San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: August 28

Chihuahuas 9, Tacoma Rainiers 8 (11 innings)

Key Stats: RHP Gabe Mosser 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 K, BB; LHP Tom Cosgrove 0.1 IP, H, ER, K, 2 inherited runners scored; Alek Jacob 0.2 IP, BB; RHP Francis Pena 2 IP, H, 2 R (1 ER); C Elias Díaz 1-for-5, PB, R, RBI; 1B Tirso Ornelas 3-for-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB; DH Brett Sullivan 2-for-5, HR (14), 2 RBI, BB; CF Jose Azocar 2-for-6, 2 R, 2B, SB (20); PH Eguy Rosario 1-for-1, R, RBI

Prospect Watch: Gabe Mosser cruised into the sixth inning with a 3-0 lead having allowed only three singles. But after a leadoff ground out – the ninth he induced on the day – the wheels came off as Mosser hit a batter, allowed a homer to old friend Luis Urías, and then gave up three singles before exiting with the game tied and two runners on. Tom Cosgrove came on to face a lefty, but gave up a three-run home run on the eighth pitch of the at-bat. The homer was the first earned run Cosgrove allowed in exactly one month, breaking an 11-inning scoreless streak. … After one appearance at designated hitter, Elias Díaz made his first start behind the plate for El Paso. After three straight outs to begin the game, Díaz collected an RBI single in the seventh and later drew a walk in extra innings. He hadn’t appeared in a game since August 13, but he will likely head to San Diego when rosters expand by two spots on Sunday. … After slumping for most of August, Brett Sullivan connected on his 14th homer of the season, as part of a 2-for-5 day with a walk as the designated hitter. In the two games since Díaz reported, Sullivan has reached base six times and driven in four. …  For the second time in three games, Tirso Ornelas collected three hits including a double for his ninth extra-base hit of the month. After posting a slugging percentage above .490 in every month this year, the 24-year-old, who was back at first base Wednesday, brought his mark for the month back over .400. His two RBIs were enough to tie his his career-best total of 75 for the year.

Missions 3, Midland Rockhounds 2

Key Stats: LHP Miguel Cienfuegos (W, 3-1) 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; RHP Bradgley Rodriguez (S, 2) 2 IP, H, K; 2B Ripken Reyes 2-for-4; 3B Marcos Castañon 1-for-3, 2B, RS; C Anthony Villar 1-for-2, R, 2B, BB; SS Ray-Patrick Didder 1-for-3, HR (9), 3 RBI

Prospect Watch: All the Missions’ runs came on one swing of the bat, a two-out, three run home run by Ray-Patrick Didder in the fifth inning gave the Missions a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. It has been a frustrating year for the 29-year-old, who spent the last two months of last year in El Paso with a .917 OPS. Sent back to Double-A this year, he has struggled to a .178/.324/.313 line. Wednesday’s blast was his first home run in 83 plate appearances. Didder has an OPS of just .455 in August. … After bouncing between different levels and cycling between the rotation and bullpen, Miguel Cienfuegos is back to starting for the Missions and delivered his first quality start in over a month.  Cienfuegos picked up his third win in San Antonio and seventh overall with six innings of two-run ball.  The 27-year-old lefty has thrown 112.1 innings in 24 outings across three levels this year, posting a 4.97 ERA. … Hard-throwing Bradgley Rodriguez picked up his second save with the Missions and fifth overall. The 20-year-old pitched two innings, allowing just one hit while notching a strikeout. It has been a remarkable first year pitching in the U.S., as he has risen from Lake Elsinore up to San Antonio, continuing to show the ability to dominate. In eight Double-A outings, he has punched out 30.1% of the batters he’s faced and held them to a .094 average. Across three levels this year, Rodriguez has a 2.57 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 56 innings.

