Rea promoted to Triple-A El Paso; Decker on PCL All-Star team

Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.

Right-handed pitcher Colin Rea has been promoted from Double-A San Antonio to Triple-A El Paso among a number of personnel moves made by the Padres this week and Chihuahuas infielder Cody Decker has named the designated hitter on the Pacific Coast League team for the Triple-A All-Star Game.

Rea was 3-2 with a Texas League-leading 1.08 earned run average in 12 starts for San Antonio. Rea, who turned 25 on Wednesday, was the Padres' 12th-round pick in the 2011 draft.

He had allowed 50 hits with 11 walks with 60 strikeouts in 75 innings. Opposing Texas League hitters were average 0.81 baserunners per inning against Rea.     

In addition to Rea, who will make his first start for El Paso Friday night, right-handed reliever Aaron Northcraft (2.73 ERA in 17 appearances at San Antonio) was promoted to the Chihuahuas.

Right-handed starter James Needy, a graduate of Santana High, was sent from El Paso (where he was 6-5 with a 7.17 ERA in 16 starts) to Double-A San Antonio. And right-handed reliever Jordan Hershiser was placed on the seven-day PCL disabled list.

Decker, 28, is hitting .283 with 15 homers and 51 RBIs in his fourth season for El Paso. The Padres' 22nd-round pick in the 2009 draft, is second in the PCL with a .584 slugging percentage and tied for third in homers. The 5-foot-11, 225-pound Decker, who has been playing first and third this season, has a franchise-record 148 homers in the Padres minor league system.

The Triple-A PCL-International League All-Star Game will be played July 15 at Omaha.

San Antonio outfielder Travis Jankowski and Tyson Gillies (Canada) were placed on the temporary inactive list Thursday so that both could compete on their national teams in the Pan-American Games.

In other moves in the Padres farm system:

--Left-handed starter Brad Wieck (2-0, 2.61 ERA in two starts for low Single-A Fort Wayne since being acquired from the Mets as the player-to-be-named later in the Alex Torres trade) and right-handed reliever Bryan Verbitsky (2.53 ERA, four save in 23 appearances) were promoted from low Single-A Fort Wayne to high Single-A Lake Elsinore.

--Right-handed starter Bryce Morrow was returned to San Antonio after an injury rehab assignment with short-season Single-A Tri-City. Right-handed pitcher Ryan Butler was placed on the seven-day disabled list at San Antonio. Right-handed reliever Cody Hebner and outfielder Kyle Gaedele (.248, eight homers in 44 games) were promoted from Lake
Elsinore to San Antonio.

AROUND THE FARM:
 
TRIPLE-A EL PASO (40-40): Fresno 5-5, CHIHUAHUAS 1-6 - SS Benji Gonzalez (.250) was 3-for-4 Thursday with a game-winning, walk-off, two-run double in the ninth. LF Jake Goebbert (.260) had a double and a homer in three at-bats for two RBIs and two runs scored. C Rocky Gale (.308) was 2-for-3 with a RBI. DH Alex Dickerson (.307) was 2-for-5 with
a triple. 2B Casey McElroy (.293) was 2-for-5, Starting LHP Robbie Erlin (6.19 ERA) allowed five runs on eight hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. RHP Jay Jackson (2.00) allowed two hits with three strikeouts in 2 2/3 scoreless innings. RHP Jerry Sullivan (4-1, 2.60) had a strikeout in two perfect innings to get the win. On Wednesday, starting RHP Chris Smith (1-3, 3.21 ERA) allowed three runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in six innings. Northcraft worked two innings in his first night back with El Paso and allowed two runs on two hits and two walks with sa strikeout in two innings. CF Abraham Almonte (.291) was 2-for-5. DH Rymer Liriano (.287) was 1-for-3 with a walk and a RBI.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (34-43): Missions 4, SPRINGFFIELD 1 _ Starting RHP Bryan Rodriguez (4-9, 4.39 ERA) allowed a run on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in six innings as the Missions opened the second half. RHP Michael Dimock (2.25) issued a walk with a strikeout in a scoreless inning to get his third save. LF Yeison Asencio (.305) was 2-for-4 with his sixth homer. 2B Taylor Lindsey (.205) hit his second homer in five at-bats. 1B Luis domoromo (.216) was 3-for-4 with a triple and a run scored. C Adolfo Reina (.286) was 2-for-4 with a run scored. RF Hunter Renfroe (.247) was 2-for-5.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (33-44): VISALIA 6-5, Storm 5-4 - Starting RHP Kyle Lloyd (5-5, 4.52 ERA) Thursday held Visalia to one run on four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over seven innings. LHP Chris Nunn (6.56) had a strikeout in a perfect eighth. RHP Eric Yardley (3.69) issued a hit in a scoreless ninth to pick up his 15th save. CF Austin Bousfield (.296) was 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. SS Chase Jensen (.364) was 2-for-4 with a run scored. On Wednesday, RF Nick Schulz (.229) had a double and a walk in three at-bats for a RBI. 1B Yale Rosen (.209) was 1-for-3 with a walk for a run scored and a RBI. SS Chase Jensen (.286) was 1-for-3 with a steal and a RBI. Starting RHP Rafael DePaula (4-7, 4.87 ERA) allowed six runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts in five innings. RHP Jason Jester (6.23) allowed a hit with three walks in two scoreless innings.

