San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: July 28

Tacoma Rainiers 4, Chihuahuas 1

Key Statistics: RHP Reiss Knehr, 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K; CF Jose Azocar, 2-for-4, LF Brent Rooker, 1-for-3, 2B, BB; DH Wil Myers, 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI;

Prospect Watch: It was something of a PCL pitchers’ duel in the Pacific Northwest, with Reiss Knehr giving the Chihuahuas every chance to win in his first start since June 7. Knehr, who had been used exclusively out of the bullpen since working in relief when called up by the Padres, was limited to 61 pitches, striking out five while walking none to provide an encouraging start to build him back up to being part of the Padres’ starting pitching depth. … Jose Azocar smacked a pair of singles to bring his hitting streak to five games. The speedy outfielder is 11-for-23 during the five-game stretch with two home runs and six runs batted in. Azocar is batting .306 in 36 at-bats since being sent down to El Paso on July 15. … One of only two extra-base hits on the night belonged to Brent Rooker, who slugged a double in a 1-for-3 effort. The hulking outfielder is slashing .276/.391/.622 with 19 home runs and 55 RBIs for El Paso in his first season in the Padres organization. … A familiar face homered in his second straight game, as Wil Myers split the Tacoma night with a shot in the third inning. Myers, on rehab from the Padres, took the DH spot after playing first base the night before.

Midland RockHounds 6, Missions 5

Key Statistics: RHP Henry Henry, 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 3 K; RHP Jose Quezada, 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 3 K; SS Connor Hollis, 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI; CF Thomas Milone, 3-for-4, R, RBI;

Prospect Watch: Henry Henry, everyone’s favorite reduplicative reliever was the tautonymic tosser in a spot starting role. Working beyond three innings for the first time this year, he only allowed one run on three hits, striking out three.  Walks were once again his undoing as he issued five free passes in 3.1 innings. In 44.2 innings pitched this year, Henry has issued 31 walks while striking out 40 batters. … Conversely, Jose Quezada did not issue a walk in his 1.2 innings of work, striking out three batters while allowing an unearned run, reducing his ERA to 0.82 in 11 innings of work since joining the Missions on June 29. Quezada, a native of Chihuahua, Mexico, is in his second tour of duty with San Antonio after spending time with both Texas-based affiliates in 2021. … Connor Hollis extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games. Hollis, signed after his release from the Rays organization, has enjoyed something of a breakout in his first full season of consistent playing time. The 2018 Appalachian League batting champion is batting .322 in 326 at-bats as he chases the Texas League crown, leading by one point after tonight’s action. … Josie may be on a vacation far away, but Thomas Milone, who steps to the plate at home games to the tune of The Outfield’s 1985 hit single “Your Love,” was very much a present factor in  his second three-hit game for the month of July. The Monroe, Connecticut native also drove in a run and scored one of his own.

TinCaps 5, Peoria Chiefs 2

Key Statistics: RHP Dwayne Matos, 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K; LHP Ramon Perez (S, 3), 1 IP 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K; CF Robert Hassell III, 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB; RF Joshua Mears, 1-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI;

Prospect Watch: Fort Wayne’s pitching staff gave the TinCaps every chance to win the game, led by a solid start from Dwayne Matos, who held Peoria to three hits in 4.2 innings of work, working his way around a trio of free passes. Matos, a 21-year-old righty from Cabral in the Dominican Republic, is 1-2 with a 4.75 ERA in 12 appearances (five starts) for Fort Wayne, striking out 33 while walking 13 in 41.2 innings. … Ramon Perez closed the door for his third save of the season. Perez, a Cuban southpaw, has pitched for Fort Wayne, San Antonio, and El Paso this season, with the bulk of his work coming for the TinCaps, where he has a 5.75 ERA and three saves in 20.1 innings, striking out 29 batters and walking nine. … Robert Hassell III logged his fifth multi-hit game of July, contributing a pair of hits, including a double. Hassell, a little over two weeks away from his 21st birthday, is slashing .303/.384/.466 in 298 at-bats for the TinCaps in 2022. … Welcome back, Joshua Mears. The slugging outfielder put an exclamation point on his return to the TinCaps by sending his first hit of the series a long, long way. The three-run shot was the difference in the game, and a much-welcome bomb from Mears, who sojourned to the Arizona Complex League in June to get his form back. The exit velocity on the home run was an incredible 114 mph.

