Decker, Renfroe, Tate homer on Padres' farm

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

Cody Decker and Hunter Renfroe homered and both Padres' full-season Class A affiliates got strong pitching in wins Saturday night.

Decker, who is playing third base at the moment for Triple-A El Paso hit his 15th homer while going 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .289.

Renfroe, the Padres first-round pick (13th overall) in the 2013 draft, hit his seventh homer for Double-A San Antonio while going 2-for-4 with two RBIs to raise his average to .240.

There was a third homer of note in the Padres system Saturday night. Outfielder Donavan Tate, the third overall pick in the 2009 draft, hit his first homer of the season for high Single-A El Paso. Tate, 24, was 1-for-2 with a steal and was hit by a pitch. He is now hitting .243.

Right-handed starter Matthew Shepherd (5.43 earned run average) allowed a run on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts over seven innings for Lake Elsinore.

Left-handed starter Brad Wieck (2-0, 2.61 ERA) allowed one run on five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings for low Single-A Fort Wayne. Wieck was making his second start in the Padres system since transferring over from the New York Mets' organization as the player-to-be-named-later in the trade that sent left-handed reliever Alex Torres to the Mets.

Around the farm

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (38-37): TACOMA 14, Chihuahuas 4 -- Starting LHP Robbie Erlin (5-5, 5.96 ERA) allowed eight runs on eight hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts in five innings. 1B Tommy Medica (.241) was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (32-43): Midland 8, MISSIONS 3 -- Starting RHP Casey Kelly (1-5, 4.87 ERA) allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts in four innings. RHP Stephen Kohlscheen (2.81) allowed two hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 scoreless innings. DH Alberth Martinez (.263) was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (32-41): STORM 2, Rancho Cucamonga 1 -- RF Yale Rosen (.203) doubled in the eighth and scored the winning run on a single by SS Benji Gonzalez (.125). LHP Chris Nunn (3-0, 7.52 ERA) followed Shepherd and allowed a hit and a walk with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning to get the win. RHP Eric Yardley (3.82 ERA) pitched a perfect ninth to get his 14th save.

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (34-37): Tin Caps 2, GREAT LAKES 1 -- RHP Seth Lucio followed Wieck and allowed a hit and a walk while striking out five in 1 2/3 innings. RHP Jimmy Brasoban (2.36) worked a perfect inning to get his first save.

SHORT-SEASON SINGLE-A TRI-CITY (5-5): EUGENE 7, Tri-City 4 -- RF Mason Smith (.222) was 2-for-3 with his first homer and a steal. RHP Bryce Morrow (5.00 ERA) allowed four runs on six hits and two walks with a strikeout in five innings. RHP Brett Kennedy (0.00) walked two with four strikeouts in two hitless innings. RHP Cecil Tanner (0-2, 7.71) allowed three runs on three hits and a walk with a strikeout in an inning to take the loss.

ARIZONA ROOKIE PADRES (3-3): PADRES 3, White Sox 1 -- 2B Tyler Moore (.429) was 2-for-3 with a steal. SS Kodie Tidwell (.350) was 2-for-3 with a RBI. 1B Jonas Lantigua (.250) was 2-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored. RF Jhonathan Pena (.348) was 1-for-3 with a double, a steal and a run scored. Starting RHP Jean Garcia (2.79 ERA) allowed an unearned run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts in five innings. RHP Adrian De Horta (6.75) allowed two hits and a walk with two strikeouts in two scoreless innings. RHP Wilson Santos allowed a hit with a strikeout in a scoreless inning to get the win. RHP Elliot Ashbeck pitched a perfect ninth to get his first save.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE PADRES (11-14): White Sox 10, PADRES 3 - 1b Leudy Molina (.314) was 3-for-5 with a RBI. Starting LHP Eduardo Solano (0-1, 2.84 ERA) allowed five runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts in three innings.