San Diego, CA
San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: April 11
Sacramento River Cats 10, Chihuahuas 9
Key Statistics: LHP Ryan Carpenter, 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K: 3B Graham Pauley, 2-for-4, 2 HR (2), 3 R, 6 RBI, BB; 1B Nate Mondou, 1-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI, BB; 2B Matthew Batten, 1-for-3, R
Graham Pauley with San Antonio last year. (Photo: Joe Alexander)
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas fell in a very PCL-esque high-scoring affair, but they got a decent start out of Ryan Carpenter. The 33-year-old lefty allowed five hits in five innings pitched, walked two, and gave up four runs. Of some concern, after not recording a strikeout, he has just seven in 15.1 innings for El Paso this season. The veteran Gonzaga alum, who logged limited MLB experience with the Tigers in 2018 and 2019, relies on a two-plane changeup and big movement from a repertoire that maxes out in the low-90s. Carpenter’s baseball journey has taken him to Taiwan, Korea, and a 2023 season he missed entirely amidst rumors of an elbow procedure. He signed with the Padres on a minor league deal in October. … The story of the night for Padres fans will be El Paso’s top prospect, Graham Pauley, going yard twice and driving in a whopping six runs. Pauley’s Triple-A experience will be interesting after he went 2-for-15 with a home run in limited action with the Padres. While the Duke alum seemingly has little to learn at the plate – he has three hits and a pair of walks in his first nine plate appearances in one of the PCL’s most neutral parks – Pauley will be receiving regular at-bats, and perhaps even more importantly, regular reps at third base. … Aside from Pauley’s two round-trippers, the Chihuahua’s only other extra-base hit was a triple off the bat of veteran first baseman Nate Mondou. The 29-year-old Wake Forest alum is batting .323 with an .857 OPS in 31 at-bats for El Paso in his first season in the Padres system after spending 2023 in the White Sox organization. … Hitting has become a bit more sporadic for Matthew Batten since beginning the 2024 season with a four-game hitting streak. Still, he got back in the “H” column with a single in the leadoff spot. The 28-year-old Quinnipiac alum is back getting regular playing time with the Chihuahuas after spending much of 2023 doing an underrated job holding down the Padres’ last bench spot.
Adam Mazur was dealing for the Flying Chanclas Thursday. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals 2, Missions 0 (F/10)
Key Statistics: RHP Adam Mazur, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K; RHP Josh Roberson, 1 IP, 3 K; RHP Woo-Suk Go (L, 0-1), 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 3 K; 1B Nathan Martorella, 2-for-4
Nathan Mrtorella had a pair of hits on the night. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)
Prospect Watch: Nelson Wolff Stadium has a reputation as a pitcher’s park in the Texas League. Add a still wind to the heavy San Antonio air, and conditions are ripe for the hurlers, especially when you have Adam Mazur on the mound. The Iowa product threw 40 strikes on 53 pitches as he absolutely cruised through six innings, forcing nine groundouts and preventing hard contact of any sort with his changeup. With Northwest Arkansas (one of baseball’s worst team location names, in this writer’s humble opinion) bats quieted; unfortunately, San Antonio did little to take advantage. … Josh Roberson was next to take the mound for the Missions, and the 27-year-old righty struck out the side for his second scoreless inning to begin the season. A former 12th-round pick of the Marlins in 2017, Roberson spent all of 2023 in Triple-A with the Rays and then the Cubs after a midseason trade but finds himself with the Missions to begin 2024 as El Paso has carried a deep bullpen into the campaign. … It was a tough one for Woo-Suk Go, who breezed through the ninth inning with a flyout sandwiched between a pair of strikeouts. Still, the 10th frame went double (scoring the Manfred runner), wild pitch, RBI single, single, flyout, and lineout. Go’s first professional loss in the United States has him sitting on a 6.75 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in four innings to begin the season, but the Korean righty has fanned seven batters in that span. Still 25 years old, Go begins the season with the Missions to get better acclimated to the stateside game. … A relatively lifeless night from San Antonio’s offense had a bright spot in Nathan Martorella, who went 2-for-4 to raise his average to .478. The 23-year-old Martorella is the rare “first base only” prospect in the Padres organization. Still, the 2022 fifth-rounder has shown why he’s the exception to the rule, with an .835 OPS in exactly 600 professional at-bats to begin his career in the San Diego organization. If he gets to his power in games more often, the UC Berkeley product could see action with the Padres at some point this season after getting his first spring training experience with the big league club.
