San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: July 14

OKC Baseball Club 5, Chihuahuas 4 (11 innings)

Key Stats: 2B Graham Pauley 2-for-5, HR (8), 2 K; CF Óscar Mercado 2-for-3, BB, HBP; RHP Carl Edwards Jr. 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 4 BB; RHP Gabe Mosser 1.2 IP, 2 K

Prospect Watch: El Paso gave up leads in the bottom of the ninth, 10th and 11th innings as they settled for a split with the Dodgers affiliate. Graham Pauley, playing second base, had a pair of hits including his eighth homer of the year. After a dreadful six-week stretch with an OPS under .500, the 23-year-old has gotten back on track with a .306/.419/.500 line this month. Just like last year, Pauley has significant reverse splits for El Paso, posting an OPS almost 200 points higher against southpaws. … Óscar Mercado snapped out of a 2-for-20 stretch with a pair of hits and a walk. The 29-year-old outfielder is trying to fight his way back to the big leagues for the sixth straight season, but his average on balls in play has held stubbornly low all year, keeping his production well below league average in the PCL. … After a pair of tune-up appearances in the ACL following signing as a free agent, righty Carl Edwards Jr. stretched out to 76 pitches as he tossed 3.1 innings as the opener. While he held OKC to just three hits and struck out four, he also walked four as he landed just 39 strikes. The 32-year-old, who made two appearances with the big league club in his first stint in the organization in 2019, now works with a low-90s fastball while relying on his big curve ball. He was a solid contributor in the Washington Nationals’ bullpen over the last two years and had a 1.85 ERA in Triple-A for the Cubs to open the year despite command issues.

Amarillo Sod Poodles 4, Missions 2

Key Stats: 3B Marcos Castañon 1-for-2, BB, HBP; C Juan Zabala 2-for-4; LF Cole Cummings 2-for-5; RHP Ryan Bergert IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB; RHP Carter Loewen 2 IP, 3 K, BB; LHP Ryan Och IP, 2 K, BB

Prospect Watch: Ryan Bergert, who was never moved to the IL but has been dealing with a minor injury issue, made his first appearance in a month and showed rust from the layoff. The righty, who has struggled significantly this year, walked the first two batters he faced and gave up a single and triple to surrender a pair of runs in his inning of work. The 24-year-old sports a 6.49 ERA with only 42 strikeouts in 51.1 innings for San Antonio this year. … Lefty Ryan Och, who had been down for 12 days himself, struck out a pair in his scoreless inning of work. He’s allowed just one earned run in eight innings with 13 strikeouts since his promotion from Fort Wayne. After missing all of last year with Tommy John surgery, the 2021 seventh-rounder is back to posting big strikeout rates, though a pair of rough outings have inflated his overall numbers. … Carter Loewen bounced back from his worst career outing to throw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts Sunday. The hard-throwing righty is holding Double-A hitters to a .192 average in 23 games. … Marcos Castañon reached base three times with a hit and walk and was hit by a pitch. The infielder has a .968 OPS this month after a slow start to the year.

TinCaps 7, Great Lakes Loons 4

Key Stats: SS Nik McClaughry 2-for-4, HR (1), 4 RBI; 2B Nerwilian Cedeño 2-for-4, HR (5), 3 RBI; DH Jay Beshears 2-for-5; RHP Braden Nett 2.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 K; RHP Enmanuel Pinales 2 IP, 2 H, K, BB; RHP Bradgley Rodriguez 1.1 IP, 2 K, BB; RHP Jackson Smeltz 1.2 IP, 2 K

Prospect Watch: The TinCaps got a pair of three-run homers to finish off a series victory over the Dodgers’ High-A affiliate. Fort Wayne got on the board when Nik McClaughry connected on his first homer of the year. The 24-year-old infielder is hitting just .174, but he’s provided steady defense at shortstop and leadership in the clubhouse in his first full season of professional baseball. … Nerwilian Cedeño, who has struggled through a rough year at the plate, put the TinCaps over the top with his fifth homer of the season in the ninth. The 22-year-old switch-hitter has been strong from the right side, posting an .859 OPS, but just a .541 mark from the left. … Braden Nett had a rough outing, allowing four runs in 2.1 innings of work. The 22-year-old righty struck out three and while he didn’t issue a walk, he had a wild pitch and hit a batter. The hard-thrower has cut his walk rate significantly this year, but it’s still hovering over 13%. … Jackson Smeltz picked up the victory as he continued the remarkable delayed start to his career. A 10th-round pick in 2022, injuries kept him from making his professional debut until this spring. After brief stints in the desert and Lake Elsinore, the Indiana native has been stellar since arriving in his home state. Smeltz has yet to allow a run in 9.2 innings while striking out 14 and only allowing six runners.

Fresno Grizzlies 3, Storm 0

Key Stats: 3B Alain Camou 2-for-3; 2B Rosman Verdugo 1-for-4; RHP Isaiah Lowe 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 5 K, HBP; RHP Maikel Miralles IP, H, 3 K; RHP Xavier Ruiz IP, 3 K

Prospect Watch: The Storm managed just five singles on the day, missing out on the chance to take five of six from the Rockies affiliate. Isaiah Lowe gave up three runs over five innings to head into the All-Star break with a 2.91 ERA. The 21-year-old righty, who we talked with earlier on the homestand, has shown some of the most dominant stuff in the Cal League, striking out more than 30% of the hitters he’s faced on the year. He’s likely only looking at another 40 or so innings for the year, but has put himself in the mix for a promotion based on his performance. … Maikel Miralles and Xavier Ruiz each struck out the side in their inning of work. Ruiz, 21, has had a solid showing out of the bullpen in his second season stateside. The righty sports a 2.84 ERA with 40 strikeouts through 38 innings. … Rosman Verdugo, who made his sixth start of the year at second base, had a hit to extend his on-base streak to 12 games. He’s reached at a better than .500 clip over that stretch and is up to a 118 wRC+ for the year.