Storm 2, Stockton Ports 1

Key Statistics: RHP Jairo Iriarte (W, 3-5), 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K; LHP Danny Denz (S, 1), 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K; 1B Carlos Luis, 2-for-4, RBI; SS Wyatt Hoffman, 2-for-3, RBI;

Prospect Watch: The Storm survived a late rally to win a low-scoring affair at the Diamond, led by Jairo Iriarte‘s first scoreless outing since April 22. Iriarte, a 20-year-old righty from Venezuela, tossed five innings of four-hit ball. He has struck out 77 batters in 64.1 innings. … Danny Denz entered the game with two runners on and no out in the ninth, and though he did allow one of the runs to score, he was able to close the door for his first professional save. Denz, an undrafted free agent signed during the nonexistent 2020 season, pitched collegiately for Memphis. … Carlos Luis came up in the clutch again with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to break the scoreless tie.  Luis, a member of the Padres’ 2016 international free agent class, continues a breakout season for the Storm in 2022, posting a .312 average and .830 OPS in 295 at-bats. … What turned out to be the difference-maker was Wyatt Hoffman‘s RBI single in the sixth inning, giving Lake Elsinore a 2-0 lead. Hoffman, a San Diego native who played his college ball in Stockton at the University of the Pacific, has played for Fort Wayne and San Antonio this season in addition to his stint with the Storm.

ACL Padres 11, ACL White Sox 0

Key Statistics: RHP Jarlin Susana, 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K; RHP Justin Lopez (W, 1-0), 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K; 3B Rosman Verdugo, 2-for-3, HR, R, 2 RBI; CF Samuel Zavala, 2-for-4, 3B, HR (1), 2 R, 2 RBI;

Prospect Watch: It was tough to pick from a night of glittering offensive performances up and down the lineup, including a two-hit outing from a rehabbing Jackson Merrill, but the star of this game was on the mound, as 6-foot-6 righty Jarlin Susana put in a four-inning masterwork, allowing one baserunner via a walk as he struck out eight Pale Hose batters as his stat lines continue to dazzle in the desert. Susana, still 18 years old, now has a 2.45 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 29.1 innings while only walking 11 batters. … Susana was relieved by Justin Lopez, who earns a win in his first professional pitching appearance. If Lopez sounds familiar to you, that’s because he has 1,472 at-bats in the Padres organization, where the 22-year-old has mostly played shortstop since debuting in 2017 until being assigned to the ACL at the end of May to begin working as a pitcher. … Continuing a big night for some of the youngest players on the team, 17-year-old Rosman Verdugo hit his fifth home run of the season, part of a two-hit night for the Ensenada native, who now has 22 RBIs and an .806 OPS in 115 at-bats in his professional debut. … 18-year-old Venezuela native Samuel Zavala pasted a triple and a home run, scoring two runs while also driving in a pair. Zavala is definitely getting up to speed quickly after a hamstring injury cost him much of the first two months of the season. The 17-year-old from Venezuela sports a .313 average and 1.077 OPS in 16 at-bats in his first season stateside.

Roster Moves: The ACL squad activated a pair of catchers in 18th-round pick Romeo Sanabria and undrafted free agent Jacob Campbell. Sanabria was selected by the Padres out of Indian River State College in Florida. If the name of the college sounds familiar, it’s because former Padres infielder Cory Spangenberg attended the school. Campbell, 22, hit .257/.331/.433 with the University of Illinois. All the Padres’ draftees except 15th-rounder Thomas Balboni and high school catcher Hugh Pinkney have agreed to terms with the clubs and should be activated in the coming days. Director of Scouting Chris Kemp came out of the draft expecting to sign all the players selected.