Jr. 4 0 1 0 0 0 Kerrington Cross 3 0 0 0 1 1 Zach Evans 4 0 1 0 0 0 Kasen Wells 4 1 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kash Mayfield 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 Carson Montgomery 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Bryan Balzer 3 1 0 0 1 3 0 Igor Gil 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 Will Varmette 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 Clark Candiotti 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Storm Lose Early Lead, Fall To Tower Buzzers A quick 2-0 lead disappeared fast as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm dropped a 9-4 decision to the host Ontario Tower Buzzers. Dylan Grego drove in a pair of runs and Yimy Tovar had two of the Storm's six hits. Right-hander Lan-Hong Su started for the Storm and went just the first inning, retiring all three batters he faced. Left-hander Zack Qin gave up a run in his one inning before right-hander Tyler Schmitt went the next four, but was tagged for five runs on eight hits and no walks with four strikeouts. Bradley Frye and Grego drove in runs in each of the first two innings before the Tower Buzzers got one in the bottom of the second and three in the third. They then tacked on two more in the sixth. LW_0718.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Yimy Tovar 5 1 2 0 0 1 Jorge Quintana 4 0 1 1 0 0 Dawson Willis 4 0 1 0 1 1 Bradley Frye 2 1 1 1 3 1 Alcides Hernandez 4 1 0 0 1 4 Jose Verdugo 3 0 0 0 1 1 George Bilecki 3 1 0 0 1 1 Dylan Grego 3 0 1 2 1 0 Conner Westenburg 3 0 0 0 0 1 Yoiber Ocopio 1 0 0 0 0 0 Qrey Lott 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Lan-Hong Su 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Zack Qin 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 Tyler Schmitt 4 8 5 5 0 4 1 Jordan Valenzuela 1 1 2 1 1 2 0 Sean Barnett 0 2/3 2 1 1 2 2 0 Carson Swilling 0 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas, C: 0-for-1 Kash Mayfield, LHP: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K Miguel Mendez, RHP: DNP Ryan Wideman, CF: 0-for-5, RBI, 3 K Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP: DNP Jorge Quintana, SS: 1-for-4, RBI Ty Harvey, C: On injured list (rehab assignment) Kale Fountain, OF: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios, OF: 1-for-4, 2 K Jagger Haynes, LHP: DNP Lamar King Jr., C: 1-for-4 Tucker Musgrove, RHP: 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR Truitt Madonna, C: DNP Alex McCoy, OF: 0-for-3, 2 BB, SB, 2 K Jesus Castro, RHP: DNP Rosman Verdugo, SS: 0-for-3 Garrett Hawkins, RHP: DNP Eric Yost, RHP: DNP Michael Salina, RHP: DNP Winyer Chourio, RHP: DNP View full article

Ethan SalasKash MayfieldColeman BorthwickMiguel MendezRyan WidemanKruz SchoolcraftTucker MusgroveTy HarveyJorge QuintanaKale FountainLamar King JrJagger HaynesBraedon KarpathiosAlex McCoyWinyer ChourioGarrett HawkinsTruitt MadonnaElliot LascellesJesus CastroRyan Lynch

Resuming play following the All-Star break, the full-season San Diego Padres affiliates went 2-1 with a postponement. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas let one slip away against Sugar Land 5-3, the Double-A San Antonio Missions hung on for a 4-3 win over Corpus Christi, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps were postponed due to poor air quality and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm demolished Ontario 12-0. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres sent RHP Jeremiah Estrada on a rehab assignment to ACL Padres. San Diego Padres optioned C Rodolfo Durán to El Paso Chihuahuas. Lake Elsinore Storm sent C Ty Harvey on a rehab assignment to ACL Padres. RHP Landry Jurecka assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. RHP Cameron Nohos assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. San Antonio Missions sent LHP Luis Gutierrez on a rehab assignment to ACL Padres. San Antonio Missions placed LHP Omar Cruz on the full-season injured list. RHP Carlos Medina assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. RHP Luis German assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from ACL Padres. San Diego Padres recalled RHP Jhony Brito from El Paso Chihuahuas. El Paso Chihuahuas released RF Nick Schnell. San Diego Padres sent RHP David Morgan on a rehab assignment to ACL Padres. RHP Victor Lizarraga assigned to ACL Padres from San Antonio Missions. RHP Matthew Watson assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps and placed on development list. San Antonio Missions activated C Ethan Salas from the temporarily inactive list (Futures Game). San Diego Padres sent RHP Randy Vasquez on a rehab assignment to ACL Padres. Two-Out Error In Ninth On Broken Glove