San Diego Padres affiliates went 3-2 on Saturday.

Here is a recap of the day’s events.

Lake Elsinore Storm (8-3 win against Inland Empire ) (28-26 st in Cal South)

*Isaiah Lowe: 6 1/3 IP, 8Ks, 1 ER

* JD Gonzalez: (2-for-2) 2 RBI, BB

The Storm won their Saturday night game against Inland Empire by the final score of 2-0.

A pair of top Padres’ top prospects Leodalis De Vries and J.D. Gonzalez, helped jump-start the Storm’s offense. 

J.D. Gonzalez, the Padres’ No.12 prospect, went 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. Gonzalez’s plate discipline remains excellent, as he now clocks a 15.6% BB%. Since June, he has six hits in 14 at-bats, good for a .429 batting average with four runs scored and six RBI.

At just 18 years of age, growing pains are expected, as evidenced by his low 67.2% Z-Contact% and 34.2% K%, but the two-hit night is a sign of positive offensive progression.   

Meanwhile, De Vries would go one for 1-for-4 with a double, walk, run scored, and a stolen base. Since May 26 he’s posted a 139 wRC+, .402 wOBA, .850 OPS, and .414 Slug% 

Also flashing was prospect Ethan Long. Long would log a key RBI double on the night. Since being called up from the ACL, the former Sun Devil has been blistering hot since getting the call to the Storm, posting a 192 wRC+, .510 wOBA, and 1.100 OPS. 

But perhaps the biggest story on the night would be the relief performance of Isaiah Lowe. The Padres No. 19 prospect punched out eight hitters and allow just one run in four and one third innings of work. 

Lowe is becoming a strikeout artist as he has punched out over 32% of batters he faced this season while posting a 3.11 FIP. Lowe has also generated a 30.4% Whiff Rate, 13.7 SwSrt%, and a whopping 23.4% Chase rate. 

His power fastball and slider combo has proven deadly, and it is one of the best pitch combinations in the San Diego system.  

Fort Wayne TinCaps, (13-2 Loss to Peoria Chiefs)   (24-32, 6th MID East)

*Dylan Lesko: 4 IP, 7 Hits, 8 ERs, 6 Ks

*Homer Bush Jr. : (2 for 5) 

Fort Wayne fell in their Saturday afternoon game against the Peoria Chiefs by the final of 13-2.

For those waiting for Dylan Lesko to right the ship, they’ll have to wait for another start, as Saturday’s start was yet another ugly one for the Padres’ No.3 ranked prospect. 

The right-hander recorded a great first inning, striking out the side, but followed it by giving up seven earned runs on eight hits and two walks while punching out six total in his next three innings of work. 

Lesko has done well enough to get swings and misses this season as he owns a 37.1% Whiff%, 15.4% SwSrt%, 26.1% Chase%  and 22.6% K%. 

However, the command continues to elude him. Yes, he is still coming off Tommy John which is affecting his command. Still, he is walking hitters far too often with a 20.1% BB% and has just a 44.2% Zone% . If he cannot locate regularly, his swing and misses won’t matter much. 

With the TinCaps scoring just two runs, hits were few and hard to come by. However, Padres No.8 prospect Homer Bush Jr. would continue to swing the bat well. 

The GCU alum would record two knocks, both of which were infield hits. Since the calendar hit May 1, Bush has caught fire, posting a 123 wRC+, .366 wOBA, and .295 batting average. 

Bush has taken a contact approach at the plate this season, posting an 83.3% Z-contact% as well as a whopping 66.4% O-Contact%. If the ball has been in or around the zone, Bush has been able to put the bat to the ball with regularity. 

There is bound to be some regression at some point in that O-Contact area, but the point remains, Bush Jr. has been good for an extended period of time. 

San Antonio Missions, (Win 4-3 vs. Rock Hounds) (25-30, 4th TEX SOUTH)

*Ryan Bergert: 5 IP, 5Ks, 2 ERs

* Clay Dungan:  (3 for 4) 2 Runs, HRs, & 2 RBI

Padres No.7 prospect Ryan Bergert would get the start for San Antonio in their 4-3 wins against the Rock Hounds.

The hard-throwing right-hander would go five innings and allow two earned runs on three hits while walking two and punching out five. It was one of Berget’s better outings of the season, but his  ERA still sits at 5.48. 

Berget’s fastball looked more dominant than it had been in recent outings and allowed him to play his slider off it for more effective results. It’s a step in the right direction for what has been a tough season for Bergert. 

