San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: July 23

The big league club shut out the Nationals in Washington but down on the farm, all five stateside clubs lost. Despite the losses, there were a few standout performances as we enter the final full week of July. 

Salt Lake City Bees 4, Chihuahuas 1

Key Statistics: LF Tirso Ornelas, 1-for-3, HR (14), BB; 3B Eguy Rosario, 1-for-4, E (5); RHP Carl Edwards Jr. (L, 0-1) 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; RHP Lake Bachar, 2.1 IP, 2 H, 5 K

Prospect Watch: On a night when Mike Trout began his rehab assignment against them, El Paso scored a single run, losing to Salt Lake on the road. Trout had one plate appearance before leaving with knee soreness. … Tirso Ornelas supplied all of the offense for the Chihuahuas with a solo homer – his 14th of the season. The 24-year-old outfielder leads the Chihuahuas in homers and is just outside the top 10 in the PCL. The hot-hitting outfielder has had an incredible July, batting .393/.444/.625 with four homers and 13 RBI. … Righty Carl Edwards Jr. made the start for the Chihuahuas and pitched fairly well. He worked into the fifth inning and allowed three runs on five hits. He walked a pair and struck out five. Since joining the organization earlier this month, the big league veteran has stretched out to work as a starter. Before his current stint in the Padres’ organization the “Stringbean Slinger” hasn’t worked as a starting pitcher since 2014, when he spent most of the year in Double-A. The 32-year-old has appeared in 295 games as a reliever in parts of nine big league seasons. … Righty Lake Bachar allowed two hits over 2.1 scoreless innings, striking out five. The 28-year-old veteran has a 6.35 ERA in seven games this month, although one poor outing earlier in the month inflated his numbers. Overall, Bachar has struck out 65 batters in 55 innings. 

Midland RockHounds 9, Missions 5

Key Statistics: C Brandon Valenzuela, 2-for-3, 2 R, HR (9), SF; LF Cole Cummings, 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI; RHP Ryan Bergert, 2 IP, H, 2 K; LHP Miguel Cienfuegos, 2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 K; RHP David Morgan (L, 0-1) IP, 3 H, 4 ER, BB, 2 K

Prospect Watch: The Missions jumped out to a 4-0 lead but the RockHounds chipped away before erupting for four runs in the seventh for the comeback victory over San Antonio. … Catcher Brandon Valenzuela was the only Missions player to notch a multi-hit game. The switch-hitting backstop singled and smacked his ninth homer of the year, driving in two. Valenzuela is just one homer away from the career-high he set in 2022 with the TinCaps. The 23-year-old has been very streaky this season. After hitting .310/.384/.540 in June, Valenzuela has slumped to a .191/.316/.319 line this month. …Righty Ryan Bergert made an abbreviated start and held the RockHounds scoreless over two innings. He allowed just one hit, striking out two. The 24-year-old had a rough start on June 14 in which he allowed nine runs (six earned) in just 2.2 innings. The righty then went a full month without appearing in a game, despite remaining on the active roster the entire time. For now, Bergert is working himself back into shape after the prolonged absence. Tuesday’s outing lowered his season ERA to 6.24.

Dayton Dragons 12, TinCaps 7

Key Statistics: CF Homer Bush Jr., 3-for-5, 2 R, HR (3), RBI; LF Nick Vogt, 1-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), RBI, BB; 1B Romeo Sanabria, 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B, RBI; C Ethan Salas, 1-for-4, 2 R; RHP Dylan Lesko (L, 1-9) 4 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K; RHP Joan Gonzalez, 1.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 K

