Steve Drumwright

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The San Diego Padres will have another team playing for a championship, while the other two full-season affiliates still playing went 0-2 Thursday. The Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm completed a sweep of Ontario in the California League semifinals with a 6-1 win, while the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas were walked off by Tacoma 5-4 in 11 innings and the Double-A San Antonio Missions were beaten by Amarillo 5-3. Padres Minor-League Transactions El Paso Chihuahuas placed DH Will Wagner on the 7-day injured list. El Paso Chihuahuas activated 2B Victor Duarte from the Development List. CAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Storm Sweep Way To Cal League Finals; Coleman Borthwick Debuts The Padres' most recent two first-round draft picks, left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft and Coleman Borthwick, along with right-hander Lan-Hong Su combined for 15 strikeouts and the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm rode a three-run second inning to beat the Ontario Tower Buzzers 6-1 to sweep the best-of-three California League South Division Series. The Storm, who won the 2024 Cal League crown, will face the San Jose Giants in the best-of-three series beginning Sunday at The Diamond. Borthwick, the Padres' first-round draft pick and Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect, made his pro debut by going two innings, allowing a run on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Borthwick struck out the first batter he faced on a 97 mph four-seamer, then the second batter on a breaking ball. The run came when the third batter he faced laced a double inside the third-base line and the next batter hit a grounder to shortstop Jose Verdugo, who tried to backhand the ball and had it roll up his arm and deflect into shallow left, allowing the run to score. The play was ruled a hit despite it being rather routine. While Borthwick was good, Schoolcraft was fantastic. Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect, the 2025 first-round draft choice, started and went five shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing just two hits and a walk. His eight punchouts were his second-highest total of the season. The offense came early for the Storm. With two outs, seventh-round draft choice Joe Tiroly walked and stole second, then fourth-round draft pick Alex Conover hit a ground-rule double to left for a 1-0 lead. With two out and Qrey Lott on first following a forceout, second-round draft choice Elliot Lascelles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect) lined a double to right to make it 2-0. Tiroly drew his second walk of the game and, with runners on second and third, Conover was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Nu'u Contrades followed with a double off the big wall in right field that scored two, with Conover being thrown out at the plate, leaving the Storm up 4-0. The Tower Buzzers got their run in the sixth off Borthwick. The Storm benefited from a miscue to add two more runs in the eighth. With two outs, Verdugo walked and Dawson Willis doubled to left. Following a pitching change, Ty Harvey (Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect) hit a fly ball to right that was dropped, allowing Verdugo and Willis to score. Su came on for the eighth and didn't allow a hit over his two innings, walking one and striking out three. LE1_0910.mp4 LE2_0910.mp4 LE3_0910.mp4 LE4_0910.mp4 LE5_0910.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles, 2B 3 1 1 1 1 0 Joe Tiroly, 1B 2 2 0 0 2 1 Alex Conover, LF 3 0 1 1 0 1 Nu'u Contrades, DH 3 0 2 2 1 0 Jorge Quintana, 3B 2 0 0 0 2 1 Jose Verdugo, SS 3 1 0 0 1 0 Dawson Willis, CF 4 1 2 0 0 1 Ty Harvey, C 3 0 0 0 1 1 Qrey Lott, RF 4 1 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kruz Schoolcraft 5 2 0 0 1 8 0 Coleman Borthwick 2 2 1 1 2 4 0 Lan-Hong Su 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 Bounces Don't Go Chihuahuas' Way In 11-Inning Loss A bases-loaded comebacker deflected off right-hander Alek Jacob's glove, allowing the winning run to score with no outs in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas fell to the host Tacoma Rainiers 5-4. Rehabbing Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar had a double in four at-bats with a strikeout before being lifted for a pinch-runner in the top of the eighth inning. In three games so far, Andujar is 2-for-12 with both hits being doubles. Bryce Johnson went 3-for-4 with a walk, two doubles and an RBI, while Marcos Castanon went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs, Carlos Rodirguez had two hits, a walk, an RBI and a run scored and Nick Solak had two singles for the Chihuahuas, who outhit the Rainiers 12-10. Chihuahuas left-hander Luis Gutierrez, in his second career Triple-A start after making one last year for El Paso, allowed a run over four innings with four strikeouts. Left-hander Jagger Haynes, Padres Mission's No. 13 prospect, gave up two runs in three innings, with right-hander Garrett Hawkins going two scoreless and Jacob pitching the 10th and 11th, giving up two unearned runs while allowing three hits and walking three with two strikeouts. The Chihuahuas forced extra innings by scoring once in the ninth. Castanon had a leadoff double and scored on Johnson's second double of the game one out later. But Johnson was stranded there as pinch-hitter Rodolfo Duran and Mason McCoy struck out. McCoy, the zombie runner to begin the 10th, would score on Rodriguez's one-out single, but the Rainiers countered with a run of their own. The Chihuahuas couldn't score in the top of the 11th. EP1_0910.