Steve Drumwright

With a thin farm system and a bullpen that has depth, there is a likelihood that the San Diego Padres address needs on their major-league roster by dealing from their relief corps before Monday's 3 p.m. PT deadline. That is according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, who posted an article Saturday saying sources inside and outside the organization that Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller will use the variety of bullpen arms to address areas such as the starting rotation. The Padres entered play Saturday one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the third and final NL wild-card spot with two months left in the season. While right-hander Mason Miller has basically been ruled out from being traded, the biggest name the Padres could move and bring back a good return is left-hander Adrian Morejon. Experiencing a banner season that has seen his velocity jump a few ticks and is regularly at 101 mph, Morejon is making $3.9 million this year, which leaves about $1.15 million to cover the rest of the season. Morejon is a high-leverage reliever who is just 27 years old before he hits free agency. He could easily remain as a setup man for another established closer or could take over closer duties for a team needing stability in that role. He has a FIP of 2.49 (3.14 ERA) in 57⅓ innings over 50 games, with a 6.3% walk rate and 27% strikeout rate, the highest in his eight-year career other than a 31.6% mark in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Morejon is one of four left-handers in the Padres' bullpen, along with Wandy Peralta, Yuki Matsui and Kyle Hart. Acee also notes that Preller could swing another deal like he pulled with the Baltimore Orioles to acquire outfielder Ramon Laureano and first baseman Ryan O'Hearn at last year's deadline, when he dealt away five 2024 draft picks, led by their second-, third- and fourth-rounders. The Padres' system is routinely rated as the worst in MLB, but there are probably a dozen prospects that other teams would be interested in, especially in a package deal. View full rumor

Friday saw another split for the four San Diego Padres full-season affiliates. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas were pounded by Albuquerque 14-8, the Double-A San Antonio Missions were toppled by Amarillo 8-5, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps beat Great Lakes 5-2 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm cruised past Stockton 15-5. Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Big Offensive Nights Not Enough As Chihuahuas Tumble Dustin Harris went 4-for-5 and Nick Solak 3-for-4, each homering, driving in a pair and scoring twice, but the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas gave up runs in seven of nine innings in a 14-8 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes. Ethan Salas, the 20-year-old Padres Mission No. 1 prospect, went 0-for-3 with two walks and a run scored as the designated hitter in his third game after going 5-for-8 with four extra-base hits in his first two games. Harris, the leadoff hitter, and Solak, the cleanup hitter, combined for seven of the Chihuahuas' nine hits. El Paso also drew seven walks, with Salas and Clay Dungan having a pair. Harris homered for the second night in a row and third time this series, hitting a solo homer in the fourth inning, and Solak a two-run shot in the seventh to pull within 11-8. Harris' blast not only was his third in four games, but his third since joining the Chihuahuas on July 10 and ninth this season, while Solak's was his 13th this year. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Evan Fitterer got just one out, giving up two runs on a hit and a walk and no strikeouts. Right-hander Logan Gillaspie gave up three runs in 3⅔ innings and right-hander Yasmiel Tamarez three runs in two innings, then right-hander Justin Yeager with five runs in two innings and one run in the ninth inning. EP_0731.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Dustin Harris 5 2 4 2 0 1 Mason McCoy 5 0 0 0 0 2 Carlos Rodríguez 5 0 1 0 0 2 Nick Solak 4 2 3 2 1 0 Ethan Salas 3 1 0 0 2 2 Will Wagner 3 1 1 0 1 1 Blake Hunt 2 1 0 1 1 0 Clay Dungan 2 1 0 0 2 0 Bryce Johnson 4 0 0 2 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Evan Fitterer 1/3 1 2 2 1 0 0 Logan Gillaspie 3 2/3 5 3 2 0 1 0 Misael Tamarez 2 2 3 3 3 2 1 Justin Yeager 2 6 5 5 1 1 3 Ethan Routzahn 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 Missions Lose Grasp As Sod Poodles Pull Away After five scoreless innings, the Double-A San Antonio Missions could match the output by the host Amarillo Sod Poodles in an 8-5 loss, their fourth straight loss. Right-hander Andrew Thurman gave up three runs in 5⅓ innings on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Right-hander Garrett Hawkins, Padres Mission's No. 17 prospect, also gave up three runs in 1⅔ innings on four hits and a walk with no strikeouts, then right-hander Bernard Jose allowed a pair of runs in one-third of an inning on two hits and a walk. Left-hander Igor Gil got the final two outs. Albert Fabian had two of the Missions' six hits (all singles) and scored a run, while Wyatt Hoffman had a hit and scored twice. Thurman had a one-hit shutout going into the sixth before giving up a walk, a one-out RBI double and an RBI single before being lifted in what would be a five-run inning. The Missions came back with a four-run seventh as Kai Roberts drew a bases-loaded walk, Brendan Durfee had an RBI grounder that was booted by the third baseman, Ryan Jackson plated a run on a double-play grounder and a wild pitch brought in another to make it 5-4. Amarillo got another in the seventh and two more in the eighth before Roberts' ninth-inning groundout brought in the final run. Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Jackson 4 0 1 1 0 0 Tirso Ornelas 4 0 0 0 0 3 Jake Cunningham 3 0 1 0 0 0 Albert Fabian 4 1 2 0 0 0 Luis Verdugo 3 0 0 0 1 0 Kai Murphy 4 1 1 0 0 1 Wyatt Hoffman 3 2 1 0 0 2 Kai Roberts 3 1 0 2 1 1 Brendan Durfee 4 0 0 1 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Andrew Thurman 5 1/3 3 3 3 2 4 0 Garrett Hawkins 1 2/3 4 3 3 1 0 0 Bernard Jose 1/3 2 2 2 1 0 0 Igor Gil 2/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 Pitchers Combine On 2-Hitter, Alex McCoy Shines In TinCaps' Win Right-handed starter Maikel Miralles didn't allow a hit but did give up two runs while combining with two relievers on a two-hitter as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps overwhelmed Great Lakes 5-2. Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect, stole two bases to boost his minors-leading total to 60. Alex McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 14 prospect, went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases, while Carlos Rodriguez had two hits and scored a run. Kerrington Cross, Luke Cantwell and Jack Costello were on base twice. McCoy scored the go-ahead run in a three-run eighth on a wild pitch. While not allowing a hit for five-plus innings, Miralles did walk five as he struck out three, with one of the two runs he allowed in the sixth unearned. He walked the bases loaded to begin the sixth before right-hander Nick Falter took over. A Rodriguez passed ball and a sacrifice fly put the Loons up 2-1. Falter struck out the next two hitters, then yielded a leadoff single to foil the no-hit bid. Right-hander Will Varmette also allowed just one hit in two innings, earning his third save of the season. Left-hander Kash Mayfield, Padres Mission's No. 2 prospect, had his usual Friday start skipped as he deals with a lingering hamstring injury, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic. Mayfield would be a possible trade chip in any deadline deal. McCoy put the TinCaps up 1-0 with his Midwest League-leading 26th double in the top of the sixth, then Justin DeCriscio tied it 2-2 on a double-play grounder in the seventh. In the eighth, McCoy singled, stole second (his 19th) and went to third on a one-out wild pitch. After Cantwell walked, McCoy scored on another wild pitch, then Rosman Verdugo hit an RBI ground-rule double and Kasen Wells a bases-loaded run-scoring single to make it 5-2. FW_0731.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 4 1 1 0 0 1 Ryan Wideman 5 0 1 0 0 2 Alex McCoy 4 1 3 1 1 1 Kerrington Cross 4 0 1 0 1 0 Luke Cantwell 3 1 1 0 1 0 Rosman Verdugo 4 1 1 1 1 1 Carlos Rodriguez 5 1 2 0 0 1 Jack Costello 2 0 0 0 2 0 Kasen Wells 4 0 2 1 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Maikel Miralles 5 0 2 1 5 3 0 Nick Falter 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 Will Varmette 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 Yimy Tovar Goes Deep Twice For First Storm Homers In Win Yimy Tovar went 4-for-4 with his first two Low-A homers and four RBIs as the Lake Elsinore Storm rolled to a 15-5 win over the host Stockton Ports. George Bilecki had a triple and two doubles with three RBIs and two runs scored, Ty Harvey had two hits and three RBIs and Conner Westenburg and Jose Verdugo each had two hits. Storm left-handed starter Kruz Schoolcraft, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect, went four innings, allowing just one run on four hits but with six walks and four strikeouts. Right-hander Jeferson Villabona had two shutout innings with three strikeouts, right-hander Yoesmerli Beltre allowed four runs in 1⅔ innings and right-hander Rordy Mejia finished with 1⅓ shutout innings, striking out four. https://padresmission.com/san-diego-padres-top-prospect-rankings/kruz-schoolcraft-r130/ Trailing 1-0 after the first, the Storm took the lead for good on Verdugo's run-scoring single and Bilecki's RBI triple. Tovar, who hit one homer this year in the Arizona Complex League, drilled his first with the Storm in the fourth inning, and a second two-run shot in the seventh inning. Player AB R H RBI BB K Conner Westenburg 5 1 2 1 0 0 Ty Harvey 6 0 2 3 0 1 Bradley Frye 5 0 1 0 1 1 Jorge Quintana 6 1 1 0 0 0 Yoiber Ocopio 3 3 1 0 1 1 Yimy Tovar 4 3 4 4 1 0 Jose Verdugo 4 2 2 1 0 0 Dylan Grego 1 1 0 0 0 0 George Bilecki 4 2 3 3 1 1 Qrey Lott 3 2 0 2 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kruz Schoolcraft 4 4 1 1 6 4 0 Jeferson Villabona 2 2 0 0 0 3 0 Yoesmerli Beltre 1 2/3 3 4 4 3 2 1 Rordy Mejia 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 4 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-5, 2 K Kruz Schoolcraft: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 4 K Jorge Quintana: 1-for-6 Ty Harvey: 2-for-6, 3 RBI, 1 K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Tucker Musgrove: DNP Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona Lamar King Jr.: DNP Braedon Karpathios: DNP Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 3-for-4, 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K Truitt Madonna: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Garrett Hawkins: 1⅔ IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K Elliot Lascelles: In Arizona Winyer Chourio: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-4, 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K View full article