Spells Doom For Chihuahuas A soft chopper turned into a three-run error with two outs in the top of the ninth inning as first baseman Romeo Sanabria failed to catch a toss from the pitcher in the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas' 5-3 loss to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. Right-hander Alek Jacob came on to start the ninth inning for the Chihuahuas, looking for the save. But he gave up a single, a foul out to first, a flyout to right, another single and a hit by pitch to load the bases with two outs. Pascanel Ferreras hit a soft chopper right in front of the plate that Jacob charged, picked up and threw a bit low to Sanabria at first, who saw the ball break through his mitt, then head into foul territory in right field, allowing all three runners on base to score and Ferreras ending up on second. That ruined what had been an otherwise good night for the Chihuahuas. Left-handed starter Jackson Wolf allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits over five innings, walking one and striking out four. The bullpen of right-handers Miguel Cienfuegos, Michael Flynn and Ethan Routzahn combined to allow one hit and one walk with two strikeouts over the next three innings. The two runs came in each of the first two innings as the Space Cowboys grabbed an early lead. But the Chihuahuas came back with a run in the third on a Bryce Johnson walk and Mason McCoy RBI double, then took the lead in the fourth on Nick Solak's leadoff double, Marcos Castanon's one-out RBI double and Blake Hunt's two-out run-scoring single. EP_0717.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy, SS 5 0 1 1 0 1 Dustin Harris, CF 3 0 0 0 1 1 Carlos Rodríguez, LF 4 0 0 0 0 0 Nick Solak, DH 4 1 2 0 0 0 Will Wagner, 2B 4 0 1 0 0 1 Marcos Castañon, 3B 4 1 3 1 0 0 Clay Dungan, 3B 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nick Pratto, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 3 Romeo Sanabria, 1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 Blake Hunt, C 4 0 1 1 0 2 Bryce Johnson, RF 3 1 0 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jackson Wolf 5 3 2 1 1 4 0 Miguel Cienfuegos 1 2/3 1 0 0 1 1 0 Michael Flynn 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Ethan Routzahn 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Alek Jacob 1 2 3 0 0 1 0 Kai Roberts' 2-Run HR, Jagger Haynes Lift Missions Kai Roberts' two-run homer broke a seventh-inning tie and left-handed starter Jagger Haynes struck out eight and didn't allow an earned run for six innings in the host Double-A San Antonio Missions' 4-3 victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks, their fourth win in a row. Haynes, Padres Mission's No. 10 prospect, allowed one unearned run on three hits and a walk to go along with his eight punchouts, which tied his season high. Right-hander Josh Mallitz gave up an unearned run in two innings with a pair of strikeouts. The Missions' damage came from their Nos. 8-9-1 hitters as Francisco Acuna had a hit and scored twice from the eight-hole, Roberts also scored twice from the nine-spot and leadoff hitter Carson Tucker had two hits and two RBIs. In the third inning, Acuna doubled and scored one out later on Tucker's single to tie the game 1-1. Roberts walked with two outs in the fifth and, after a pitching change and stealing his 30th base of the season, scored on another Tucker single for a 2-1 lead. The Hooks tied it with a run in the top of the seventh, but Roberts launched his fourth homer of the season, a two-run blast, in the bottom half to put the Chihuahuas up 4-2. The Hooks scored one in the top of the ninth, with right fielder Braedon Karpathios (Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect) throwing out a runner at the plate on the same play to prevent the tying run from scoring. SA_0717.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker, 2B 4 0 2 2 0 1 Ethan Salas, C 4 0 0 0 0 2 Tirso Ornelas, DH 4 0 1 0 0 1 Jake Cunningham, LF 3 0 0 0 1 2 Braedon Karpathios, RF 4 0 1 0 0 0 Ryan Jackson, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 2 Albert Fabian, 1B 3 0 0 0 0 0 Francisco Acuna, SS 2 2 1 0 1 1 Kai Roberts, CF 2 2 1 2 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes 6 3 1 0 1 8 0 Josh Mallitz 2 2 1 0 0 2 0 Sadrac Franco 1/3 0 1 1 3 1 0 Francis Peña 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 TinCaps Get An Extra Day Following Postponement Poor air quality in Indiana due to the Canadian wildfires prompted the High-A Fort Wayne TinCap's home game against the Lansing Lugnuts to be postponed. It will be made up Sept. 2 as part of a doubleheader in Michigan. Right-hander Bryan Balzer had been scheduled to pitch Friday, with left-hander Kash Mayfield (Padres Mission's No. 2 prospect) slated to go Saturday. No immediate word on pitching plans, but both could go in Saturday's game, with Mayfield likely getting the start. Kruz Schoolcraft Goes 5 Shutout As Storm Surge Early In Rout Left-handed starter Kruz Schoolcraft pitched five scoreless innings and Jose Verdugo went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm crushed the Ontario Tower Buzzers 12-0. The Storm scored six runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back. Schoolcraft, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect, allowed just three hits while walking three and punching out six. This was his first scoreless outing since May 15, the only other game he didn't allow a run in his 16 starts this season. It was another strong outing after Schoolcraft allowed one run in 5⅓ innings last week. Dawson Willis had a pair of triples, scored three runs and had an RBI, Yoiber Ocopio had a two-run double in the big first inning and Bradley Frye walked twice and scored twice with an RBI. After Schoolcraft, the bullpen continued to shut down the Tower Buzzers. Big right-hander Cameron Nohos, a 6-foot-8, 235-pound undrafted free agent last year, made his first Storm appearance after being promoted from the Arizona Complex League before the game. Nohos, who made three appearances for the Storm at the end of 2025, struck out two, walked one and allowed a hit in a scoreless inning. He had 58 strikeouts in 37⅔ innings in the ACL over 12 games, including seven starts. Right-hander Rordy Mejia, right-hander Yoesmerli Beltre and left-hander Cal Riehl also pitched scoreless innings, combining for four strikeouts. LE_0717.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Yimy Tovar, DH 4 1 1 1 1 1 Jorge Quintana, SS 5 1 1 1 0 2 Dawson Willis, 1B 4 3 2 1 1 1 Bradley Frye, 3B 3 2 0 1 2 1 Yoiber Ocopio, C 4 2 1 2 0 2 Jose Verdugo, 2B 5 2 3 2 0 0 George Bilecki, RF 3 1 1 0 1 1 Conner Westenburg, CF 5 0 1 1 0 2 Qrey Lott, LF 3 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kruz Schoolcraft 5 3 0 0 3 6 0 Cameron Nohos 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 Rordy Mejia 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Yoesmerli Beltre 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Cal Riehl 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas, C: 0-for-4, 2 K Kash Mayfield, LHP: DNP Miguel Mendez, RHP: DNP Ryan Wideman, CF: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K, W Jorge Quintana, SS: 1-for-5, RBI, 2 K Ty Harvey, C: On injured list (rehab assignment) Kale Fountain, OF: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios, OF: 1-for-4 Jagger Haynes, LHP: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K Lamar King Jr., C: DNP Tucker Musgrove, RHP: DNP Truitt Madonna, C: DNP Alex McCoy, OF: DNP Jesus Castro, RHP: DNP Rosman Verdugo, SS: DNP Garrett Hawkins, RHP: DNP Eric Yost, RHP: DNP Michael Salina, RHP: DNP Winyer Chourio, RHP: DNP View full article

The San Diego Padres' catching situation is back to full strength. Freddy Fermin was activated off the 10-day injured list just two weeks after sustaining a head contusion. Catcher Rodolfo Duran, who made his MLB debut after 11 seasons in the minors, was sent back to Triple-A El Paso. Fermin was hit in the mask by a foul from Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the July 2 game. While he stayed in the game for a few batters, Fermin was removed during a mound visit by manager Craig Stammen when he showed signs of the injury. This came about 10 days after Fermin returned from the seven-day concussion list. Fermin's two injuries plus Luis Campusano breaking his left big toe in early May and not returning until July 3 tested the Padres' catching depth. That led to Duran making his debut as well as Blake Hunt getting his first taste of MLB action after nine seasons in the minors. Duran at one point was the No. 1 catcher with Hunt his backup. Duran endeared himself to Padres pitchers with his defense and game-calling. However, he only had a slash line of .146/.222/.305 in 35 games, with three homers and eight RBIs. He allowed just 16 stolen bases in 27 chances, a very good caught-stealing rate of 40.7% (the MLB average is 24%). View full rumor

