Jairo Iriate made his Double-A debut and pitched two scorless innings in relief.The San Antonio Missions managed just five hits in a 4-1 loss to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Saturday at Wolff Stadium.
Jackson Merrill scored the Missions’ only run in the bottom of the eighth inning after the Naturals had a 3-0 lead. Merrill doubled, went to third after walks by Marcos Castanon and Daniel Johnson, and then came home on a passed ball. Merrill is the top prospect in the San Diego Padres organization and made his Missions debut on Friday.
Missions right-hander Jairo Iriarte made his Double-A debut. The 21-year-old pitched the seventh and eighth innings and didn’t allow a run, hit or walk and struck out five batters. Before being promoted, he pitched in 14 games for the high Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps, all starts, with a 3-3 record and 3.10 ERA.
Gabe Mosser also pitched in relief for the Missions in his first appearance after being promoted from Fort Wayne. He started the sixth inning and got two outs before being replaced. He allowed two runs and three hits with no walks and one strikeout. Mosser pitched in five games for the Missions in 2022.
Missions starting pitcher Jackson Wolf had a solid night but took the loss. He completed five innings and gave up one run on four hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
Gabe Mosser pitched in relief in his first appearance since being promoted from Class A Fort Wayne.
Jackson Merrill slides into third base for a triple in his first at-bat in his Missions debut.Jackson Merrill, Marcos Castanon and Brandon Valenzuela all spent most of this season playing in Class A.
Valenzuela joined the San Antonio Missions when he was promoted on June 27. Merrill and Castanon both made their Missions debuts on Friday night at Wolff Stadium.
Valenzuela had the big hit – a two-run homer in the second inning that made it 3-0 – as the Missions beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 4-2. It was his first home run since joining the Missions.
Korry Howell also hit his first home run of the season with a solo shot in the fourth inning that made it 4-0.
Merrill made a quick impact with a triple in his first at-bat. He scored the Missions’ first run of the game later in the first inning on a double by Juan Fernandez.
Castanon had a double and a walk.
The two newest Missions were next to each other on the infield with Castanon starting at third base and Merrill at shortstop.
Merrill is the No. 1 prospect in the San Diego Padres organization. He played in 68 games for the Fort Wayne TinCaps in high Class A and batted .280 with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs. Castanon played 77 games for the TinCaps and batted .287 with 13 home runs and 58 RBIs.
Missions starting pitcher Jose Espada went four innings and did not allow a run. Raul Brito was the first pitcher out of the Missions bullpen and turned in 2 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Jose Quezada got the save.
Manager Luke Montz was not with the team. Bench coach Felipe Blanco, who typically coaches first base, was coaching third base and running the team.
Juan Fernandez hit an inside-the-park home run in the third inning.The Frisco RoughRiders rolled to an early 7-1 lead and beat the San Antonio Missions 11-3 on Monday night at Wolff Stadium.
Frisco had 12 hits including a solo home run from Evan Carter in the first inning and a three-run homer from Jax Biggers in the fifth inning.
The Missions’ Juan Fernandez hit an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the third. The two-run shot to left-center field was his third home run of the season.
Michael De La Cruz had an RBI triple in the bottom of the first inning to drive in Ripken Reyes with the Missions’ first run of the game.
Juan Fernandez – Missions
Juan Fernandez – Missions
Juan Fernandez – Missions
Michael De La Cruz had an RBI triple in the first inning.
Daniel Johnson’s home run gave the Missions a 4-1 lead.The Frisco RoughRiders scored twice in the top of the ninth to beat the San Antonio Missions 6-4 on Sunday at Wolff Stadium.
The Missions managed only five hits. One of those was a three-run home run by Daniel Johnson in the bottom of the third inning, giving San Antonio a 4-1 lead. It was his fourth home run and 13th extra-base hit of the season.
Ripken Reyes scored the Missions’ other run when he came home on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first.
Missions pitcher Bobby Milacki made his first start of the season after 14 relief appearances at Single A Fort Way and three recently with San Antonio. He went five innings and was an out away from being in position to get a win before allowing a two-run homer to Frisco’s Thomas Saggese with two outs in the fifth.
Milacki’s final line was five full innings, four runs, seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
Fans at Wolff Stadium got to see a member of the Texas Rangers on the mound. Jose Leclerc, who went in the unjured list in June 21 with an ankle injury, pitched one inning as part of a rehab assignment. He retired all three batters he faced in the bottom of the fifth.
Jackson Wolf pitched six innings struck out five Frisco batters. The San Antonio Missions beat the Frisco RoughRiders 2-1 on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderJackson Wolf showed off the form that makes him one of the San Diego Padres’ top pitching prospects on Saturday night at Wolff Stadium.
Wolf pitched six innings and allowed one run as the San Antonio Missions beat the Frisco RoughRiders 2-1. Wolff gave up three hits and two walks and struck out five to earn the win and even his record to 7-7.