TinCaps rained out
For the second straight night, the rain kept them from playing in Fort Wayne. Because a doubleheader is already planned for Saturday, this game will be made up when the TinCaps play in Lake County next month.
Modesto Nuts 12, Storm 3
Key Statistics: RHP Will Varmette (L, 1-1), 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K; RHP Thomas Balboni, Jr. 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K; 3B Wyatt Hoffman, 2-for-3, SB (1) 2 E; RF Braedon Karpathios, 1-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB; SS Jay Beshears, 2-for-5, 2 2B, R
Prospect Watch: “Modesto is Not That Sweet,” opined the Hold Steady’s rock poet Craig Finn, and the Storm may agree after a 12-3 drubbing in the seat of Stanislaus County. Will Varmette dropped to 1-1 after allowing five runs in three-plus innings of work. The 21-year-old struck out six but walked three and allowed five hits. Varmette posted a 1.50 ERA in six relief appearances in Lake Elsinore in 2023, one of three stops the undrafted free agent made between the Arizona Complex League and Fort Wayne in his first professional season. … Braedon Karpathios hit a double and drove in a pair of runs as the 2022 undrafted outfielder continues to take advantage of relatively shallow competition in the outfield at the lower levels of the minors. The 20-year-old Karpathios has posted an .886 OPS to start his 2024 return to Lake Elsinore after slashing .181/.410/.267 in 116 at-bats with the Storm in 2023. He’s being asked to be more aggressive at the plate after a full 53% of his plate appearances ended in a walk or strikeout last year. … 2023 sixth-rounder Jay Beshears continues to impress for the Storm early in the season with a pair of doubles. The Duke product is 9-for-20 with four extra-base hits and 10 walks in the early going of his second professional campaign. The 21-year-old infielder slashed .229/.283/.314 in 105 at-bats for the Storm after graduating from the Arizona Complex League shortly after last year’s draft. … San Diego native Wyatt Hoffman went 2-for-3 with an RBI, ending a three-game hitless streak for the former Pacific Tiger with his first multi-hit outing of the season. Hoffman returns to the Storm this season after spending the bulk of 2023 with Lake Elsinore.
San Diego, CA
Judge sentences rapper to time served in 2023 San Diego arrest
Rapper Boosie Badazz was sentenced Friday to credit for time served in the case stemming from his 2023 arrest in San Diego for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The 43-year-old, whose real name is Torence Ivy Hatch Jr., was arrested in Chollas View after police found two guns inside a vehicle in which he was riding.
Hatch was in town to shoot a music video and perform at a Gaslamp Quarter nightclub.
In a social media video clip recorded during the video shoot, Hatch was spotted with a gun in his waistband. Police then used a helicopter to track down his vehicle, after which officers conducted a traffic stop and discovered the firearms.
He pleaded guilty to a federal gun possession count last year. As part of his sentence, Hatch will also serve 300 hours of community service.
Defense attorney Meghan Blanco said in a statement released after Friday’s hearing, “The resolution brings a sense of relief, allowing him to finally put this chapter behind him. He can now focus on continuing his music career, dedicating time to his family, and being a positive and inspiring presence for his children and the wider community.”
Federal prosecutors sought a two-year prison sentence, arguing in court papers that custody was warranted due to Hatch’s “insistence on carrying a weapon despite his status as a convicted felon” and allegations that he threatened his security detail shortly after his arrest.
Blanco, in her sentencing memorandum, denied any such threats occurred, noting that the statements are not included in any police reports stemming from the arrest and that no recorded evidence of the threats exist.
The defense attorney wrote that Hatch’s gun was never fired, brandished or used to threaten anyone. She also said there have been no allegations that the weapons were intended for any other offense and that Hatch’s last criminal case had occurred around 10 years prior.
“The case represents an isolated lapse in judgment, not a pattern of ongoing criminal conduct,” Blanco wrote.
Hatch was initially charged by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. His defense attorneys have stated that Hatch intended to plead guilty at the time and was expected to be sentenced to probation, but the state’s case was dismissed before that plea deal could be reached and federal prosecutors took up the case.
U.S. District Judge Cathy Bencivengo, who sentenced Hatch on Friday, previously dismissed the case against him following a 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that said it was unconstitutional to prohibit convicted felons who served sentences for nonviolent drug offenses from possessing firearms.
But a larger panel of the 9th Circuit overturned its earlier ruling and San Diego federal prosecutors re-filed the charges against Hatch.
Hatch was previously convicted in Louisiana of marijuana possession. He also was indicted in an alleged murder-for-hire plot, but was acquitted by a Baton Rouge jury in 2012.
