Steve Drumwright

Two big innings sparked the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas to a 13-7 victory over Albuquerque. Miguel Mendez and four relievers combined on for a 1-0 victory by the Double-A San Antonio Missions over Corpus Christi. The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps managed just three hits in a 7-0 blowout loss to South Bend. Tyler Schmitt struck out a season-high nine as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm prevailed 2-0 over Inland Empire. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Antonio Missions activated RHP Eric Yost from the 7-day injured list. Carlos Rodriguez's First Homer Of Year Leads Chihuahuas Carlos Rodriguez capped a six-run fourth inning with his first homer of the season that propelled the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas to a 13-7 victory over the host Albuquerque Isotopes. Rodriguez finished with three RBIs, Pablo Reyes had three doubles with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored, Marcos Castanon had two hits, including a solo homer, two RBIs and two runs scored and Nick Schnell hit a two-run homer. Schnell and Castanon's homers were back-to-back. Jase Bowen walked twice and scored twice, while Mason McCoy tripled and scored twice. The Chihuahuas were up 2-1 on sacrifice flies by Nick Solak in the first inning and Rodriguez in the third when they opened the game up in the fourth inning. McCoy had a sacrifice bunt that included a throwing error by the pitcher to score the first run of the inning, then Castanon had a one-out run-scoring single to make it 4-1. Reyes doubled home a pair with two outs for a 6-1 advantage when Rodriguez smacked his two-run homer and an 8-1 cushion. But the Chihuahuas weren't done. After Albuquerque scored twice in the bottom of the fourth, the Chihuahuas came back with a four-run fifth inning. McCoy had a one-out RBI triple, then Schnell hit a two-run blast, his 10th this season and third in four games, and that was followed by Castanon's sixth homer of the year and a 12-3 lead. Chihuahuas left-handed starter JP Sears gave up five runs in five innings, allowing four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. Right-handed relievers Sean Boyle (three innings) and David Morgan covered the final four innings and didn't issue a walk. EP_0530.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Pablo Reyes 4 2 3 2 0 0 Carlos Rodriguez 4 1 1 3 0 0 Nick Solak 3 1 0 1 1 1 Jase Bowen 3 2 0 0 2 1 Will Wagner 2 1 0 0 2 0 Mason McCoy 4 2 1 1 0 0 Nick Schnell 5 1 1 2 0 4 Marcos Castanon 4 2 2 2 0 0 Anthony Vilar 4 1 1 0 0 2 Pitcher IP H R ER BB K HR JP Sears (W) 5 4 5 5 3 7 2 Sean Boyle (H) 3 5 2 2 0 0 0 David Morgan 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Miguel Mendez Stellar As Missions Shut Down Hooks Right-handed starter Miguel Mendez led a dominant performance by San Antonio pitchers and Chris Sargent's fifth-inning single drove in the game's only run as the host Double-A Missions squeezed out a 1-0 victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks. Mendez, Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect, pitched just three innings in his fourth start since a brief stint on the seven-day injured list. Mendez struck out four and allowed just two hits and a walk. It was Mendez's third shutout start, with none lasting more than four innings. Four relievers followed and gave up just three hits and struck out nine over the final six innings. Right-hander Josh Mallitz gave up a hit in two innings with one walk and on strikeout, while right-hander Eric Yost allowed a hit and two walks while fanning two in 1⅓ innings in his first game back off the IL. Right-hander Andrew Moore went 1⅔ innings, allowing no hits and one walk while punching out four, while right-hander Clark Candiotti gave up a hit and struck out two in picking up his first professional save. It wasn't easy, though, as Candiotti gave up a two-out double and threw a wild pitch to put the tying run on third. But he struck out the final batter. The only run came in the bottom of the fifth. Kai Roberts drew a leadoff walk and was bunted to second by Francisco Acuna. Sargent, the backup catcher, attacked the first pitch and lined it to center. Roberts had to hold up as the ball short-hopped the center field and went to third, but the throw back to the infield got away, allowing Roberts to come home and Sargent to take second. SA_0530.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 4 0 1 0 0 1 Ethan Salas 4 0 0 0 0 0 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 0 0 0 2 Tirso Ornelas 3 0 1 0 0 0 Albert Fabian 3 0 0 0 0 2 Ryan Jackson 3 0 1 0 0 0 Kai Roberts 2 1 0 0 1 2 Francisco Acuna 2 0 1 0 0 1 Chris Sargent 3 0 1 0 0 2 Pitcher IP H R ER BB K HR Miguel Mendez 3 2 0 0 1 4 0 Josh Mallitz (W) 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 Eric Yost (H) 1 1/3 1 0 0 2 2 0 Andrew Moore (H) 1 2/3 0 0 0 1 4 0 Clark Candiotti (S) 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 TinCaps Held To 3 Hits, Blanked By South Bend A shaky start and an offense kept in check led to a 7-0 loss for the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps against the host South Bend Cubs. TinCaps right-handed starter Abraham Parra surrendered five runs (four earned) in season-high 5⅓ innings, giving up four hits and three walks while striking out seven, matching his career best. Right-hander Ty Adcock, on a rehab assignment from Triple-A El Paso following an oblique strain in spring training, pitched a scoreless seventh inning, allowing a hit with a walk and a strikeout. This was his fourth appearance with the TinCaps after three in the Arizona Complex League. South Bend held the TinCaps to just three hits: a double by Jack Costello and singles by Rosman Verdugo and Jake Cunningham, who had Fort Wayne's first hit leading off the fourth inning. The TinCaps did draw six walks while striking out 12 times. South Bend scored twice in the second, once in the third and put it away when Drew Bowser launched a seventh-inning grand slam, his second in as many games. Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 3 0 0 0 1 2 Rosman Verdugo 3 0 1 0 1 1 Lamar King Jr. 3 0 0 0 1 0 Alex McCoy 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jake Cunningham 3 0 1 0 1 2 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 0 0 0 0 Jack Costello 4 0 1 0 0 2 Jonathan Vastine 3 0 0 0 1 2 Kasen Wells 3 0 0 0 1 1 Pitcher IP H R ER BB K HR Abraham Parra (L) 5 1/3 4 5 4 3 7 0 Igor Gil 2/3 1 2 2 1 1 1 Ty Adcock 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 Will Varmette 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Tyler Schmitt Fans Season-High 9 As Storm Blank 66ers Right-hander starter Tyler Schmitt bounced back from his second-worst start of the season by striking out a season-high nine over six shutout innings as the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm edged the Inland Empire 66ers 2-0. Jose Verdugo had an RBI triple in the first inning and Alcides Hernandez scored from second following an eighth-inning error on a grounder by Kerrington Cross, who had two hits. Schmitt, who gave up five runs in 4⅓ innings in his previous start, allowed four hits and three walks. His nine punchouts were two more than he had in 3⅓ innings in his pro debut this season. Cross singled with one out in the bottom of the first, then scored when Verdugo lined an opposite-field triple down the right-field line, scoring Cross. It remained 1-0 until Hernandez doubled leading off the eighth and, two outs later, Cross hit a grounder to the shortstop, who misplayed the ball as Hernandez crossed in front of him, with the ball going into left and Hernandez easily scoring. Right-hander Nick Falter pitched two scoreless innings, yielding two hits and a walk with three punchouts and right-handed closer Will Koger allowing a hit in the ninth for his fifth save. LE_0530.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 4 0 1 0 0 2 Kerrington Cross 4 1 2 0 0 0 Jose Verdugo 3 0 1 1 0 0 Truitt Madonna 3 0 0 0 0 1 Yimy Tovar 3 0 0 0 0 0 Jorge Quintana 3 0 0 0 0 0 George Bilecki 3 0 0 0 0 1 Alcides Hernandez 3 1 1 0 0 0 Conner Westenburg 3 0 0 0 0 0 Pitcher IP H R ER BB K HR Tyler Schmitt (W) 6 4 0 0 3 9 0 Nick Falter (H) 2 2 0 0 1 3 0 Will Koger (S) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 0-for-4 Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-4, 2 K Jorge Quintana: 0-for-3 Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: DNP Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-3, BB Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 0-for-4, 2 K Truitt Madonna: 0-for-3, K Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: 1⅓ IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-3, BB, K Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View full article

Jhony Brito was nearly perfect in a six-inning rehab outing as the Double-A San Antonio Missions won 8-1 over the Corpus Christi Hooks. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas gave up another big inning in falling to Albuquerque 13-8. The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps overcame a seven-run inning and scored four runs in the ninth for a 9-8 win over South Bend, while the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm was unable to generate much of any offense in a 3-1 loss to Inland Empire. Padres Minor-League Transactions No roster moves. Chihuahuas Again Have Big-Inning Problem, Fall To Isotopes Pablo Reyes drove in three runs, including a two-run double in a five-run fourth inning, and Nick Schnell homered, but the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas gave up a seven-run fifth inning en route to a 13-8 loss to the host Albuquerque Isotopes. It was the 16th time the Chihuahuas gave up an inning of six or more runs, with nine of those coming vs. the Isotopes. Schnell went 3-for-4, his second three-hit game of the season, with two runs scored and his two-run homer in the second inning. It was his ninth homer of the year and second in three games. Both of Reyes' hits were doubles, while Will Wagner and Mason McCoy also had a pair of hits. Chihuahuas left-handed starter Marco Gonzalez lasted just 3⅔ innings, giving up six hits, including a homer, on 10 runs with no walks and five strikeouts. Right-hander Logan Gillaspie followed, allowing seven runs in 1⅓ innings on eight hits and no walks with a pair of strikeouts. El Paso scored five runs in the top of the fourth to grab a 7-4 lead, but the Isotopes came back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and seven in the fifth, which included three home runs. EP_0529.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Pablo Reyes 4 1 2 3 1 1 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 1 1 1 1 Nick Solak 4 0 0 1 1 1 Jase Bowen 5 0 0 0 0 2 Will Wagner 5 1 2 0 0 0 Mason McCoy 3 2 2 0 1 1 Nick Schnell 4 2 3 2 1 1 Clay Dungan 2 0 0 1 2 1 Anthony Vilar 4 2 1 0 1 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Marco Gonzales 3 2/3 10 6 6 0 5 1 Logan Gillaspie (L) 1 1/3 8 7 7 0 2 3 Michael Flynn 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Ethan Routzahn 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Jhony Brito Scintillating As Missions Roll With 12 Walks San Diego Padres right-handed starter Jhony Brito allowed just one hit over six shutout innings as the host Double-A San Antonio Missions rode a five-run fourth inning and a whopping 12 walks for an 8-1 win over the Corpus Christi Hooks. Brito faced the minimum 18 hitters over his six innings, getting a double play to erase the only baserunner. This was Brito's third start with the Missions on his rehab assignment as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery and was by far his best. Brito retired the first 13 batters before yielding his only hit, a single. He didn't issue a walk and struck out four in his very efficient 52 pitches (37 strikes). Brito also made two rehab starts in the Arizona Complex League. His 30-day rehab assignment began May 7. Francisco Acuna and Luis Verdugo (two walks) each drove in a pair of runs, Tirso Ornelas had two hits and Braedon Karpathios (three walks) and Albert Fabian (two walks) each scored twice for the Missions, who only scored in two innings but put up eight runs. Romeo Sanabria also walked twice. It was a 0-0 game entering the bottom of the fourth when Ethan Salas had a leadoff single, then Sanabria, Ornelas and Karpathios drew consecutive walks to bring in Salas. Fabian followed with a run-scoring single and, one out and a pitching change later, the walks continued with Acuna and Verdugo drawing bases-loaded free passes. Carson Tucker capped the rally with a sacrifice fly. In the seventh, Karpathios and Fabian walked, then Ryan Jackson and Acuna were hit by pitches to push across a run, then Verdugo walked again and Salas finished it off with a one-out sac fly and an 8-0 lead. SA_0529.