Wolf is currently the No. 16 prospect in the Padres’ minor league system (according to MLB.com) and is No. 3 left-handed pitcher on the team’s top 30 list.
Edwuin Bencomo made a successful return to the Missions by pitching two scoreless innings in relief. He allowed two hits, no walks and struck out two batters. Bencomo started the season in San Antonio, went down to Class A Fort Wayne on May 23 and pitched in seven games. He was promoted back to the Missions on Saturday.
Kevin Kopps pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his third save of the season. He did not allow a hit or a walk and struck out two of the three batters he faced.
The Missions’ first run of the game came on a Ray-Patrick Didder solo home run in the fourth inning.
Kervin Pichardo accounted for the team’s other run in the fifth. He got on base vi hit-by-pitch and advanced to third on a Cole Cummings single. Pichardo scored on a bad pickoff throw.
Cole Cummings – Missions
Cole Cummings – Missions
Edwuin Bencomo – Missions
Jackson Wolf – Missions
Jackson Wolf – Missions
Jake Perez – Missions
Juan Fernandez – Missions
Justin Farmer – Missions
Kervin Pichardo – Missions
Kervin Pichardo – Missions
Kervin Pichardo – Missions
Kevin Kopps – Missions
Kevin Kopps – Missions
Michael De La Cruz – Missions
Pedro Castellanos – Missions
Ray-Patrick Didder – Missions
Ray-Patrick Didder – Missions
Ray-Patrick Didder – Missions
Edwuin Bencomo pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
Kervin Pichardo put the Missions in front 3-0 with his second home run of the season.Jared Kollar pitched in his very first game in a San Antonio Missions uniform on Friday night at Wolff Stadium.
Outfielder Kervin Pichardo was a much more experienced member of the team, playing in his ninth game with the Missions.
The young twosome helped the Missions build an early 4-0 lead on the way to beating the Frisco RoughRiders 10-3.
Pichardo hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the second inning and the Missions led the rest of the way.
Kollar held Frisco scoreless the first four innings. He was one out away from being in a position to get a win before giving up two runs in the top of the fifth and being replaced.
Pichardo finished the game with three hits including a double and had six RBIs and one run.
Juan Fernandez had three hits including a double, one walk and scored twice. Michael De La Cruz and Brandon Valenzuela both had two hits. Valenzuela was in only his third game since being promoted to Double-A and those were his first two hits with the Missions.
Relief pitcher Justin Lopez took over for Kollar and went 2 1/3 innings. He earned the win and allowed one run, two hits and one walk with one strikeout. James Bourque pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Jason Blanchard a scoreless ninth to finish off the game.
Brandon Valenzuela – Missions
Jake Perez – Missions
James Bourque – Missions
Jared Kollar – Missions
Jared Kollar – Missions
Jason Blanchard – Missions
Juan Fernandez – Missions
Juan Fernandez – Missions
Justin Farmer – Missions
Justin Lopez – Missions
Kervin Pichardo – Missions
Kervin Pichardo – Missions
Jared Kollar held Frisco scoreless through the first four innings.
Ray-Patrick Didder’s two-run single in the sixth inning put the Missions in front for good.Ray-Patrick Didder drove in two crucial runs in the San Antonio Missions’ 3-2 victory over the Frisco RoughRiders on Thursday at Wolff Stadium.
Didder’s two-run single was part of a three-run Missions rally in the sixth inning. His hit brought in Michael De La Cruz with the go-ahead run and Juan Fernandez with a run that gave the Missions a 3-1 cushion they would need.
Daniel Johnson led off the bottom of the sixth with a single. He advanced to second when De La Cruz walked, then scored the Missions’ first run on a hit by Fernandez to tie the game 1-1.
Frisco took the first lead of the game with a run in the top of the third inning. After the Missions went ahead 3-1 in the sixth inning, the Rough Riders made it close with a run in the top of the ninth.
Relief pitcher Blake Cederlind made his San Antonio Missions debut and got the win. He pitched the top of the sixth inning and allowed no runs, one hit, two walks and two strikeouts.
Missions starter Daniel Camarena had a strong outing but got no decision. He went five innings and allowed one run on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
Jose Quezada pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings for the Missions. Alek Jacob pitched the ninth inning, allowed one run, and got his fifth save of the season.
Justin Farmer also made his Missions debut and played in right field.
Alek Jacob – Missions
Blake Cederlind – Missions
Brandon Valenzuela – Missions
Daniel Camarena – Missions
Daniel Johnson – Missions
Jose Quezada – Missions
Juan Fernandez – Missions
Juan Fernandez – Missions
Justin Farmer – Missions
Daniel Johnson led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and scored the Missions’ first run later in the inning.
Relief pitcher Raul Brito made his Missions debut and threw two scoreless innings after being promoted from Fort Wayne.The San Antonio Missions managed only four hits in a 4-2 loss to the Frisco RoughRiders on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium.
