San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: August 21

Oklahoma City Baseball Club 5, Chihuahuas 2

Key Stats: RHP Randy Vásquez 4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; LHP Jayvien Sandridge 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, K, 2 BB; LF Brandon Lockridge 1-for-3, BB, R, SB (38); RF Cal Mitchell 1-for-3, HR (13), RBI; 1B Tirso Ornelas 1-for-3, BB; CF Jose Azocar 1-for-3, RBI, SB (18)

Prospect Watch: This one will not go on Randy Vásquez’s highlight reel for best-pitched games. In four-plus innings, Vásquez threw 30 of his 77 pitches for balls, walked two, hit a batter, and threw a wild pitch that led to a run. After a wild first inning, Vásquez settled down over the next few innings as he worked his way through a repertoire that Statcast identified as seven different pitches. He came back out for the fifth and was greeted with a home run by newly-demoted Andy Pages. Vásquez then hit the next batter and was taken out of the game before the runner came around to score. Despite the struggles on Wednesday, fans should pay little attention to his Triple-A numbers. On May 2, Vásquez was lit up for four runs in 3.2 innings with El Paso. Five days later, he allowed one run against the Cubs. Later that month, he allowed three runs in 4.1 innings in Triple-A before returning to the big league club and defeating the Royals in his next start. He has an 8.78 Triple-A ERA and a 4.63 big-league ERA.  … While the Chihuahuas didn’t manage much offense, Cal Mitchell connected on his 13th home run of the year. The Rancho Bernardo alum has had an up-and-down season on his way to an .809 OPS that translates to league average production. Still, the 25-year-old outfielder has already set a career high with 11 stolen bases and is now two away from his career high in home runs.

Frisco RoughRiders 9, Missions 3

Key Stats: RHP Ryan Bergert (L, 2-8) 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; CF Connor Hollis 3-for-5, HR (2), 2 R, RBI; 1B Romeo Sanabria 2-for-3, R, 2 BB; 3B Marcos Castañon 4-for-5, 2B, RBI

Prospect Watch: After being a large part of a no-hitter last week, Ryan Bergert gave up a hit to the game’s second batter, putting any hope of a repeat to rest. Still, after five innings, Bergert had allowed just two runs on four hits with four strikeouts. The righty opened the sixth by surrendering a walk and a double, giving way after 88 pitches on the night. Lefty Daniel Camarena took over and immediately gave up a three-run home run to inflate Bergert’s final line. Despite the loss, the 24-year-old has been markedly better of late. Over his last three starts, Bergert pitched 15.1 innings, producing a 2.35 ERA. He’s struck out 16 batters during that span. … The offense had plenty of chances but stranded 15 runners. Connor Hollis hit his first home run since the season’s second game. The 2022 Texas League batting champ has struggled all year but is hitting a respectable .271/.301/.371 in August. … Marcos Castañon tied his career-high with four hits and now has eight in the last three games. The UC Santa Barbara Gaucho is having his best month of the year, hitting .286/.357/.444 to push his season production up toward league average. While the 25-year-old has been much more effective against left-handers all year, all four of his hits Wednesday came against same-handed pitching. …   After dominating the Cal League, and putting up decent results in the Midwest League, first baseman Romeo Sanabria is off to a fast start in his first taste of Double-A. The 22-year-old had two singles and a pair of walks to reach base four times for the second straight night, He now owns a .432/.519/.523 line in 13 games for the Missions, though he’s seen a jump in his strikeout rate at this level and has just two extra-base hits.

Transactions: Before the game, Joshua Mears was promoted to Double-A.  Mears was hitting .313/.324/.537 in August while cutting his K rate nearly in half from earlier in the year. … The Missions also received left-handed pitcherJackson Wolf, who moves down from El Paso two weeks after he was moved off the 40-player roster. Wolf posted a 4.08 ERA with 105 K in 88.1 innings for San Antonio last year before being traded to Pittsburgh for Ji Man Choi and Rich Hill. First baseman Robbie Tenerowicz was placed on the seven-day injured list.

Peoria Chiefs 3, TinCaps 2

Key Stats: C Ethan Salas 2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI; CF Kai Murphy 2-for-3, HR (6), 2 R, RBI, BB; RHP Isaiah Lowe 6 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 6 K; RHP Manuel Castro (L, 1-3) 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, K

Prospect Watch: It was a great day for three players, but a bad day for the club. Ethan Salas continued his hot run, collecting a pair of doubles to extend his hitting streak to six games and on-base streak to 14. During this stretch, he is hitting .283/.356/.547 with eight doubles and two home runs. It has not been the season Salas would have hoped for, but finishing with a strong August will lead to plenty of optimism going into the off-season  … Isaiah Lowe made his fourth – and by far, his best – start for the TinCaps. While the righty has an above-average mid-90s fastball, he generated more swings and misses on his changeup, a pitch that is often a “show me” offering to go with his fastball/slider combo. Lowe allowed only two hits while striking out six Wednesday. After only making four short starts last year, the 21-year-old has racked up 103 strikeouts in 91.1 innings this year and will be poised to be one of the top pitching prospects in the organization heading into next year. … Not to be overshadowed, Kai Murphy put on a clinic from the leadoff spot. He scored both TinCaps runs, reached base three times, and hit his sixth home run of the year. After a slow start, the Oregon State and Arizona State product has a .753 OPS since July 1.

Storm 7, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5

Key Stats: DH Jack Costello 2-for-5, 2 RBI; LF Braedon Karpathios 2-for-4. HR (8) 2 R, RBI, BB; RF Sean Barnett 1-for-3, HR (1), 2 R, 2 RBI; LHP Javier Chacon 5 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, 6 K

Prospect Watch: Late-season reinforcements have added an offensive burst to the team, but Braedon Karpathios remains Lake Elsinore’s hottest player. Despite solid across-the-board tools, through mid-June he was hitting a paltry .202/.344/.296. He turned it up a bit heading into the All Star break, but has reached base in 28 of 30 games since returning from a quick trip home at the break. He’s hitting .400/.493/.683 this month while striking out in fewer than 20% of his plate appearances. …   On the new blood side, after scoring two runs and hitting a double in his professional debut Tuesday, 11th-round pick Sean Barnett hit connected on a game-tying two-run home run in the eighth inning Wednesday. The right-handed outfielder led all Division 2 collegiate hitters with 26 homers this season as a junior. While he only logged 17.2 innings on the mound collegiately, the Padres had him on their draft board as both a hitter and pitcher. He likely won’t see action on the mound in games this season, but the club does intend to develop him as a two-way player. … After Barnett tied the game in the eighth, the player selected one round before him hit the game-winner.  Jack Costello hit a one-out single in the ninth to give the Storm their first lead of the night.  The former USD Torero has 18 hits, 34 total bases, and 20 RBI in 13 games. Even more impressive than averaging more than an RBI a game, Costello has not struck out in nine straight games. He has had 11 RBIs since his most recent strikeout.