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 4 0 0 1 0 2 Ethan Salas 4 1 1 1 0 1 Romeo Sanabria 3 1 0 0 2 1 Tirso Ornelas 4 1 2 0 1 0 Braedon Karpathios 2 2 1 1 3 0 Albert Fabian 3 2 1 1 2 0 Ryan Jackson 3 1 0 0 1 2 Francisco Acuna 2 0 0 2 1 1 Luis Verdugo 3 0 1 2 2 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jhony Brito (W) 6 1 0 0 0 4 0 Sadrac Franco 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 Harry Gustin 1 0 0 0 3 2 0 Down 7-0, TinCaps Roar Back To Win It With 4-Run Ninth Alex McCoy homered to begin a four-run top of the ninth inning and Kasen Wells capped a four-hit night by singling home the go-ahead run as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps overcame a seven-run first inning to beat the host South Bend Cubs 9-8, ending South Bend's eight-game winning streak. It was the 13th come-from-behind victory for the TinCaps and first when trailing after seven innings. McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 12 prospect, yanked the first pitch of the ninth inning down the left-field line for his 10th homer, tying Jake Cunningham for the team lead and pulling the TinCaps within 8-6. Cunningham followed with a single and, one out later, Jack Costello doubled home Cunningham to make it 8-7. Jonathan Vastine followed with a double of his own to tie the game 8-8. After a pitching change, Zach Evans walked and Wells slapped a hard grounder through the hole and into left field to put the TinCaps up 9-8. TinCaps right-handed closer Clay Edmondson pitched the final two innings, the third time he has gone that length this season, striking out three and allowing a ninth-inning single to pick up the win, the first of his pro career. The dramatic comeback was needed after TinCaps ace left-hander Kash Mayfield was lit up for the first time in his pro career. Padres Mission's No. 2 prospect got only one out in the bottom of the first, giving up six runs on three hits, including a homer, and two walks. Mayfield, who threw 32 pitches, retired the first batter he faced before South Bend went to work. After Mayfield exited, the next batter hit a grand slam for a 7-0 lead. The TinCaps chipped away with one in second on Vastine's homer and two in the fourth, with South Bend countering with one in the bottom of the fourth, before Fort Wayne got two more in the sixth to pull within 8-5, the batted around in the ninth to take the lead. Wells finished 4-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored, matching his career high for hits set May 15 in a 4-for-4 day. McCoy, Costello and Vastine each had two hits, with Costello's both being doubles. McCoy, Vastine and Rosman Verdugo each drove in a pair of runs. FW1_0529.mp4 FW2_0529.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells 6 2 4 1 0 0 Rosman Verdugo 6 0 1 2 0 1 Carlos Rodriguez 6 0 0 1 0 3 Alex McCoy 4 1 2 2 1 2 Jake Cunningham 3 1 1 0 2 0 Kavares Tears 4 0 0 0 1 3 Jack Costello 4 1 2 1 1 1 Jonathan Vastine 5 2 2 2 0 1 Zach Evans 4 2 1 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kash Mayfield 1/3 3 6 6 2 0 1 Isaiah Lowe 3 2/3 3 2 1 3 0 1 Luis German 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 Braian Salazar 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Clay Edmondson (W) 2 1 0 0 1 3 0 Storm Offense Silenced In Setback To 66ers The Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm were limited to four hits in a 3-1 loss to the Inland Empire 66ers. Storm left-handed starter Kruz Schoolcraft struck out nine over 3⅔ innings, but gave up three runs on five hits and two walks. Right-hander Vicarte Domingo pitched 2⅓ scoreless innings, giving up four hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Right-hander Rordy Mejia tossed two scoreless innings, allowing three hits while also walking one and striking out three. Right-hander Daichi Moriki pitched a perfect ninth. Yoiber Ocopio doubled, while Ryan Wideman, Kerrington Cross and Qrey Lott each had singles for the Storm. Lake Elsinore scored its lone run in the seventh. Lott was hit by a pitch leading off the frame, then was balked to second. One out later, Wideman had an RBI single to left. LE_0529.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 4 0 1 1 0 1 Kerrington Cross 4 0 1 0 0 3 Bradley Frye 4 0 0 0 0 0 Truitt Madonna 4 0 0 0 0 3 Yoiber Ocopio 4 0 1 0 0 1 Jorge Quintana 3 0 0 0 1 2 Qrey Lott 3 1 1 0 0 1 Dylan Grego 3 0 0 0 0 1 Conner Westenburg 2 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kruz Schoolcraft (L) 3 2/3 5 3 3 2 9 0 Vicarte Domingo 2 1/3 4 0 0 1 3 0 Rordy Mejia 2 3 0 0 1 3 0 Daichi Moriki 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-4, RBI, R, K, SF Kash Mayfield: ⅓ IP, 3 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 1 HR Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: 3⅔ IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K Ryan Wideman: 1-for-4, RBI, K Jorge Quintana: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-2, 3 BB, RBI, 2 R Lamar King Jr.: DNP Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K, SB Truitt Madonna: 0-for-4, 3 K Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-6, 2 RBI, K Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View full article

Kerrington Cross belted a walk-off home run in the ninth inning to lift the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm past the Inland Empire 66ers 5-4. Ethan Salas went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in Double-A San Antonio's loss, while Triple-A El Paso was overwhelmed early and High-A Fort Wayne belted a trio of homers and also lost. Padres Transactions No roster moves. Early Isotopes Blitz Too Much For Chihuahuas To Overcome Jase Bowen and Carlos Rodriguez each went 3-for-5, but the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas were overwhelmed by an early onslaught as the Albuquerque Isotopes won 12-7. The Isotopes scored in each of the first five innings, including a five-run fourth inning, and finished the game with nine walks and 11 hits. Clay Dungan and Victor Duarte homered for the Chihuahuas, with Dungan's two-run blast in the sixth inning going 458 feet, the second-longest by the Chihuahuas this year (Bowen, 462 feet). Chihuahuas right-handed starter Evan Fitterer, who entered the game unscored upon in his last nine innings, gave up five runs (four earned) in three innings on five hits and four walks with two strikeouts. Left-hander Miguel Cienfuegos followed by allowing all five runs in the fourth inning on five hits, a walk and no strikeouts. The five-run outburst was the 32nd time the Chihuahuas have allowed four or more runs in an inning this year. Bowen had his fifth triple this season, tied for second-most in the Pacific Coast League, while Rodriguez matched his season high for hits in a game. EP_0528.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Samad Taylor 3 0 0 0 2 1 Carlos Rodríguez 5 1 3 1 0 0 Pablo Reyes 5 1 1 0 0 1 Jase Bowen 5 1 3 1 0 2 Will Wagner 5 0 1 1 0 1 Nick Schnell 4 0 0 1 0 0 Marcos Castañon 3 2 1 0 1 1 Clay Dungan 3 1 1 2 1 0 Victor Duarte 3 1 2 1 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Evan Fitterer (L) 3 5 5 4 4 2 0 Miguel Cienfuegos 1 5 5 5 1 0 0 Misael Tamarez 1 1 2 2 3 0 0 Justin Yeager 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 Alek Jacob 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Ethan Salas Has 3 Hits, But Missions Fall Shots Against Hooks Ethan Salas went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, but the host Double-A San Antonio Missions dropped an 8-5 decision to the Corpus Christi Hooks. Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, also scored a run as he raised his batting average to .315 with his fourth three-hit game of the season and ninth of his career. Francisco Acuna hit a two-run homer for the Missions, his third of the season. Missions right-handed starter Victor Lizarraga struggled with his control. In 3⅔ innings, Lizarraga gave up six runs (four earned) in five hits and four walks while striking out five. It was the third time in 10 starts he walked at least four. After the Hooks scored twice in the top of the first, the Missions tied it in the bottom of the third. Kai Murphy had a leadoff single and Salas rifled his ninth double of the season over the center fielder's head, scoring Murphy. Salas came around on Tirso Ornelas' one-out single. But the Hooks regained control with a four-run fifth inning and two more in the seventh. Acuna drilled his two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh. The Missions put together a rally in the ninth. Ryan Jackson was hit by a pitch and Luis Verdugo walked. With one out, Murphy reached on a fielder's choice, with an error on the second baseman loading the bases. Salas hit a sacrifice fly to left and pinch-hitter Albert Fabian walked to load the bases again, but Ornelas grounded out to end the game. SA_0528.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ethan Salas 4 1 3 2 0 0 Kai Roberts 4 0 0 0 0 2 Albert Fabian 0 0 0 0 1 0 Carson Tucker 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tirso Ornelas 4 0 1 1 1 1 Braedon Karpathios 3 0 0 0 1 0 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 0 0 0 1 Ryan Jackson 3 1 1 0 0 1 Luis Verdugo 2 1 0 0 2 1 Francisco Acuna 4 1 1 2 0 1 Kai Murphy 4 1 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Victor Lizarraga (L) 3 2/3 5 6 4 4 5 1 Omar Cruz 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 Johan Moreno 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Francis Peña 2 2 2 2 1 3 0 Andrew Moore 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 TinCaps Launch 3 Homers, But Streaking South Bend Prevails Jake Cunningham hit his team-leading 10th homer of the season, one of three solo shots by the TinCaps, but High-A Fort Wayne suffered a 6-3 defeat at the hands of the red-hot host South Bend Cubs. The Cubs have won eight straight and 11 of their last 12. Carlos Rodriguez and Rosman Verdugo also went deep for the TinCaps. Cunningham homered in the top of the second—his third in three games in this series and fifth in nine games in South Bend this year—Rodriguez hit his fourth in the fifth inning and Verdugo added his eighth in the sixth inning. TinCaps right-handed starter Carson Montgomery opened with four scoreless innings before running into trouble in the fifth. That is when Montgomery hit the leadoff batter, walked a pair, had a wild pitch and allowed a double steal before being lifted with the bases loaded and one out. Right-handed reliever Kleiber Olmedo wasn't able to escape the jam, allowing a walk and a three-run double to the next two hitters for a 4-2 South Bend lead. After Verdugo's homer made it 4-3 in the top of the sixth, South Bend scored in the bottom half to reclaim a two-run lead. FW_0528.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 3 0 1 0 0 0 Rosman Verdugo 4 1 1 1 0 1 Lamar King Jr. 4 0 0 0 0 1 Alex McCoy 4 0 1 0 0 1 Jake Cunningham 4 1 1 1 0 2 Carlos Rodriguez 4 1 1 1 0 1 Jack Costello 2 0 0 0 1 1 Jonathan Vastine 3 0 0 0 0 2 Zach Evans 3 0 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carson Montgomery (L) 4 1/3 2 3 3 5 4 0 Kleiber Olmedo 2/3 1 1 1 1 1 0 Javier Chacon 2 2 1 1 0 4 0 Tucker Musgrove 1 1 1 1 0 3 1 Kerrington Cross' Walk-Off Homer Caps Late Storm Comeback Kerrington Cross drilled a solo walk-off homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth as the host Lake Elsinore Storm scored all of their runs in the final three innings for a comeback win over the Inland Empire 66ers. The Storm were down 3-0 entering the seventh, then scored once in that inning and three times in the eighth before needing Cross' dramatic blow to win it. It was the second walk-off win in three games for the Storm. Cross and Yoiber Ocopio each had two hits, with Cross scoring twice and Ocopio driving in a run and scoring once. Storm right-handed starter Bryan Balzer turned in a nice outing, matching his career and season high by going 6⅓ innings, allowing three runs (two earned) with two walks and punching out six. He did give up a pair of homers in the five hits he allowed. Right-hander Carson Swilling went 1⅔ scoreless innings, striking out three, while right-hander Will Koger pitched the ninth, allowing a run and striking out two. Inland Empire held a 3-0 lead when the Storm began its comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Ocopio had a leadoff single, went to second on a groundout and to third on a wild pitch before scoring on Dylan Grego's single to right to make it 3-1. In the eighth, Cross got things started with a leadoff single, Jose Verdugo was hit by a pitch and, after a wild pitch, Truitt Madonna walked to load the bases. Another wild pitch made it 3-2 and, one out later, Ocopio hit a sacrifice fly to tie it. George Bilecki then lined a single to the right-field corner to plate Madonna with the go-ahead run and a 4-3 Storm lead. However, the 66ers scored in the top of the ninth on a walk and a pair of singles. But Cross sent everyone home happy when he launched a 2-0 pitch for his fifth homer of the season. LE_0528.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 0 1 0 0 1 Kerrington Cross 5 2 2 1 0 1 Jose Verdugo 3 1 1 0 0 0 Truitt Madonna 3 1 0 0 1 0 Yimy Tovar 4 0 0 0 0 1 Yoiber Ocopio 3 1 2 1 0 0 George Bilecki 3 0 1 1 1 0 Dylan Grego 3 0 1 1 1 0 Conner Westenburg 4 0 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Bryan Balzer 6 1/3 5 3 2 2 6 2 Carson Swilling 1 2/3 1 0 0 1 3 0 Will Koger (W) 1 2 1 1 1 2 0 Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, SB Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-5, K Jorge Quintana: DNP Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-3, BB Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-4, K Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-4, 2B, K Truitt Madonna: 0-for-3, BB Tucker Musgrove: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 K, HR Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-4, HR, RBI, K Bryan Balzer: 6⅓ IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 HR Deivid Coronil: DNP View full article