While the MLB Draft concluded one big piece of work for the San Diego Padres, there was still some immediate work left to do to help their minor-league system. Sign undrafted free agents, something they do pretty well. Two undrafted free agents are currently in Padres Mission's Top 20 prospects in Braedon Karpathios, who went undrafted in 2024, and Alex McCoy, who wasn't picked last summer. As of Thursday, Baseball America had reported that the Padres had signed nine players who were not selected, including two that were in the publication's top 500 draft prospects (there were 613 picked). All but two were out of college, with the others from high school. Leading the way are Mississippi State right-hander Tyler Pitzer and Winthrop outfielder Josh Skowronski. Pritzer (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) is a reliever who spent his first two seasons at South Carolina before transferring to Mississippi State. He struck out 38 in 30 innings over 22 appearances, posting a 3.20 ERA and a .193 opponent average. Pitzer was Baseball America's No. 307 draft prospect. Skowronski is a physical presence at 6-5 and 220 pounds and can play center field. After starting his career at Kentucky, he transferred to Winthrop for the past two seasons. The left-handed hitter slashed .305/.436/.588 with 13 homers and 49 RBIs in 58 games his first year at Winthrop, but followed that up with a .251/.414/.410 year with four homers and 23 RBIs in 55 games this season. Skowronski was Baseball America's 380th-ranked draft prospect. Here are the other seven at this point: Aidan Cochrane, RHP, East Lyme (Conn.) HS Drew Detlefsen, OF, Texas-San Antonio Ryan Gerety, OF, Northeastern Mac Moyer, OF, Nebraska Jack Pineau, RHP, Creighton Logan Satter, RHP Legion Collegiate Academy (S.C.) Andrew Wright, LHP, Cal State Fullerton Moyer has MLB bloodlines as the son of 25-year MLB left-hander Jamie Moyer. All of these players can sign for up to $150,000 without affecting the Padres' draft-bonus pool. None of the Padres' draft picks have signed thus far. View full rumor

Whether or not the 2027 MLB season begins on time is one question, but at least we know when games are supposed to start next year. The San Diego Padres will open 2027 with seven games at Petco Park, including Opening Day against the Arizona Diamondback on March 25. There will be one MLB game on March 24, a matchup to be determined. As it was this year when the San Francisco Giants hosted the New York Yankees, Netflix will be the exclusive carrier of the March 24 game. The traditional March 25 Opening Day is the earliest non-special event opener in MLB history. After that four-game Thursday-Sunday series vs. the D'backs, the Padres will host the Colorado Rockies for three games March 29-31 before hitting the road for six games against the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals from April 2-7. The Friars have their first series against the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers when they return home April 9-11. Among the other notable series is the Padres heading to Las Vegas to face the A's on June 4-6. They also have a scheduled doubleheader June 23 at Petco Park against the Chicago Cubs, then having two days off before beginning a road trip against the Toronto Blue Jays. Another scheduled doubleheader is July 10 against the Colorado Rockies in Denver on the weekend before the All-Star break. The All-Star Game is July 13 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Padres conclude the 2027 season with a six-game road trip against the D'backs and Chicago White Sox. The start of the season is in doubt due to a probable lockout by owners as the collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1. 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 final of four articles on the subject. Part 1: Trades Have Depleted Majority of San Diego's Prospect Capital Part 2: Despite Farm Ranking, Padres Are Good At Acquiring Talent Part 3: How Industry Experts Rank San Diego's Internal Prospect Hierarchy One of the big questions the San Diego Padres face as the trade deadline approaches is this: If they do go after one of the big fish on the trade market, do they deal off the top of the deck and ship out catcher Ethan Salas? Two baseball analysts are of the opinion that president of baseball operations A.J. Preller would likely hold onto Salas, Padres Mission’s No. 1 prospect and a top-50 prospect in all of baseball. “I pretty much never say anyone's untouchable, right? Because if the Dodgers call and say, 'We'll give you Shohei Ohtani for Salas,' of course you're doing that,” said Keith Law, senior baseball writer at The Athletic who ranks prospects. “There's always a price that someone else can meet. However, I am not trading Salas unless it is for a world-changing trade.” Tarik Skubal would certainly be a world-changer. The two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, who is a free agent at the end of the year, would also come at a steep price. What would that look like for the Padres? “I don't think they can go out and get a Tarik Skubal unless they're willing to trade Ethan Salas—that's just straight up not going to happen,” said Sam Dykstra, a senior