Not that this comes as a stunning development to San Diego Padres fans, but one MLB insider considers it very unlikely closer Mason Miller will be dealt by the trade deadline. "It would be a shock," ESPN's Alden Gonzalez wrote Friday about a Miller trade. Miller was the Padres' lone All-Star and has converted all 28 of his save opportunities this year after being acquired at last year's trade deadline. A.J. Preller, the Padres' president of baseball operations, is still listening to anyone who wants to inquire, but his asking price remains "astronomical" to the point that certain contenders haven't even asked about MLB's best closer. It also helps that the Padres recently won five straight to get them in a better position in the NL wild-card race. However, that doesn't mean the rest of the Padres' bullpen isn't available. According to The Athletic, left-handers Adrian Morejon and Wandy Peralta are popular names on the trade block, with the New York Yankees one team that would be interested and have young starters Will Warren and Ryan Weathers as potential trade pieces. View full rumor

The San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates went 0-4 Thursday, with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas collapsed late in a 16-10 loss to Albuquerque, the Double-A San Antonio Missions falling 6-4, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps getting crushed 11-1 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm came up short vs. Stockton 5-3. Padres Minor-League Transactions None. 2 More Hits For Ethan Salas, But Chihuahuas Blown Out Late Ethan Salas had a pair of doubles in his second Triple-A game, Dustin Harris homered and Carlos Rodriguez went 4-for-5 with two RBIs, but the host El Paso Chihuahuas were outscored 10-2 over the last three innings in a 16-10 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes. Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect who was promoted from Double-A San Antonio after Tuesday's game, also walked and struck out in five trips to the plate and is 5-for-8 with three doubles, a triple, two walks and four RBIs in his two games. Salas started at catcher after serving as the designated hitter in his debut and again hit fifth. Salas also had a throwing error on a steal attempt and a passed ball. Mason McCoy had a pair of hits, an RBI and scored three times for the Chihuahuas, who built an 8-5 lead after four innings. Harris started the bottom of the first with a leadoff homer with his second Chihuahuas homer and eighth of the season. Marcos Castanon had a run-scoring single and Will Wagner an RBI double to stake the Chihuahuas to a 3-0 lead. After the Isotopes got one in the top of the second, Bryce Johnson and McCoy had RBI doubles and Rodriguez singled home another to make it 6-1. The Isotopes pulled with 6-5 in the third, then the Chihuahuas got another Rodriguez RBI single and a Castanon double-play grounder made it 8-5. The Chihuahuas still led 9-7 on Salas' RBI double that scored Rodriguez. Salas also had an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth, but that came after the Isotopes overtook the Missions with five in the eighth and four in the ninth. EP1_0730.mp4 EP2_0730.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Dustin Harris 5 2 2 1 0 0 Mason McCoy 4 3 2 1 1 0 Carlos Rodríguez 5 2 4 2 0 0 Marcos Castañon 5 1 1 1 0 0 Ethan Salas 4 0 2 2 1 1 Will Wagner 5 0 1 1 0 1 Blake Hunt 3 0 0 0 2 1 Romeo Sanabria 5 1 1 0 0 0 Bryce Johnson 4 1 1 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes 2 2/3 3 5 5 4 3 0 Daison Acosta 2 1/3 0 1 0 1 4 0 Ty Adcock 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 Johan Moreno 2/3 3 5 5 3 0 1 Michael Flynn 1/3 1 0 0 1 0 0 Andrew Moore 1 3 4 4 1 2 0 Missions Unable To Complete Task, Fall To Sod Poodles Right-handed starter Ian Koenig had a rough go of it for the fourth time in five games, giving up six runs over six innings as the Double-A San Antonio Missions were beaten by the host Amarillo Sod Poodles 6-4, their third loss in a row. Kai Murphy hit a solo homer, his third of the season, and Ryan Jackson went 2-for-4, including a triple, with an RBI and run scored. With the exception of six shutout innings July 18 vs. Corpus Christi, Koenig has given up at least four runs in four of five games in which he has a combined 16 innings. Against the Sod Poodles, five of the six runs he surrendered were earned, coming on 10 hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Right-hander Tucker Musgrove, Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect, struck out three of the four batters he faced, walking the other. Musgrove has struck out 17 in his last eight innings. Left-hander Harry Gustin struck out two in a perfect eighth inning. SA_0730.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 4 0 0 0 1 3 Tirso Ornelas 4 1 1 0 0 0 Jake Cunningham 3 1 1 0 1 1 Braedon Karpathios 3 0 0 1 0 2 Ryan Jackson 4 1 2 1 0 1 Luis Verdugo 4 0 0 0 0 2 Wyatt Hoffman 4 0 0 0 0 4 Kai Murphy 2 1 1 1 2 0 Chris Sargent 3 0 1 1 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig 6 10 6 5 0 4 3 Tucker Musgrove 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 Harry Gustin 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Sloppy Game Snaps TinCaps' Winning Streak At 5 The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps generated minimal offense, committed four errors and saw the host Great Lakes Loons score eight late runs en route to an 11-1 victory. Kerrington Cross had two of the TinCaps' six hits, but they were shut out until the ninth, when Kasen Wells singled home Lamar King Jr., Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect. TinCaps right-handed starter Carson Montgomery walked five and gave up three hits, allowing three runs while striking out one in three innings. After two scoreless innings from left-hander Javier Chacon, right-hander Clark Candiotti gave up three runs (two earned) in 1⅓ innings and right-hander Luis German five runs (two earned) in 1⅔. The four pitchers combined for 10 walks. FW_0730.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 5 0 1 0 0 2 Ryan Wideman 3 0 1 0 1 1 Alex McCoy 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jack Costello 3 0 0 0 1 0 Kerrington Cross 4 0 2 0 0 1 Lamar King Jr. 2 1 0 0 1 1 Zach Evans 4 0 0 0 0 3 Oswaldo Linares 4 0 1 0 0 2 Kasen Wells 4 0 1 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carson Montgomery 3 3 3 3 5 1 0 Javier Chacon 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 Clark Candiotti 1 1/3 2 3 2 1 1 0 Luis Germán 1 2/3 3 5 2 3 2 0 Lan-Hong Su Shows More Progress, But Storm Win Streak Ends At 4 Right-handed starter Lan-Hong Su turned in another decent outing and Truitt Madonna hit a two-run homer, but the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm fell to the host Stockton Ports 5-3, snapping their four-game winning streak. Madonna and Yimy Tovar each had two of the Storm's seven hits. Lake Elsinore was held to one run until the ninth inning, where Madonna hit his third homer of the season. Su went a season-high 3⅔ innings, allowing just a run on two hits and a walk with three punchouts. The run came on a homer, the only run Su has allowed over seven innings in his last three starts after getting tagged for 12 runs in 7⅔ innings in his first three Low-A starts after a promotion from the Arizona Complex League. Left-hander Zack Qin surrendered three runs in 1⅓ innings on three hits, including a homer, and a walk with no strikeouts. LE_0730.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Conner Westenburg 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jose Verdugo 4 0 0 0 0 3 Yoiber Ocopio 4 0 1 0 0 2 Jorge Quintana 4 1 1 0 0 0 Truitt Madonna 4 1 2 2 0 0 George Bilecki 4 0 0 0 0 2 Yimy Tovar 3 1 2 0 0 0 Dylan Grego 2 0 1 0 1 0 Qrey Lott 2 0 0 1 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Lan-Hong Su 3 2/3 2 1 1 1 3 1 Zack Qin 1 1/3 3 3 3 1 0 1 Isaiah Lowe 2 2 1 1 1 2 1 Jordan Valenzuela 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-3, BB, K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Jorge Quintana: 1-for-4, 2B, R Ty Harvey: DNP Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Tucker Musgrove: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-2, R, BB, K Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-3, RBI, 2 K Jagger Haynes: 2⅔ IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K Alex McCoy: 0-for-4, 2 K Truitt Madonna: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R Jesus Castro: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Elliot Lascelles: In Arizona Winyer Chourio: DNP Rosman Verdugo: DNP View full article