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy, SS 6 1 0 0 0 4 Miguel Andujar, DH 4 0 1 0 0 1 Braedon Karpathios, DH 0 0 0 0 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez, RF 4 1 2 1 1 2 Nick Solak, LF 5 0 2 0 0 1 Nick Pratto, 1B 5 0 1 0 0 2 Marcos Castañon, 2B 4 2 2 1 1 0 Gage Workman, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 4 Bryce Johnson, CF 4 0 3 1 1 1 Anthony Vilar, C 2 0 1 1 0 0 Rodolfo Durán, C 2 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Luis Gutierrez 4 3 1 1 2 4 0 Jagger Haynes 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 Garrett Hawkins 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Alek Jacob 1 3 2 0 3 2 0 Despite 3 Homers, Missions Fall To Sod Poodles Brendan Durfee, Kai Roberts and Ryan Jackson each hit solo homers, but the Double-A San Antonio Missions were unable to muster any other offense in falling to the Amarillo Sod Poodles 5-3. Alex McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect, went 3-for-4, his third time in 23 games at Double-A with at least three hits for the Missions. Jack Costello went 2-for-4 for the Missions, who outhit the Sod Poodles 11-10. https://padresmission.com/san-diego-padres-top-prospect-rankings/alex-mccoy-r143/ Missions left-handed starter Fernando Sanchez finished his season by allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts over five innings. Right-hander Francisco Pena allowed a solo homer on two hits over two innings, while right-hander Josh Mallitz allowed a hit in one inning, striking out one. Trailing 2-0 entering the top of the third, Durfee led off the inning with his fourth homer of the year and Roberts followed with his fifth of the season. The Sod Poodles went up 3-2 in the bottom of the third, with the Missions getting Jackson's homer leading off the top of the fourth to tie it 3-3. But the Sod Poodles answered back with one in the bottom of the fourth and one in the sixth. SA1_0910.mp4 SA2_0910.mp4 SA3_0910.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kai Roberts, CF 4 1 1 1 0 0 Alex McCoy, RF 4 0 3 0 0 1 Albert Fabian, DH 4 0 1 0 0 0 Kerrington Cross, 1B 4 0 1 0 0 1 Ryan Jackson, 3B 4 1 1 1 0 0 Jack Costello, LF 4 0 2 0 0 0 Justin DeCriscio, SS 4 0 1 0 0 0 Wyatt Hoffman, 2B 3 0 0 0 0 2 Brendan Durfee, C 3 1 1 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Fernando Sanchez 5 7 4 3 2 6 1 Francis Peña 2 2 1 1 0 1 1 Josh Mallitz 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas, C: DNP Ryan Wideman, CF: On injured list Coleman Borthwick, RHP: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K Ty Harvey, C: 0-for-3, BB, K Kale Fountain, OF: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana, SS: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K Alex McCoy, LF: 3-for-4, K Braedon Karpathios, RF: 0-for-0, sac Lamar King Jr., C: DNP Elliot Lascelles, SS: 1-for-3, 2B, BB, RBI Tucker Musgrove, RHP: On injured list Jagger Haynes, LHP: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR Jake Cunningham, OF: DNP Truitt Madonna, C: DNP Eric Yost, RHP: DNP Winyer Chourio, RHP: DNP Jesus Castro, RHP: DNP Michael Salina, RHP: On injured list Rosman Verdugo, SS: DNP View full article

Only two of the San Diego Padres' full-season affiliates were in action Wednesday, going 1-1. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas prevailed 4-2 over Tacoma and the Double-A San Antonio Missions lost to Midland 6-2. The Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm resume the best-of-three California League Division Series on Thursday, looking to sweep the Ontario Tower Buzzers. Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Chihuahuas' Insurance Pays Dividends In Win; Ian Koenig Goes 6 Shutout Nick Pratto homered to ignite a three-run ninth inning, Mason McCoy went 5-for-6 and right-hander Hunter Stratton survived a rocky bottom of the ninth as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas beat the host Tacoma Rainiers 4-2. Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar went 0-for-4 in his second rehab game as he comes back from a fractured right wrist. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Ian Koenig went six shutout innings, allowing five hits while striking out four and walking none. Right-hander Logan Gillaspie added two shutout innings on one hit and striking out one. Following the three-run top of the ninth, Stratton was handed a 4-0 lead. Stratton got a groundout to begin the ninth, then gave up a single to Andy Ibanez and a two-run homer to Connor Joe. But he recovered to retire Patrick Wisdom and Nolan Jones. For eight innings, it looked as if the Chihuahuas' run in the first would stand up for a victory. That run came when McCoy singled, Andujar hit into a fielder's choice on which McCoy reached second when the second baseman dropped the throw at second. After a flyout, Nick Solak doubled home McCoy. The Chihuahuas would tack on three runs in the ninth. Pratto hit the second pitch of the ninth off the scoreboard in right-center, his 12th of the season and seventh with the Chihuahuas. After a strikeout, Rodolfo Duran singled to center, Gage Workman walked and Braedon Karpathios (Pades Mission's No. 9 prospect) reached on an error by the shortstop to load the bases. McCoy's fifth hit of the game brought in the third run of the game and prompted a pitching change. Marcos Castanon singled home Karpathios to make it 4-0. EP1_0909.mp4 EP2_0909.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 6 1 5 1 0 1 Miguel Andujar 4 0 0 0 0 0 Marcos Castañon 2 0 1 1 0 1 Carlos Rodríguez 4 0 2 0 2 0 Nick Solak 3 0 1 1 2 0 Nick Pratto 4 1 1 1 1 1 Will Wagner 1 0 0 0 0 1 Clay Dungan 3 0 0 0 0 3 Anthony Vilar 1 0 0 0 0 1 Rodolfo Durán 4 0 1 0 0 1 Gage Workman 4 1 1 0 1 1 Braedon Karpathios 5 1 1 0 0 2 Totals 41 4 13 4 6 12 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig 6 5 0 0 0 4 0 Logan Gillaspie 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Hunter Stratton 1 2 2 2 0 0 1 Totals 9 8 2 2 0 5 1 Missions' Rough Eighth Inning Boosts RockHounds While pitching dominated on both sides, it was a bad eighth inning that cost the Double-A San Antonio Missions in a 6-2 loss to the Amarillo RockHounds. Oswaldo Linares hit a solo homer for the Missions, who outhit the RockHounds 7-6. Linares' third homer of the season and first for the Missions, putting San Antonio up 2-1. The Missions' first run—and first of the game—came in the sixth when Tirso Ornelas and Romeo Sanabria had leadoff singles to put runners on the corners. Luis Verdugo grounded into a double play that plated Ornelas. Missions right-hander Abraham Parra, in his final start of the season, pitched five shutout innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out five. Left-hander Igor Gil gave up a solo homer and struck out three over two innings. Right-hander Johan Moreno, however, didn't record an out in the eighth, surrendering five runs on two hits and two walks, giving up a two-run homer to cap the scoring in the inning and the game. SA_0909.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kai Roberts 5 0 1 0 0 3 Alex McCoy 3 0 1 0 2 0 Tirso Ornelas 4 1 1 0 1 1 Romeo Sanabria 3 0 1 0 1 1 Luis Verdugo 3 0 1 0 1 0 Justin DeCriscio 3 0 0 0 0 1 Kerrington Cross 4 0 1 0 0 0 Wyatt Hoffman 3 0 0 0 1 1 Oswaldo Linares 3 1 1 1 1 0 Totals 31 2 7 1 7 7 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Abraham Parra 5 3 0 0 3 5 0 Igor Gil 2 1 1 1 0 3 1 Johan Moreno 0 2 5 5 2 0 1 Will Varmette 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 8 6 6 6 5 9 2 Kruz Schoolcraft Gets Nod As Storm Eye Playoff Sweep The Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm will go for a sweep of the best-of-three California League Division Series on Thursday against the Ontario Tower Buzzers. Left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft (Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect) will start for the Storm, winners of the South Division's first-half title who will host Game 2 at The Diamond at 6:05 p.m. Schoolcraft is 3-7 with a 5.90 ERA in 22 starts this season. The Storm won Game 1 10-9 after scoring four runs in the top of the ninth, then watching the Tower Buzzers get six in the bottom half. Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 0-for-2, 1 K Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-3, 2 BB Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-5, 2 K Lamar King Jr.: DNP Elliot Lascelles: DNP Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: DNP View full article

With one full-season affiliate done for the season and another in the playoffs, the San Diego Padres farm teams went 1-2 Tuesday. That one win was by the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm, who opened the California League playoffs with a 10-9 win over Ontario. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas were walked off by Tacoma 8-7, while the Double-A San Antonio Missions lost to Amarillo 7-6. