San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: August 27

Sugar Land Skeeters 13, Chihuahuas 1

Key Statistics: LF Patrick Kivlehan, 1-for-3, SB (1); 2B-1B Gosuke Katoh, 1-for-3, R; RHP Brett Kennedy, RHP Brett Kennedy (L, 1-6) 3.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; RHP Reiss Knehr, 2 IP, 2 H, K; LHP Nick Ramirez, 2 IP, 3 K.

Prospect Watch: It was an ugly one in El Paso, as the Chihuahuas’ offense produced just two hits in a blowout loss. … RHP Brett Kennedy reached a professional milestone Friday night, as the 27-year-old made his 100^th professional start. Unfortunately, Kennedy’s outing was forgettable. The former Fordham righty lasted just 3.2 innings and allowed seven runs (six earned) and six hits, walking three. Kennedy has struggled mightily in the Triple-A West this year. In 10 starts with El Paso, Kennedy has thrown just 37 innings and he has allowed 38 earned runs (9.24 ERA) and 54 hits. … RHP Reiss Knehr made his first appearance since being optioned to Triple-A and fired a pair of scoreless innings. Knehr started the year in the Missions’ rotation but has transitioned to a relief role over the past month. He hasn’t started a game since August 1, when he threw for the Padres in a game against Colorado and hasn’t pitched more than three innings since July 26, when he fired six innings for El Paso.

Missions 3, Midland RockHounds 1

Key Statistics: SS Eguy Rosario, 2-for-3, R, BB; C Juan Fernandez, 3-for-4, R; DH Ethan Skender, 2-for-4, RBI; LHP Osvaldo Hernandez (W, 4-8) 5 IP, 4 H, 5 K; LHP James Reeves, 2 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Jose Quezada (S, 14) IP, H, BB, K.

Prospect Watch: The Missions scored three runs in the fourth inning which was all they would need to win in Midland. … Shortstop Eguy Rosario had a pair of singles and drew a walk Friday night. The 21-year-old infielder got off to a brutal start in August but has picked things up over the last week. In Rosario’s last seven starts, he has notched five multi-hit games with just two strikeouts. … Catcher Juan Fernandez had three singles and scored a run in the victory. The 22-year-old has split time behind the plate and has shown some increased pop this season while producing just below league-average offense. In 53 plate appearances in August, Fernandez is hitting .267/.377/.444. … Ethan Skender made his Double-A debut and delivered with a double and a triple. The 24-year-old produced a .982 OPS this month for Fort Wayne before getting promoted. … LHP Osvaldo Hernandez earned his fourth win of 2021, hurling five shutout innings. Hernandez scattered four hits and didn’t allow a walk. The outing is a much-welcomed positive for Hernandez, who was in the midst of a brutal stretch coming into Friday’s start. In his previous three starts, the southpaw allowed 16 earned runs in 12 innings. The five scoreless innings lowered his ERA to 5.06. …

Roster Moves: In addition to Skender, the Missions got back LHP Jerry Keel following a ten-game suspension after he was ejected during a foreign substance check. To make room on the roster, the organization released outfielder Ben Ruta and RHP Dylan Rheault. Ruta was drafted by the Padres in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft last December. In 76 games with El Paso and San Antonio, he hit .178/.266/.300. Rheault, 29, was signed in May as a minor league free agent. In 33.1 innings for the Missions, the Canadian-born righty had a 6.75 ERA.

TinCaps 4, Dayton Dragons 2 (9 innings)

Key Statistics: CF Grant Little, 2-for-3, BB, RBI; RF Tirso Ornelas, 2-for-4, 2 2B; RHP Gabe Mosser (W, 4-5) 3 IP, 2 H, 4 K; LHP Gabriel Morales, 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; RHP Kevin Kopps (S, 2) IP, BB, K.

Dayton Dragons 6, TinCaps 4 (7 innings)

Key Statistics: LF Grant Little, 2-for-2, R, 2 BB; 1B Yorman Rodriguez, 2-for-4, 2 RBI; RHP Felix Minjarez, 2 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 K; RHP Austin Smith (L, 3-4) 1.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, BB, K; RHP Wen-Hua Sung, IP, H, 2 K.