Wednesday saw the San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates go 2-2, with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas losing to Albuquerque 9-7 in 10 innings, the Double-A San Antonio Missions falling to Amarillo 7-6, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps prevailing over Great Lakes 5-4 in 10 innings and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm blanking Stockton 4-0. Padres Minor-League Transactions C Ethan Salas assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. RHP José Leclerc assigned to San Antonio Missions from El Paso Chihuahuas. San Antonio Missions placed SS Francisco Acuna on the 7-day injured list. San Antonio Missions activated C Colton Vincent from the Development List. Ethan Salas Has Spectacular Triple-A Debut, But Chihuahuas Lose In 10 Ethan Salas made a splashy Triple-A debut by coming up a homer shy of the cycle, but it was a losing first game with the host El Paso Chihuahuas, who gave up four runs in the top of the 10th in a 9-7 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes. Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, was promoted to El Paso from Double-A San Antonio following Tuesday's series opener. The 20-year-old, the youngest player in Triple-A this season, made an immediate impact, going 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored. Batting fifth and playing designated hitter after making the trip from Amarillo, Salas hit an opposite-field double down the left-field line on the second pitch he saw at Triple-A. After a passed ball, Salas would score on a Romeo Sanabria single to left. He grounded out to second in the fourth, then hit a two-run triple to right-center in the sixth that put the Chihuahuas up 5-2. Salas walked on eight pitches with one out in the eighth, the singled to left with no outs in the 10th. He was stranded on third to end the game. Salas had the only two Chihuahuas extra-base hits in their 11 hits. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Jhony Brito went four innings, surrendering two runs on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Right-hander Miguel Cienfuegos went the next 2⅔ innings, not allowing a hit but giving up two runs on three walks and a strikeout. Right-hander Ethan Routzahn got the next four outs, allowing a run on two hits with a walk and three punchouts. Right-hander Alek Jacob pitched the 10th, giving up four runs (three earned) on four hits, striking out one. Marcos Castanon went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored, Blake Hunt had two hits and two RBIs, Carlos Rodriguez two hits and a run scored and Nick Solak scored twice. After giving up four runs in the top of the 10th and with Solak as the automatic runner, Castanon lined a single to center to score Solak. Salas singled to left, then Mason MCCoy popped out to third and Hunt singled home Castanon. Pinch-hitter Will Wagner struck out to end the game. EP_ES_0729.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Dustin Harris 5 0 0 0 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez 4 1 2 0 1 1 Nick Solak 4 2 1 0 0 1 Marcos Castañon 5 2 2 2 0 1 Ethan Salas 4 1 3 2 1 0 Mason McCoy 4 1 0 0 1 2 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 2 1 1 2 Blake Hunt 5 0 2 2 0 1 Bryce Johnson 0 0 0 0 0 0 Clay Dungan 4 0 0 0 0 0 Will Wagner 1 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jhony Brito 4 5 2 2 0 4 0 Miguel Cienfuegos 2 2/3 0 2 2 3 1 0 Ethan Routzahn 1 1/3 2 1 1 1 3 1 Alek Jacob 2 4 4 3 0 1 0 Pair Of Homers Not Enough As Missions Come Up Shy Braedon Karpathios and Albert Fabian homered, while Jose Verdugo had a pair of doubles, but the Double-A San Antonio Missions came up short in a 7-6 loss to the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Ryan Jackson also had two hits for the Missions, who put together a ninth-inning rally that fizzled. Missions right-handed starter Matthew Watson went 3⅔ innings, coughing up five runs on eight hits and three walks with no strikeouts. After 1⅓ scoreless innings from right-hander Sadrac Franco, MLB veteran right-hander Jose Leclerc, activated off the 60-day injured list and assigned to the Missions before the game, gave up two runs on three hits with no walks and a strikeout. Right-hander Josh Mallitz retired six of the seven batters he faced, walking one and striking out three. San Antonio, playing its first game without Ethan Salas on the roster this year, jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings. Karpathios, Padres Mission's No. 15 prospect, cranked his 10th homer of the season, a two-run shot, in the first, and Fabian blasted his eighth leading off the second. But the Sod Poodles scored five runs across the third and fourth innings to claim a 5-3 advantage. The Missions tied it in the sixth on Jackson's RBI double and Fabian's sacrifice fly, but the Sod Poodles answered again with two in the bottom of the sixth to grab a 7-5 lead. The Missions made it 7-6 in the top of the seventh on Carson Tucker's RBI single, but couldn't advance the runners from first and second with no outs as the next three batters were retired. There was one more chance in the ninth as Brendan Durfee singled with one out and was replaced by pinch-runner Kai Murphy. Tucker walked, then Tirso Ornelas and Jake Cunningham struck out to end the game. SA_0729.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 4 0 1 1 1 1 Tirso Ornelas 5 0 0 0 0 2 Jake Cunningham 4 2 1 0 1 2 Braedon Karpathios 4 1 1 2 0 2 Ryan Jackson 4 1 2 0 0 1 Albert Fabian 3 1 1 2 0 1 Luis Verdugo 4 0 2 0 0 0 Kai Roberts 4 1 1 0 0 1 Brendan Durfee 3 0 1 0 1 0 Kai Murphy 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Matthew Watson 3 2/3 8 5 5 3 0 0 Sadrac Franco 1 1/3 2 0 0 0 1 0 José Leclerc 1 3 2 2 0 1 0 Josh Mallitz 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 Lamar King Jr., Winyer Chourio Lift TinCaps To Win In 10th Lamar King Jr. had a tiebreaking single in a three-run top of the 10th inning and right-hander Winyer Chourio pitched the final five innings, striking out eight, as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps held off the host Great Lakes Loons 5-4 for their fifth straight victory. Ryan Wideman, the minors' stolen base leader, swiped his 15th with the TinCaps and 58th of the season. Left-hander Luis Gutierrez, on a rehab assignment from Double-A San Antonio, made his longest start since being sidelined in April with a shoulder injury. The 22-year-old, in his third rehab outing, went two hitless innings, walking two and striking out three. Right-hander Carlos Medina followed with three shutout innings, allowing three hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Chourio, Padres Mission's No. 19 prospect in just his second relief appearance in 17 games this year, allowed all four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk with those eight punchouts, his most since a June 23 promotion from Low-A Lake Elsinore. It was 0-0 through five innings with the TinCaps getting RBI singles from Kasen Wells and King in the sixth and seventh, which were offset by a two-run bottom of the seventh by the Loons. In the 10th with Luke Cantwell the automatic runner, King rifled a single to left off the shortstop's glove, bringing in the go-ahead run. After a passed ball, Zach Evans drew a one-out walk, with Wells and Justin DeCriscio delivering consecutive run-scoring singles to make it 5-2. Chourio stayed out for the bottom of the 10th, but gave up a single, a wild pitch and walk and then a two-run single to trim the TinCaps' lead to 5-4. But he escaped further damage with two fly outs and a strikeout to secure the win. FW_0729.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 5 0 1 1 0 2 Ryan Wideman 6 0 1 0 0 1 Alex McCoy 3 1 1 0 2 1 Luke Cantwell 5 0 1 0 0 3 Jack Costello 0 1 0 0 0 0 Rosman Verdugo 3 1 0 0 2 3 Lamar King Jr. 5 1 2 2 0 1 Kerrington Cross 4 0 0 0 1 3 Zach Evans 3 1 1 0 2 1 Kasen Wells 4 0 2 2 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Luis Gutierrez 2 0 0 0 2 3 0 Carlos Medina 3 3 0 0 2 3 0 Winyer Chourio 5 6 4 3 1 8 0 Adler Cecil Has Memorable Storm Debut In 2-Hit Shutout Left-handed starter Adler Cecil made his Low-A debut by combining with two other pitchers on a two-hit shutout in the Lake Elsinore Storm's 4-0 triumph over the host Stockton Ports. George Bilecki homered as part of a three-hit day for the Storm, while Bradley Frye also had three of Lake Elsinore's nine hits. Cecil, a 21-year-old 19th-round draft choice who went to high school just down the road from Lake Elsinore at Temecula Valley, allowed just one hit, a leadoff single in the third, in 4⅓ innings, walking three and striking out five. He joined the Storm over the weekend after making nine starts and four relief appearances in the Arizona Complex League, posting a 4.79 ERA in 41⅓ innings, with 22 walks and 70 strikeouts. Left-hander Cal Riehl got the final two outs in the fifth, the big right-hander Cameron Nohos went the final four shutout innings, allowing one hit and punching out six with a walk. The Storm scored twice in the third inning on Conner Westenburg's RBI bunt single and a sacrifice fly by Ty Harvey, Padres Mission's No. 7 prospect. Bilecki hit a one-out solo homer in the sixth, his sixth homer this year, and Frye singled, went to second on a walk, stole third and scored on a wild pitch in the eighth. Player AB R H RBI BB K Conner Westenburg 4 0 1 1 0 2 Ty Harvey 4 0 0 1 0 1 Bradley Frye 4 1 3 0 0 1 Yoiber Ocopio 3 0 0 0 0 1 Jose Verdugo 4 0 1 0 0 1 Truitt Madonna 4 0 0 0 0 0 Yimy Tovar 4 0 0 0 0 0 George Bilecki 4 2 3 1 0 1 Dylan Grego 3 1 1 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Adler Cecil 4 1/3 1 0 0 3 5 0 Cal Riehl 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Cameron Nohos 4 1 0 0 1 6 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 3-for-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, R Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-6, SB, K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Jorge Quintana: DNP Ty Harvey: 0-for-4, RBI, SF, K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Tucker Musgrove: DNP Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona Lamar King Jr.: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, R, K Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, 2 K Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-3, 2 BB, SB, R, K Truitt Madonna: 0-for-4 Jesus Castro: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Elliot Lascelles: In Arizona Winyer Chourio: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, W Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-3, 2 BB, R, SB, 3 K View full article

The writing has been on the wall for Matt Waldron. An injury delayed a decision earlier in the season. There was no avoiding it now. Waldron, one of the few MLB pitchers who still throws a knuckleball, was designated for assignment by the San Diego Padres on Wednesday as right-handed reliever Jeremiah Estrada was activated from the 15-day injured list. Estrada had been on the IL since June 5 with inflammation in his right knee. Waldron, who is out of minor-league options, was on the verge of being DFA'd when he revealed he had been hurting and hiding an injury, which ended up being a right brachialis muscle injury that put him on the 15-day IL on May 15 after six appearances and an 8.49 ERA. He came back July 11 and has made four solid relief appearances, but was the obvious off man out with Estrada coming back. Waldron has a 5.10 FIP (7.16 ERA) with a 5.4% walk rate and 19% strikeout rate in 10 games and 32⅔ innings. It is possible Waldron remains with the Padres if he clears waivers. Estrada is a valuable member of the Padres' bullpen, posting a 3.60 FIP (3.48 ERA) with a 12.2% walk rate and 28% strikeout rate. View full rumor