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres sent DH Miguel Andujar on a rehab assignment to El Paso Chihuahuas. San Diego Padres released C Blake Hunt. San Diego Padres signed free agent RHP Trevor Gott to a minor league contract and assigned him to El Paso Chihuahuas. OF Braedon Karpathios assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. C Anthony Vilar assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. El Paso Chihuahuas transferred OF Kai Murphy to the Development List. El Paso Chihuahuas transferred 2B Victor Duarte to the Development List. RHP Will Varmette assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps. 3B Kerrington Cross assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps. RHP Carson Montgomery assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps. RHP Coleman Borthwick assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. LHP Jeronimo Palmeros assigned to ACL Padres from Lake Elsinore Storm. San Diego Padres optioned RHP Jhony Brito to El Paso Chihuahuas. El Paso Chihuahuas released RHP José Leclerc. El Paso Chihuahuas released RHP J.P. France. CAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Dominant Jesus Castro, 4-Run Fourth Help Storm Hold On In Game 1 Right-handed starter Jesus Castro turned in six fantastic innings, while Qrey Lott and Ty Harvey homered as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm won Game 1 of the California League Division Series, withstanding a six-run bottom of the ninth for a 10-9 win over the host Ontario Tower Buzzers. The Storm, the first-half South Division champ, can earn a spot in the Cal League Championship Series with a win in Thursday's Game 2 in Lake Elsinore at 6:05 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, is Friday at 6:45 p.m. at Lake Elsinore. Castro, Padres Mission's No. 18 prospect, struck out five while allowing just two hits and a run, walking one. While Castro stepped up on the pitching side, the bats also rose to the occasion. Fourth-round draft choice Alex Conover went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and sixth-round selection Nu'u Contrades went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. Lott had two hits and scored twice, while Harvey (Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect) also scored two runs. The Storm got off to a quick start as second-round draft pick Elliot Lascelles and seventh-rounder Joe Tiroly drew leadoff walks with No. 3 hitter Conover singling to left for a 1-0 lead. The Storm took control of the game with a four-run fourth inning. With one out, Dawson Willis reached when the shortstop booted his grounder and went to second when Harvey was hit by a pitch and Lott had an infield single to load the bases. Lascelles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect) grounded out to first to make it 2-0. Tiroly continued his big offensive role by grounding a single to left to bring in Harvey and Lott for a 4-0 lead. Conover capped the outburst with an RBI double. The Tower Buzzers got on the board on Easton Shelton's 38th homer of the season in bottom of the fourth, with Lott notching his ninth homer in the top of the sixth to make it 6-1. After the Tower Buzzers scored twice in the seventh, the Storm seemingly put this one away with a four-run top of the ninth. Willis hit a sacrifice fly, then Harvey crushed his sixth homer of the year, a three-run shot, to make it 10-3. The Tower Buzzers rallied in the ninth against three Storm relievers, with a three-run homer with two outs slicing Lake Elsinore's lead to 10-9. That brought up Shelton to face Storm left-hander Rob Evans, the Padres' 12th-round draft choice out of Miami (Fla.). Evans would get Shelton looking on a 2-2 pitch to end the game. LE1_0908.mp4 LE2_0908.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles 5 1 0 1 1 0 Joe Tiroly 4 1 1 2 1 2 Alex Conover 5 0 4 2 0 0 Nu'u Contrades 4 1 3 0 1 1 Jorge Quintana 3 1 0 0 2 1 Jose Verdugo 4 1 0 0 0 1 Dawson Willis 4 1 1 1 0 1 Ty Harvey 4 2 1 3 0 3 Qrey Lott 5 2 2 1 0 1 Totals 38 10 12 10 5 10 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jesus A. Castro 6 2 1 1 1 5 1 Jordan Valenzuela 1/3 2 2 2 0 1 1 Andrew Wright 1 1/3 2 0 0 0 3 0 Sean Fitzpatrick 2/3 1 2 2 1 1 1 Albert Roblez 1/3 0 2 2 2 0 0 Rob Evans 1/3 2 2 2 0 1 1 Totals 9 9 9 9 4 11 4 Chihuahuas Walked Off By Rainers; Miguel Andujar Goes 1-for-4 After scoring two insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning, the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas gave up four in the bottom of the ninth to lose 8-7 to the host Tacoma Rainiers. Former Padres right-hander Brent Honeywell allowed all four runs, including the walk-off three-run homer by Patrick Wisdom to begin the Chihuahuas' final road series of the season. The Chihuahuas led 5-0 after the top of the sixth. Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar, in his first rehab game as he comes back from a fractured right wrist, went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in the third inning, driving in another Chihuahuas newcomer, Braedon Karpathios. Karpathios, Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect, was promoted from Double-A San Antonio before the game. Chihuahuas left-handed starter allowed just one hit over four shutout innings, while right-handers Ty Adcock (1⅔ innings) and and Hans Crouse (one inning) each allowed two runs, with Crouse's runs unearned while not giving up a hit. Crouse also walked four. Right-hander Alek Jacob went 1⅓ scoreless before handing it off to Honeywell to begin the ninth. Nick Pratto