Two players made their Missions debuts at a time when the rosters are being shuffled.
Raul Brito is a right-handed pitcher who was promoted from the Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps. He pitched the sixth and seventh innings without allowing a run and gave up two hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
Brandon Valenzuela is a catcher also promoted from Fort Wayne. He was in Wednesday’s lineup as a designated hitter. The 22-year-old switch-hitter went 0-for-2 with a walk. He reached base in the third inning on an error on a ball hit to third. He walked in the sixth and grounded out to second in the eighth.
Juan Fernandez had two of the Missions’ four hits.
Ray-Patrick Didder had an RBI double in the bottom of the second inning to drive in Ripken Reyes with the Missions’ first run.
Ripken Reyes led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a single and eventually scored the Mission’ second run on a ground ball by Cole Cummings.
Missions starting pitcher Efrain Contreras took the loss. He went five innings and gave up two runs – both in the first inning and only one earned. He allowed a total of five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.
The Missions lost some familiar players on their roster to promotions to the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas:
– Outfielder Tirso Ornelas. He batted .273 with 9 home runs and 46 RBIs in 67 games with the Missions this season.
– Right-handed pitcher Nick Hernandez. He had a 3-1 record and 3.18 ERA in 24 relief appearances with 43 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings.
– Left-handed pitcher Aaron Leasher. He had a 1-0 record and 0.73 ERA in 10 relief appearances with 9 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.
– Right-handed pitcher Nolan Watson. He had a 3-3 record, 4.08 ERA in 14 games, 12 starts.
Brandon Valenzuela – Missions
Efrain Contreras – Missions
Raul Brito – Missions
Brandon Valenzuela made his Missions debut and got on base twice via an error and a walk.
San Antonio Missions catcher Chandler Seagle.The San Antonio Missions lost four players over the weekend – at least temporarily – and added reinforcements as the San Diego Padres rebalance their minor league rosters with the baseball draft now less than two weeks away.
On Sunday, the Missions placed pitchers Brian Gonzalez and Michel Baez on the 7-day injured list, pitcher Jose Espada on the temporarily inactive list and catcher Chandler Seagle on the 7-day injured list.
Michel Baez – Missions– Baez had a 3-0 record and 6.28 ERA in 12 relief appearances with the Missions. Earlier in the season he made seven relief appearances with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas.
Brian Gonzalez – Missions– Gonzalez appeared in six games with the Missions and made three starts. He had a 6.14 ERA and 2-0 record.
Jose Espada – Missions– Espada pitched in 19 games for the Missions and made five starts. He had a 0-2 record with a 3.27 ERA.
– Seagle went on the injured list retroactive to June 24. He was in his third season with the Missions. He was batting .206 this season with one home run and 13 RBIs in 40 games.
The Missions added five players who should be with them for their six-game series against the Frisco RoughRiders, which opens Wednesday night at Wolff Stadium.
Pitchers Raul Brito, Jared Kollar, catcher Brandon Valenzuela and outfielder Justin Farmer were promoted from the High Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps. Pitcher Blake Cederlind moved up from the Arizona Complex league. All of the new Missions pitchers are right-handers.
– Cederlind had a 1-1 record and a 13.50 ERA in seven relief appearances this summer in Arizona.
– Brito had a 2-0 record with one save and 2.45 ERA in 10 relief appearances at Fort Wayne.
– Kollar had a 5-0 record and one save with a 1.67 ERA in nine appearances including seven starts at Fort Wayne.
– Valenzuela batted .279 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 39 games for Fort Wayne. He is listed as the No. 29 prospect in the Padres organization (via MLB.com).
– Farmer batted .233 with three home runs and 28 RBIs in 64 games for Fort Wayne.
The baseball draft is Sunday, July 9 – Tuesday, July 11. The first round will be televised on ESPN and MLB Network at 6 p.m. (Central time) on July 9. The remaining rounds will be on MLB Network.
Missions pitcher Bobby Milacki tosses the ball to first baseman Cole Cummings after fielding the ball on the right side of the infield.The Midland RockHounds beat the San Antonio Missions 2-1 Saturday at Wolff Stadium on a night when all the scoring happened in the ninth inning.
Midland’s Drew Swift had a two-run double in the top of the ninth.
Ripken Reyes scored the Missions’ only run in the bottom of the ninth. Reyes led off with a single, went to third on a Tirso Ornelas single and scored on a wild pitch.
San Antonio starting pitcher Jose Espada went four shutout innings and allowed two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Reliever Bobby Milacki pitched three scoreless innings and didn’t allow a hit or a walk with two strikeouts.
Kevin Kopps pitched the final two innings for the Missions and took the loss.
Midland starter Ryan Cusick pitched seven shutout innings and allowed two hits and one walk with seven strikeouts.