The San Diego Padres are promoting top prospect Ethan Salas to Triple-A El Paso. Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, went 1-for-3 Tuesday in the Double-A San Antonio Missions' 5-4 loss to the Amarillo Sod Poodles, then was promoted to the Chihuahuas, according to Chase Ford of MiLB Central. The 20-year-old catcher has been having a terrific season for the Missions, posting a career-high slash line of .286/.361/.417 with seven homers, 37 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 72 games. The timing also comes just days before the trade deadline, with Salas being a popular target for front offices across MLB. Could this be a precursor of a Salas trade for a big Padres return? Or is this just a chance for Salas to get time at Triple-A before possibly making his MLB debut late this year or to begin 2027? Salas joins Blake Hunt and Anthony Vilar as El Paso's catchers. Hunt made his MLB debut this season after nine years in the minors. Rodolfo Duran, who started the year at El Paso and is currently with the Padres as a third catcher, also made his MLB debut after 11 seasons in the minors. View full rumor

Tuesday began new series for the four full-season San Diego Padres affiliates, who went 2-2. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas were stomped by Albuquerque 15-9, the Double-A San Antonio Missions lost a heartbreaker to Amarillo 5-4, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps flexed their muscles in a 5-2 win over Great Lakes and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm stifled Stockton 6-1. Padres Minor-League Transactions Note: The Padres officially announced the signings of 20 draft choices and nine minor-league free agents as previously reported by Padres Mission. Check out the transactions log here: El Paso Chihuahuas placed 1B Nick Pratto on the temporarily inactive list. Fort Wayne TinCaps placed OF Kavares Tears on the 7-day injured list. San Antonio Missions sent LHP Luis Gutierrez on a rehab assignment to Fort Wayne TinCaps. San Antonio Missions sent RHP Miguel Mendez on a rehab assignment to Fort Wayne TinCaps. Chihuahuas Surrender 7 Homers In Isotopes' Romp Left-handed starter Jackson Wolf was lit up for eight runs in 1⅔ innings as the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas gave up 12 runs in the first four innings in a 15-9 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes, who hit seven homers. Dustin Harris had an inside-the-park homer as part of a three-hit, two-RBI game, Romeo Sanabria homered and Bryce Johnson had a pair of hits for the Chihuahuas. Harris, Sanabria and Mason McCoy drove in two. After allowing a pair hits but escaping the first inning unscathed, Wolf struck out the first two in the second, then gave up five hits, two walks and a hit batter, capped by a grand slam that made it 8-0. The teams traded two-spots in the bottom of the second and top of the third, then the Chihuahuas struck for five in the bottom of the third that included Harris' two-run inside-the-parker, his first homer since joining El Paso on July 8, and Sanabria's two-run shot. That was Sanabria's first Triple-A homer since his June 23 promotion from Double-A San Antonio, where he had eight. But Albuquerque kept the early onslaught going with another two runs in the fourth for a 12-7 lead. EP_0728.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Bryce Johnson 5 2 2 0 0 0 Dustin Harris 5 2 3 2 0 0 Nick Solak 4 0 1 1 0 0 Marcos Castañon 3 2 1 1 1 0 Will Wagner 4 1 1 0 0 0 Mason McCoy 3 1 1 2 0 2 Romeo Sanabria 4 1 1 2 0 2 Clay Dungan 4 0 1 1 0 1 Anthony Vilar 4 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jackson Wolf 1 2/3 7 8 8 2 3 2 Justin Yeager 2 7 4 4 1 4 3 Misael Tamarez 2 1/3 2 0 0 2 1 0 Logan Gillaspie 2 5 3 3 0 0 2 Michael Flynn 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 Francisco Acuna Has Ninth-Inning Go-Ahead Blast, But Missions Fall Francisco Acuna hit a go-ahead three-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth, but right-hander Francis Pena gave up a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth as the Double-A San Antonio Missions were walked off by the host Amarillo Sod Poodles 5-4. Druw Jones had the walk-off infield single for Amarillo. Albert Fabian also homered for the Missions, while Jake Cunningham had two of San Antonio's six hits. Missions left-handed starter Jamie Hitt, in his third Double-A appearance and second straight start, went six innings, allowing three runs on nine hits, including a homer, with a walk and two punchouts. Left-hander Igor Gill pitched a hitless seventh and right-hander Bernard Jose punched out the side in a perfect eighth before the fateful ninth. Trailing 3-1 entering the top of the ninth, Cunningham had a leadoff single and went to second on Ryan Jackson's one-out single. Acuna drilled a first-pitch slider for a no-doubter to left, his sixth homer of the year, to put the Missions up 4-3. SA_0728.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 3 0 0 0 1 1 Ethan Salas 3 0 1 0 1 1 Tirso Ornelas 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jake Cunningham 3 1 2 0 1 0 Braedon Karpathios 3 0 0 0 1 2 Ryan Jackson 4 1 1 0 0 1 Albert Fabian 4 1 1 1 0 1 Francisco Acuna 4 1 1 3 0 1 Kai Roberts 4 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jamie Hitt 6 9 3 3 1 2 1 Igor Gil 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 Bernard Jose 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 Francis Peña 0 1/3 2 2 2 1 0 0 Homers By Alex McCoy, Kerrington Cross Fuel TinCaps Alex McCoy and Kerrington Cross each hit two-run homers and right-hander Kannon Kemp went five solid innings as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps won their fourth straight with a 5-2 win over the host Great Lakes Loons. Right-hander Miguel Mendez, Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect on a rehab assignment from Double-A San Antonio, made his first appearance since June 17 due a shoulder injury. Mendez pitched a perfect first inning, striking out one, throwing 10 pitches, seven for strikes. Kemp, who came off the injured list July 7, followed by going a season-high five innings, giving up a pair of runs on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts and earned his first High-A victory. Left-hander Braian Salazar went two shutout innings and right-hander Will Koger earned his first High-A save following a promotion from Low-A Lake Elsinore, where he had six. The TinCaps jumped out to a quick lead as Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect, reached on an error by the third baseman, and McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 14 prospect, hit his first home run since June 21 and the 13th of the season. McCoy singled leading off the fourth, his team-leading 24th multihit game this year, then Cross smacked his third homer at High-A and 14th of the season, which started at Lake Elsinore. That shot had an exit velocity of 106 mph. McCoy walked to begin the sixth, Luke Cantwell singled and Carlos Rodriguez had an RBI single with two outs to make it 5-0. The Loons scored both their runs in the bottom of the sixth. FW1_0728.mp4 FW2_0728.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 4 0 0 0 0 0 Ryan Wideman 4 1 0 0 0 0 Alex McCoy 3 3 2 2 1 0 Luke Cantwell 4 0 2 0 0 1 Rosman Verdugo 4 0 0 0 0 0 Kerrington Cross 4 1 1 2 0 1 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 1 1 0 1 Jack Costello 4 0 0 0 0 0 Kasen Wells 2 0 0 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Miguel Mendez 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Kannon Kemp 5 6 2 2 0 3 1 Braian Salazar 2 2 0 0 2 3 0 Will Koger 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Storm's Jesus Castro Dominates, Allows 1 Hit In Career-High 7 Innings Right-hander Jesus Castro turned in a dominant career-high seven-inning start, striking out seven and allowing just one hit as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm dropped the host Stockton Ports 6-1. Ty Harvey hit his first home run not on a rehab assignment, Jorge Quintana also homered and Qrey Lott went 3-for-4 for the Storm. But it was the 19-year-old Castro, Padres Mission's No. 16 prospect, who stole the show. Castro, who didn't walk a batter, retired the first eight batters of the game before a throwing error by third baseman Yimy Tovar gave the Ports their first baserunner. The only hit of the game came two batters later when he gave up a leadoff single in the fourth. Only one other batter reached base, that would be a leadoff hit by pitch in the seventh as Castro retired nine of the last 10. His previous longest outing for the Storm came in back-to-back outings in May, when he went 5⅔ innings. Castro did have a six-inning start last season in the Dominican Summer League. Harvey, Padres Mission's No. 7 prospect who was in his third game since coming off the 60-day injured list with a fractured left hand, had hit two homers during his rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League, but finally went deep for the first time in full-season ball when he led off the top of the third with a 358-foot opposite field shot to right that had a 100 mph exit velocity. Quintana, Padres Mission's No. 6 prospect, capped off the night with a two-run blast in the ninth inning, his second homer in three games and fifth of th season. LE_0728.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Conner Westenburg 4 0 1 0 1 0 Ty Harvey 5 1 1 1 0 1 Bradley Frye 4 2 1 0 1 0 Jorge Quintana 5 1 1 3 0 2 Yoiber Ocopio 3 1 1 0 2 1 Yimy Tovar 4 0 0 0 0 1 Truitt Madonna 3 0 1 0 1 2 George Bilecki 4 0 0 0 0 0 Qrey Lott 4 1 3 1 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jesus A. Castro 7 1 0 0 0 7 0 Carson Swilling 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Daichi Moriki 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-3, BB, K Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K Ryan Wideman: 0-for-4, R Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Jorge Quintana: 1-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K Ty Harvey: 1-for-5, HR, RBI, K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Tucker Musgrove: DNP Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona Lamar King Jr.: DNP Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 3 R Truitt Madonna: 1-for-3, 2B, BB, 2 K Jesus Castro: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K Garrett Hawkins: DNP Elliot Lascelles: In Arizona Winyer Chourio: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-4 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!). Prospect performances are important at this time of year, as teams seek major-league talent to make a run at the postseason. In other words, the names on this list might not be with the Padres a week from today: Ryan Wideman, CF, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps Season stats: .316/.381/.459, 88 games, 68 R, 22 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR, 56 RBI, 31 BB, 85 K, 57 SB, 17 CS Since being promoted to High-A Fort Wayne from Low-A Lake Elsinore, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect had been kind of quiet for the TinCaps. Sure, there were some big hits and offensive contributions, but not like what the 22-year-old did in the first three months with the Storm, when he slashed .314/.389/.504 with 43 steals in 65 games. In his first 18 games at the higher level, he put together a .244/.302/.269 with seven steals in 18 games. Last week against the Lake County Captains, he seemed to find his footing and erupted for a .591/.565/.591 line in five games, going 13-for-22 with seven steals and five RBIs. His slow start with the TinCaps cost him the minor-league lead in stolen bases, but his weekend surge, capped by a three-steal game Sunday, has him back on top of all levels in that category with 57, three clear of the next player. The time to adjust to improved competition is likely just part of Wideman's process. He had a .229/.330/.271 slash line in 26 games for the Storm last year after being drafted in the third round out of Western Kentucky. The tools are there and Wideman getting hot at this time bodes well for the TinCaps, as well as the Padres. Josh Mallitz, RHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions Season stats: 3-0, 4.50 ERA, 25 games (all relief), 5 holds, 4 saves (5 chances), 40 IP, 30 H, 21 R, 20 ER, 15 BB, 42 K, .207 opponent average While he might not have the same hype as some of his teammates, the 24-year-old has proven to be one of the more valuable arms coming out of the Missions' bullpen. Last week was no exception for the undrafted free agent who was signed in 2024 out of Mississippi. In two appearances against the Frisco RoughRiders, Mallitz pitched five shutout innings, allowing just one hit with no walks and five strikeouts. He earned his fourth save of the season and fifth of his career in Saturday's 4-3 win in which he went three innings (matching his season high), allowing a hit and striking out three. In his other game last week, he pitched two perfect innings. Those two outings came after a minor rough patch for Mallitz. He allowed six runs over 4⅔ innings on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts over three games. But before that, he hadn't allowed a run in 12 of 13 appearances. Including that three-game blip, Mallitz has put together a 2.42 ERA in 15 games over June and July with six walks and 32 strikeouts. Mallitz pitched in the World Baseball Classic for Israel, picking up a win against Nicaragua, surely picking up tips from the various MLB players on the roster and setting himself up for a good first full season at Double-A. He made a four-game cameo last year, not allowing a run in 4⅓ innings after a 4.09 ERA in 23 games at Lake Elsinore. Eric Yost, RHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions Season stats: 5-2, 3.60 ERA, 17 games (12 starts) 2 holds, 1 save (1 chance), 70 IP, 51 H, 28 R, 28 ER, 45 BB, 68 K, .207 opponent average A 17th-round draft choice in 2023 out of Northeastern, the right-handed starter continues to excel for the Missions. In his start Sunday against Frisco, the 23-year-old matched his season best with six innings, not allowing a run and giving up just three hits, walking two and striking out five. It was his second start of the week, following a four-inning outing Tuesday in which he gave up a pair of runs on four hits with a walk and fanning five. One of Yost's best numbers is his opponent batting average of .191 at the Double-A level. Yes, his season number is at .207, but that includes a spot start for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas where he gave up five runs in 3⅓ innings on July 4 vs. Sacramento. Yost has been at San Antonio for just about a year, getting promoted from Fort Wayne following the exodus of talent at last year's trade deadline. Ty Harvey, C, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm Season stats: .349/.457/.512, 28 games, 16 R, 8 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 18 BB, 25 K, 6 SB, 1 CS Welcome back, Ty. The 19-year-old catcher officially came off the 60-day injured list this weekend after he had his catching hand broken by an opposing hitter that resulted in a catcher's interference on May 23. Padres Mission's No. 7 prospect also missed a few weeks in April into May due to a hamstring injury, so his first full pro season has not gone as planned for last year's fifth-round draft choice out of Inspiration Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The good news is that when Harvey has been healthy, he has been as advertised (if not better). While he went 0-for-6 in his return to the Storm, he dominated a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League. Harvey went 8-for-15, including 6-for-9 in three games last week with a homer, a double and six RBIs. His presence in the Storm lineup will certainly be a plus for a team that won the first-half title in the California League's South Division but is just 11-19 in the second half. The Padres gave him a $1.5 million bonus to lure him away from Florida State. At 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, Harvey has the size and tools to become a tremendous two-way catcher, but will need to quickly make up for lost time. Javier Chacon, RHP, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps Season stats: 6-1, 3.81 ERA, 29 games (all relief), 1 hold, 1 save (2 chances), 52 IP, 40 H, 28 R, 22 ER, 32 BB, 66 K, .214 opponent average The smallish (5-foot-11) left-handed reliever is still finding his way with the TinCaps after beginning the season at Low-A Lake Elsinore. After striking out 24 in 17 innings over eight appearances for the Storm, he was bumped up to Fort Wayne in early May and might finally be hitting his stride. In two appearances last week against Lake County, the 23-year-old out of Cuba didn't allow a run in 5⅓ innings, including six strikeouts over 3⅓ innings Friday. That was his third straight outing in which Chacon didn't allow a run and fourth in five games, helping to bring his season ERA down to 4.89. After some struggles in 2025, Chacon has elevated his strikeout rate in 2026 to 29.5%, including 27.1% at Fort Wayne. His walk rate sits at 14.3% (16.1% at Fort Wayne), which needs work, but this recent stretch has shown nice improvement. View full article

Could the San Diego Padres move their No. 1 prospect at the trade deadline for the second year in a row? According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, shipping out catcher Ethan Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect who is considered a top-50 prospect in all of baseball, is on the table for president of baseball operations A.J. Preller as the Padres have climbed back into contender status. We should be clear, though. The following line from Acee's article appeared as the third-to-last paragraph and no more insight was involved: "That could require moving top prospect Ethan Salas, who is not considered untouchable," Acee wrote. That was a follow-up to Acee describing how Preller and the Padres are approaching this year's trade deadline—in the same fashion they have the last two years, not trying to take on money while adding talent to the major-league roster. Salas has regained a lot of the prospect status he lost by missing all but 10 games last year due to a stress reaction in his lower back. Salas enters the week with a .285/.359/.418 slash line, hitting seven homers and driving in 37 while stealing 14 bases in 71 games. He was selected to his second Futures Game in three years. Salas is the only true blue-chip player in the Padres' system, which is at the bottom of every major ranking, a year after the Padres traded away No. 1 prospect Leo De Vries in the blockbuster deadline deal to get Mason Miller and JP Sears. Another blockbuster would have to be on the table to deal Salas. View full rumor

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot Record last week: 4-3 Runs scored last week: 37 Runs allowed last week: 26 (season run differential: minus-21) Scores Game 100 (Monday): Atlanta 3, Padres 2 Game 101 (Tuesday): Padres 8, Atlanta 3 Game 102 (Wednesday): Atlanta 7, Padres 6 Game 103 (Thursday): Atlanta 6, Padres 5 Game 104 (Friday): Padres 4, Marlins 2 Game 105 (Saturday): Padres 7, Marlins 2 Game 106 (Sunday): Padres 5, Marlins 3 Week in Review and Highlights Atlanta series Game 1: This is one of those games that if the Padres had a better record, it would hurt, but not as much. But as a team whose postseason hopes are dangling by an ever-thinning thread, it stings that much more. Manny Machado and Ty France hit solo homers and left-handed starter JP France went at least five innings for the third time in five outings, but it wasn't enough in a 3-2 loss to open a four-game series against Atlanta. Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies homered for Atlanta, which got a solid outing from right-handed starter Bryce Elder. The Padres outhit Atlanta 7-4, but couldn't get the hit when they needed it the most. How desperate are the Padres? After Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the game with a walk and Jackson Merrill struck out, No. 3 hitter Machado put down a bunt toward third base that he easily beat out. But Tatis was then nabbed trying to steal third and France grounded out to end the inning. After France hit his 15th homer of the season, and third in two days, in the top of the seventh to pull the Padres within 3-2, Luis Rengifo singled and went to third on a pair of groundouts. Pinch-hitter Luis Campusano drew a full-count walk and Sung-Mun Song flew out to center. Those were the big threats. Meanwhile, JP Sears allowed a pair of runs, one unearned, on three hits and no walks, striking out three. Both runs came in the fifth, his final inning. Left-hander Wandy Peralta allowed a sixth-inning homer for a 3-1 Padres deficit. Game 2: With their most noteworthy lineup shuffle, moving Xander Bogaerts down and France into the cleanup spot, the Padres had a nice day offensively. They also had a nice day on the mound, a rare occurrence where both parts synched up to provide a solid victory, this an 8-3 victory over Atlanta. How much France's presence in the top four affected Tatis, Machado and Merrill we don't really know, but that trio homered in the same game for the first time this season. While Machado had a pair of solo homers, Tatis' blow was the highlight of the night. Nando hit a monstrous 474-foot two-run blast in the eighth inning, the longest in MLB this season and the second-longest behind a 477-footer in Colorado in 2021. It was also Tatis' third homer in four games, giving him eight this season. His lowest season total was actually misleading as he hit 17 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. His