Tacoma Rainiers 8, Chihuahuas 7
Key Statistics: 3B-2B Will Wagner 2-for-5, R; DH Miguel Andujar 1-for-4, 2B, RBI; CF Carlos Rodriguez 1-for-4, R, BB; LHP J.P. Sears 4 IP, H, BB, 5 K; RHP Alek Jacob 1.1 IP, H, BB, 2 K; RHP Brent Honeywell (L, 0-1) 0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, BB
JP Sears. (Photo: Deana Almaguer)
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas carried a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning before allowing four runs to lose on the road in the Pacific Northwest. Former Cub Patrick Wisdom connected on a two-run homer to win the game for the Rainiers. … Miguel Andujar began a rehab assignment Tuesday, and he delivered an RBI double in his first plate appearance. He winished the day 1-for-4 as the designated hitter. Andujar has been on the injured list since mid-July when he broke his wrist after being hit by a pitch. He figures to join the Padres as soon as he is ready as a capable bench bat. … JP Sears had an abbreviated but highly effective outing Tuesday, tossing four scoreless innings for the win. The veteran southpaw allowed just one hit, walking one and striking out five in the outing. The 30-year-old’s average stuff has not played well in the Pacific Coast League’s friendly-hitter parks, especially at his home park. Sears has a putrid 8.31 ERA at home this year, compared to a much more respectable 5.59 ERA on the road. The former Athletic won’t miss bats, but he gives the Padres an experienced depth option should they need to dip back into the system for an arm capable of throwing multiple innings. … Righty Alek Jacob recorded four outs, setting up a save opportunity for Brent Honeywell. Jacob allowed one hit and one walk, striking out two. The scoreless outing lowered his ERA to 5.49, which is actually the third-lowest ERA for any Chihuahua who has tossed more than 30 innings this season. Only Evan Fitterer (4.38) and Jhony Brito (2.98) have posted lower ERA’s for the PCL’s worst pitching staff. El Paso ranks dead last in the PCL with a 6.38 team ERA.
Roster Moves: It was a busy transaction day for El Paso. Here is a breakdown:
Released: RHP J.P. France, RHP José Leclerc
Placed on the developmental list: OF Kai Murphy, C Victor Duarte
Promoted from San Antonio: OF Braedon Karpathios, LHP Luis Gutierrez, C Anthony Vilar
Signed to a contract and assigned to El Paso: RHP Trevor Gott
Sent to El Paso on a rehab assignment: UTL Miguel Andujar
The Padres released a pair of arms with big league experience, José Leclerc, who signed for $10 million with the A’s just a season ago, struggled in Triple-A as he tried to work back from last summer’s shoulder surgery and never put himself in position for a big league role. France (no relation to Ty) last pitched in the big leagues in 2024. He signed in early August days after the Astros released him from Triple-A Sugar Land, but pitched to an 8.44 ERA in his brief stint in El Paso. … Braedon Karpathios will get a couple of weeks in Triple-A to see what he can do in the PCL. The 23-year-old outfielder has been red-hot down the stretch in San Antonio and could command a 40-man spot this winter. … Luis Gutierrez should get a couple of outings down the stretch as he tries to make up for missing three months with a shoulder issue. The 23-year-old, who is eligible for minor league free agency this winter, might be the best starting pitching prospect above High-A in the system. … Finally, the Padres signed veteran Trevor Gott to a minor league contract. Gott, 34, was originally drafted by the Padres in the sixth round way back in 2013. He was sent to the Angels back in 2014 with former all-star closer Huston Street in exchange for four players, including former big leaguers Jose Rondon and R.J. Alvarez.
