While Thursday night was an eventful outing for the big league club, thanks to the return of a former prospect of the highest measure, the affiliates had a little fun of their own. The Padres won in Phoenix, while the Chihuahuas were victorious at Tacoma, giving the system victories in two of the five cities listed in Steve Miller Band’s “Rock’n Me,” the Missions racked up a win down on the gulf in Corpus Christi, the TinCaps were rained out in “the other Peoria.” At the same time, the Storm lost to the club from Modesto that most definitely uses a drupe as a mascot.
Jantzen Witte in El Paso’s Copa de la Diversión alternate. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Chihuahuas 7, Tacoma Rainiers 5
Key Statistics: RHP Eric Hanhold (W, 2-0). 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K; LHP Tom Cosgrove (H, 1), 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K; SS Tim Lopes, 3-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB; RF Brandon Dixon, 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB; 3B Jantzen Witte, 1-for-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB
Tom Cosgrove’s delivery makes him a tough match-up. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: Thanks to six walks and your typical PCL offense, the Chihuahuas rallied back for a win over Tacoma’s beer-themed franchise. El Paso got much-needed relief from Eric Hanhold, who recorded all five outs via strikeout. Hanhold, a former Florida Gator and sixth-round pick by Milwaukee in 2015, already has two wins out of the bullpen this season. The 29-year-old came on in relief of Angel Sanchez, who made his first start in affiliated baseball since 2015 when he was a member of the Indianapolis Indians. … Next out of the pen was Tom Cosgrove, who tossed two no-hit innings to pick up a hold. Cosgrove is a familiar face for many of our readers since he has been in the organization since the 2017 draft when he was selected in the 12th round. The 26-year-old lefty has thrown 6.1 scoreless innings this season after going 2-1 with a 4.80 ERA and 43 strikeouts to 15 walks in 30 innings in 2022, his Triple-A debut. … Tim Lopes, who made the Padres think long and hard about rostering him for opening day, provided much of the pop for the night. Lopes, who attended Edison High School in Huntington Beach, hit his fourth home run of the young season tonight and brought his OPS to .972 in 68 at-bats for the Chihuahuas. … Contributing a pair of hits, including a double, was Brandon Dixon, who joined the club in Tacoma after being optioned by the Padres ahead of their road trip. Dixon, a 31-year-old slugger who can play any of the four corners, revived his career in 2022 with the Missions and Chihuahuas, hitting a combined 23 home runs in 198 at-bats and establishing himself as a part of the Padres’ organizational depth. … After a slow start to the season, Jantzen Witte connected for his first home run of the 2023 season, and first as a member of the Chihuahuas. The 33-year-old Witte last played affiliated ball in 2021 as a member of the same Tacoma Rainiers, hitting 19 home runs in 455 at-bats, before joining the Saitama Seibu Lions of the Japan Eastern League for the 2022 season.
Missions 5, Corpus Christi Hooks 4
Key Statistics: RHP Duncan Snider, 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 Ks; RHP Kevin Kopps (W, 1-0), 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 Ks; 2B-3B Connor Hollis, 2-for-5, 2 R, SB; 3B Evan Mendoza, 2-for-2, 2B, R, RBI, 2 SB
Duncan Snider bounced back on Thursday. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)
Prospect Watch: With only one extra-base hit and six stolen bases, the Missions played small ball to take a win in Corpus Christi Thursday. They were led on the mound by Duncan Snider, who allowed one run in 4.2 innings of work while striking out five batters. Snider, 25, is a 6-foot-7 righty with only 14 games of professional experience in affiliated baseball and intriguing potential the Padres are looking to tap into. So far, he has struck out 10 in 12 innings while walking seven but has a 3.75 ERA. … The win went to Kevin Kopps, who allowed a run in two innings of relief. Kopps, the 99th overall pick in 2021, is in San Antonio for the third season after making a pair of appearances for the Missions late in 2021 and spending the balance of 2022 in San Antonio, striking out 60 and walking 34 batters in 54.1 innings of work. Control, as always, will decide the Arkansas star’s fate, as he’s already walked eight in 7.2 innings in 2023. … 2022 Texas League batting champ Connor Hollis has started to pick up where he’d left off, smacking a pair of hits from the leadoff spot and stealing a base. Hollis, 28, returns to San Antonio, where he hit .333 in 403 at-bats in 2022 before earning a promotion to El Paso. … Evan Mendoza went 2-for-2 and swiped two of the Missions’ six stolen bags on the evening. A former Cardinals farmhand who spent the last two seasons with their Triple-A affiliate, Mendoza was selected by St. Louis in the 11th round in 2017. The Padres nabbed him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft.
TinCaps rained out
The game against the Peoria Chiefs was postponed due to rain and will be made up Friday as a doubleheader.
Jagger Haynes warming up before his second career start. (Photo: Justin Jett Pickard)
Modesto Nuts 5, Storm 0
Key Statistics: LHP Jagger Haynes (L, 0-1), 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K; RHP Dwayne Matos, 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 Ks; DH Graham Pauley, 2-for-4; SS Rosman Verdugo, 2-for-4, 2 2B; 2B Charlis Aquino, 2-for-4
Prospect Watch: With eight hits (six of them singles) and nothing to show for it, it was a tough one for the Storm at the Diamond on Thursday night. Prospect hounds will be happy to know that, despite taking the loss, Jagger Haynes looked excellent in his two innings of work, throwing 15 strikes on 18 pitches, striking out one, walking none, and wanting one pitch that left the yard back. Haynes has been a bit of an enigma for Padres fans, seeing as he joined the organization during the bizarre, COVID-impacted 2020 draft, then missed two years with elbow issues and recovering from surgery. A 6-foot-3 lefty drafted out of high school in North Carolina, Haynes is still only 20 years old and brings a high-ceiling arm to the Storm roster, though his work will be limited as he works his way back to the mound. … After being used as a swingman in 2022, with 21 appearances (11 starts) and a 7.29 ERA while splitting time between Fort Wayne and San Antonio, Dwayne Matos has shined as a long reliever in Lake Elsinore thus far, throwing 7.2 scoreless innings, including Thursday’s bulk work of 3.1 innings of scoreless ball to keep the Storm in the game. Matos struck out five batters, bringing his total to seven on the season. The 22-year-old Dominican righty signed with the Padres in January of 2019. … With a pair of singles, Graham Pauley continued to rake, raising his average to .372 in 43 at-bats. Pauley, a 13th-round pick in 2022 out of Duke, is a third baseman and the sort of righty-throw, lefty-hit player the Padres enjoy collecting in the organization. … The Storm only managed two extra-base hits, and both were doubles by Rosman Verdugo. Verdugo, the Storm’s 18-year-old shortstop from Ensenada, raised his average to .273 in his first season of full-season ball after slashing .251/.338/.467 in 167 at-bats in the Arizona Complex League in 2022. … Charlis Aquino also recorded a two-hit night, smacking a pair of singles. Aquino, a 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic, is batting .357 after 14 at-bats in 2023 after slashing .220/.293/.311 in 164 at-bats for Lake Elsinore in 2022.