fewest in a 162-game schedule was 21 in 2024. The revamped lineup had Tatis getting three hits, three RBIs and two runs scored, Cronenworth one hit, Machado two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored and France two hits and an RBI. France's RBI came in the top of the first, immediately paying dividends. Merrill had two hits, including his solo homer in the sixth, an inning after Machado's solo shot. Padres right-handed starter Walker Buehler was good despite walking five. That is because he only allowed two hits over 5⅔ innings as he struck out three. Left-hander Yuki Matsui gave up a seventh-inning run in his two-thirds of an inning. Right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez, left-hander Adrian Morejon and right-handed closer Mason Miller finished things off without allowing a run. Rodriguez struck out a pair in his two-thirds of an inning, while Miller struck out three of the five batters he faced in the nonsave situation. Momentum, for the day, was back on the Padres' side. Game 3: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? That can be applied to what happened to the Padres in their 7-6 loss to Atlanta. The Padres scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning, forcing Atlanta to bring in its closer to preserve the lead. But would the Friars have put up a five-spot if they weren't trailing 7-1 entering the ninth? But the Padres were trailing by that margin after surrendering six runs in the bottom of the eighth to break open a tie game. It is hard to tell which is the more unlikely situation, Atlanta's six-run outburst that started against one of the Padres' better relievers or the Friars making it a one-run game in the ninth after that explosion. But the bottom line was a loss and the Padres are in a bottom-line situation when it comes to their immediate future and the trade deadline. They are 50-52 and, while just three games out of the final NL wild-card spot, the Padres would need to leap over five teams to get into postseason position. Atlanta's bottom of the eighth started with Peralta entering the game. He gave up three hits and a walk before right-hander Randy Vasquez, traditionally a starter but in the bullpen after just coming off the injured list, tried to clean things up. Peralta ended up being charged with four runs and Vasquez a pair. The Padres, showing some fight, had a one-out walk to Bogaerts, then the next four batters hit for the cycle: Cronenworth singled, Sheets doubled, Tatis tripled and Luis Rengifo homered. Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias was tagged for Rengifo's blast, his first in six games as a Padre after not hitting one in 57 games as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. But Iglesias struck out Machado and France to end it. The Padres were in that position because of right-handed starter Michael King. Completing six strong innings after a shaky first, King struck out seven and walked four, giving up just one run on four hits. King issued walks to the first three batters before getting an RBI groundout and two punchouts to escape further damage. Merrill homered for the second game in a row and fourth time in four games, giving him 14 for the year. Game 4: It is human nature to look at pitching matchups and say this is a game that the other team will win. Thursday's series finale was such an occasion with Atlanta ace left-hander Chris Sale on the mound. The 2024 NL Cy Young Award winner is having another banner season. So that is what makes Thursday's result frustrating for the Padres, who capitalized on an Atlanta miscue but then couldn't hold that advantage in a 6-5 loss. Freddy Fermin hit a flyball to shallow left field that left fielder Mauricio Dubon didn't charge immediately, letting it fall for a single and putting runners on first and second. A little rattled, Sale hit Cronenworth one out later, then walked Tatis on five pitches to force in a run. Rengifo made the gaffe hurt with a two-run single to right-center for a 3-0 Padres lead. Sale settled down and finished with 11 strikeouts. Right-hander Griffin Canning, who came on in the second following left-hander Kyle Hart serving as an opener, gave one of those runs back in the bottom of the second on a Harris homer. Canning's struggles continued in the fourth and led to the Padres' downfall. Albies led off the inning with a homer, Harris singled with one out and Dubon reached on a catcher's interference. After a strikeout, Canning coughed up a three-run homer to Dominic Smith for a 5-3 edge. Atlanta added another run in the seventh before the Padres put up a pair in the eighth on France's 16th homer of the year. The Padres put up a threat in the ninth with Cronenworth and Tatis singling with two outs, but Iglesias redeemed himself for giving up a homer to Rengifo by striking him out to end the game. The Padres lost three of four in the series and dropped them three games below .500 for the first time since they were 2-5 on April 3. Marlins series Game 1: If there is one team somewhat responsible for not burying the Padres at this point of the season, it might be the Miami Marlins. The Marlins were 10 games above .500 and held the No. 3 NL wild-card spot after winning July 9. Since then, they had lost nine straight entering the series opener against the Friars. While the Padres can't bury the Marlins this weekend, they can get themselves out of having one foot in the grave. Rengifo hit the first pinch-hit homer of his career, a two-run shot in the top of the eighth inning as the Padres won the opener of a huge series 4-2. On a day where offense was hard to come by for the Padres, the biggest hit came from a player who was released by a first-place team a month ago and could be a key moment to the Friars saving their season. Manager Craig Stammen patched together a pitching plan, similar to a postseason game, with right-hander German Marquez starting, yet going just 2⅓ innings, allowing a run. After striking out the leadoff hitter in the third, Hart went two scoreless, Peralta was stretched out to 1⅔ and allowed a run, Rodriguez got a pair of outs, Morejon went 1⅓ innings and Miller finished things off with a perfect ninth and his 26th save in as many chances. This could become more of the norm when certain pitchers are scheduled to start. Machado had a pair of hits, including one in the fourth and then scored on a Merrill lineout to right-center to tie the game 1-1. In the fifth, Bogaerts walked, was bunted to second by Song, Cronenworth walked with two outs and Machado lined an RBI single to left to make it 2-1. Peralta gave up a homer in the bottom of the fifth as the Marlins tied it up again. France led off the eighth with a double, was pinch-run for by Jase Bowen and, after a strikeout, Rengifo pinch-hit for Luis Campusano. After taking a first-pitch slider for a strike, Rengifo got another slider down the middle and drove it over the right-field fence for his second homer in three games. It was also Rengifo's third straight game with two RBIs. Game 2: Have the Padres finally figured out a formula to get some modest production out of their starting pitching? While the experiment is only a few games old, the planned short starts with a bulk guy following helped the Padres dispatch the Marlins 7-2, handing Miami its 11th straight loss. Sure, it is a good time to be facing the Marlins, but also executing this plan is the other part of the formula. In this case, it was Vasquez starting and going 2⅔, with Sears taking the next 3⅓. Each allowed just one hit, with Vasquez surrendering a run. It also helped that the offense tacked on five runs late, allowing Matsui and right-hander Matt Waldron to handle the final three innings of a win. The offense wasn't facing a pushover. Marlins right-hander Eury Perez is the type of starter that would absolutely baffle the Padres in May and June. But the Friars got a pair of runs in the third as, following a double play, Cronenworth walked, Machado doubled him to third and France singled both home. The Marlins got one back in the bottom half, then the Padres got another off a tiring Perez in the seventh on a Merrill double (his first since June 23), a flyout that moved Merrill to third and a Sheets sacrifice fly. More runs were possible as Bogaerts and Fermin singled, but Tatis grounded out. More runs did come in the eighth, though, as Cronenworth walked, stole second and scored on France's third RBI of the day, a single to center. Merrill singled and Rengifo walked to load the bases. Bowen, just inserted the inning before for his defense, capitalized by lining a two-run single the opposite way to right, with Merrill (who doubled again) sliding in ahead of the throw for a 6-1 lead. After the Marlins made it 6-2 and had Miller stirring in the bullpen, Cronenworth got that run back when he singled home Tatis. Now, the Padres, a game away from .500 at 52-53, have a chance for a sweep, something that hasn't happened in July. Game 3: The look on Marlins right-handed reliever Lake Bachar's face said it all. "What just happened?" The 2016 fifth-round draft choice of the Padres had just given up back-to-back homers to Machado and Merrill, blasts that could prove season-defining for the Friars. Machado's two-run blast tied it and Merrill's shot put the Padres up in the eighth inning, reversing a 3-1 deficit that resulted in a 5-3 victory and a well-deserved three-game sweep. This was the Friars' first sweep since taking three from Atlanta in late June. While it sent the Marlins to a franchise-record 12th consecutive setback, the Padres are now back at .500 at 53-53. That number itself isn't remarkable, but it came against a Marlins team that the Padres are battling for the third NL wild-card spot and may suddenly change the Friars into buyers instead of sellers as next Monday's trade deadline approaches. In fact, the Padres leapfrogged the Marlins in the wild-card standings and are now just two games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, who hold that No. 3 spot. But there are three other teams between the Friars and D'backs. After two days of a chaos pitching strategy, the Padres got a traditional start out of Buehler, who allowed three runs (two earned) and struck out seven over 5⅓ innings with four hits and two walks. The bullpen of Matsui, Peralta, Morejon and Miller locked it down from there, allowing just one hit and a walk with just three strikeouts. Miller is now 27-for-27 in saves, striking out one in a perfect ninth. While Buehler and the bullpen deserve a chunk of credit, it was the big bat of Machado that made their effort pay off. Playing in his hometown, the superstar slugger now has 11 homers in