Game 1: TinCaps 9 – Lansing Lugnuts 5 (7 innings)

Key Stats: C Ethan Salas 2-for-4, 2B, R, 3 RBI; RF Kai Murphy 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB; CF Tyler Robertson 3-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SB (13); SS Wyatt Hoffman 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB; 3B Rosman Verdugo 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB; RHP Isaiah Lowe 5 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, K

Game 2: Lansing Lugnuts 2 – TinCaps 1 (7 innings)

Key Stats: RHP Enmanuel Pinales 6 IP, 5 H, ER, 2 BB, 3 K; DH Ethan Salas 0-for-3, 2 K; CF Tyler Robertson 2-for-3; LF Nick Vogt 1-for-3, RBI

Prospect Watch: Ethan Salas continued his hot streak in the early game, collecting two more hits including another double, and tied his season-best with three RBIs. That extended his hitting streak to 10 games and his on-base streak to 18 before Salas and most of the TinCap offense were held in check in the nightcap. Still, Salas is enjoying his best stretch of the year with a .770 OPS in August.  … The one player who was successful in both games was Tyler Robertson. The speedy center fielder collected five hits on the day and now has five straight multi-hit games. During this stretch, he has gone 12-for-21 with three steals.  After spending nearly two months on the IL, Robertson has  hit .448/.467/.483 in seven games. … Isaiah Lowe was credited with the win in the first contest, but that came largely thanks to an offense that spotted him a five run lead in the first inning. Lowe surrendered five earned runs in five innings, giving up eight hits and only recording one strikeout. The 21-year-old will go over the 100 inning mark with his next start, the goal he had for himself after an injury-plagued 2023. He’s lost a bit of velocity late in the season, but has had a very real breakout for the Padres organization this year. … Enmanuel Pinales pitched the night game and was fantastic, scattering five hits and allowing only one run over six innings. Over his last three starts, Pinales has given up two runs across 16 innings with a strong 16:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Pinales became the seventh pitcher in the organization to cross the 100-inning mark for the season after he worked just 60 frames in his stateside debut last year. He is already at a career-high in strikeouts with 98 but is two away from the century mark.  … Wyatt Hoffman added two more hits in the first game. He has a seven-game hitting streak and is hitting .302/.388/.488 in August.

Storm 6, Modesto Nuts 4

Key Stats: LHP Javier Chacon (W, 5-2) 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 ER), 4 BB, 4 K; RHP Tyson Neighbors IP, 2 BB, 2 K; CF Kai Roberts 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB (9); RF Jack Costello 3-for-5, R, RBI, 2B; LF Braedon Karpathios 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 2B; 1B Lamar King Jr 2-for-4, RBI, 2 E

Prospect Watch: The Storm won their fifth in a row and took over the best record in the Cal League in the second half as the offense continues to put together big games. Seven different Storm batters reached base at least three times Wednesday, led by their center fielder Kai Roberts, who had a pair of hits, drew two walks, and swiped his eighth and ninth bases in 17 games since joining the Storm. The 23-year-old senior draftee in the seventh round has delivered a fantastic line of .333/.405/.472 while scoring 20 runs. He has reached base safely in 16 of the 17 games since signing for a $10,000 bonus. … Three rounds after Roberts, the Padres took USD Torero Jack Costello, who is off to an equally fast start. A three-hit game Wednesday has Costello up to a .312/.386/.571 line with five home runs in his first 18 games. The Los Angeles county native has reached base safely in eight straight games and 16 of 18. … Lamar King Jr. added his sixth multi-hit game since joining the Storm four weeks ago. His offensive numbers remain encouraging with a.n .843 OPS, as he continues to look more comfortable after last winter’s shoulder surgery. King was at first base, as he has been three times a week for the last month. While he has looked solid at times as he waits to be able to get behind the plate again, he had a rough game Wednesday, committing two fielding errors, which gave him four in 13 games. … Javier Chacon went five innings for the second straight outing, and second time all year. The 21-year-old allowed just one earned run despite giving up six hits and four walks. He’s been brought along very slowly since signing in since signing in 2021 as the Padres try to help him find more consistent mechanics to stay in the zone more often. The lefty from Cuba has racked up 90 strikeouts in a career-high 72.1 innings this year, but he’s issued 40 walks. … Fourth-round pick Tyson Neighbors made his professional debut. The collegiate closer at Kansas State had 61 strikeouts in 38.2 innings in his draft season. He continued the trend, striking out two in a scoreless inning of work, though he walked two and uncorked a pair of wild pitches. Neighbors is viewed as having multiple plus pitches and could move quickly through the system.