Nick Solak's homer binge continued as Triple-A El Paso beat Albuquerque 8-5. Ryan Wideman was one of three players with three hits and he also stole two more bases in Low-A Lake Elsinore's 10-4 triumph over Inland Empire. Ian Koenig struck out seven over five innings in Double-A San Antonio's 11-3 loss. High-A Fort Wayne fell 13-5 despite drawing 11 walks. Padres Minor-League Transactions El Paso Chihuahuas activated OF Pablo Reyes from the temporarily inactive list. El Paso Chihuahuas transferred 2B Nate Mondou to the Development List. San Antonio Missions released 1B Leandro Cedeno. Nick Solak Stays Hot With 4th HR In 5 Games As Chihuahuas Win Nick Solak's torrid streak continued with his fourth homer in five games and his fourth straight two-hit game as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas notched an 8-5 victory over the host Albuquerque Isotopes. Nick Schnell also homered, had two hits and two RBIs, while Mason McCoy went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Jase Bowen and Pablo Reyes had two hits apiece. Trailing 1-0, Schnell led off the top of the third inning with his eighth homer of the season. Two outs and a walk later, Solak lined his sixth homer of the season down the left-field line for a 3-1 advantage and his second homer in as many days. In the fourth, Schnell had a two-run single to extend the lead to 5-1, while McCoy added an RBI single in the fifth to go up 6-1. After the Isotopes pulled within 6-4, Carlos Rodriguez and Bowen drove in runs for an 8-4 cushion. Chihuahuas left-hander Jackson Wolf went 5⅓ innings, giving up four runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts. EP_0527.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Pablo Reyes 5 1 2 0 1 0 Carlos Rodriguez 4 1 1 1 1 0 Nick Solak 5 2 2 2 0 1 Jase Bowen 5 0 2 1 0 0 Will Wagner 4 1 1 0 1 0 Mason McCoy 5 1 3 1 0 0 Clay Dungan 4 0 0 0 0 3 Nick Schnell 3 1 2 2 0 1 Samad Taylor 1 1 1 0 1 0 Anthony Vilar 5 0 2 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jackson Wolf 5 1/3 7 4 4 2 2 1 Garrett Hawkins 2/3 1 0 0 0 2 0 Kyle Hart 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 David Morgan 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 Missions' Bullpen Can't Slow Down Hooks The host Double-A San Antonio Missions' bullpen gave up eight runs in an 11-3 loss to the Corpus Christi Hooks. Missions right-handed starter Ian Koenig struck out seven and allowed three runs over five innings, but his solid outing was spoiled by the bullpen. He gave up seven hits and two walks. Luis Verdugo reached back four times with two hits and a pair of walks, while Carson Tucker also had two of the Missions' six hits and drove in a pair of runs. Corpus Christi jumped out to an early lead, with two runs in the first and another in the third. Tucker had an RBI single in the fifth, but the Hooks came back with a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh for a 6-1 lead. Tucker had an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh and another run scored on a wild pitch to pull the Missions within 6-3. But the Hooks cemented the outcome with five runs in the ninth, including an error. SA_0527.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 4 0 2 2 1 0 Kai Murphy 5 0 0 0 0 1 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 0 0 0 2 Tirso Ornelas 4 0 0 0 0 1 Braedon Karpathios 4 0 1 0 0 2 Ryan Jackson 3 1 1 0 0 1 Albert Fabian 3 0 0 0 1 2 Luis Verdugo 2 1 2 0 2 0 Chris Sargent 2 0 0 0 0 1 Ethan Salas 0 1 0 0 0 0 Jake Bold 1 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig 5 7 3 3 2 7 1 Clark Candiotti 2/3 0 1 1 1 2 0 Johan Moreno 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Andrew Dalquist 1 1 2 2 3 2 0 Andrew Thurman 2 3 5 3 1 3 0 TinCaps' 11 Walks Not Enough In Blowout Loss To Cubs Despite drawing a club-record 11 walks, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps couldn't put together the hits to keep pace with the host South Bend Cubs in a 13-5 loss. Jack Costello drew a career-high four walks for the TinCaps, who scored four times in the eighth inning without a hit thanks to five free passes, a wild pitch and an error. TinCaps right-handed starter Maikel Miralles was lit up for seven runs on seven hits in 2⅔ innings, including a five-run third inning. Kasen Wells had two of the TinCaps' six hits, while Lamar King Jr. and Alex McCoy had back-to-back doubles in the top of the third inning, with McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 12 prospect, driving in King, Padres Mission's No. 10 prospect. It was McCoy's Midwest League-leading 17th double this year. FW_0527.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 4 1 1 0 1 0 Kasen Wells 4 0 2 0 1 0 Lamar King Jr. 3 1 1 0 2 1 Alex McCoy 4 0 1 2 1 1 Jake Cunningham 4 1 0 0 1 2 Kavares Tears 5 0 1 0 0 1 Jack Costello 1 1 0 0 4 1 Oswaldo Linares 3 1 0 0 1 0 Jonathan Vastine 4 0 0 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Maikel Miralles 2 2/3 7 7 7 2 0 0 Will Varmette 1 1/3 3 2 2 0 1 0 Ty Adcock 1 3 4 4 1 2 1 C.J. Widger 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 Jeferson Villabona 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Trio Has Trio Of Hits, Storm Explode For 8-Run Fifth In Victory Ryan Wideman had three hits and two more stolen bases, while Jose Verdugo and Yoiber Ocopio also had three hits as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm used an eight-run fifth inning to surge past the Inland Empire 66ers. Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect, stole third base twice to retain the minor-league lead with 35 stolen bases. Wideman, Verdugo and Ocopio also scored two runs each. Storm right-handed starter Jesus Castro struck out five over four innings, allowing three runs on six hits with no walks. Right-hander Brandon Langley struck out five in two hitless innings, while left-hander Joseph Herrera pitched a perfect seventh, left-hander Cal Riehl a scoreless eighth and right-hander Sean Barnett allowed a run while striking out a pair in the ninth. The Storm trailed 3-1 when they sent 12 batters to the plate in the fifth. Ocopio singled and Conner Westenburg drew a one-out walk. Wideman doubled home Ocopio before Westenburg and Wideman pulled off a double steal of home and third to tie the game. Verdugo followed with a go-ahead RBI single. Bradley Frye singled Verdugo to third and took second on a throwing error. Yimy Tovar reached on an error that brought in the fifth run of the inning and 6-3 lead. After a pitching change, Jorge Quintana walked and Ocopio, batting for the second time in the inning, doubled home two runs. Qrey Lott was hit by a pitch and Westernburg singled home Ocopio, but Lott was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. Kerrington Cross added an RBI single in the eighth. LE_0527.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 2 3 1 0 0 Kerrington Cross 5 0 1 1 0 1 Jose Verdugo 5 2 3 1 0 2 Bradley Frye 4 1 1 0 0 2 Yimy Tovar 4 1 0 0 0 2 Jorge Quintana 3 1 1 0 1 2 Yoiber Ocopio 4 2 3 2 0 0 Qrey Lott 3 0 1 0 0 0 Conner Westenburg 3 1 1 1 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jesus A. Castro 4 6 3 3 0 5 0 Brandon Langley 2 0 0 0 0 5 0 Joseph Herrera 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Cal Riehl 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Sean Barnett 1 2 1 1 2 2 0 Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 0-for-0, R, reached on catcher interference Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 3-for-5, 2B, RBI, 2 SB Jorge Quintana: 1-for-3, BB, 2 K Ty Harvey: Injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-4, 2 K Lamar King Jr.: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, K Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K Truitt Madonna: DNP Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: ⅔ IP, H, 0 R, 2 K Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: DNP Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View full article

Ethan Salas crushed a two-run homer and Jagger Haynes spun six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts as the Double-A San Antonio Missions edged the Corpus Christi Hooks 3-2. Ryan Wideman went 3-for-5 with a homer in the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm's 7-6 walk-off win, capped by Jorge Quintana's RBI single. Nick Solak's homer wasn't enough in the Triple-A San Antonio Missions' 5-3 loss. Jake Cunningham homered twice, but the Fort Wayne TinCaps fell 5-2. Padres Minor-League Transactions Lake Elsinore Storm placed C Ty Harvey on the 7-day injured list. C Alcides Hernandez assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. IF Yimy Tovar assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. Nick Solak Stays Hot, But Chihuahuas Bow To Isotopes Nick Solak homered for the third time in four games, but the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas fell to the host Albuquerque Isotopes 5-3. The Isotopes scored all of their runs in the second inning. Solak had his third straight two-hit game and fifth in eight games. He hit his homer, a two-out solo shot, in the top of the first inning for his fifth of the season. He was the only Chihuahua with more than one hit. After Solak's homer and the Isotopes' five-run outburst, the Chihuahuas continued to chip away in the fourth inning. Jase Bowen had a leadoff double and went to third on Solak's flyout to center. Will Wagner then hit a two-out single to plate Bowen. Mason McCoy walked and Nate Mondou singled to right to score Wagner and make it a 5-3 game. Chihuahuas left-handed starter Fernando Sanchez, in his third Triple-A start, gave up all five runs in five innings, allowing six hits and five runs with seven strikeouts. Right-hander Sean Boyle pitched three scoreless innings, with no walks, three hits and two strikeouts. El Paso's Marcos Castanon went 0-for-4 to snap his 10-game hitting streak. EP_0526.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Samad Taylor 4 0 1 0 0 2 Jase Bowen 3 1 1 0 0 1 Nick Solak 4 1 2 1 0 0 Marcos Castañon 4 0 0 0 0 0 Will Wagner 4 1 1 1 0 0 Mason McCoy 3 0 0 0 1 1 Nate Mondou 4 0 1 1 0 3 Victor Duarte 3 0 0 0 0 0 Nick Schnell 3 0 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Fernando Sanchez (L) 5 6 5 5 5 7 1 Sean Boyle 3 3 0 0 0 2 0 Ethan Salas' HR, Jagger Haynes' 6 Shutout Innings Spark Missions Ethan Salas smashed his seventh homer of the season and left-handed starter Jagger Haynes struck out seven over six shutout innings as the host Double-A San Antonio Missions edged the Corpus Christi Hooks 3-2. The game was called after eight innings due to thunderstorms. Haynes, Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect, yielded just four hits while walking three. His seven strikeouts matched a season high accomplished two starts ago. This was his first scoreless outing of the season. Haynes also picked two runners off first. It was a 0-0 game entering the bottom of the sixth. Kai Roberts drew a leadoff walk and, one out later, Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, crushed the first pitch he saw deep over the right-field wall for his seventh homer of the year and fourth in May. With Haynes out of the game, Corpus Christi scored in the top of the seventh off left-hander Harry Gustin. But the Missions got that run back in the bottom half when Braedon Karpathios doubled to right, went to third on Ryan Jackson's sacrifice bunt and easily scored on Albert Fabian's sac fly to center for a 3-1 lead. The Hooks took advantage of three walks by right-hander Sadrac Franco to score in the top of the eighth, but right-hander Josh Mallitz earned his first save of the season by retiring the only batter he faced. SA_0526.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 4 0 0 0 0 2 Ethan Salas 4 1 2 2 0 0 Romeo Sanabria 3 0 0 0 0 2 Tirso Ornelas 3 0 0 0 0 1 Braedon Karpathios 3 1 2 0 0 1 Ryan Jackson 2 0 1 0 0 1 Albert Fabian 2 0 0 1 0 0 Francisco Acuna 3 0 0 0 0 2 Kai Roberts 2 1 0 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes (W) 6 4 0 0 3 7 0 Harry Gustin 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 Sadrac Franco 2/3 0 1 1 3 1 0 Josh Mallitz (S) 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jake Cunningham Goes Deep Twice, But TinCaps Fall To Cubs Despite a pair of home runs by Jake Cunningham, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps dropped a 5-2 decision to the host South Bend Cubs. Cunningham hit solo homers in the second and ninth innings, giving him nine for the season. He also hit two homers on April 19 vs. Lake County, the only two multihomer games for the TinCaps this season. Cunningham, who also walked, is tied with Alex McCoy for the team lead. Lamar King Jr., Padres Mission's No. 10 prospect, also had two of the TinCaps' seven hits, including a double, for his 10th multihit game of the season. TinCaps right-handed starter Matthew Watson went five innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits with no walks and a strikeout. The bullpen of right-hander Isaiah Lowe, left-hander Igor Gil and left-hander Braian Salazar combined for the final three innings, giving up just one run on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts. South Bend scored twice in the first, another in the second and one more in each of the fifth and eighth innings. FW1_0526.mp4 FW2_0526.