Gaedele, Baltz power Lake Elsinore
Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
Center fielder Kyle Gaedele hit two home runs and drove in four runs, while left fielder Jeremy Baltz had a three-run homer Monday night as high Class A Lake Elsinore scored an 8-7 California League win at High Desert.
Shortstop Jose Rondon (.381) was 3-for-5 with a double for the 4-8 Storm. First baseman Marcus Davis was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Starting right-hander Zechariah Lemond, the Padres' third-round pick last June, allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits and a walk over four innings. Right-hander Walker Weickel allowed a hit with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning to pick up the win. Right-hander Eric Yardley allowed a hit and a walk with two strikeouts over the last 1 2/3 innings to pick up his second save.
Elsewhere in the Padres system, left fielder Nick Torres (.405) homered to stretch his hitting streak to nine straight games for low Class A Fort Wayne.
Right-handed starter Ernesto Montas (2-0, 0.82 ERA) allowed four hits and a walk with three strikeouts over six innings for the TinCaps.
AROUND THE FARM:
TRIPLE-A EL PASO (7-5): TACOMA 5, Chihuahuas 4 -- 3B Brett Wallace was 0-for-4 as his 10-game hitting streak ended. SS Mike McCoy hit his first homer. C Rocky Gale was 2-for-3. 2B Ramiro Pena was 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI. C Austin Hedges had a double in three at-bats with a walk. Right-handed starter Aaron Northcraft (1-2, 11.12 ERA) allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings. RHP Daniel McCutchen (0.00 ERA) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings. RHP Kevin Quackenbush (1.50 ERA) walked one in a hitless inning. The loss ended El Paso's five-game winning streak.
DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (5-6): MISSIONS 4, Springfield 3 -- C Jason Hagerty scored the winning run on a walk-off wild pitch in the ninth. Starting RHP Justin Hancock (3.94 ERA) allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts over six innings. LHP Brandon Alger (2-0, 3.60 ERA) walked one in a hitless ninth to pick up the win. 2B Rey Bruguera was 2-for-4. SS Trea Turner (.341) was 2-for-4 with a double. CF Travis Jankowski was 1-for-3 with a walk, a steal and an RBI.
LOW CLASS A FORT WAYNE (3-6): TinCaps 12, WEST MICHIGAN 2 -- Fort Wayne hit three home runs. DH Edwin Moreno was 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored. 1B Trae Santos was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run for two RBIs and three runs scored. 2B Nick Vitter was 3-for-5 with three RBIs. CF Michael Gettys was 2-for-4 with a RBI.