went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored, while Will Wagner also had two hits and scored a run. Karpathios, in his Triple-A debut, walked three times while going 0-for-1. Clay Dungan drove in a pair of runs. Andujar's double gave the Chihuahuas a 1-0 lead after Karpathios drew his first walk and went to third on Wagner's single to right. Carlos Rodriguez followed Andujar with an RBI single. Two walks set up a three-run sixth inning by the Chihuahuas. Marcos Castanon and Pratto drew leadoff free passes, then Rodolfo Duran singled home Castanon and Pratto to third. Duran stole his fourth base of the season before Dungan's two-run single to right to make it 5-0. The Rainiers scored twice in the bottom of the sixth and seventh, with the Chihuahuas adding two in the top of the ninth on Pratto's sacrifice fly and Gage Workman's RBI double. Honeywell sandwiched two walks around a single to load the bases with no outs. A grounder to short got an out at second as a run scored before Wisdom blasted his 33rd homer of the season to walk it off. EP_0908.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Will Wagner 5 1 2 0 0 1 Miguel Andujar 4 0 1 1 0 0 Bryce Johnson 1 1 1 0 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez 4 1 1 1 1 0 Marcos Castañon 3 1 0 0 1 1 Nick Solak 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nick Pratto 3 1 2 1 1 1 Gage Workman 5 0 1 1 0 3 Rodolfo Durán 4 1 1 1 1 1 Braedon Karpathios 1 1 0 0 3 1 Clay Dungan 4 0 1 2 0 1 Mason McCoy 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 34 7 10 7 7 9 Player IP H R ER BB K HR JP Sears 4 1 0 0 1 5 0 Ty Adcock 1 2/3 2 2 2 1 3 1 Hans Crouse 1 0 2 0 4 1 0 Alek Jacob 1 1/3 1 0 0 1 2 0 Brent Honeywell 1/3 3 4 4 1 0 1 Totals 8 1/3 7 8 6 8 11 2 Missions Unable To Erase All Of 4-Run Deficit A late rally that included Tirso Ornelas' solo homer in the top of the ninth came up just short as the Double-A San Antonio Missions fell to the Amarillo Sod Poodles 7-6 to begin their final series of the season. The Sod Poodles clinched the second-half title in the Texas League's South Division with the win. Ornelas finished with two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored, while Kai Roberts and Mason McCoy each went 2-for-5 with a run scored for the Missons. Luis Verdugo also homered, while Romeo Sanabria drove in a pair. Missions right-handed starter Victor Lizarraga gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out five over five innings, but he did surrender three homers. Right-hander Carlos Medina allowed a run over two innings in his second Double-A game, while right-hander Sadrac Franco pitched a scoreless eighth. Ornelas had an RBI double and came home on Sanabria's single to make it 2-0 in the top of the first. The Sod Poodles got one back in the bottom of the first, then scored three in the fourth and two in the fifth for a 6-2 lead. Brendan Durfee had an RBI single to pull the Missions within 6-3 in the top of the sixth, but the Sod Poodles added one in the bottom of the sixth. Sanabria's grounder in the seventh made it 7-4, then Verdugo hit his ninth homer of the year in the eighth to pull within 7-5 before Ornelas cracked his 17th of the season with one out in the top of the ninth. SA_0908.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kai Roberts 5 1 2 0 0 0 Alex McCoy 5 1 2 0 0 0 Tirso Ornelas 5 2 2 2 0 1 Romeo Sanabria 5 0 1 2 0 2 Albert Fabian 3 0 0 0 2 1 Ryan Jackson 4 0 0 0 0 4 Justin DeCriscio 3 1 1 0 0 0 Luis Verdugo 3 1 1 1 1 1 Brendan Durfee 4 0 1 1 0 2 Totals 37 6 10 6 3 11 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Victor Lizarraga 5 6 6 5 3 5 3 Carlos Medina 2 3 1 1 0 2 0 Sadrac Franco 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 8 11 7 6 3 8 3 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Ryan Wideman: Oninjured list Coleman Borthwick: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: 1-for-4, HR, 3 K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: 0-for-3, 2 BB, K Alex McCoy: 2-for-5, 2B Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-1, 3 BB, K Lamar King Jr.: DNP Elliot Lascelles: 0-for-5, BB Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, HR (W) Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: DNP View full article

Should San Diego Padres fans be excited over Nick Pivetta’s performance in his first MLB start since April? Of course. Should Padres fans also be skeptical of Pivetta’s outing? A little dose wouldn’t hurt at the moment. But for one day, the 33-year-old right-hander reminded everyone why he was the team’s Opening Day starter earlier this year. Pivetta threw five shutout innings in the Padres’ 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday at Petco Park. Not bad for a guy who walked off the mound at Low-A Lake Elsinore on Aug. 4 after just 14 pitches when his pitching elbow didn’t feel right. Now, everyone is thinking the best of what Pivetta can provide the Padres as they battle the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third and final NL wild-card berth. With Monday’s win, the Padres remained a half-game