reporter at MLB Pipeline. “You could put (pitchers) Miguel Mendez, Kruz Schoolcraft and Kash Mayfield into a package (without Salas) and that's still not going to be enough to get somebody like Skubal, even on a rental. Are they going to be aggressive enough with that? I don't know. I think it's telling that of all the trades they've made, Salas is the one who continues to stick around because I think they really, really like his defense behind the plate and they know that that's going to make him a possible regular at a premium position, and somebody you can dream on for a long time.” Law and Dykstra have been encouraged by what they have either seen or heard about Salas, a 20-year-old left-handed hitter, this season. Salas missed all but 10 games of 2025 with a stress reaction in his lower back. Combined with offensive struggles in a full season at High-A Fort Wayne in 2024, all of the major rankings dropped him significantly. But he is now back in the top half of top-100 lists now and began this week with a slash line of .284/.353/.422 with seven homers and 36 RBIs. He also has a career-high 14 stolen bases in addition to what made him the top player in the 2023 international free-agent class: elite defense. “Haven't seen him live (this year), so this is all second-hand, but this is much more the player we thought they had two, three years ago,” Law said. “He's stronger ... back injuries like that, they can wreck you both sides of the ball when you're a catcher. Everything is better. He's hitting the ball harder, his at-bats look better, he's receiving better. He just looks healthy again, too, and he looks 20, not 17 or 18. When I first saw him, he was still 16, and he carried himself like an older player, looked like an older player. Catching a B game with Joe Musgrove throwing and Salas had no issues doing that. ... I think the problem is everyone kind of overestimated, or just forgot, that he was so young, right? Overestimated where he was in terms of his skill level and now that's all catching up.” While there was enough hype around Salas after being the top international free agent of 2023, that only grew when he reported to the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm as a 16-year-old and proceeded to put up a .267/.350/.487 slash line with 11 doubles, two triples, nine homers and 35 RBIs in 48 games. With the end of the season approaching, the Padres promoted Salas to High-A for nine games, then aggressively to the Double-A San Antonio Missions for another nine games. He struggled offensively at those two stops, going 12-for-70 with two doubles and six RBIs. His offensive woes continued in 2024 at Fort Wayne, where he began the year as a 17-year-old, producing a slash line of .206/.288/.311 with 27 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 53 RBIs in 113 games. Some feel that Salas was overly promoted and his offensive progress stunted as he was playing against 21- and 22-year-olds. The aggressive promotions are something you often hear with some Padres prospects. “I think it's tough to say if they've been too aggressive in the past,” Dykstra said. “Because you look back at Salas in 2024 and I think that was the classic example of a lot of people in the industry were throwing up their hands as to what exactly happened there. You can even go back a year before, when he was making Double-A in his first full season. A lot of that was to try to make a push for the playoffs in San Antonio. I don't think it was necessarily that they saw him instantly as a Double-A player, but they're like giving him a couple games there at the end of the year. And then he goes to Fort Wayne (in 2024) and really struggles all year and he made some mid-year adjustments. But I think that was a special case.” Said Law: “I think that was true with Salas and I think him getting hurt last year may have actually saved him a little bit in that it slowed him down. So now, he's at a level that's quite a bit more appropriate to his age. He's 20, Double-A, not a lot of experience there, but he is also super-talented and he's been holding his own. He was the one where I just always like, 'What are you doing?' I will say, I also did not love them changing Jackson Merrill's position and jumping him to the big leagues. If I remember correctly, [he had] little to no experience at Triple-A at that point. That's a lot and the kid handled it like he played the outfield well from Day 1, which I did not anticipate at all. I think I said quite the opposite. ... That's a case of, I would argue, them knowing their players better than I do.” A promotion to Triple-A in most organizations would seem obvious, but with the Padres’ affiliate in El Paso and a lot of hitter-friendly