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 3 0 0 0 1 0 Zach Evans 4 0 1 0 0 0 Lamar King Jr. 4 0 2 0 0 1 Alex McCoy 3 0 0 0 1 0 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jake Cunningham 3 2 2 2 1 1 Rosman Verdugo 4 0 1 0 0 2 Kavares Tears 4 0 1 0 0 2 Kasen Wells 4 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Matthew Watson (L) 5 6 4 3 0 1 0 Isaiah Lowe 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 Igor Gil 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Braian Salazar 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 Yimy Tovar Helps Storm Walk Off 66ers In Season Debut Newcomer Yimy Tovar singled home the tying and scored the winner when Jorge Quintana grounded a single past the second baseman with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning as the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm pulled out a 7-6 walk-off victory over the Inland Empire 66ers. Tovar, who went 2-for-5 with two RBIs, a steal and a run scored, was called up before the game from the Arizona Complex League, where he had a .345/.406/.527 slash line in 16 games with a homer, 11 RBIs and nine steals. The 20-year-old middle infielder actually played in eight games for the Storm last year with a .409/.435/.545 slash line, but was back in the ACL to begin 2026. Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect, went 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored, while Quintana and Conner Westenburg each had two hits. Kerrington Cross scored twice without recording a hit, but he did walk once. Wideman's homer leading off the bottom of the third cut the Storm's deficit to 2-1 and he had an RBI single to tie the game as part of a three-run fourth, which included a two-run error, that made it 4-2. The 66ers scored three of their own in the fifth to go up 5-4. In the seventh, the Storm tied it on Tovar's single to center that scored Cross, who had reached on an error. But the 66ers countered once again with a run in the top of the eighth to tie it. In the bottom of the ninth, Cross again reached on an error. A two-out balk put Cross at second and Tovar lined an opposite-field single to right to score Cross and tie the game. Tovar stole second and Quintana, Padres Mission's No. 6 prospect, sent his walk-off single up the middle. Storm right-handed starter Winyer Chourio allowed two runs in four innings on three hits and four walks with five strikeouts. LE_0526.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 2 3 2 0 0 Kerrington Cross 4 2 0 0 1 0 Bradley Frye 4 0 0 0 0 0 Truitt Madonna 5 0 1 0 0 2 Yimy Tovar 5 1 2 2 0 0 Jorge Quintana 5 0 2 1 0 3 Qrey Lott 4 0 0 0 0 1 George Bilecki 2 1 0 0 2 1 Conner Westenburg 4 1 2 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Winyer Chourio 4 3 2 2 4 5 0 Nick Falter 3 5 3 3 0 3 0 Rordy Mejia (W) 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R Jorge Quintana: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI, 3 K Ty Harvey: Injured Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 2-for-3, 2B, R, SB, K Lamar King Jr.: 2-for-4, 2B, K Jagger Haynes: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K, W Alex McCoy: 0-for-3, BB Truitt Madonna: 1-for-5, 2 K Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-4, 2 K Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View full article

Checking in on the San Diego Padres prospects who made a mark in the last week: Jase Bowen, CF, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas Season stats: .288/.361/.600, 43 G, 9 2B, 4 3B, 12 HR, 33 RBI, 19 BB, 53 K, 6 SB, 4 CS You won't find the toolsy Bowen's name on many prospect lists. After all, he is 25 years old and signed this offseason with the Padres as a six-year minor-league free agent, which means he could leave his previous team on his own accord. An 11th-round draft choice by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 out of Toledo Catholic Central High School in Ohio, Bowen didn't stink in the Pirates' system, but also didn't show enough to warrant more attention. Maybe it was a change of scenery, but the right-handed hitter has excelled since joining the Padres. Last week against the Round Rock Express, Bowen went 8-for-15 (.533) in the first four games before an 0-for-7 in the final two. He hit two homers, an inside-the-parker Tuesday and a traditional jack Friday, and finished the week with eight runs scored and seven RBIs. A high school football and baseball star who had a scholarship to play at Michigan State, Bowen opened a lot of eyes this spring when he slashed .296/.333/.630 in 25 Cactus League games, tying for the team lead with four homers and stealing a team-high seven bases. His athleticism in center field stood out, drawing the praise of Padres manager Craig Stammen. Bowen has been a fixture atop the Chihuahuas' lineup. He had a cycle in the first full week of the season and just missed another last week in a game he reached base five times. He has 12 homers entering this week (career high is 23), which is tied for the Pacific Coast League lead with two former MLB players (Patrick Wisdom and Jack Suwinski) and a prospect just called up (the A's Henry Bolte). His four triples are tied for third. It is that power-speed combo that makes Bowen so intriguing. He is on pace to have his best season in the minors. He has a .600 slugging percentage (.312 ISO), while his previous season best is .467 in 2023. However, he still strikes out quite a bit at 27.3% this year Whether he makes it up to the Padres this year will probably be injury-dependent, but he has made himself into an attractive older prospect who could fit nicely as a spare outfielder at the major-league level. BOWEN_0525.mp4 Alex McCoy, LF, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps Season stats: .303/.368/.599, 41 G, 16 2B, 1 3B, 9 HR, 28 RBI, 14 BB, 41 K, 8 SB, 3 CS The imposing left fielder is continuing to show off his hitting ability and has regained his power stroke after a bit of a homer slump. Padres Mission's No. 12 prospect has hit all four of his May homers in his last 10 games, with a six-game hitting streak and hits in nine of those 10 games. That six-game hitting streak came last week against the Dayton Dragons, going 9-for-24 (.375), with four doubles, two homers, seven runs and six RBIs. Adding the last four games of last week, he is 15-for-40 (.375) with four homers. Before homering May 13, McCoy had been homerless since April 28, a stretch of 11 games. McCoy, the Midwest League Player of the Month for April, leads the league with 16 doubles and 26 extra-base hits, while pacing the TinCaps with nine homers. An undrafted free agent, McCoy's stock continues to climb. The right-handed hitter has a walk rate of 8.2% and a strikeout rate of 24% this year, which is consistent with what he put up in 2025 (8.1%, 24.3%), his first year as a pro. Earning a promotion to Double-A San Antonio would seem to be coming, but proving himself more with the TinCaps seems prudent for at least a little longer. Tapping into his power, as he has the last two weeks, could help make that decision easier. MCCOY_0525.mp4 Ian Koenig, RHP, Double-A San Antonio Missions Season stats: 2-4, 4.31 ERA, 8 games (all starts) 39⅔ IP, 40 H, 27 R, 19 ER, 8 HR, 7 BB, 30 K The 25-year-old was an undrafted free agent when he signed with the Padres out of Cabrillo College in Aptos, Calif., following the 2022 draft and has slowly climbed the organizational ladder to reach the Double-A San Antonio Missions for the first time this season. On Thursday, he turned in his best performance in 52 professional games, throwing seven shutout innings in a 5-1 win over the Frisco RoughRiders. He yielded five hits, hit a batter, didn't issue a walk and struck out a season-high six. The seven innings match his career high, which he did in back-to-back games last year while pitching for High-A Fort Wayne. Koenig ran into trouble in the third inning, after retiring the first eight batters of the game. He hit a batter and gave up his first hit, a single, but a groundout ended the brief threat. Koenig induced seven groundouts in the game. Koenig is having his best season as a pro, primarily due to a reduction in walks. In the three previous full seasons, he had a walk rate of 7.9% (2023), 7.1% (2024) and 7.7% (2025). This year, however, he has knocked that down to 4.1%. That has helped him produce a 4.31 ERA, which came after a 4.19 in 2023 at Low-A Lake Elsinore, 4.98 in 2024 when he repeated with the Storm and 5.40 last year with the TinCaps. Two issues: he has surrendered eight homers and hit five batters. He has made 44 starts and just eight relief appearances, so there is a chance he remains in the rotation as his career progresses. His strikeout numbers haven't been great last year or this year, with a 16% rate at Fort Wayne and 17.8% so far this year. Will Wagner, IF, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas Season stats: .266/.415/.406, 18 G, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 15 BB, 13 K, 2 SB, 0 CS No longer a prospect due to the time he spent in the majors the previous two seasons, the 27-year-old infielder still has time to shed his image as a AAAA player. To wit, the son of Hall of Famer Billy Wagner has a .292/.396/.438 slash line in 348 minor-league games, but a .256/.329/.346 in 79 MLB games. He has two homers and one stolen base with the Toronto Blue Jays and Padres, so he currently profiles as a backup infielder at the MLB level. Wagner had a late start to his 2026 due to a strained right oblique that he sustained early in spring training. He returned to action May 1 and started to heat up last week. Against Round Rock, the left-handed hitter went 8-for-19 (.421) in five games and homered Saturday and Sunday, his first two long balls of the season. That raised his season batting average from .200 to .266. Wagner was acquired by the Padres from the Blue Jays for catcher Brandon Valenzuela, who is not in the majors for Toronto, and went 2-for-17 in 15 games with San Diego. If Wagner is to raise his stock, he will need to continue to show he is a good hitter. He has a very nice 18.1% walk rate to go along with a 15.7% strikeout rate with the Chihuahuas. The clock is certainly ticking on his value, so how he does over the next couple months will be crucial. WAGNER_0525.mp4 Kai Roberts, OF, Double-A San Antonio Missions Season stats: .226/.309/.310, 35 G, 4 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 9 BB, 33 K, 14 SB, 0 CS A seventh-round draft choice in 2024 out of Utah, the 25-year-old has struggled to get his bat going in his brief pro career. Coming off a 2025 in which he slashed .227/.355/.305 with five homers and 24 RBIs in 90 games, Roberts was down to .140/.189/.180 at the beginning of the month. But thanks to a good stretch last week, he has pulled his numbers up close to where they were last year. In five games against the Frisco RoughRiders, Roberts went 5-for-13, which included a 3-for-3 game with two walks, three runs scored and a two-run homer Tuesday. That one game alone pulled his batting average up 33 points. Roberts' poor plate performance can, in part, be chalked up to his 34.4% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. While his walk rate is on par with the MLB average, his strikeout rate is very high. It was at 28% last year, when he played mostly at High-A Fort Wayne after dealing with a hamstring injury that cost him a chunk of the season. He has 14 steals this season after 35 a year ago. The Padres obviously believe enough in the talent to move him up to Double-A for this season. Some of that probably comes from his .340/.414/.470 slash line with 14 steals in his pro debut in 2024 at Low-A Lake Elsinore in 24 games. View full article