Known for his strikeouts last season, his K% has dropped to 17.1%. Bergert still has some solid swing and miss numbers, such as a 14.1% SwSrt% and 27.7 Whiff%. He also owns a 21.7% Chase% and 31.6% O-Swing%. 

So what does that tell us? Well, the stuff is good, but he is having trouble putting some hitters away. But again, with five punch outs today, he could be on the right track to amending that issue of putting away hitters. 

At the dish, for the Missions, Clay Dungan would be the one to swing the hot bat, going three for four in the afternoon with two runs batted in, both of which came on his towering two-run home run in the first inning of play. 

EL Paso Chihuahuas (17-16 win v. Las Vegas Aviators ) (26-36, 4th in PCL East ) 

*Nate Mondou: 3 for 5, six RBI, and a HR

*Alek Jacob: 2 1/3 IP, 1 Hit, 1 K

For the EL Paso Chihuahuas, it would be a PCL special as they win in a slugfest against the Las Vegas Aviators 17-16 thanks to a huge nine-run bottom of the 7th and erasing a 15-1 defect with 16 unanswered runs. 

On the mound for El Paso, Padres No. 14 prospect Jackson Wolf struggled in his start. The left-hander would work just three and a third innings and allow nine runs on seven hits and three walks while punching out five. 

Again, playing in the PCL, it is difficult to evaluate pitchers, but Wolf’s stuff was a tick-up and far too often found the middle of the zone. Added to his failure to live in the shadow of the zone, Wolf is also walking opposing hitters to walk at 11.1% BB% this season.; far too high for a pitcher whose velocity limitations require him to induce soft contact. 

One member of El Paso’s bullpen that did find success on Saturday would be right hander Alek Jacob. The side arm specialist would work two and third innings, allowing no runs on no hits, two walks, and one punch out. 

Jacob has a 7.76 ERA and 5.95 xFIP. However, he continues to get solid swing-and-miss numbers even in El Paso’s high elevations, posting a K% north of 20% on the season. 

At the dish, Nate Mondou would have the biggest day, going three for five with six RBIs, two of which came off a two-run home run. His bat would be one of the biggest reasons for El Paso’s comeback win 

Padres No.9 Prospect Graham Pauley would go two for five with two RBIs and a double. Meanwhile, Eguy Rosario would go one for three with two walks and an RBI double. 

ACL Padres:  (8-7 Loss to ACL Giants)   (15-12 Overall Record, 2nd ACL West)

*Addison Kopack: 2 for 4

*L.J Jones: 2 for 4, HR & 5 RBIs

The ACL Padres would fall in Saturday Morning’s game to the ACL Giants by the final of 8-7.

San Diego’s rookie ball team would get a pair of multi-hit performances from Addison Kopack and L.J Jones. For the former University of Rhode Island alum Kopack, both hits would be singles and subsequently raise his batting average to .426 on the season. 

Meanwhile, for Jones, his two-for-four day would feature a grand slam in the bottom of the 5th inning that would account for four of his five RBIs in the afternoon. The big day at the plate would push his OPS to 1.428 in ACL ball this season. 

At age 24, Jones is a former 2020 5th-round pick who was originally selected by the Cardinals. Jones himself is a San Diego native, growing up in Chula Vista and playing at Eastlake High School alongside other later draft selections, Ben Ramirez and Casey Schmitt

DSL Padres Gold Def. DSL Padres Brown 7-3. 

*Javier Salomon: 2 2/3 IP, 0 hits, 3 Ks

The DSL Padres Gold would take down DSL Padres Brown 7-3. 

Perhaps the best or most impressive effort of the day came from 16-year-old Javier Salomon of the DSL Brown. In just three innings of work, he pitched 2 ⅔ solid innings, allowing no runs on no hits, three walks, and striking out three. 

The Cabimas, Venezuela native and 2024 International class signee fastball has a good arm side run that works best when thrown down in the zone. The pitch jumps out of his hand, and can generate whiffs when needed. The slider has room to grow as it appears to be more of a get over pitch then a put away pitch right now. 

He also owns a Changeup/splitter that has good horizontal movement and vertical dip in the zone.  

19-year-old Alcides Hernandez went two for three with a triple and four RBIs in the victory. He is a career .892 OPS hitter in his 52 at-bats in the Padres minor league system. 

On the bump, 19-year-old Jose De La Rosa would work 3 ⅔ innings pitched, allowing one run on three hits, while punching out five in the win.  

Clark E. Fahrenthold

Proud San Diego Native. Attended Sonoma State University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in communications; following my graduation, I returned home to San Diego, where I have worked in the local San Diego media sports scene since 2020.