environments in the Pacific Coast League, it could be beneficial for Salas to remain at Double-A San Antonio and continue to thrive there with an eye on him being the Padres’ Opening Day catcher for 2027. “There are two arguments to not move him,” Law said. “One, you've moved him so fast, just give him a whole year, let him go around the league a couple times, let pitchers adjust to him and he has to adjust back. And second, talk to any player development guy who's got an affiliate in one of those PCL parks, they hate it. They hate sending guys there because hitters learn bad habits and pitchers start becoming afraid to pitch to contact, or are afraid to just throw certain pitches because between the altitude and the smaller ballparks, it just doesn't work. San Antonio, as I recall, has generally been neutral to a pitcher's park. Let him stay there, even if he's producing, rather than send him to El Paso, where I just don't think guys get a whole lot of value out of playing in that environment.” View full article

The San Diego Padres will be without a key reliever to begin their most important road trip thus far in 2026. Left-hander Wandy Peralta was put on the bereavement list Wednesday by the Padres, who called up right-hander Jhony Brito from Triple-A El Paso. Peralta can be away from the team for up to three days, although with the All-Star break lasting through Thursday, it isn't clear when Peralta must return to the team. Peralta could miss just one game or the entire series against the Kansas City Royals. Peralta has a 3.93 FIP (2.23 ERA) across 41 outings, second-most on the team, and 48⅓ innings. He has a 9.6% walk rate and 15.7% strikeout rate. Brito returned to the Padres on July 7 following an internal brace procedure and flexor tendon surgery from April 2025. He appeared in two games, pitching 4⅓ innings and allowing two runs on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts, before being sent down just Saturday. One of the hits he allowed was a homer. View full rumor

Could there be another blockbuster involving the San Diego Padres and New York Yankees? The Yankees are reportedly interested in All-Star Padres closer Mason Miller, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The two teams hooked up in the 2023 offseason blockbuster in which the Padres shipped superstar outfielder Juan Soto and center fielder Trent Grisham to the Yankees for pitchers Michael King, Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito, Drew Thorpe and catcher Kyle Higashioka. Miller would give the Yankees a better back end of the bullpen, moving current closer David Bednar to a setup role. Bednar is also a free agent following this season, while Miller is under club control through 2029. The Yankees have a few pitching prospects to dangle in front of the Padres, including right-handers Elmer Rodriguez, Carlos Lagrange and Ben Hess. Top Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr. is likely off the table unless there is more involved coming from the Friars. Rodriguez made his MLB debut in June, appearing in four games, while Lagrange is at Triple-A and Hess at Double-A. As the Padres have found out this year, you can never have too much pitching depth. 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 third of four articles on the subject. Part 1: Trades Have Depleted Majority of San Diego's Prospect Capital Part 2: Despite Farm Ranking, Padres Are Good At Acquiring Talent With the San Diego Padres sitting at the bottom of the team prospect rankings, that means finding the top prospects in a system like this can sometimes be a difficult task. The good news is that there is a clear-cut No. 1 prospect in Ethan Salas. After that? You get a mixed bag, including who we and our readers at Padres Mission ranked in our Top 20. “You look at (the system) and you're like, ‘Are there 20 prospects here I would get excited about? No, are there six or seven? Yes,’” said Sam Dykstra, a senior reporter at MLB Pipeline. “And then they end up trading four of those and getting a key piece to make a postseason run. Now, that hasn't resulted in a pennant or a trophy or anything really substantive, but they're the ones who could pull off, were willing to pull off the Mason Miller trade last year.” Who does Dykstra have in his personal top five? “My top five right now, it's interesting,” Dykstra said. “We (at MLB Pipeline) have Ethan Salas, Kruz Schoolcraft, Miguel Mendez, Kash Mayfield and Jorge Quintana as the top five right now. ... (Former Top 100 prospect Schoolcraft is) a long-term project. I think there's a debate between him and Mayfield at two and Mendez, I still really like the fastball. I think it's major-league-quality stuff. So I think it's a