The San Diego Padres' affiliates wrapped up Memorial Day weekend with mixed results. Will Wagner went deep for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, who lost to Round Rock 8-7 on a ninth-inning run. The Double-A San Antonio Missions didn't generate much offense in falling 8-1 to Frisco. Alex McCoy smashed a homer and had four RBIs as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps prevailed 6-3 over Dayton. Bradley Frye had a career-high four RBIs as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm rolled past Visalia 10-3. Padres Minor-League Transactions No roster moves Will Wagner Homers Again, But Chihuahuas Let Another One Slip Away Will Wagner homered for the second day in a row, but the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas gave up another late lead in dropping an 8-7 loss to the Round Rock Express. The Chihuahuas (23-28) had three late-inning losses in dropping four of the six games in this series. Mason McCoy had three hits as the bottom four hitters in the order went 8-for-18 with four RBIs. Wagner hit in the No. 5 spot. Chihuahuas left-handed starter JP Sears was tagged for seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits with a walk and seven strikeouts over five innings. But the bullpen of right-hander Logan Gillaspie (one inning), Ethan Routzahn (1⅔ innings) and David Morgan (1⅓ innings) combined to allow just one run on three hits over the final four innings. Round Rock led 3-0 when Anthony Vilar hit a sacrifice fly to pull the Chihuahuas within 3-1. Wagner crushed his second homer in as many games and of the season, a three-run shot in the third for a 4-3 lead. Round Rock scored four times in the fifth to go back up 7-4, but El Paso got a McCoy RBI single in the fifth. Carlos Rodriguez had a run-scoring double and Marcos Castanon followed with an RBI single in the seventh to tie it. But a one-out double and single in the top of the ninth gave the Express the lead for good. EP_0524.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Samad Taylor 5 0 2 0 0 0 Clay Dungan 3 0 0 0 2 1 Nick Solak 5 1 2 0 0 0 Jase Bowen 3 2 0 0 0 2 Will Wagner 3 2 1 3 2 1 Mason McCoy 5 1 3 1 0 1 Carlos Rodríguez 5 1 2 1 0 1 Marcos Castañon 5 0 2 1 0 0 Anthony Vilar 3 0 1 1 0 0 Totals 37 7 13 7 4 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR JP Sears 5 10 7 6 1 7 1 Logan Gillaspie 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Ethan Routzahn 1 2/3 1 0 0 3 2 0 David Morgan 1 1/3 2 1 1 0 0 0 Totals 9 13 8 7 5 9 1 Missions Settle For Series Split As Offense Silent Offense proved hard to come by for the Double-A San Antonio Missions, who managed just five hits in an 8-1 loss to the host Frisco RoughRiders. The teams split the six-game series 3-3 after the Missions (17-28) lost the last two games. No Missions player had multiple hits and their only run came on a wild pitch. That happened in the fourth inning. Trailing 3-0, Romeo Sanabria drew a one-out walk and stole second. Tirso Ornelas singled him to third and, after a popout, a wild pitch plated Sanabria. After that, the RoughRiders broke it open with a five-run sixth inning. Missions right-handed starter Miguel Mendez, Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect, lasted 2⅓ innings, giving up three runs on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts. This short outing was still the longest Mendez has gone in his last four starts. This was his third start since coming off the injured list. Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 4 0 1 0 0 1 Ethan Salas 4 0 0 0 0 0 Romeo Sanabria 2 1 1 0 2 1 Tirso Ornelas 3 0 1 0 0 0 Jake Bold 1 0 0 0 0 0 Braedon Karpathios 3 0 1 0 1 1 Luis Verdugo 3 0 0 0 1 1 Kai Murphy 4 0 0 0 0 0 Francisco Acuna 3 0 0 0 0 2 Kai Roberts 3 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 30 1 5 0 4 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Miguel Mendez 2 1/3 4 3 3 2 5 0 Omar Cruz 2 2/3 1 0 0 3 3 0 Johan Moreno 2/3 4 5 5 1 0 1 Josh Mallitz 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Andrew Moore 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 8 10 8 8 6 10 1 Alex McCoy Homers, Drives In 4 To Spark TinCaps Alex McCoy went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a season-high four RBIs as the host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps pulled away from the Dayton Dragons 6-3. The teams split their six-game series as the TinCaps (22-23) recorded their 12th come-from-behind victory. Jonathan Vastine also homered for the TinCaps, while Zach Evans had two hits. TinCaps left-handed starter Jamie Hitt allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts over five innings. Right-hander Kleiber Olmedo pitched two hitless innings, although he walked three and struck out one, while right-hander Tucker Musgrove allowed two hits in a scoreless eighth with a pair of strikeouts and right-handed closer Clay Edmondson notched his minors-leading 10th save with a scoreless ninth. Edmondson has a 0.47 ERA. After Dayton scored twice in the top of the first, the TinCaps came back in the bottom half as Evans singled with one out and McCoy uncorked his team-best ninth homer, a two-out shot to center, to tie it. McCoy is Padres Mission's No. 12 prospect. Dayton went up 3-2 in the second, but Vastine unloaded his third homer of the year leading off the bottom of the fifth to make it 3-3. The TinCaps took the lead for good in the sixth. Carlos Rodriguez and McCoy had back-to-back doubles to lead off the inning to make it 4-3. Jack Costello walked as McCoy stole third, then Kavares Tears singled to right for a 5-3 TinCaps lead. McCoy made it a four-RBI day in the seventh when Justin DeCriscio doubled, Evans bunted him to third and McCoy had a two-out opposite-field single to right to put the TinCaps up 6-3. FW_0524.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 4 1 1 0 0 1 Zach Evans 3 1 2 0 0 0 Carlos Rodriguez 4 1 1 0 0 1 Alex McCoy 4 2 3 4 0 1 Jack Costello 2 0 0 0 2 1 Kavares Tears 3 0 1 1 0 1 Oswaldo Linares 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jonathan Vastine 4 1 1 1 0 2 Kasen Wells 4 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 32 6 10 6 2 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jamie Hitt 5 7 3 2 2 3 0 Kleiber Olmedo 2 0 0 0 3 1 0 Tucker Musgrove 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 Clay Edmondson 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Totals 9 9 3 2 6 7 0 Bradley Frye's 4 RBIs, Storm's 6 Steals Fuel Victory Bradley Frye drove in a career-high four runs and five pitchers combined on a five-hitter as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm stole six bases and cruised to a 10-3 victory over the Visalia Rawhide. The Storm (25-20) won just two of the six games in the series and is tied for first place in the California League's South Division. It was a balanced offensive attack as Frye and Jorge Quintana each had two hits, Kerrington Cross homered and five of the other six starting position players each had one hit. That includes Conner Westenburg, who had a two-run double and was the only other player to have multiple RBIs. Storm right-handed starter Carlos Medina bounced back from his worst game of the season by giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits with a pair of walks and a strikeout over 4⅔ innings. Right-handers Carson Swilling (1⅓ innings, three walks, three strikeouts), Vicarte Domingo, Daichi Moriki and Will Koger allowed a combined three hits, one run, seven walks and six strikeouts. Koger gave up the run in the ninth. Frye drew the third of three walks sandwiched around a hit batter as the Storm took a 1-0 lead in the first. Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect who is tied for the minor-league lead with 33 steals, had his streak of 15 straight swipes broken when he was thrown out at second in the first inning. In the third, Jose Verdugo had a one-out infield single, stole second with two outs, his 13th of the season, and went to third on a throwing error. Truitt Madonna walked and stole second, his 11th of the season, then Frye drove both home with a single to left, with Frye going to third when the ball got past the left fielder. Quintana doubled home Frye, George Bilecki walked and Quintana stole third, then Westenburg doubled home those two for a 6-0 advantage. A three-run sixth featured Cross' fourth homer of the year and back-to-back RBI doubles by Madonna and Frye. Wideman doubled home a run in the seventh. LE_0524.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 0 1 1 0 1 Kerrington Cross 3 2 1 1 1 1 Jose Verdugo 3 2 1 0 1 1 Dylan Grego 1 0 0 0 0 0 Yoiber Ocopio 4 0 0 0 0 3 Truitt Madonna 2 2 1 1 3 0 Bradley Frye 4 1 2 4 1 1 Jorge Quintana 5 1 2 1 0 2 George Bilecki 4 1 1 0 1 1 Conner Westenburg 4 1 1 2 1 2 Totals 35 10 10 10 8 12 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carlos Medina 4 2/3 2 2 1 2 1 0 Carson Swilling 1 1/3 0 0 0 3 3 0 Vicarte Domingo 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Daichi Moriki 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 Will Koger 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 Totals 9 5 3 2 9 7 0 Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 0-for-4 Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: 2⅓ IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-5, 2B, K Jorge Quintana: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 K Ty Harvey: DNP Kale Fountain: DNP Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-3, K Lamar King Jr.: DNP Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 3-for-4, 2B, HR, K Truitt Madonna: 1-for-2, 2B Tucker Musgrove: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: DNP Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View full article

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot Record last week: 3-3 Runs scored last week: 16 Runs allowed last week: 17 Standings Scores Game 47 (Monday): Padres 1, Dodgers 0 Game 48 (Tuesday): Dodgers 5, Padres 4 Game 49 (Wednesday): Dodgers 4, Padres 0 Off Game 50 (Friday): Padres 7, A's 3 Game 51 (Saturday): Padres 2, A's 0 Game 52 (Sunday): A's 5, Padres 2 Week in Review and Highlights Dodgers series Game 1: Catchers often don't get enough credit for helping pitchers navigate their way through a game, but when the pitcher and the manager make a point of singling out the catcher postgame, you know he did some heavy lifting. That was the case for backup catcher Rodolfo Duran, who not only threw out two basestealers, but helped right-handed starter Michael King make his way through seven shutout innings as the Padres opened a three-game series against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers with a 1-0 triumph. The win moved the Padres half a game ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West. King said he didn't have his best stuff, but relied on Duran to help him stifle the potent Dodgers lineup to just four hits, while striking out nine and walking two. Duran's defense helped King face the minimum through 5⅔ innings. It also helped to be working with a lead. The notoriously slow-starting Padres got a first-inning bolt from the surging Miguel Anduar, who took Dodgers ace right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto deep with one out in the first inning. It was Andujar's fourth homer this year and that would stand up to be the game's lone run as the Friars managed just three more hits and the Dodgers finished with five. And as with any 1-0 game, there has to be some late-inning drama, only this came from an unexpected source. The normally nails Mason Miller, having one of the most dominant seasons by a reliever in MLB history, walked the first two hitters he faced in the ninth as Freddie Freeman and Kyle Tucker reached on a combined nine pitches. Miller's command eluded him on the first pitch to Will Smith, making it nine balls in 10 pitches. But thanks to Duran challenging a called ball and getting it flipped to a strike, Miller snapped back into The Reaper and his final 12 pitches of the game were strikes, which included one strikeout. That made Miller 15-for-15 in save opportunities. His 15 saves lead MLB. Game 2: After a back-and-forth game, this one came down to the ninth inning with Miller on the mound. Only this time, Miller glitched. The only good thing is that it wasn't a pitching miscue. Miller's two-base error on a pickoff attempt set up a go-ahead sacrifice fly as the Padres fell to the Dodgers 5-4 as the NL West lead flipped back to L.A. With one out, Max Muncy drew a walk, with an ABS challenge flipping a strike three call to ball four. Alex Call pinch-ran for Muncy. With an 0-1 count to Andy Pages, Miller had Call easily picked off at first, but his throw was off the mark and unable to be snared by Gold Glove first baseman Ty France and went down along the right-field wall in foul territory. Call easily made it to third base on Miller's first career error. Pages dueled Miller for nine pitches, including fouling off four of five pitches before lofting a fly ball to right field. Tatis made the catch an unleashed a bullet toward home that was cut off by second baseman Sung-Mun Song, who threw a strike home, but Call made it under Freddy Fermin's tag to score the go-ahead run. It was Miller's first blown save of the season. Before that, the two NL West rivals traded punches like the heavyweights they are. Freeman hit a two-run homer in the top of the first for a quick 2-0 Dodgers lead, then Machado countered with a two-run blast of his own, his seventh of the year, in the bottom of the first to tie it. In the third, Tatis reached on an infield single that needed a replay review to reverse an out call, then Andujar extended his hitting streak to eight games by homering for the second game in a row for a 4-2 Friars advantage. The Dodgers chipped away with runs in the fifth and sixth, including Freeman's second homer of the game and sixth of the season, to make it 4-4. Padres right-hander Griffin Canning, in his fourth start since returning from