Amarillo Sod Poodles 7, Missions 6
Key Statistics: CF Kai Roberts 2-for-5, R; RF Alex McCoy 2-for-5, R; LF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (17), 2 RBI; 3B Luis Verdugo 1-for-3, HR (9), BB; RHP Victor Lizarraga (L, 4-10) 5 IP, 6 H, 6 R (5 ER), 3 BB, 5 K; RHP Carlos Medina, 2 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 K
Alex McCoy has continued to make loud contact for San Antonio. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)
Prospect Watch: The Missions made things interesting late, scoring one run in each of the last four frames, but ultimately the Sod Poodles prevailed in the opener of the final series of 2026. … Tirso Ornelas continues to finish the season on a positive note, as he had a pair of hits, including his 17th homer of the season. Ornelas has four homers in his last eight games, and he’s hitting .348/.375/.913 in five games this month. The 26-year-old has played in over 900 games in the Padres’ system since signing as a 16-year-old in 2026. He will be headed to minor league free agency for a second straight off-season this winter. … Starting in right field, Alex McCoy had a pair of singles and scored a run as well. McCoy hasn’t missed much of a beat since being promoted to San Antonio last month. The 24-year-old posted a .822 OPS in 98 games with the TinCaps. Since joining the Missions, McCoy has an .811 OPS in 21 games. He’s continued to get results even as his strikeout rate has spiked to 31.2% and his walk rate has fallen almost a third to 6.7%. … On a positive note, Victor Lizarraga completed five innings on Tuesday. On a negative note, he allowed six runs (five earned) and three home runs, earning his tenth loss of the season. It has been a nightmare campaign for the former Montgomery High School Aztec, whose stock has plummeted over the last few years. The rough outing raised his Double-A ERA to 7.34. It was just two years ago that the righty, who is still only 22 years old, posted a 4.09 ERA in 22 starts for Double-A while averaging a strikeout per inning. Lizarraga looked to be on the path as a potential back-end starter, but he has struggled mightily the last two years. This season, he walked 56 batters while striking out just 69 in 83.1 innings. Texas League batters hit .306 off the righty, who could throw one more season before reaching minor league free agency.
Promoted to San Antonio from Fort Wayne: RHP Carson Montgomery, INF Kerrington Cross, RHP Will Varmette
The Missions received a few reinforcements from the TinCaps, whose season concluded Sunday. Cross, 24, broke out in the Cal League and showed signs down the stretch for Fort Wayne in his first professional season. Varmette pitched relatively well, aside from a few major blow-ups that badly skewed his results. Montgomery should get an outing next weekend as he looks to cap his first season coming off Tommy John. The righty posted a 4.65 ERA with 80 strikeouts over 93 Midwest League innings.
Ty Harvey’s monster shot capped the Storm’s big night at the plate. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Storm 10, Ontario Tower Buzzers 9 (Storm lead the best-of-three series, 1-0)
Jesus Castro delivered in the clutch for Lake Elsinore. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Key Statistics: LF Alex Conover 4-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI; DH Nu’u Contrades 3-for-4, R, BB, SB (1); C Ty Harvey 1-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), 3 RBI; RF Qrey Lott 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (1); RHP Jesus Castro 6 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 5 K; LHP Andrew Wright 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 K
Prospect Watch: The Storm had a commanding 10-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth before Ontario erupted, scoring six runs and nearly pulling off the comeback win. The Storm will now have two chances to advance to the Cal League Championship Series. They will play at home on Thursday night and, if necessary, Friday. Jesus Castro had a clutch playoff performance, as the 19-year-old righty pitched six strong innings to earn the victory. Castro walked one and struck out five. The young righty had a successful stateside debut spoiled only by a rough August. If the Storm do advance in the playoffs, Castro could start a game next week, giving him an opportunity to (unofficially) eclipse 100 innings pitched this year. … Alex Conover had a four-hit game, including a double and a pair of RBIs. The 21-year-old played in 21 games for the Storm after the Padres drafted him with their compensation pick at the end of the fourth round. He hit .263/.356/.395 in the regular season, posting a solid 16.1% strikeout rate and adding nine stolen bases in 10 attempts. … Ty Harvey homered in the top of the ninth, which seemed at the time to be add-on runs. Thanks to the drama in the bottom half, it ended up being the difference-making hit. Harvey also homered last week against Inland Empire, coming off the heels of a rough August in which he slugged just .292. Harvey had a bit of a frustrating season, battling a quad injury early, then had his glove hand broken by a backswing. Despite the injuries, last year’s fifth-rounder has shown some interesting offensive upside. … Qrey Lott had a pair of hits, including a homer in the victory. Lott had a two-homer game in Ontario back in April to break out as a professional. The former undrafted free agent had a solid pro debut, producing a wRC+ of 110 with eight homers and 27 stolen bases.
Roster Move: The Storm received 2026 first-rounder Coleman Borthwick, who could make an unofficial debut in the playoff series against Ontario. Lefty Jeronimo Palmeros was sent back to the ACL to open a roster spot.