Prospect Watch: Dayton jumped out early and defeated the TinCaps at home. … Center fielder Homer Bush Jr. had a three-hit game, including his third homer of the season. The 22-year-old center fielder has had a bit of an uneven campaign, alternating a poor month with a good month. After struggling in June, Bush has found his groove in July, hitting .346/.393/.423. The speedy center fielder has made consistent contact this season, striking out at a 16.5% clip. Coming into Tuesday’s action, Bush’s offensive output was just above the league average. … After Bush homered in the third inning, Nick Vogt connected on his first High-A homer to go back-to-back. The UC Santa Barbara alum has a solid .705 OPS since joining the TinCaps’ roster. … Romeo Sanabria had a pair of doubles and drove in a run Tuesday night. The doubles were the first extra-base hits for Sanabria since July 6. The big first baseman has seen his K-rate rise above 23% in High-A after punching out in just 17% of his plate appearances with the Storm. After 95 plate appearances with the TinCaps, Sanabria is still searching for his first Midwest League homer. … Righty Dylan Lesko struggled early and took the loss, dropping his record to an ugly 1-9. Lesko allowed two runs in the first, and four more in the second before pitching two scoreless innings. Overall, Lesko gave up five hits, walked four and struck out three. The 20-year-old has put together a few good outings this year but has generally struggled. In his final three starts of June, Lesko allowed just four earned runs in 17.2 innings, striking out 20 batters. Since that stretch, Lesko has allowed 15 earned runs in 14 innings while walking 11. He will need to find the zone more frequently to give himself a chance for success. 

Visalia Rawhide 9, Storm 7

Key Statistics: SS Leo De Vries, 2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, BB, HBP; 3B Rosman Verdugo, 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B; 2B Chase Valentine, 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (3), 2 RBI; LHP Luis Gutierrez, 2 IP, 3 H, R, BB, 2 K; RHP Will Varmette, IP, 4 H, 6 ER, BB, K; LHP Tom Cosgrove, 0.2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, K; RHP Xavier Ruiz, 2.1 IP, H, BB, 2 K; RHP Thomas Balboni, IP, 2 K

Prospect Watch: The Storm had a 5-1 lead early but Visalia scored six in the third inning to pull away for a series-opening victory. … The teenage duo of Leo De Vries and Rosman Verdugo continue to wreak havoc at the top of the order. De Vries, 17, doubled, singled, drew a walk and reached on a hit-by-pitch in the loss. The switch-hitting shortstop has dominated the Cal League this month, hitting .311/.432/.672 with six homers. … Verdugo, 19, had two hits, including a double that was just a few feet from leaving the yard. As incredible as De Vries has been in July, Verdugo has been better. He’s hitting .407/.493/.661 in July with six doubles, three homers, and 13 RBI. He’s also scored 20 runs this month. … Chase Valentine had a pair of hits, including his third homer of the season. The 22-year-old infielder has been an organizational depth piece since joining the system in 2022 as an undrafted free agent. He’s appeared at every domestic level in his career but he’s performed well this season while getting an opportunity to play regularly with the Storm. He’s connected on his first three professional homers while delivering a solid .701 OPS. With his next appearance, Valentine will tie his career-high in games played, matching the 56 he played in last year. … Tom Cosgrove allowed a run on two hits while recording two outs on 22 pitches in his second rehab appearance for the Storm. The southpaw had a fantastic rookie campaign in 2023 but has mostly struggled this year while batting elbow inflammation and a hamstring injury. … Thomas Balboni pitched a scoreless inning, notching two strikeouts. The 24-year-old has tossed five innings without allowing a run this month, walking two and striking out ten. The former Northeastern hurler has an incredible 38.6% strikeout rate this season. 

ACL Brewers 5, ACL Padres 4

Key Statistics: 1B L.J. Jones, 1-for-4; DH Lamar King Jr., 1-for-2, 2 R, 3B, BB, HBP; SS Yendry Rojas, 1-for-4, 2 RBI; RHP Jesus Lopez, 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Zac Addkison (L, 2-1) 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 5 K

Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres led after six innings but the Brewers plated three in the seventh to earn the victory. … Lamar King Jr. drew a walk and socked his fifth triple of the season which ranks fifth on the circuit. He was also hit by a pitch for the ninth time in 139 trips to the plate this year. The catcher has been limited to designated hitter as he works his way back from shoulder surgery, but the 20-year-old has posted a strong .840 OPS in his second full season in the desert since the Padres drafted him in the fourth round in 2022. … Righty Zac Addkison pitched in relief and took his first loss of the season. The former Marshall University hurler pitched 2.2 innings and allowed two runs on two hits. He walked one and struck out five. The 22-year-old has a 5.40 ERA in the desert. He was drafted in the 15th round in 2023.