behind the Diamondbacks with the two teams set to play the final three games of the regular season at Petco Park. Reasons For Optimism Over Nick Pivetta Despite the importance of this outing, Pivetta never showed that the moment got the best of him. His first two pitches of the game were 93.8 mph four-seamers to Nationals star James Wood, who grounded out to second. The velocity was right on par with what he averaged in his first four starts of the season (94.1 mph) before he walked off the mound after three pitches in the fourth inning April 12 vs. the Colorado Rockies and went on the IL the next day. He wasn’t overly amped. The 93.8 mph was exactly what he averaged in the entire 2025 season. Pivetta isn’t an overpowering pitcher. Last year’s four-seamer ranked in the 41st percentile in MLB. But he gets outs, which is what he did Monday. Pivetta’s velocity was fairly consistent in the first inning, only going down to 92.9 mph. He only needed seven pitches to retire the first three batters he faced. The second inning also saw him retire the side in order as he was able to effectively mix in his high-spin curveball to complement his four-seamer, which got up to 95.3 mph and dipping to 92.6. Pivetta got another groundout and finished the inning with a called third strike that was confirmed on a challenge. Two innings, 21 pitches. The third inning was where he encountered his first difficulty. After Keibert Ruiz lined out to Fernando Tatis Jr. on the warning track in right field, No. 8 hitter Jorbit Vivas lined an opposite-field single to right on a 92 mph cutter, the first batter to reach against Pivetta. After a foul-out to Tatis, Wood came up for the second time and Pivetta fell behind 2-1 before Wood lined a 94.5 mph four-seamer one hop off the wall in right for a double, putting runners on second and third with two outs. The next batter grounded to first baseman Ty France, who took care of business as Pivetta showed some emotion crossing the first-base line. His four-seamer that inning ranged from 92.9 to 94.5 mph. Pivetta entered the fourth inning at 43 pitches. With his last rehab outing going 64 pitches after 35 pitches five days before that, you weren’t really sure how long of a leash manager Craig Stammen was going to give Pivetta. The Padres scored twice in the bottom of the third to give him a 3-0 cushion and he used the confidence from that to retire the next three batters on 12 pitches. Whether he knew it or not, the fifth would be his last inning. Nationals hitters remained aggressive and it only took him eight pitches to get the final three batters out. His velocity was down, though, throwing three four-seamers at 91.7, 92.3 and 92.5 mph. He was in line for the win, but Stammen and the Padres had seen enough. While he only struck out two in his 63 pitches, he did get five groundouts, two pop-ups and four fly-outs as he retired 15 of the 17 batters he faced. Another positive from both perspectives is that Stammen had Ethan Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, handle Pivetta's start instead of Freddy Fermin or Luis Campusano. It makes sense since Salas caught Pivetta in his last rehab outing, which was also Salas' last minor-league game before being promoted. Reasons For Skepticism Over Nick Pivetta The Nationals have one of the top offenses in MLB. They rank second in runs scored, homers and slugging percentage, while tops in extra-base hits. So keeping them off-balance over five innings is definitely an accomplishment. But you also have to consider the circumstances under which this took place. A 2:10 p.m. first pitch Monday came after the Nationals played Sunday up the 5 Freeway against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a game that started at 7:10 p.m., a rare starting time for a Sunday game. Now, this wasn’t as bad as a trip that required a flight, but it wouldn't be surprising if the Nationals had a travel hangover that affected them as they faced Pivetta. Aside from that consideration, Pivetta was not overpowering in the least. He only generated one whiff on 25 swings (4%), getting it on a four-seamer. Last year, Pivetta had a 23.8% whiff rate on his four-seamer and 35.3% on his curve. That did not manifest against the Nationals. His curve, while good, had a slightly lower spin rate than in 2025, while his four-seamer was right on last year. His cutter and sweeper were also down. Chalk that up to not yet being in excellent game shape. Aside from the early exit from his very first rehab outing, Pivetta only had two other appearances in the minors before Monday. Typically, a starter has four or five games to build up stamina and perfect their pitches. Bringing back Pivetta early has the feel of a rehab assignment in the majors instead of at Triple-A. That would also account for his velocity range. While his cutter was up slightly, his four-seamer (0.5 mph), curve (0.9) and sweeper (1.6) were down. Again, that could be rectified with more work. But with that work coming in games that count for the Padres as they chase a spot in the postseason. What