clear one, you can put Schoolcraft, Mendez, Mayfield in any order, two through four. And then, at No. 5, I know (center fielder Ryan) Wideman's been really good this year. I'm tempted to go Tucker Musgrove, which is more aggressive than I would like for a relief prospect. I get that, but I'm pretty convinced that that (pitch) mix and now that he's healthy ... that fastball is really going to work well. The carry is really good, the velocity is really good. He's going to get important major-league outs for some team, whether that's the Padres, whether that's another team, I don't know.” Keith Law of The Athletic, on the other hand, was really high on another catcher the Padres have. “Salas one, (Ty) Harvey two and Schoolcraft three and then it starts to get kind of dicey,” Law said. “I mean, I know everybody wants to put Mayfield four, but I have not had good reports on him at all this year. The stuff is down, it's a little concerning. It can come back. That happened with (ex-Padres prospect Robby) Snelling actually. Snelling had a period where his stuff was also down. ... I had Miguel Mendez fourth before the season. I probably have him fourth now over Mayfield. You know, I'm trying to like mentally recalibrate the list as we're talking too. (Shortstop) Jorge Quintana, he's having a lousy season, but he's also 19 and at Low-A. He could be in short-season ball. I'm not giving up on him, but I don't see a reason to elevate him over Mayfield at this point. I guess that's kind of where I come down, I would say, Mayfield this fifth. It's a little bit by default.” The 19-year-old Harvey was the Padres’ fifth-round draft choice a year ago out of Inspiration Academy in Florida and is currently on the injured list with a fractured left hand. In 15 games, Harvey has a .340/.466/.447 slash line with no homers, six RBIs and five stolen bases. Harvey was also included in Baseball America’s top five. That outlet has, in order, Salas, Mayfield, Schoolcraft, Harvey and Wideman as the current cream of the crop. Of course, now that the 2026 MLB Draft is complete, a few new names (like first-rounder Coleman Borthwick) should be competing for this distinction soon. As for under-the-radar prospects from a national point of view, Dykstra was keen on outfielders Braedon Karpathios and Alex McCoy and right-handed starter Winyer Chourio and Bryan Balzer. He also mentioned outfielder Kale Fountain, who is out for the season following shoulder surgery, as someone to watch once he returns to action. 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!): Justin DeCriscio, SS, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps Season stats: .293/.372/.487, 78 games, 48 R, 21 2B, 2 3B, 11 HR, 47 RBI, 31 BB, 49 K, 14 SB, 10 CS Last year's 10th-round draft choice out of North Carolina State capped a terrific week of hitting with a career-high five RBIs in Sunday's series finale against the West Michigan Whitecaps. The SoCal native, born in Orange and having started his career at the University of San Diego has been a steady if unspectacular performer for High-A Fort Wayne since a mid-May promotion from Low-A Lake Elsinore. But last week, in addition to having hits in all six games, the 23-year-old shortstop put up a ridiculous .522/.556/.783 slash line (12-for-23). He had three doubles and a homer, with that blast being a three-run shot Sunday. His hitting streak is now at nine games, with hits in 19 of his last 21. In his final three games last week, he had two three-hit performances and went 8-for-13. In 50 games with the TinCaps, DeCriscio has 17 multihit games, including six with three hits. Since June 18, he has a .345/.408/.563 slash line. He started the season with 28 games at Lake Elsinore, putting up a .311/.363/.544 slash line. Bryan Balzer, RHP, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps Season stats: 6-3, 4.71 ERA, 15 games (14 starts), 72⅔ IP, 67 H, 42 R, 38 ER, 28 BB, 73 K, .245 opponent average A 21-year-old who signed in 2023 as an international free agent out of Japan, the right-handed starter had a tremendous outing Saturday in a 4-2 win over West Michigan. In his third start for the TinCaps since being promoted from Low-A Lake Elsinore, Balzer went five innings, giving up just a run on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. The eight punchouts were his most this season, surpassing the seven he had in his season debut April 2 vs. Ontario. Balzer had mixed results in his first two High-A starts. In his debut June 27, he was tagged for six runs in 3⅔ innings with four hits, a career-worst five walks and two strikeouts. Balzer had never walked four in any of his previous 34 career appearances. He bounced back on the Fourth of July with 3⅔ innings, allowing one earned run in the three runs he surrendered on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts. His 73 strikeouts rank third in the Padres' system. Balzer has made tremendous improvements since his full-season debut in 2025 at Lake Elsinore, where he had a 7.92 ERA in 16 games (13 starts) and 50 innings. He had an 11.6% walk rate and 20.3% strikeout rate. Flash forward to 2026 and those numbers are now 4.71 in 15 games (14 starts) in 72⅔ innings, walking 9% of batters and striking out 23.4%. Eric Yost, RHP, Double-A San Antonio Missions Season stats: 4-2, 2.90 ERA, 15 games (10 starts), 1 save (1 chance), 60 IP, 44 H, 26 R, 26 ER, 42 BB, 58 K, .210 opponent average While mainly a starter in his career since being drafted in the 17th round in 2023 out of Northeastern, Yost has been flexible this season with five of his 15 appearances coming out of the bullpen. But the 23-year-old's value is as a starter. After making a spot start for his Triple-A debut on the Fourth of July, Yost returned to Double-A San Antonio and was mostly sharp. On Friday in an 8-7 win over Midland, Yost struck out seven over five innings, allowing a run on six hits and four walks. He also hit a batter, which has been an issue in his last six starts with seven plunkings, three in one game. While his one start for El Paso was a bit rough, giving up five runs in 3⅓ innings, Yost has been fairly steady for the Missions. After his first three appearances of the season came out of the bullpen in a bulk roles, including two four-inning scoreless outings, Yost gave up five runs in his second start, but never more than three in any other game aside from the Triple-A outing. Walks have been troublesome with a 16% rate, while striking out 22.1% of batters. However, the walks have been mitigated by his .210 opponent average, including .191 with the Missions. Maikel Miralles, RHP, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps Season stats: 1-7, 8.08 ERA, 14 games (11 starts), 49 IP, 58 H, 49 R, 44 ER, 41 BB, 34 K, .296 opponent average The 21-year-old right-handed starter, an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2023, has had a rough 2026 to say the least, represented by his 8.08 ERA. But there have been a handful of bright spots. One of those came Sunday as Miralles surrendered just one hit and one run in a five-inning relief appearance. In the final game before the All-Star break and four days off for the team, two pitchers preceded Miralles, who came on in the third inning and stifled West Michigan in a 9-1 win. While Miralles hasn't been a big strikeout guy this year, he did punch out nine in his season debut. And other than back-to-back starts to begin May where he had five and six strikeouts, he hasn't notched more than three in any of his other 11 outings. That includes Sunday, where he didn't have a single strikeout. He did walk three in that game, which led to his season walk total now surpassing his strikeout total 44-41. Neither rate (14% walk, 16.9% strikeout) is good, but the Padres know he has the potential. Miralles spent time at four levels in 2025, beginning at Low-A Lake Elsinore, going down to the Arizona Complex League, back to Lake Elsinore, all the way up to Triple-A El Paso, then down to High-A Fort Wayne. He only made one ACL and Triple-A appearance and two for Fort Wayne, putting up a 5.17 ERA in 16 games (13 starts) for Lake Elsinore. Qrey Lott, OF, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm Season stats: .280/.396/.427, 55 games, 34 R, 9 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 13 BB, 49 K, 11 SB, 2 CS The 21-year-old, signed as an undrafted free agent last year, is a very toolsy outfielder who can dominate the game at any moment. One of those was his eighth pro game when he went 5-for-5 with a pair of homers and six RBIs for Lake Elsinore. Last week vs. Rancho Cucamonga, he had a .500/.650/.786 slash line (7-for-14) with four doubles and four RBIs. He also drew two walks and scored three times. His big game was a 3-for-3 performance with two RBIs Wednesday in a 6-4 win in 10 innings over the Quakes, driving in the go-ahead run in the 10th with his second double of the game. At 6-foot-3 (down 2 inches from his listed draft height last year), Lott is lanky and athletic with a good power-speed combo. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 15th round out of high school in 2023, but instead went to Northwest Florida State, a junior college, for two years. There, he put up a combined .335/.482/.555 with 12 homers and 21 stolen bases. While he has been a solid contributor since making his pro debut in late April, his playing time picked up when promotions happened a few weeks ago. View full article