his last 31 games, including eight in 18 road games. Machado, who had a fifth-inning RBI double, torched a four-seamer to center for his 23rd homer of the season and fourth in this crucial 10-game road trip that didn't start well but finished with a flourish. Merrill's go-ahead homer came three pitches later and was his 15th this year. Merrill had five multihit games during the road trip, including going 5-for-8 with three extra-base hits in the final two games. A day off following a long flight home is a nice reward, but the work this weekend in Miami won't make a difference if the Padres don't build on that momentum in the two-game series against the Colorado Rockies and four against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park before the deadline. Marvelous Mason Miller Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer: Season stats: 2-1, 0.82 ERA, 42 games, 27 saves (27 chances), 43⅔ IP, 21 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 15 BB, 80 K, .141 opponent average Miller struck out three in an inning for the 12th time Tuesday, trailing only two starting pitchers, Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski (18) and Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes (15), for the most in MLB this year. Has finished 35 of the Padres' 53 victories this year and has not allowed a run in 37 of his 42 appearances. Random Stats With his homer Monday, Manny Machado has reached 20 homers in all seven seasons since joining the Padres. Machado's two-homer game Tuesday was the 45th multihomer game of his career, the second-most among active players. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees has 47. Machado has reached base in a season-best 17 consecutive games (.395, 30 times in 76 plate appearances). Luis Rengifo became the 10th player to start in the No. 2 spot in the batting order Wednesday, the second-most players used in that spot in MLB. The Atlanta series marked the sixth straight road series the Friars have lost and eighth in nine tries. Seven of Jackson Merrill's last 17 hits have been homers. Transactions Monday: Placed DH Miguel Andujar on the 10-day injured list with a right wrist fracture. Monday: Recalled C Rodolfo Durán from Triple-A El Paso. Monday: Sent RHP Jeremiah Estrada on a rehab assignment to ACL Padres. Tuesday: Sent RHP Jeremiah Estrada on a rehab assignment to Triple-A El Paso. Thursday: Traded RHP Ron Marinaccio to Pittsburgh Pirates for international signing bonus money. Website Highlights Sheets no longer a mystery the Padres must unlock — Randy Holt Padres sign all but one of their 21 draft choices — Steve Drumwright How Andujar's injury alters Padres' plan at the trade deadline — Randy Holt Cronenworth is becoming more impactful, but Padres require a balancing act — Randy Holt Padres' three biggest positional needs ahead of the trade deadline — Gottie Chavez Three Padres who will make or break San Diego's trade deadline direction — Randy Holt Merrill must counter pitchers' adjustment that has exploited his primary flaw at the plate — Yirsandy Rodriguez Padres prospect Alex McCoy credits goldfish mentality for his breakout — Steve Drumwright 3 underrated draft picks who could be quick risers in the Padres' system — Gottie Chavez Padres Mission podcast: Are the Padres buyers or sellers? — Randy Holt and Steve Drumwright Looking Ahead Monday: Off Tuesday: Rockies at Padres (Michael King), 6:40 p.m. Wednesday: Rockies at Padres (TBA), 1:10 p.m. Thursday: Giants at Padres (German Marquez), 6:40 p.m. Friday: Giants at Padres (JP Sears or Randy Vasquez), 6:45 p.m. Saturday: Giants at Padres (Walker Buehler), 5:40 p.m. Sunday: Giants at Padres (Michael King), 1:10 p.m. View full article

Sunday wrapped up another series for the four full-season San Diego Padres affiliates, who finished with a sweep of the day's action. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas beat Las Vegas 15-9, the Double-A San Antonio Missions blanked Frisco 6-0, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps prevailed over Lake County 7-5 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm held on for a 2-1 win over Visalia. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Antonio Missions activated C Brendan Durfee from the 7-day injured list. San Antonio Missions transferred C Colton Vincent to the Development List. Blake Hunt's 2 HRs, Nick Solak's 4 Hits Lead Chihuahuas' Charge Box score Blake Hunt homered twice and drove in five and Nick Solak went 4-for-6 as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas used a nine-run third inning to dump the host Las Vegas Aviators 15-9. The Chihuahuas (44-57, 9-17) snapped a four-game losing streak, bookending the six-game series with wins. Hunt had three hits, Solak (two doubles) drove in two and scored three times, Mason McCoy went 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored, Carlos Rodriguez had two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored and Bryce Johnson had two hits, a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. Will Wagner homered and Romeo Sanabria walked twice, had a hit and scored twice. Solak had multiple hits in four of the five games he played this week, going 11-for-25 (.440) with three doubles, a triple and a homer. Facing former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Kuechel, who just signed a minor-league contract with the A's, the Chihuahuas welcomed the left-hander back to pro ball with three runs in the first. John walked, stole second and came in on Rodriguez's third triple of the season. Solak then doubled home Rodriguez and two outs and a wild pitch later, McCoy plated Solak. After Las Vegas got one in the bottom of the first, Hunt hit his first homer of the game leading off the top of the second. With Kuechel now out after two innings, the Chihuahuas quickly put this one out of reach with nine runs in the third, sending 14 hitters to the plate. Wagner hit a two-run homer, Hunt a three-run shot (his seventh of the year), Rodriguez had an RBI single, Solak a run-scoring double, Marcos Castanon drew a bases-loaded walk and McCoy had an RBI double. Missions right-handed starter Sean Boyle gave up five runs in 5⅔ innings. Rehabbing Padres right-handed reliever Jeremiah Estrada faced just two batters in replacing Boyle, walking one and striking out one. EP1_0726.mp4 EP2_0726.mp4 Eric Yost's 6 Shutout Innings Fuel Missions Box score Right-handed starter Eric Yost pitched six shutout innings, Jake Cunningham drove in three runs and Braedon Karpathios hit a two-run homer as the host Double-A San Antonio Missions blanked the Frisco RoughRiders 6-0. The Missions (44-52, 13-14 second half) won three of the six games in the series and shut out the RoughRiders after being blanked on back-to-back nights Thursday and Friday. Yost only gave up three hits while walking two and striking out five. He has allowed just three runs over his last 15 innings, striking out 17, lowering his ERA to 3.11. Left-hander Harry Gustin, right-hander Tucker Musgrove (Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect) and right-hander Garrett Hawkins each pitched a scoreless inning to finish. Chris Sargent had a pair of hits for the Missions, who scored four runs in the third and two in the eighth. Carson Tucker had a sacrifice fly and Cunningham a bases-clearing double in the third, with Karpathios (Padres Mission's No. 12 prospect) hitting his two-run blast in the eighth. It was Karpathios' nine homer of the year. SA_0726.mp4 Zach Evans' HR, Ryan Wideman's 3 SBs, Jack Costello's 4 RBIs Lift 'Caps Box score Zach Evans cracked a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning as the host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps overcame giving up a five-run third inning to pull out a 7-5 victory over the Lake County Captains. The TinCaps' third straight victory gave them four wins in the six-game series. The TinCaps are 41-54, including 14-15 in the second half. Ryan Wideman (Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect) had three hits, three runs scored and three stolen bases, boosting is minors-leading total to 57, Jack Costello had three hits and drove in four and Justin DeCriscio also homered for the TinCaps, leading off the bottom of the first with his ninth of the season. MLB reliever Jose Leclerc, on a rehab assignment from Triple-A after having surgery on his right shoulder in August, started and went one perfect inning, striking out one. This was Leclerc's third appearance of the week for the TinCaps after six in the Arizona Complex League. He has three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit with no walks and two strikeouts. Right-hander Abraham Parra followed and gave up all five runs in 1⅔ innings. But after that, right-handers Luis German (2⅓ innings), Will Varmette (2⅔) and Nick Falter (1⅓) combined for seven strikeouts over the final 6⅓ innings. After the Captains' five-run third, the TinCaps came back with a pair in the bottom half on Costello's two-run double with two outs that made it 5-3. Costello trimmed it to 5-4 on a one-out RBI single in the fifth and then tied it in the seventh with another run-scoring single with two outs. Evans made Costello's work pay off by launching a 2-0 pitch deep to left, snapping a 5-5 tie. It was his third homer of the year. The series drew 40,057 fans to Parkview Field, the third-largest attendance figure for the franchise since the new six-game set went into effect in 2021. That included a crowd of 8,048 Thursday, the fourth-largest attendance of the night across all the minors and the first of three sellouts this week. FW_0726.mp4 Luis Maracara, Relievers Combine On 2-Hitter In Storm Win Right-hander Luis Maracara and two relievers combined on a two-hitter, while Yoiber Ocopio and Truitt Madonna homered as the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm edged the Visalia Rawhide 2-1. With their third straight win, the Storm (50-46, 11-19) won four of six in the series. In his third start and fifth appearance for the Storm since coming up from the Arizona Complex League, the 18-year-old went a season-high five innings and matched his season best with five strikeouts. He walked two and the only hit he allowed was a leadoff homer in the fifth inning on an 0-2 pitch that tied the game 1-1. Right-hander Brandon Langley struck out six in 2⅓ hitless innings and right-hander Sean Barnett picked up his second save of the season and of his career with one hit over the final 1⅔ innings, striking out two. Ocopio had staked the Storm to a 1-0 lead with a one-out homer, his fifth this year, in the bottom of the second. After the Rawhide tied it on a homer in the fifth, the Storm regained the lead in the bottom half on Madonna's second homer of the year. Madonna was in his second game back after a week in the ACL. LE1_0726.mp4 LE2_0726.mp4 View full article

