As we move a step closer to the weekend, the Padres affiliates split the day. The Chihuahuas lost in extras, while the Storm wish they did not know the way to San Jose, and the Missions and TinCaps emerged victorious, with MadFriars having on-site coverage of the action in Fort Wayne.
Sugar Land Space Cowboys 7, Chihuahuas 6 (F/10)
Matthew Batten. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Key Statistics: RHP Julio Teheran, 5.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 Ks; 2B Matt Batten, 1-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB; 3B Jantzen Witte, 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB; C Michael Cantu, 1-for-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas rallied back to take the lead, only to see it fall apart in the later innings. After giving up three runs through the first three innings, Julio Teheran buckled down to keep El Paso in the game. The veteran righty, re-signed by the Padres to a minor league deal after briefly testing the free agent market, went five innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits while striking out five and walking one. The former Atlanta Braves All-Star is 3-2 with a 6.17 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in seven starts for El Paso, averaging exactly five innings per start. … The Chihuahuas rallied back thanks to Michael Cantu, who helped El Paso get on the board by reaching on an error in the fourth inning before doubling in a pair of runs in the fifth. Cantu, a product of the University of Texas, returns to the Chihuahuas in 2023 after making 44 appearances for the club last season and spending time in big league camp with the Padres this past spring. … The big fly came courtesy of Matt Batten, whose game-tying blast in the fourth inning was his third of the season. Batten, a 32nd-round pick in 2017, made his Major League debut in 2022, spending time with the Padres as a utility infielder in between stints with El Paso, where he slashed .289/.382/.458 in 325 at-bats. … Jantzen Witte reached base three times with a single and a pair of walks. After a slow start at the plate, Witte now owns a .772 OPS after slashing .250/.350/.500 in his first 16 at-bats in May. The TCU product joins the Padres after spending the last two seasons in the Seattle Mariners organization.
Roster Moves: Right-handed pitcher Nick Duron was added to the roster before Wednesday’s game. Duron, 27, was acquired last month from the San Francisco Giants in a trade for minimal cash considerations. The Salinas, California native has appeared in one major league game — previous season with the Phillies. Duron spent most of the 2022 season with the Phillies’ Triple-A team in Lehigh Valley, where he pitched to a 2.77 ERA in 52 games. To make room for the veteran on the El Paso roster, one-time top prospect Michel Baez was bumped back to Double-A San Antonio.
Missions 3, Corpus Christi Hooks 1
Efrain Contreras looks to get his season turned around for the Missions. (Photo: Ray Holguin)
Key Statistics: RHP Efrain Contreras (W, 1-4), 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 Ks; RHP Lake Bachar (S, 2), 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K; 2B Ripken Reyes, 2-for-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R; RF Tirso Ornelas, 1-for-3, 2B
Prospect Watch: Efrain Contreras continued his excellent run with six scoreless innings Thursday night, allowing only three hits while striking out eight. With 55 strikes on 80 pitches, Contreras was efficient and showed the form that made him worth protecting on the 40-player roster in 2022 as he recovered from injuries. The 23-year-old righty missed the entire 2020 and 2021 seasons due to the pandemic and injury, returning in 2022 to make 17 starts for Fort Wayne, posting a 5.74 ERA and 0-5 record in 53.1 innings of work. … Another arm working his way back from missing all of 2020 and 2021 closed out the game as Lake Bachar earned his second save of the season. Bachar, drafted in the fifth round in 2016 by the Padres, is 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 13 innings of work for San Antonio in 2023. … The big night at the plate belonged to Ripken Reyes, who legged out a double and a triple and scored a pair of runs from the leadoff spot. Reyes, a former USD Torero, is slashing .281/.423/.404 in 57 at-bats in his return to San Antonio in 2023 after spending most of his 2022 season with the Missions. … Tirso Ornelas doubled for his first hit of the series and third extra-base hit of May. The 23-year-old Ornelas is batting .177 with a .594 OPS in 96 at-bats in 2023, a season in which the Tijuana native could stand to put more baseballs over the wall after hitting only seven home runs in 2022.
Roster Moves: With Michel Baez in the San Antonio bullpen, righthander Edwuin Bencomo was placed on the Development List.
TinCaps 9, Beloit Sky Carp 5
Key Stats: 1B Carlos Luis 2-for-4, 2 2B; RF Justin Farmer 1-for-2, 2B, 3 BB, 2 SB (4); RHP Victor Lizarraga 5 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 K, 0 BB; RHP Bobby Milacki 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 K, 1 BB; RHP Adam Smith (S, 1) 2 IP, 2 K
Our own John Conniff was on the scene to cover the Fort Wayne victory.
San Jose Giants 19, Storm 1
Duke’s Henry Williams could have a major upside. (Photo: goduke.com)
Key Statistics: RHP Henry Williams (L, 0-1), 2.0 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; RHP Carter Loewen, 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB; 3B Graham Pauley, 1-for-4, R; RF Albert Fabian, 2-for-5, RBI
Prospect Watch: The professional debut of Henry Williams turned into an evening the Storm would prefer to forget. The Padres’ third-round pick in last year’s draft. Williams, a 21-year-old 6-foot-5 righty from Duke University, threw two innings and 19 strikes on 25 pitches. Still, a one-out walk, an error, and a home run welcomed him to professional baseball with a trio of unearned runs. … Carter Loewen made his fifth appearance of the season and allowed his first run of the year. The 24-year-old righty was one of the more intriguing signings in the fever-dream summer of 2020. A product of Canada, Loewen attended the University of Hawaii, where injuries derailed a promising run as a starting pitcher. Firmly in the bullpen as a pro, Loewen is working his way back from surgery, having 30 professional innings under his belt since signing with the Padres. … Batting in the leadoff spot, Graham Pauley continues to hit, smacking a single and lowering his average to .354 with a 1-for-4 evening. The 22-year-old Pauley is batting .542 (13-for-24) against left-handed pitching and .667 (4-for-6) with a runner on third. … Lake Elsinore did manage eight hits on the evening, but all were singles, including a pair from Albert Fabian. Fabian, a 21-year-old outfielder from Santiago in the Dominican Republic, is one of the more intriguing players in the organization who doesn’t sit on many top prospect lists and is slashing .274/.316/.428 in 106 at-bats for the Storm.