Prospect Watch: The TinCaps won the first game which picked up from the game that was suspended Thursday night. They lost game two which was a seven-inning affair. … Grant Little went 4-for-5 with three walks in the two games Friday night. The 24-year-old has an on-base percentage of .424 this month. The Texas Tech product has just one career homer to his credit, but his .385 on-base percentage would rank fourth in the High-A Central if he had enough at-bats to qualify among the league leaders. … Tirso Ornelas had two doubles in game one and added another in the nightcap. His 30 doubles are the most by any player in the High-A level. The 21-year-old outfielder will hope his big night leads to a hot stretch; he’s produced a paltry .584 OPS in August. … RHP Gabe Mosser picked up for Connor Lehmann who threw a scoreless inning Thursday before the game was suspended. Mosser, who has been building back up since coming off a month-long IL stint, threw three shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out four. He has yet to allow a run or a walk in seven innings since his return. … Austin Smith allowed four earned runs and surrendered a pair of homers and ended up taking the loss in the nightcap. Smith, 25, has an ERA of 5.64 this year but over the last two months, he has pitched relatively well. In 20 outings since July 2, 16 of them have been scoreless. Unfortunately, Smith has allowed 11 earned in the other four outings. He is posting the best K-rate of his career, despite throwing a fastball that tops out at 90 mph and generally sits a few ticks slower. Smith, the first draft pick made in the AJ Preller era will be eligible for free agency this off-season.

Storm 12, San Jose Giants 5

Key Statistics: SS Euribiel Angeles, 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B; CF Robert Hassell III, 4-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 6 RBI; DH Joshua Mears, 2-for-5, R, HR (17), 4 RBI; C Colton Bender, 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI; LHP Bodi Rascon, 3 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, K; RHP Levi Thomas (W, 3-5) 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K.

Prospect Watch: This game was tied at one going into the bottom of the seventh inning before the Storm exploded with five runs in the seventh and six more in the eighth to earn the victory. … Centerfielder Robert Hassell III had four hits, including a two-run single that put the Storm up for good. In the eighth, he added a bases-clearing double that nearly left the ballpark. When the dust settled, Hassell III set new career highs with four hits and six RBI. Hassell III has 31 doubles which lead the Low-A West. … Joshua Mears tripled, homered, and struck out three times in five plate appearances. Mears is striking out at a 36% clip this season but when he makes contact, his power is as impressive as any player I have seen in the system since 2015. Despite playing in just 66 games, Mears has 17 homers, one off the league-lead. Mears has 11 homers in his last 97 plate appearances. … LHP Bodi Rascon returned from the Injured List and allowed a run in his three innings of work. That’s all Rascon has given up in eight innings with the Storm, despite striking out just one batter. The southpaw should get at least three more starts before the end of the year. … RHP Levi Thomas relieved Rascon and turned in arguably his best outing of the season. Thomas threw five shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out six batters. Thomas, the Padres’ fourth-rounder last year out of Troy University, has struggled throughout the season but he has not been scored upon in his last nine innings.

ACL Padres 7, ACL Rockies 1

Key Statistics: 2B Max Ferguson, 1-for-2, R, 3 BB, SB (8); CF James Wood, 2-for-3, R, RBI; RHP Elvis Saba, 2 IP, BB, K; RHP Wilton Castillo (W, 2-1) 3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, K.

Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres cruised to a win over the Rockies complex team. … Second baseman Max Ferguson singled and drew three walks out of the leadoff spot. The 22-year-old has been an on-base machine since joining the organization. He has a .442 on-base percentage in 75 plate appearances and has added eight stolen bases. … Outfielder James Wood singled twice and drove in a run. The 18-year-old outfielder has flashed his potential in the desert, showing surprisingly good speed and the raw tools that led to him earning an overslot deal in the compensation round. He came into Friday’s game with a 35% strikeout rate but his .853 OPS is solid for a player who was in high school a few months ago. … RHP Elvis Saba made his stateside debut Friday night and tossed a pair of scoreless frames. The 21-year-old was signed in February as an international free agent. He appeared in four games with the DSL Padres and had a 3.31 ERA with 20 strikeouts and just one walk in 16.1 innings. The club has been aggressive in signing and auditioning older international players in recent years.