an Achilles injury, matched his season high with five innings, giving up three runs on four hits and a walk with five strikeouts. While right-hander Jeremiah Estrada gave up Freeman's second homer, right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez and left-hander Adrian Morejon kept the Dodgers quiet, handing the ball to Miller in a tie game. After the decisive sacrifice fly, manager Craig Stammen pulled Miller following 22 pitches in favor of right-hander Ron Marinaccio. It was just the second time in 22 appearances this year that Miller didn't finish a game. The other came when Miller pitched the ninth inning of a 1-1 game April 9 vs. the Colorado Rockies that the Friars won in 12 innings on Xander Bogaerts' walk-off grand slam. Game 3: Even with an offense that isn't firing on all cylinders, sometimes you just need to tip your cap to the opposing pitching. Facing Shohei Ohtani the pitcher for the first time at Petco Park since he became a Dodger at Petco Park, the Padres managed a couple threats, but couldn't put anything on the board in a 4-0 loss. The right-handed starter allowed just three hits over five shutout innings, walking a pair and striking out four while lowering his ERA to an immaculate 0.73. The Padres did put up threats vs. Ohtani in the fourth and fifth innings. After Ohtani retired the first nine Friars and facing a 2-0 deficit, Tatis led off the fourth with a walk and was swapped out when Andujar hit a grounder to get the force out at second. Gavin Sheets, last week's NL Player of the Week, singled to left for the first hit off Ohtani, but Machado popped out to third and Bogaerts flew out to center. The next inning, now down 3-0, Bryce Johnson, who replaced an injured Jackson Merrill in center field, and Nick Castellanos singled to put runners on the corners. Ramon Laureano hit a comeback to Ohtani, who looked Johnson back at third and fired to second to get Castellanos, with Laureano reaching, then stealing second. Fermin drew a full-count walk to bring up Tatis, but the superstar's struggles continued as he hit into a first-pitch 6-4-3 double play, with Ohtani showing some rare emotion as he came off the mound. There was one more scoring opportunity for the Padres, which came in the eighth. Facing right-handed reliever Kyle Hurt, Laureano had a leadoff single and Tatis hit a slow roller to third base that Max Muncy should have eaten but he lost the grip as he threw and it bounced toward where the second baseman plays and into short right, allowing Laureano to go to third. But the hot-hitting Andujar watched his eight-game hitting streak come to an end as he bounced into a double play himself to end the inning. The Dodgers' bullpen was fantastic again, extending its scoreless streak to 28 innings. Padres right-handed starter Randy Vasquez wan't as sharp as he has been recently. Ohtani drilled the first pitch of the game out to center, just out of the reach of Merrill, who jumped against the wall. That was the play in which Merrill sustained his back injury. More testing was being done to see if Merrill would miss any time. A's series Game 1: The Padres' ability to mash doesn't always manifest itself, but when it does, it usually comes in bunches. Machado, Castellanos and Laureano all went deep as the Padres took care of the A's 7-3. In fact, those were the first three hits of the game recorded by the Padres, the first time that had happened since 2022. Machado hit a game-tying two-run blast in the first inning, his eighth of the season, Castellanos launched an equalizing solo shot in the fifth inning for his fourth of the year and Laureano put the Padres on top with his solo homer in the seventh, his sixth, for 4-3 lead. The Friars put together a rally in the eighth with four straight singles, including Sheets' two-run hit and then a Bogaerts sacrifice fly to make it 7-3. Padres right-handed starter Walker Buehler wasn't great by any means, but battled his way through five innings. He walked four and allowed five hits and three runs, striking out four. Rodriguez could only get two outs in the sixth after two singles and a walk loaded the bases, but Morejon continued his excellent stretch by getting the next four outs, including three strikeouts. Adam had a scoreless eighth and Jeremiah Estrada pitched the ninth after the Padres eliminated the save opportunity with their three-run eighth. Game 2: How do you win a game when you muster a mere two hits? It helps when you draw eight walks. That was the winning combination for the Padres, who came away with a 2-0 victory over the A's. All you have to know is that A's right-handed starter J.T. Ginn, who lost a no-hitter in the ninth inning of his start Monday vs. the Los Angeles Angels and then lost the game, didn't allow a hit to the Padres on Saturday. Only this time, Ginn only got one out in the third inning before the bullpen was called. That is because Ginn issued six walks and struck out four in his 73 pitches. The Padres drew three walks in the second inning, then Tatis got hit by a pitch with one out to drive in a run. Andujar hit into a double play to end the threat. In the third inning, Castellanos drew a one-out walk that ended Ginn's day. A scuffling Merrill, back in the lineup after missing Friday's game with a back issue, then lined a double to right for the Friars' first hit, with Castellanos trucking home to make it 2-0. Padres right-handed starter Lucas Giolito was not immune to handing out free passes. In his second start with the team, Giolito walked five, but at least he lasted five innings. He also allowed four hits, including two in the opening inning. But the A's weren't able to dent Giolito thanks to three double plays behind him. France, the reigning AL Gold Glove first baseman, turned a pair of unassisted twin killings and started and finished a 3-6-3 double play. The latter of those helped Giolito escape a bases-loaded situation. The bullpen was nails again as the top four relievers, Estrada, Morejon, Adam and Miller, allowed one hit and a walk while striking out five over the final four innings. Adam had three K's and Miller, facing his old team for the first time since last year's trade, fanned a pair in earning his NL-leading 16th save in as many chances. Game 3: The Padres had a chance to finally notch their first sweep of the month, but it was not to be. Even with a ninth-inning rally, the Padres couldn't overcome a shaky start by right-hander Michael King in dropping a 5-2 decision. Coming off three strong starts, including Monday vs. the Dodgers, King lasted just 3⅔ innings on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts. It was the fourth time this year King walked a season-high four. Perhaps his poor performance was due to giving up a homer to the first batter of the game, Carlos Cortes, on an 0-2 pitch. He gave up two more in the second inning and another in the fourth after a double, two walks and a wild pitch. His third walk of the inning forced a call to the bullpen. The Padres, however, were unable to do much against A's left-hander Jacob Lopez, who followed right-handed opener Luis Medina, who got four outs. Lopez chewed up 4⅔ innings, allowing a run on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts. That sixth-inning run came as Andujar hit his 12th double, Sheets grounded out and Machado a one-out sacrifice fly. France used his bat to make a difference in this game, hitting his fifth homer, a solo shot, to pulled the Friars within 4-2. The Padres put together a threat in the ninth. Now trailing 5-2, Merrill and Laureano drew leadoff walks before France struck out. Castellanos came on to pinch-hit and faced former Friars right-hander Scott Barlow, who had just entered the game, but Castellanos struck out. Tatis had the final shot to keep the rally going, but he flew out to medium right field to end the game. Marinaccio came up huge for the bullpen, following King by pitching three scoreless innings, allowing just a hit and a walk with two strikeouts. Now the Padres continue their nine-game homestand by facing the Philadelphia Phillies for the final three games before hitting the road. Marvelous Mason Miller Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer: Season stats: 1-1, 0.76 ERA, 23 games, 16 saves (16 chances), 23⅔ IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 9 BB, 47 K, .125 opponent batting average His 16 saves are second in MLB behind Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians (17). Of the 71 outs Miller has recorded this year, 47 have come via strikeouts (66.2%). Has not allowed an extra-base hit this year or since his second appearance in a Padres uniform Aug. 5, covering 43 appearances, the longest active stretch in MLB. Has not allowed an earned run in his last 10 innings. Random Stats Manny Machado hit his 25th career homer against the Dodgers, his most against any team and the fourth-most by any active player against L.A. Miguel Andujar had a .344/.364/.750 slash line during his recent eight-game hitting streak, including seven of his 11 hits going for extra bases. Rodolfo Duran has thrown out five base stealers in his first six MLB games. The last time the Padres won a game with two hits or less was June 23, 2017, vs. the Detroit Tigers. They were 0-19 otherwise. The Padres had their 23rd sellout in 29 games at Petco Park on Sunday. Fernando Tatis Jr.'s has not hit a homer in 219 plate appearances this season. Transactions Monday: Signed free agent OF Jhostin Fuentes to a minor-league contract. Monday: Signed free agent RHP Valentin Perez to a minor-league contract. Monday: Signed free agent Diego Alfonzo to a minor-league contract. Monday: Signed free agent RHP Aneury Sosa to a minor-league contract. Monday: Signed free agent RHP Yohn Melendez to a minor-league contract. Monday: Signed free agent LHP Jhoiner Mayora to a minor-league contract. Monday: Signed free agent RHP Jederson Paez to a minor-league contract. Website Highlights Sheets is elevating his contact and performance — Randy Holt Canning's command issues are real, though Padres shouldn't lose faith — Gottie Chavez Padres have intriguing catching depth behind Salas — Steve Drumwright Padres are somehow surviving the failures of their Big 3 — Brendan Dentino Merrill's early struggles have multiple root causes — Randy Holt Three Padres who should be first-time All-Stars — Brendan Dentino Looking Ahead Monday: Phillies (Jesus Luzardo) at Padres (Griffin Canning), 3:40 p.m. Tuesday: Phillies (Aaron Nola) at Padres (Randy Vasquez), 6:40 p.m. Wednesday: Phillies (Cristopher Sanchez) at Padres (Walker Buehler), 1:10 p.m. Thursday: Off Friday: Padres (Lucas Giolito) at Nationals (TBA), 3:45 p.m. Saturday: Padres (Michael King) at Nationals (Foster Griffin), 1:05 p.m. Sunday: Padres (Griffin Canning) at Nationals (Zach Littell), 10:35 a.m. View full article

When Rodolfo Duran was called up by the San Diego Padres to replace injured catcher Luis Campusano a couple weeks ago, there were some who clamored for Ethan Salas to get the call instead. After all, Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, is the future of Friars backstops. In fact, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is on record from a recent radio appearance as saying that Salas could handle a major-league pitching staff right now. Salas' defense has never been a question. More so, it has been Salas' offensive ability, which helped make him the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 international free-agent class, that has been questioned. After a good debut as a 16-year-old in 2023, the left-handed hitter's offense took a step back in 2024, where he had a .206/.288/.311 slash line with four homers and 53 RBIs with nine steals with the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps. Despite that production, the Padres kept challenging Salas and promoted him to the Double-A San Antonio Missions for 2025. But his season ended after just 10 games due to a stress reaction in his lower back. This year, though, Salas has regained his offensive prowess. Through Thursday, Salas with slashing .299/.368/.496 with six homers, 24 RBIs and nine stolen bases. The Padres likely want Salas to continue to experience offensive success, which is why he remains at Double-A. A promotion to the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas will come, perhaps by the end of June at the latest. That also helped Salas jump up national top-100 lists after falling back in 2025. Baseball America has Salas at No. 22, while MLB Pipeline checks in at No. 52. At a premium position such as catcher, having one tremendous prospect is a boon. But it doesn't end there for the Padres. In fact, the Friars have more top-end depth behind the plate than any of the other 29 MLB teams. And that isn't even taking Duran into consideration since he is no longer a prospect after 11 seasons in the minors. With Salas at Double-A San Antonio, the Padres also have key prospects at High-A Fort Wayne and with the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm. Those would be Lamar King Jr. at Fort Wayne, as well as Ty Harvey and Truitt Madonna at Lake Elsinore. Harvey is No. 7 on Padres Mission's Top 20 prospect list, King is No. 10 and Madonna No. 13. Here is a look at the three prospects beyond Salas (all stats updated prior to this weekend's games): Ty Harvey, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm A fifth-round draft choice in 2025 out of Inspiration Academy in Florida, the 19-year-old had a brief cameo with the Storm last year, appearing in seven games. This is his first full season in the pros, with that being interrupted by a quad injury that cost him three weeks from April 14-May 4. He recently rejoined the Storm, going 6-for-14 in his first four games following a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League. Harvey has bounced between catcher and DH, even seeing a game at first base, just to get his bat into the lineup and with having two superb catchers at Lake Elsinore. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Harvey was drafted due to his power bat and his excellent arm. Those skills are what earned him a scholarship to Florida State, but the Padres gave him a $1.5 million signing bonus to pull him away from college. His offensive skills have certainly been on display in his young pro career, with a slash line of .345/.465/.431 this year in 19 games. He has yet to homer, but does have five doubles, nine RBIs and five stolen bases. He has also shown patience at the plate by drawing 20 walks, although he has struck out 28 times. The quad injury means that Harvey is likely to spend the entire season with the Storm, unless he hits his way to Fort Wayne. KING_C_0521.mp4 Lamar King Jr., High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps The 22-year-old is in his fourth season of pro ball after being drafted in the fourth round out of Calvert Hall College High School in Maryland in 2023. Most notably, he is the son of former NFL defensive end Lamar King, a first-round draftee who had 12 sacks in five seasons (1999-2003) with the Seattle Seahawks, so you can see where the younger King gets his 6-foot-3, 215-pound physique from. The Padres were able to pull King away from a commitment to Georgia Tech for a signing bonus of $502,800. His draft profile was more of a power threat, but King has shown a keen ability to get on base and make contact, drawing 20 walks in 37 games with the TinCaps after 44 in 105 games in 2025 between Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne. His career got off to a rough start with a concussion and dislocating his right (throwing) shoulder while sliding, which led to surgery that ate into his 2024 season. That shoulder injury has also led to speculation that King could be a better fit at first base. This year, he has thrown out six of 24 base stealers (25%) in 15 games behind the plate. He has also played first base in eight games and been the designated hitter 13 times. King does have three homers to go along with a .258/.371/.391 slash line in 37 games. He has also stolen nine bases in 10 tries after swiping 21 in 24 attempts in 2025, during which he had a slash line of .274/.353/.384 with four homers and 44 RBIs in 105 games. His athleticism behind the plate makes him an attractive prospect, but needs more work behind the plate if that is where he is going to end up. HARVEY_C_0521.mp4 Truitt Madonna, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm Yet another physical specimen at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, the 11th-round draft pick in 2025 out of Ballard High School in Seattle signed with the Padres for $654,000 instead of going to UCLA. Madonna is more raw offensively than Harvey and King, but does hit the ball with power to all fields when he does make contact. Madonna benefited from Harvey's injury to see most of the time at catcher and is second on the Storm with 12 doubles, while putting up a .271/.366/.421 slash line in 38 games with 27 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 13 attempts. He has struck out a lot, going down 47 times while drawing 21 walks. His 2026 has come after some time at the end of 2025 at Lake Elsinore, where he had a .185/.267/.278 slash line in 14 games with no homers and five RBIs. Had had six walks and 23 strikeouts. MADONNA_C_0521.mp4 He doesn't have a terrific arm and is a little more rigid in his movements, which puts him behind Harvey and King. But if he is able to solve his strikeout problem and if the power comes about, there is a possibility of a position chance (he has also played a bit at first base this year) to keep his prospect shine going. View full article

Nick Solak and Will Wagner homered as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas fell to Round Rock 7-5. Romeo Sanabria hit a homer as part of a four-hit night as the Double-A San Antonio Missions lost 7-5 to Frisco. The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps were blanked by Dayton 5-0 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm suffered a 6-2 loss to Visalia. Padres Minor-League Transactions No roster moves. Nick Solak's 3-Run Homer Wasted As Chihuahuas Crumble Late Despite a five-run third inning, the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas saw the Round Rock Express score four times in the final two innings, including three in the top of the ninth for a 7-5 loss. Nick Solak had three hits, including a three-run homer, and Will Wagner also homered for the Chihuahuas. El Paso left-handed starter Marco Gonzales went 4⅔ innings, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out three. Gonzales gave up a run in the top of the first, but the Chihuahuas came back and scored all their runs in the third inning. Solak blasted his three-run shot to left-center, his fourth of the year and second in as many games, with no outs and Wagner cranked his first of the year one out later to make it 4-1. Mason McCoy reached on an error and Carlos Rodriguez doubled him home to put the Chihuahuas up 5-1. Round Rock got one in the fourth, one in the sixth and another in the eighth to pull within 5-4. Right-hander Alek Jacob came on for the Chihuahuas in the top of the ninth and, after one out, he walked four straight hitters to push in the tying run and ended his night. A two-run single followed for the decisive runs. EP_0523.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Samad Taylor 4 1 1 0 1 1 Marcos Castañon 3 1 1 0 1 1 Nick Solak 3 1 2 3 0 0 Jase Bowen 4 0 0 0 0 1 Will Wagner 4 1 2 1 0 1 Mason McCoy 3 1 0 0 1 1 Carlos Rodríguez 4 0 1 1 0 1 Nate Mondou 4 0 0 0 0 1 Victor Duarte 4 0 1 0 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Marco Gonzales 4 2/3 5 2 2 4 3 0 Sean Boyle 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 Kyle Hart 1 1/3 2 1 1 0 2 0 Alek Jacob 1/3 0 3 3 4 0 0 Michael Flynn 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Missions Watch Early Lead Go Away In Loss To RoughRiders Romeo Sanabria matched his career high with four hits, including a homer, and Ethan Salas equaled his season best with three hits, but the Double-A San Antonio Missions watched an early 4-0 lead evaporate in a 7-5 loss to the Frisco RoughRiders. Padres right-handed starter Jhony Brito made his second rehab appearance as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery. Brito went 3⅓ innings, allowing three runs on six hits with three walks and one strikeout. Brito faced 19 hitters and threw 68 pitches, 40 for strikeouts. He induced nine groundouts in his 10 outs. Salas and Sanabria got the Missions going in the top of the first with one-out singles, with Tirso Ornelas doubling home Salas and Albert Fabian singling home Sanabria for a 2-0 edge. In the third, Salas had a leadoff double and Sanabria hit a first-pitch two-run homer, his fourth long ball of the year and first since May 12. Frisco got two back in the bottom of the third and another in the fourth to make it 4-3. The Missions went up 5-3 in the sixth as Francisco Acuna singled, stole second and went to third on Chris Sargent's sacrifice bunt. Carson Tucker then lofted a sac fly to plate Acuna. But the RoughRiders took control of the game with a four-run seventh against Missions right-hander Clark Candiotti, who got just one out while allowing three hits and two walks in his third Double-A appearance. Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, had his third three-hit game of the season and eighth of his career. He had a career-high four hits in 2023 for Low-A Lake Elsinore. Sanabria has had four hits in a game seven times before in his career, including three in 2025. SA_0523.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 4 0 0 1 0 2 Ethan Salas 5 2 3 0 0 0 Romeo Sanabria 5 2 4 2 0 1 Tirso Ornelas 4 0 2 1 1 0 Albert Fabian 5 0 1 1 0 3 Ryan Jackson 3 0 1 0 1 1 Kai Roberts 3 0 0 0 1 1 Francisco Acuna 4 1 1 0 0 2 Chris Sargent 3 0 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jhony Brito 3 1/3 6 3 3 3 1 0 Andrew Thurman 2 2/3 0 0 0 1 2 0 Clark Candiotti 1/3 3 4 4 2 1 0 Francis Peña 1 1/3 1 0 0 3 2 0 Harry Gustin 1/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 TinCaps' Offense Flames Out Against Dragons The host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps had another rough go of it at the plate, notching just three hits in being shut out by three Dayton Dragons pitchers in a 5-0 loss. Alex McCoy doubled, while Lamar King Jr. and Rosman Verdugo singled to account for the TinCaps' hits. McCoy leads the Midwest League with 15 doubles and 24 extra-base hits. TinCaps right-handed starter Abraham Parra allowed three runs on four hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts. Right-hander Ty Adcock, on a rehab assignment from Triple-A, made his second appearance and was one of three TinCaps relievers who didn't allow a run. Adcock gave up two hits and struck out one. Left-hander Javier Chacon went two innings, allowing one hit and a walk with four strikeouts. Dayton scored one run in the second, two in the fifth and two in the ninth. Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 3 0 0 0 1 1 Rosman Verdugo 4 0 1 0 0 2 Lamar King Jr. 4 0 1 0 0 2 Alex McCoy 4 0 1 0 0 0 Jake Cunningham 3 0 0 0 1 1 Jack Costello 3 0 0 0 1 0 Carlos Rodriguez 2 0 0 0 1 1 Zach Evans 3 0 0 0 0 1 Kasen Wells 3 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Abraham Parra 5 4 3 3 2 4 0 Javier Chacon 2 1 0 0 1 4 0 Ty Adcock 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 Jeferson Villabona 2/3 2 2 2 2 2 0 Luis Germán 1/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 Yoiber Ocopio Homers, But Storm Overrun By Rawhide Yoiber Ocopio came off the bench to record two hits, including a homer, but the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm dropped a 6-2 decision to the Visalia Rawhide. Ryan Wideman didn't get a hit, but he did steal his minors-leading 33rd base after reaching on a fielder's choice in the top of the fifth. Visalia scored a run in the first and third innings, three in the fifth and another in the sixth. Ocopio entered the game after Ty Harvey was injured during a catcher's interference play in the fifth inning. He singled in his first at-bat in the sixth inning, then homered in the eighth inning, a solo for his third homer of the season and second in three games. His single led off the sixth and he went to third on a wild pitch and to third on Truitt Madonna's single. Jorge Quintana drove him in with a grounder. Storm right-handed starter Tyler Schmitt gave up five runs on 10 hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 4⅓ innings. LE_0523.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 0 0 0 0 2 Kerrington Cross 3 0 1 0 1 1 Bradley Frye 4 0 1 0 0 1 Ty Harvey 2 0 0 0 0 1 Yoiber Ocopio 2 2 2 1 0 0 Truitt Madonna 4 0 1 0 0 1 Jorge Quintana 4 0 1 1 0 1 Dylan Grego 4 0 1 0 0 1 Qrey Lott 4 0 1 0 0 2 Conner Westenburg 3 0 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Tyler Schmitt 4 1/3 10 5 5 1 2 1 Joseph Herrera 1 2/3 2 1 1 1 2 0 Sean Barnett 2 1 0 0 1 3 0 Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 3-for-5, 2B Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 0-for-5, 2 K Jorge Quintana: 1-for-4, K Ty Harvey: 0-for-2, K Kale Fountain: DNP Braedon Karpathios: DNP Lamar King Jr.: 1-for-4, 2 K Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-4, 2B Truitt Madonna: 1-for-4, K Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-4, 2 K Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View full article