Should Padres Fans Think About Nick Pivetta’s Start? Ride the vibes—Pivetta has looked good in all three games since the Aug. 4 scare. While not as sharp as he needs to be for the postseason, he has three more starts in the rest of the regular season, including Sunday against the San Francisco Giants. The last of those would be the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pivetta’s return has bumped right-hander Randy Vasquez from the rotation to the bullpen, which gives the Padres a very quality option for multiple innings. Vasquez is deserving of a rotation spot, but Pivetta has earned the right due to his ace-like performance in 2025, when he had a 3.49 FIP (2.25 ERA) and posted a 5.0 bWAR, finishing sixth in the NL Cy Young Award voting. Getting a quality Pivetta back alongside Michael King, Walker Buehler, Ray and Mize puts the Padres in prime position to make a deep run in October. View full article

It was most certainly a tale of two seasons for the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm. Now, those two collide with a California League championship at stake. The Storm begin the best-of-three Division Series in the California League playoffs Tuesday when they travel to play the Ontario Tower Buzzers in Game 1 at 6:35 p.m. Game 2 is Thursday at Lake Elsinore at 6:05 p.m., with a potential Game 3 on Friday at 6:45 p.m. The Storm won the first-half South Division title by going 39-27. The Tower Buzzers, a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate, won the second half at 38-28 after going 33-33 and finishing third in the division in the first half. The Storm finished last in the four-team division in the second half at 27-38. Right-hander Jesus Castro (Padres Mission's No. 18 prospect) will start for the Storm in Game 1. In 22 games and 20 starts, the 19-year-old has a 4.18 ERA with 31 walks and 100 strikeouts in 90⅓ innings. While many of the names have changed for the Storm due to a slew of midseason promotions, one thing hasn't: Lake Elsinore likes to steal bases. The Storm have stolen 357 bases in 131 games, an average of 2.73 per game. They have also been caught 87 times. The 357 steals comes up a bit shy of the all-time minor-league and Cal League record of 372, set by the San Jose Bees in 1974. Outfielder Conner Westenberg leads the Storm with 45 in 94 games, squeaking past Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 2 prospect who had 43 in 65 games before being promoted to High-A Fort Wayne midseason. The Storm also feature a handful of this summer's draft picks. That group is led by second-round shortstop Elliot Lascelles and also includes fourth-round compensation-pick outfielder Alex Conover, fifth-round right-hander James Guyette, sixth-round infielder Nu'u Contrades, seventh-round infielder Joe Tiroly, eighth-round left-hander Sean Fitzpatrick, 10th-round catcher Augie Lopez, 11th-round first baseman-outfielder Chris McHugh and 12th-round left-hander Rob Evans. In the North Division, the first-half champ San Jose Giants square off with the Stockton Ports. The Giants actually won both halves, but the Ports were selected as the second-half representative by virtue of finishing second in the second half. View full rumor

Let's check in on the San Diego Padres prospects who made a mark in the last week (check out Padres Mission's latest Top 20 rankings as well!). Note: This will be the last edition of the Hot Sheet as the regular seasons for High-A Fort Wayne and Low-A Lake Elsinore have concluded, although the Storm are in the playoffs this week. Double-A San Antonio is in its last week, while Triple-A El Paso has two more. Braedon Karpathios, RF, Double-A San Antonio Missions Season stats: 268/.353/.444, 120 games, 62 R, 22 2B, 3 3B, 17 HR, 73 RBI, 60 BB, 162 K, 6 SB, 6 CS Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect didn't slow down just because the calendar flipped from August to September. After being our Minor-League Hitter of the Month for August, Karpathios had his most productive week since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2022. The left-handed hitter drove in 13 runs for Double-A San Antonio, all coming in just three games, while putting together a .636/.667/1.045 (14-for-22) slash line over five games against the Midland RockHounds. His week got off to a tremendous start as he hit a grand slam Tuesday in his second at-bat of the game and would drive in another for a five-RBI game. It was his second slam of the year. The next day, Karpathios would produce his first career five-hit game while driving in four more runs, including homering in back-to-back games and for the third time in four games. After a 2-for-3 game with a walk Thursday (no RBIs), he came up with another four-RBI game Friday while going 3-for-5 with two doubles. Karpathios got Saturday off, then finished his week with another 2-for-3 day with a walk. He is certainly a player to watch for a possible backup outfield spot in 2027 as the one-time pitcher has a strong arm for either corner spot. Karpathios is eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason. Jorge Quintana, SS, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm Season stats: .234/.328/.367, 103 games, 56 R, 18 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 52 RBI, 52 BB, 125 K, 29 SB, 6 CS The 19-year-old certainly isn't known for his bat as his batting average has hovered in the .230 range all season. Padres Mission's No. 7 prospect will bring a stellar glove, one reason why the Padres acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers at the 2025 trade deadline in the Brandon Lockridge-Nestor Cortes deal. But Quintana, wrapping up his first year in full-season ball with Low-A Lake Elsinore finished the regular season showing a bit of his offensive upside. The switch-hitter homered in each of his final two regular season games, including a mammoth blast over the big wall in right field at The Diamond. In addition to the big-time power, Quintana hit in all four games he played in last week against the Inland Empire 66ers, compiling a .563/.611/1.000 slash line. He also had a double, two walks and five RBIs as well as three stolen bases. Quintana, however, does have a strikeout problem, going down on strikes 125 times in 381 plate appearances, a scary 31.8% rate. For comparison, Kyle Schwarber leads MLB with 200 strikeouts entering the week, a 32.4% rate. Lan-Hong Su, RHP, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm Season stats: 0-5, 5.10 ERA, 17 games (16 starts), 47⅔ IP, 48 H, 28 R, 27 ER, 17 BB, 58 K, .268 opponent average In his final start of the regular season—and perhaps the season depending on his postseason usage for Low-A Lake Elsinore—the 19-year-old right-hander out of Taiwan continued his strong finish to his debut season. Su, a key international signing last year, struck out a season-high nine over 4⅔ innings allowing just one hit (a two-run homer) to his final batter. He didn't walk anyone, although he did hit a batter. Su was coming off his previous season best of seven strikeouts and has punched out 21 over his last three games covering 11⅔ innings. After making six appearances in the Arizona Complex League with a 4.06 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 15⅔ innings, the slender 6-foot-1, 150-pounder had some significant struggles when bumped up to the Storm. He allowed four runs in each of his first three starts over 7⅔ innings. After a small reset, he has turned things around in his last six starts. Over 15⅔ innings, he has allowed seven runs on 18 hits and five walks while fanning 26. That type of progress over a short period should bode well for Su, who was in the 89-94 mph range with his fastball before signing, then touched 97 in the Spring Breakout game in March. Considering his development stage, there would seem to be plenty of upside on the horizon for Su. Javier Chacon, LHP, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps Season stats: 6-1, 3.76 ERA, 38 games (all relief), 3 holds, 1 save (2 chances), 67 IP, 51 H, 37 R, 28 ER, 47 BB, 82 K, .213 opponent average The 23-year-old left-hander has been a quiet yet steady performer this season. That was evident in his two relief appearances last week as he struck out eight over 5⅓ innings, while walking four and giving up just two hits while facing 22 batters. That included matching his season high of six punchouts over three innings Saturday vs. the 66ers. This has been a strong bounce-back season after missing almost all of 2025 due to injury. Chacon turned in a stellar first eight appearances for Low-A Lake Elsinore, with a 1.59 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 17 innings, earning him a quick promotion to High-A Fort Wayne. With the TinCaps, Chacon has continued to turn in valuable innings, posting a 4.50 ERA over 50 frames, walking 40 (15.7%) and striking out 58 (27.4%). He was signed as an international free agent in 2021 and putting up the numbers he did following last year's injury is a positive. Romeo Sanabria, 1B, Double-A San Antonio Missions Season stats: .273/.362/.404, 109 games, 52 R, 23 2B, 0 3B, 10 HR, 57 RBI, 55 BB, 102 K It has been a bit of a trying season for the left-handed-hitting first baseman. After a strong showing in spring training, Sanabria was sent back to Double-A San Antonio to begin 2026 when he might have thought he was going to Triple-A El Paso entering camp. San Antonio is a better environment for prospects as El Paso and many other Triple-A venues skew offensive performances. Last week, Sanabria had a .455/.500/.545 slash line in six games, with two doubles, three RBIs and two walks. That brought his Double-A line up to .290/.382/.427 with eight homers and 45 RBIs in 88 games. He did get a promotion to El Paso at midseason, but only produced a .200/.268/.307 slash line with two homers and 12 RBIs in 20 games before going back to the Missions in early August. Sanabria doesn't provide much in the way of power, topping out at 12 homers in 2025, but he does have the ability to make good contact. Perhaps this year will get him a ticket to El Paso to begin 2027. View full article