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (37-39): TinCaps 7, BOWLING GREEN 1; TinCaps 6, DAYTON 2 - LF Nick Torres (.333) was 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs Thursday at Dayton. CF Michael Gettys (.222) was 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored. 3B Luis Tejada (.286) was 2-for-3 with a run scored. C Jose Ruiz (.179) was 2-for-4 with a RBI and run scored. 2B Mitch Morales (.222) was 2-for-4 with a steal and a run scored. Starting RHP Chris Huffman (3.05 ERA) allowed two runs on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts in five innings. RHP T.J. Weir (4.24) allowed three hits with a strikeout in two scoreless innings. RHP Jimmy Brasoban (2-2, 2.27) allowed a hit in two perfect innings. On Wednesday, starting RHP Michael Kelly (4-1, 3.50 ERA) allowed an unearned run on seven hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in seven innings. LHP Kyle McGrath (2.97) allowed two hits with four strikeouts in two scoreless innings. 1B Tejada (.400) was 2-for-4 with a run scored. SS Ruddy Giron (.348) was 1-for-4 with three RBIs on his seventh homer.

SHORT-SEASON SINGLE-A TRI-CITY (7-8): DUST DEVILS 8-3, Everett 1-8 - Starting RHP Brett Kennedy (0.00 ERA) walked one in three otherwise perfect innings with six strikeouts on Thursday. LHP Elvin Liriano (1.86) allowed two runs on three hits with a walk with four strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings. RHP Luis Hernandez (0-3, 5.14) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk with a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning. LHP Jerry Keel (1.80) allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits with a strikeout in two innings. On Wednesday, starting LHP Travis Radke (3.95 ERA) allowed four hits with six strikeouts over four shutout innings. LHP Griffin Russell (9.82) allowed a run on a hit with two strikeouts in two innings. RHP Corey Kimber (1-0, 0.00) struck out one in two perfect innings. LF Henry Charles (.211) was 1-for-3 with his second homer and a walk with two runs scored and two RBIs. SS Peter Van Gansen (.302) hit his second homer in four at-bats.

ARIZONA ROOKIE PADRES (3-7): ROYALS 10, Padres 8 - 3B-SS Kodie Tidwell (.353) was 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Rehabbing SS Diego Goris was 1-for-4 with three RBIs. 1B Jonas Lantigua (.268) was 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Starting RHP Joel Linares (5.40) ERA allowed two runs on four hits and three walks with a strikeout in four innings. RHP Adrian De Horta (0-1, 13.50) allowed six runs on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE PADRES (13-16): BLUE JAYS 12, Padres 1; Reds 5, PADRES 3 - Starting LHP Eisler Cordova (0-2, 8.35 ERA) allowed four runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts in 2 2/2 innings in the loss to the Reds on Thursday. RHP Luis Perez (0.77) allowed a run on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings. LHP Joel Garcia (2.66) issued two walks with six strikeouts in four hitless innings. On Wednesday, starting RHP Pedro Beltran (0-4, 4.82 ERA) allowed seven runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks with a strikeout in 3 1/3 innings.