San Diego, CA
Mayor Gloria defends Balboa Park paid parking, blames council for rocky rollout
San Diego will put off issuing citations for paid parking in Balboa Park for about one month while improvements are made, but Mayor Todd Gloria says the new system is functioning well and being “actively adopted.”
In a long and harshly worded memo released Thursday, Gloria said recent calls by City Council members to suspend the program were politically motivated and examples of bad governance and erratic decision-making.
Gloria also deflected blame for the chaotic way enforcement began Monday, when city officials raced to put stickers about resident discounts on parking kiosks and lobbied a vendor to deliver crucial missing signs.
The mayor said the council had “shaped, amended and approved” paid parking in Balboa Park and contended an accelerated timeline chosen by the council made it hard for his administration to implement it flawlessly.
The mayor’s memo came in response to a Tuesday memo from Councilmembers Kent Lee and Sean Elo-Rivera in which they called implementation of paid parking “haphazard” and “not ready for prime time.”
Lee and Elo-Rivera said the process for city residents to get approved for discounts was so complex, cumbersome and confusing that Gloria should waive fees for residents until they have had time to adapt and learn.
While Gloria rejected that suggestion in part of his memo, he later said “enforcement remains focused on education, not punishment, during this early phase, to ensure park users are aware of the new parking fees.”
Dave Rolland, a spokesperson for Gloria, said Thursday that no specific date had been set for when the city would shift from education to enforcement. But he added that “about a month” would be an accurate timeline.
City officials have already corrected one key mistake: Signs that were missing Monday — alerting drivers that the 951-space lower Inspiration Point lot is free for three hours — have since been installed.
Lee and Elo-Rivera in their memo decried “an inadequate effort to educate the public on how to use this new system.”
They said San Diegans had not been clearly informed about when a portal for city resident discounts would go live or how to use it.
And they complained that residents weren’t told they couldn’t buy discounted parking passes in person, or when enforcement with citations would actually begin.
City residents must apply for discounts online, pay $5 to have their residency verified, then wait two days for that verification and choose the day they will visit in advance.
Lee and Elo-Rivera called the city’s efforts “a haphazard rollout that will surely lead to San Diegans missing out on their resident discount and paying higher parking rates than they have to.”
Gloria said the city collected $23,000 in parking fees on Monday and Tuesday and another $106,000 in daily, monthly and quarterly passes — mostly from residents who get discounts on such passes.
“Early data shows that the program is functioning and being used,” he said. “These are not the metrics of a system that is failing to function. They are the metrics of a system that is new, actively being adopted, and continuing to improve as public familiarity increases.”
While Gloria conceded that some improvements are still necessary, he rejected calls from Lee and Elo-Rivera for a suspension, citing his concerns it would jeopardize city finances and confuse the public.
“Your proposal to suspend paid parking for residents two days into the new program would have immediate and serious fiscal consequences,” Gloria said. “This reversal could introduce confusion among park users and would disregard investments already made to establish the system, potentially compromising the program’s effectiveness.”
Paid parking in Balboa Park is expected to generate about $3.7 million during the fiscal year that ends June 30, but revenue is expected to rise substantially when the fees are in place for a full fiscal year.
Gloria said the money is a small part of the city’s overall solution to recurring deficits it faces of more than $100 million per year.
“What we will not do is reverse course days into implementation in a way that undermines fiscal stability, creates uncertainty, and sends the message that addressing a decades-old structural budget deficit that has plagued our city is optional because it is politically uncomfortable,” he said. “That kind of erratic decision-making is not good governance, and San Diegans deserve better.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the San Diego Zoo said Thursday that paid parking there has continued to go smoothly since it began on Monday.
The zoo, which is using Ace Parking for enforcement, opted for immediate citations instead of an educational grace period.
San Diego, CA
Barricaded individual in custody following police response in Mission Valley
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego Police responded to a barricaded individual in the Mission Valley area Thursday afternoon, prompting a heavy law enforcement presence.
- The Nexstar Media video above details resources for crime victims
The department confirmed around 1 p.m. that officers were on scene in the 1400 block of Hotel Circle North, and are working to safely resolve the situation. Authorities asked the public to avoid the area and allow officers the space needed to conduct their operations.
Police described the incident as a domestic violence restraining order violation. At this time, it’s unknown if the person is armed.
No injuries have been reported.
The suspect was taken into custody within an hour.
Further details about the barricaded person were not immediately released. Police say updates will be shared as more information becomes available.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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