Chihuahuas 11, Salt Lake Bees 8
David Morgan offers another strong relief option in the El Paso bullpen. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Key Stats: RF Dustin Harris 2-for-5, 2B, SB (7); 3B Gage Workman 1-for-4, BB; LF Carlos Rodriguez 1-for-5, HR (5), 3 RBI; C Ethan Salas 2-for-3, BB, CS (2); 1B Nick Pratto 2-for-3, 2B, BB, 3 RBI; RHP Sean Boyle 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 K, 3 BB; RHP Johan Moreno 0.0 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 BB; RHP Alek Jacob IP, K, BB; RHP David Morgan (S, 1) IP, K
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas squandered an early 7-0 lead, but rallied back to claim their fifth win in the last six games. Ethan Salas, in his 12th game with El Paso, recorded his fifth multi-hit batting line. The 20-year-old backstop has reached base in each of his Triple-A games, and after two singles and a walk Thursday, he has a .348/.429/.609 line. After swiping 14 bases in 20 attempts for the Missions, he was thrown out for the second time in three attempts. … Dustin Harris continued his run of success at the top of the Chihuahuas lineup, going 2-for-5 with a double and stealing his seventh base in eight attempts. Across 22 games since signing with the Padres a week after he was released by the White Sox, the 27-year-old has hit .330/.408/.560. The left-handed hitting outfielder has gotten brief stints in the big leagues this year and each of the previous two seasons, but has yet to carry forward the success he’s had in 356 Triple-A games. … A day after he was optioned to El Paso, David Morgan worked a perfect inning with a strikeout to pick up his first save of the year. He’s held his opponent scoreless in four of five appearances since joining the Chihuahuas on a rehab assignment last week, striking out six with just one walk in 5.1 innings. His fastball sat at 98 mph and ran up to 99.5 as he came back on just one day of rest. After running a 12.4% walk rate in the big leagues this year, he has shown much better command in the minors. … Marcos Castañon was ejected from the game after a tag play at first base to end the second inning. As fallout from the play unfolded, Chihuahuas hitting coach Ben Rosenthal, first base coach Morgan Burkhart, and manager Pete Zamora were also thrown out in succession. Broadcaster Tim Hagerty noted that the four ejections were more than the club had dealt with all year.
Missions 8, Frisco RoughRiders 6
Eric Yost has emerged as a potential starter as he moves up through the Padres system. (Photo: Ilana Avergun)
Key Stats: SS Carson Tucker 1-for-4, HR (2), BB; CF/RF Braedon Karpathios 2-for-3, 2 BB; 3B Ryan Jackson 1-for-4, HR (3), BB; RF/LF Jack Costello 1-for-4, HR (1); C Anthony Vilar 2-for-2, 2 BB, SB (1), CS; RHP Eric Yost 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 8 K, BB; RHP Josh Mallitz (S, 6) 2.1 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 K
Prospect Watch: The Missions used a six-run second inning to claim the win. The five clubs in the Texas League South Division are now separated by only two games in the second half, with San Antonio bringing up the rear with a 20-22 record. … The Missions used three two-run homers to put themselves ahead. Ryan Jackson and Carson Tucker each collected their round-trippers off Frisco’s left-handed starter Dylan MacLean, and later added a walk in the game. Jack Costello then connected on his first homer since he was promoted from Fort Wayne. Tucker, 24, is in the midst of his best month since April, hitting .279 with a .759 OPS. He’s had success despite a 29.8% strikeout rate in 47 trips to the plate. … Eric Yost gave up four runs in the bottom of the first on three doubles and a homer, but recovered nicely and allowed just one more run in a 5.1 inning start. The righty struck out eight while walking just one, though he also hit a batter and issued a wild pitch. The 23-year-old, who was a 17th-round pick in 2023, has gone at least five innings in five of his last six starts and is on track for 100 innings pitched for the third straight season. One of the few fringe starting pitching prospects in the Padres’ upper minors, Yost will be Rule 5 eligible this winter.
TinCaps games cancelled
A day after losing a game to a power outage, Fort Wayne and Quad Cities had Thursday’s game cancelled when a snafu with the sprinklers left the field unplayable. With a double-header already in the cards for Saturday, this one won’t be made up.
Inland Empire 8, Storm 1
Jorge Quintana has seen much better production from the left side this year. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Key Stats: 1B Chris McHugh 2-for-4, SB (1); SS Jorge Quintana 2-for-4, 2 2B; 3B Yimy Tovar 1-for-3, 2B, BB, SB (10); RHP Lan-Hong Su 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 K, BB; LHP Zack Qin 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 K, 2 BB
Prospect Watch: The Storm went just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and struck out 13 times to squander the opportunities they had, settling for their second straight loss in San Bernardino. Starter Lan-Hong Su again struggled, giving up three runs while failing to make it through the third inning. The Padres have strictly managed the 19-year-old’s workload in his first professional season, and the 65 pitches he needed Thursday were his highest count of the year. The right-hander surrendered a pair of homers and has now surrendered six in 29 Cal League innings. The rough outing Thursday snapped a run of allowing just one earned run in 10 innings, leaving his ERA for Lake Elsinore at 7.08. He has punched out 20 in 20.1 innings as he acclimates to the pro game. … Jorge Quintana broke out of a 4-for-26 slump with a pair of doubles, though he did strike out in his other two trips to the plate. The 19-year-old switch-hitter continues to post massive splits, hitting just .190/.238/.241 with an ugly 41% strikeout rate from the right side while putting up a solid .737 OPS as a lefty hitter. He showed strong results in July, but has otherwise scuffled in his first full season in the Padres organization. Despite the challenges, he remains one of the higher-upside players in the system. … Chris McHugh had two more hits and now has multi-hit lines in each of his first three professional games. The right-handed first baseman out of North Carolina State, who the Padres selected in the 11th round banking on being able to unlock more of his raw power than he showed in the ACC, is now 7-for-12 to start his career.