The San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates went 3-1 Saturday. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas fell to Las Vegas 5-1, the Double-A San Antonio Missions edged Frisco 4-3, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps drilled Lake County 14-4 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm rolled past Visalia 10-2. Padres Minor-League Transactions Lake Elsinore Storm activated C Ty Harvey from the 60-day injured list. C Truitt Madonna assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. LHP Adler Cecil assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. C Alcides Hernandez assigned to ACL Padres from Lake Elsinore Storm. Chihuahuas Walk 9 In Falling To Aviators The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas issued nine walks that led to their downfall, dropping a 5-1 decision to the host Las Vegas Aviators. The Chihuahuas outhit the Aviators 6-5, but didn't draw any walks off four Vegas pitchers. Nick Pratto had two of the Chihuahuas' hits, including a double, and Dustin Harris tripled. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Evan Fitterer walked four in four innings, allowing three runs and three hits with four strikeouts. Right-hander Johan Moreno walked just one in two shutout innings, right-hander Andrew Moore issued four free passes and two runs in two-thirds of an inning, right-hander Ty Adcock didn't walk anyone while getting one out and right-hander Alek Jacob also didn't issue a walk in his one shutout inning. The Chihuahuas got their only run in the top of the third. Harris tripled with one out and scored on Carlos Rodriguez's sacrifice fly to left. EP_0725.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Bryce Johnson, RF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Dustin Harris, CF 4 1 1 0 0 1 Carlos Rodriguez, LF 3 0 1 1 0 1 Nick Solak, DH 4 0 0 0 0 1 Will Wagner, 3B 4 0 1 0 0 0 Mason McCoy, 2B 3 0 0 0 0 3 Nick Pratto, 1B 3 0 2 0 0 0 Blake Hunt, C 3 0 1 0 0 0 Clay Dungan, SS 3 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 31 1 6 1 0 7 Pitcher IP H R ER BB K HR Evan Fitterer (L, 3-4) 4.0 3 3 3 4 4 0 Johan Moreno 2.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 Andrew Moore 0.2 1 2 2 4 2 0 Ty Adcock 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Alek Jacob 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 8.0 5 5 5 9 9 0 Jake Cunningham's Bat, Andrew Thurman's Arm Lift Missions Jake Cunningham homered and drove in three, while Albert Fabian snapped a tie with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly, right-handed starter Andrew Thurman struck out a career-high 10 and right-hander Josh Mallitz turned in a terrific three-inning save as the host Double-A San Antonio Missions turned back the Frisco RoughRiders 4-3. The Missions played in Buddy the Elf uniforms, marking Christmas in July. Ethan Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, had two hits, including a 105 mph rocket, joining Cunningham and Fabian as Missions having multiple hits. Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the first after three doubles by the RoughRiders, Cunningham belted just his third homer since being promoted to San Antonio from High-A Fort Wayne a month ago to tie the game 3-3. It was his 18th of the season and brought in Carson Tucker, who had a leadoff single. The RoughRiders scored another in the top of the second and it remained 3-2 until the fifth, when Tucker walked with one out, Salas laced a 105 mph shot past the second baseman and into right field and, one out later, Cunningham doubled down the left-field line to tie the game 3-3. In the sixth, Ryan Jackson tripled for the second time this season and scored when Fabian flew out to center, putting the Missions up 4-3. The 34-year-old Thurman, coming off a season-high six strikeouts in three innings last week vs. Corpus Christi, reached double digits in punchouts for the first time since his career began in 2013. Thurman, who didn't pitch from 2018 to 2025, had a previous career high of 9 on May 14, 2016, when he was pitching for Double-A Mississippi in the Atlanta chain in a 5-4 loss to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Against the RoughRiders, Thurman gave up three runs on five hits over six innings. Mallitz picked up the three-inning save, facing one over the minimum, allowing just one hit and striking out three. He has four saves this year. SA_0725.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker, SS 3 2 1 0 1 1 Ethan Salas, C 3 0 2 0 1 1 Tirso Ornelas, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jake Cunningham, CF 4 1 2 3 0 1 Braedon Karpathios, RF 4 0 0 0 0 3 Ryan Jackson, DH 4 1 1 0 0 2 Albert Fabian, 1B 2 0 2 1 0 0 Luis Verdugo, 3B 3 0 1 0 0 0 Francisco Acuna, 2B 2 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 29 4 9 4 3 9 Pitcher IP H R ER BB K HR Andrew Thurman (W, 2-5) 6.0 5 3 3 0 10 0 Josh Mallitz (S, 4) 3.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 Totals 9.0 6 3 3 0 13 0 Justin DeCriscio, Ryan Wideman Lead TinCaps' Hit Parade Justin DeCriscio and Ryan Wideman each had three hits in the first three innings as the host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps erupted for 12 runs and Rosman Verdrugo had five RBIs in a 14-4 demolition of the Lake County Captains. The 14 runs are a season high for the TinCaps, who pounded out 14 hits. Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect, stole his 54th base, giving him sole possession of the minor-league lead. Wideman had 43 steals with Low-A Lake Elsinore. TinCaps right-handed starter Bryan Balzer earned his first High-A victory since being promoted from Lake Elsinore by going five shutout innings, surrendering just one hit, while walking two and striking out two. All nine TinCaps had a hit, eight scored a run and five at an RBI. Verdugo hit a three-run homer and Luke Cantwell a two-run shot. Cantwell joined DeCriscio and Wideman in having multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. Alex McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 14 prospect, drove in a pair on his Midwest League-leading 25th double. DeCriscio started off a six-run first inning against Captains right-handed starter Ben Lively with the first of two doubles in the game, Wideman singled and, one out later, stole his 54th base of the season. Kavares Tears walked to load the bases, then a balk brought in the first run and Verdugo followed by crushing a three-run homer, his 12th of the season. With two outs, Carlos Rodriguez singled and Cantwell drilled his fourth homer since his midseason promotion from Lake Elsinore and sixth of the season, going the opposite way to left-center. DeCriscio and Wideman repeated their first-inning showing with a double and a single, chasing Lively. McCoy greeted the reliever with his two-run double, then scored an out later on Verdugo's sacrifice fly. DeCriscio had a two-run single in the third inning and, after going to third on Wideman's single, scored on an errant pickoff attempt to put the TinCaps up 12-0. FW1_0725.mp4 FW2_0725.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio, SS 5 3 3 1 1 1 Ryan Wideman, CF 4 2 3 1 0 1 Alex McCoy, LF 4 1 1 2 1 2 Kavares Tears, RF 4 1 1 0 1 2 Rosman Verdugo, 2B 2 1 1 5 2 1 Lamar King Jr., C 5 0 1 0 0 0 Carlos Rodriguez, DH 5 1 1 0 0 1 Luke Cantwell, 1B 4 3 2 2 1 1 Kerrington Cross, 3B 3 2 1 0 2 0 Totals 36 14 14 11 8 9 Pitcher IP H R ER BB K HR Bryan Balzer (W, 1-1) 5.0 1 0 0 2 2 0 Maikel Miralles 2.0 6 4 4 0 1 0 Will Koger 1.0 0 0 0 2 2 0 Clark Candiotti 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Totals 9.0 7 4 4 5 6 0 Big Offensive Night Supports Strong Pitching In Storm Triumph Yimy Tovar drove in three runs, Jorge Quintana had a two-run homer and right-handed starter Tyler Schmitt didn't allow a hit in his four innings as the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm cruised to a 10-2 victory over the Visalia Rawhide. Quintana (Padres Mission's No. 6 prospect), Tovar, Conner Westenburg, Jose Verdugo and George Bilecki each had a pair of the Storm's 13 hits. Schmitt led a standout pitching performance that limited the Rawhide to just three hits. While not allowing a hit over four innings, he did walk five and allowed a run while striking out two. Right-hander Jeferson Villabona followed Schmitt and retired the first five batters he faced before giving up a triple in the sixth. That was the only hit he allowed in three innings, striking out one. Right-hander Rordy Mejia gave up a pair of hits and a run on two walks and three strikeouts in the final two innings. The Storm jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Bradley Frye's run-scoring groundout in the bottom of the first and took a 2-1 lead in the second on Truitt Madonna's RBI single. A three-run third inning featured Tovar's two-run single and Verdugo's RBI single. Tovar drove in another run in the fifth and the Storm put this one out of reach with four in the sixth. Westenburg scored on an errant pickoff attempt, Fry had an RBI single and Quintana hit his four homer of the season to make it 10-1. LE_0725.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Conner Westenburg, CF 3 2 2 0 1 1 Ty Harvey, C 4 1 0 0 1 2 Bradley Frye, 3B 5 2 1 1 0 0 Jorge Quintana, SS 3 3 2 2 1 0 Yimy Tovar, 1B 4 0 2 3 0 0 Jose Verdugo, 2B 4 1 2 1 0 0 Truitt Madonna, DH 4 0 1 1 0 2 George Bilecki, RF 4 0 2 0 0 1 Qrey Lott, LF 4 1 1 0 0 0 Totals 35 10 13 8 3 6 Pitcher IP H R ER BB K HR Tyler Schmitt 4.0 0 1 1 5 2 0 Jeferson Villabona (W, 1-0) 3.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 Rordy Mejia 2.0 2 1 1 2 3 1 Totals 9.0 3 2 2 7 6 1 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 2-for-3, BB, K Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ryan Wideman: 3-for-4, RBI, K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Jorge Quintana: 2-for-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB Ty Harvey: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Tucker Musgrove: DNP Coleman Borthwick: Not assigned team Lamar King Jr.: 1-for-5 Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-4, 3 K Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K Truitt Madonna: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K Jesus Castro: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Elliot Lascelles: Not assigned team Winyer Chourio: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-2, HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, K View full article