Missions win first series since July 2025, former All-Star Giolito makes two starts
May 11-The San Antonio Missions have turned a corner.
The Missions won their first series since July 8-13, 2025, after taking four of six games against the Midland RockHounds, which lead the Texas League South, at home last week. The series win was also the first one over Midland since June 25-30, 2024.
"I thought we performed well," Missions manager Chris Tremie said. "It was an exciting week, just tons of good things that happened."
San Antonio put together a solid week on the offensive side and from a pitching perspective. The Missions logged a season-high of 18 hits in Friday's 8-4 win over the Rock Hounds, while starter Ian Koenig threw a season-high of six innings in the victory.
"We pitched really well, both starters and bullpen, solid defense and timely hitting and just kind
of putting together games," Tremie said.
San Antonio also won back-to-back games in walk-off fashion. Braedon Karpathios launched a walk-off home run on Saturday night in a 3-2 win, and Cole Tucker drilled a walk-off RBI single on Sunday afternoon in another 3-2 victory to cap off a week that Tremie described as a "team effort."
Karpathios, who already has two walk-off hits this season, already has 11 hits this month after recording 13 in April. Tucker made at least one hit in all four games against Midland that he played in.
The Missions are now 11-22 overall and are 6-4 in their last 10 games.
New Padres pitcher makes two starts
Former All-Star Lucas Giolito, who was signed by the San Diego Padres on April 22, made two starts for Double-A San Antonio last week. Against Midland on Tuesday, the righty threw four innings, allowing eight hits, five runs, three earned runs, one home run and two walks with two strikeouts.
The former first round pick strung together an improved performance Sunday, allowing three hits, one earned run and zero walks with three strikeouts across six innings.
"He was much more efficient in the game, ended up getting six innings today in under 80 pitches," Tremie said of Giolito's Sunday outing. "He really looked even sharper today than he did Tuesday."
Giolito spent the 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox, going 10-4 across 26 starts with a 3.41 ERA. He was named an MLB All-Star in 2019 while he was with the Chicago White Sox. Giolito was drafted in 2012 out of Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles by the Washington Nationals with the 16th overall pick in 2012.
"He came in here in the clubhouse and just became part of the team," Tremie said of Giolito's brief stint in San Antonio. "(He) interacted with the guys and I'm sure he shared information with them, got to know them, involved himself in everything we were doing here, including PFPs (pitcher's fielding practice). It was really a pleasure to have him here. I think he had a positive impact on the clubhouse."
Up next
The Missions will stay home at Wolff Stadium for a six-game series against the Wichita Wind Surge. This will be the first meeting of the season between the two teams. First pitch for Tuesday is set for 7:05 p.m. with starters for both teams to be announced. Wichita, the Double-A affiliate for the Minnesota Twins, is 16-16 overall and sits in fourth place of the Texas League North.
"I think we've got to draw on what we experienced this week and in the weeks before that and realize those things that help us win games and help us be successful," Tremie said. "(We'll) continue the work pregame and be prepared for the game when it starts."
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