Jase Bowen homered as part of a big day at the plate as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas rolled past Round Rock 14-3. Carson Tucker delivered a go-ahead hit as the Double-A San Antonio Missions pulled out a 7-6 win over Frisco. The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps won 3-2 on walk-off homer by Jack Costello and five more shutout innings by Kash Mayfield. The Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm got walked off by Visalia 7-6. Padres Minor-League Transactions El Paso Chihuahuas placed OF Pablo Reyes on the temporarily inactive list. El Paso Chihuahuas activated 2B Nate Mondou from the Development List. Jase Bowen Blasts 12th Homer As Chihuahuas Go Deep 4 Times Jase Bowen's team-leading 12th homer was one of four blasts hit by the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, who put up two five-run innings en route to a 14-3 victory over the Round Rock Express. Anthony Vilar, Nate Mondou and Nick Solak also went deep for the Chihuahuas. Bowen drove in three and scored three and Carlos Rodriguez had three RBIs, while Mondou and Marcos Castanon each drove in two and scored two. Castanon came off the bench to go 3-for-4. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Evan Fitterer pitched 5⅓ scoreless innings, giving up four hits and two walks, while striking out five. Right-hander Garrett Hawkins went 1⅔ scoreless innings, walking three and striking out one, with right-hander Justin Yeager giving up all three runs in the final two innings. Castanon had a two-run double in the third inning and Bowen cranked out his three-run blast one out later for a 5-0 lead. Vilar hit his second homer an inning later for a 6-0 cushion, before the Chihuahuas scored five more in the fifth. Will Wagner had an RBI single, Rodriguez a two-run triple and Mondou capped the rally with a two-run homer, his fourth this year. Solak's homer was a two-run blast in the sixth to make it 13-0. EP_0522.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Samad Taylor 4 1 0 0 1 0 Clay Dungan 1 0 0 0 0 1 Marcos Castañon 4 2 3 2 0 0 Nick Solak 4 2 1 2 0 0 Jase Bowen 4 3 2 3 1 1 Will Wagner 5 1 3 1 0 0 Mason McCoy 4 1 1 0 1 0 Carlos Rodríguez 3 1 1 3 1 0 Nate Mondou 4 2 2 2 1 1 Anthony Vilar 4 1 1 1 0 1 Totals 37 14 14 14 5 4 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Evan Fitterer 5 1/3 4 0 0 2 5 0 Garrett Hawkins 1 2/3 0 0 0 3 1 0 Justin Yeager 2 2 3 3 2 0 2 Totals 9 6 3 3 7 6 2 Missions Hang On After Carson Tucker's Decisive 2-Run Single In Eighth Carson Tucker hit a go-ahead two-run single in a three-run eighth inning and Francisco Acuna homered in the ninth as the Double-A San Antonio Missions held on despite giving up a ninth-inning homer to beat the host Frisco RoughRiders 7-6. Missions right-handed starter Victor Lizarraga went six innings, allowing just one run on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts. After a 10.91 ERA in April, Lizarraga has allowed just three earned runs over 20 innings in May for a 1.35 ERA this month. Tirso Ornelas went 4-for-5, Ryan Jackson went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, while Albert Fabian also drove in two for the Missions. Frisco had taken a 4-3 lead with a three-run bottom of the seventh. But the Missions regained the lead in the top of the eighth. Jackson had a leadoff single, Acuna walked and both advanced on Luis Verdugo's sacrifice bunt. Tucker followed by lining a single to center to bring in Jackson and Acuna for a 5-4 lead. Ethan Salas singled Tucker to third and Ornelas boosted the lead to 6-4 with an infield single. Acuna provided much-needed insurance when he lined his second homer of the season with two outs in the top of the ninth. Missions right-hander Andrew Dalquist gave up a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth before securing his first save of the season and the third of his career. SA_0522.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 4 1 1 2 1 1 Ethan Salas 5 0 1 0 0 1 Romeo Sanabria 4 2 1 0 1 3 Tirso Ornelas 5 0 4 1 0 0 Albert Fabian 5 0 2 2 0 1 Kai Roberts 0 0 0 0 0 0 Braedon Karpathios 5 0 0 0 0 3 Ryan Jackson 5 2 3 0 0 1 Francisco Acuna 2 2 1 1 2 0 Luis Verdugo 4 0 2 1 0 2 Totals 39 7 15 7 4 12 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Victor Lizarraga 6 7 1 1 1 5 1 Andrew Moore 1/3 0 3 3 4 1 0 Sadrac Franco 1 2/3 2 0 0 0 3 0 Andrew Dalquist 1 1 2 2 1 3 1 Totals 9 10 6 6 6 12 2 Jack Costello's 3-Run Walk-Off Bomb, Kash Mayfield's 8 K's Lift TinCaps Jack Costello hit a three-run walk-off homer and left-handed starter Kash Mayfield struck out eight over five innings as the host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps shocked the Dayton Dragons 3-2. Held to two hits through eight innings, the TinCaps got a leadoff single from Alex McCoy and Carlos Rodriguez reached when the left fielder botched his fly ball. Costello stepped to the plate and yanked a 1-0 pitch deep to left-field for a no-doubt walk-off. It was Costello's fifth homer of the season and first since going deep in back-to-back games May 1-2. FW1_0522.mp4 Mayfield, Padres Mission's No. 2 prospect, extended his scoreless streak to 15 innings as he allowed just two hits and a walk in his third straight start of five scoreless innings. He has struck out 17 in his last two outings and lowered his ERA to 1.30 to take over the Midwest League lead. Mayfield hasn't allowed a run in six of his eight starts. He also leads the league in WHIP (0.72) and opponent batting average (.103). TinCaps right-hander Isaiah Lowe pitched two scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk with three strikeouts, but left-hander C.J. Widger gave up a pair of runs in the top of the eighth on three walks and a run-scoring soft grounder to no-man's land between first and second. Widger was replaced by right-hander Will Varmette, who struck out a batter but then issued a bases-loaded walk. That TinCaps trio limited the Dragons to just four hits and combined for 13 strikeouts. FW2_0522.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 4 0 0 0 0 1 Rosman Verdugo 1 0 0 0 3 0 Lamar King Jr. 4 0 0 0 0 2 Alex McCoy 4 1 1 0 0 1 Jake Cunningham 4 0 0 0 0 2 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 1 0 0 1 Kasen Wells 0 1 0 0 0 0 Jack Costello 4 1 1 3 0 1 Kavares Tears 3 0 0 0 0 0 Jonathan Vastine 3 0 1 0 0 2 Totals 31 3 4 3 3 10 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kash Mayfield 5 2 0 0 1 8 0 Isaiah Lowe 2 1 0 0 1 3 0 C.J. Widger 1/3 1 2 2 3 0 0 Will Varmette 1 2/3 0 0 0 1 2 0 Totals 9 4 2 2 6 13 0 Storm Tie It In Ninth, But Get Walked Off By Rawhide Jose Verdugo hit a run-scoring infield chopper in the top of the ninth, but the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm gave up a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth for an 8-6 loss to the Visalia Rawhide. Dylan Grego, who was hitless in his previous 11 at-bats entering the game, went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer for the Storm. Ryan Wideman and Ty Harvey each had a couple hits, with Wideman stealing two more bases to give him 32. That is tied for the most in the minors with Tate Southisene of Augusta (Carolina League). Truitt Madonna, with his 10th, and Kerrington Cross, with his fifth, gave the Storm four more steals, giving them 123 for the season, second in the minors. Grego hit his two-run homer, his first of the season, with one out in the top of the second for a 2-0 lead. In the fourth, the Storm scored three times. Harvey had a leadoff double and Yoiber Ocopio a one-out RBI single. Grego got his second hit of the day with a single and Conner Westenburg doubled both home with two outs for a 5-0 lead. Visalia countered with a pair of three-run innings in the fourth and fifth to take a 6-5 lead. It remained that way until the top of the ninth. That is when George Bilecki reached on a leadoff error and was replaced by pinch-runner Qrey Lott. After an out, Wideman singled to right, moving Lott to second and Cross walked to load the bases. Verdugo then hit a chopper that the third baseman had to charge and his only play was to first, but Verdugo beat the throw. Storm left-handed starter Kruz Schoolcraft, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect, allowed three runs in 3⅓ innings on two hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Right-hander Nick Falter tossed three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and no walks with four strikeouts. LE_0522.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 0 2 0 0 0 Kerrington Cross 2 0 1 0 3 0 Jose Verdugo 5 0 1 1 0 1 Ty Harvey 5 1 2 0 0 1 Truitt Madonna 3 1 0 0 0 1 Yoiber Ocopio 4 1 1 1 0 1 Dylan Grego 4 2 2 2 0 0 George Bilecki 3 0 0 0 0 0 Qrey Lott 0 1 0 0 0 0 Conner Westenburg 4 0 1 2 0 0 Totals 35 6 10 6 3 4 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kruz Schoolcraft 3 1/3 2 3 3 2 5 1 Rordy Mejia 1 2/3 4 3 3 1 1 2 Nick Falter 3 1 0 0 0 4 0 Vicarte Domingo 2/3 1 2 2 1 2 1 Totals 8 2/3 8 8 8 4 12 4 Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-5, K Kash Mayfield: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: 3⅓ IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR Ryan Wideman: 2-for-5 Jorge Quintana: DNP Ty Harvey: 2-for-5, 2B, K Kale Fountain: DNP Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-5, 3 K Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-4, 2 K Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-4, K Truitt Madonna: 0-for-3, K Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: 1⅔ IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-1, 3 BB Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View full article

Strong pitching was back on display for the San Diego Padres' affiliates Thursday as Ian Koenig struck out six in seven shutout innings as Double-A San Antonio won. Carson Montgomery continues to stand out as he fanned seven over five innings in High-A Fort Wayne's triumph, while Bryan Balzer and three relievers combined on a three-hitter in Low-A Lake Elsinore's victory, which featured a pair of homers. Samad Taylor had a big day at the plate with four hits for Triple-A El Paso, which lost in extra innings. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Antonio Missions activated C Jake Bold from the Development List. Samad Taylor Notches 4 Hits, But Chihuahuas Fall In 10th A day after giving up 23 runs in a blowout loss, the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas found an excruciating way to lose as the Round Rock Express scored the zombie runner during a rundown to notch a 5-4 win in 10 innings. With the zombie runner at second base to begin the top of the 10th, a single put runners on the corners. The runner at first then took off for second, but got himself into a rundown and the runner from third scored. In the bottom of the 10th, Clay Dungan was the Chihuahuas' zombie runner and went to third on a wild pitch. But he was stranded there as Marcos Castanon grounded back to the pitcher, Anthony Vilar struck out and Samad Taylor grounded out. Taylor finished the day 4-for-6 with a run scored, while Mason McCoy went 2-for-5 with two steals and scored a run. Round Rock scored two in the first and two in the fourth inning off Chihuahuas left-handed starter Jackson Wolf, who was pulled after 3⅔. He gave up six hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Right-handers Logan Gillaspie and Ethan Routzahn combined for 5⅓ scoreless innings before right-hander David Morgan took over in the 10th. The Chihuahuas scored once in the bottom of the first on a Jase Bowen groundout to make it 2-1, then another in the fifth on a Vilar double, a Taylor single, a Pablo Reyes walk to load the bases and a two-out wild pitch to pull within 4-2. They tied it in the sixth as McCoy singled, stole second, Dungan walked and Castanon had an RBI single. Taylor then had a one-out single to reload the bases and Reyes hit a tying sacrifice fly. EP_0521.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Samad Taylor 6 1 4 0 0 1 Pablo Reyes 1 0 0 1 3 0 Will Wagner 4 0 0 0 1 0 Jase Bowen 5 0 1 1 0 1 Nick Solak 3 0 0 0 0 2 Carlos Rodríguez 1 0 1 0 0 0 Mason McCoy 5 1 2 0 0 1 Clay Dungan 2 1 0 0 3 1 Marcos Castañon 5 0 1 1 0 0 Anthony Vilar 5 1 1 0 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jackson Wolf 3 2/3 6 4 4 2 4 0 Logan Gillaspie 3 1/3 2 0 0 0 4 0 Ethan Routzahn 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 David Morgan (L) 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 Ian Koenig In Control With 7 Shutout Innings For Missions Right-handed starter Ian Koenig's roller-coaster season hit a new high as he threw seven shutout innings in the Double-A San Antonio Missions' 5-1 victory over the host Frisco RoughRiders. Romeo Sanabria had two hits and an RBI, while Ethan Salas and Luis Verdugo also drove in runs for the Missions. Koenig scattered five hits and didn't walk anyone while striking out a season-high six. The seven innings matches his career high, accomplished in back-to-back outings in August for High-A Fort Wayne. Koenig retired the first eight RoughRiders before plunking a batter and giving up a single to the next hitter in the third inning before getting out of the mini-jam. The Missions scored three runs in the top of the fourth and two more in the seventh. In the fourth, Kai Roberts had a leadoff single, went to second on a groundout and third on Braedon Karpathios' single to right. Sanabria drove Roberts in with a ground single to right. After a strikeout, a passed ball scored Karpathios from third, then Verdugo singled to right to make it 3-0. There were two outs in the seventh when Francisco Acuna and Kai Murphy walked, then Salas singled in a run, Roberts walked to load the bases and Ornelas made it 5-0 when the pitcher couldn't catch a toss from the first baseman as he covered the bag. The RoughRiders scored their lone run in the eighth off right-hander Josh Mallitz (two strikeouts) and right-hander Johan Moreno pitched a perfect ninth with a strikeout. SA_0521.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ethan Salas 5 0 1 1 0 0 Kai Roberts 4 1 1 0 1 1 Tirso Ornelas 4 0 0 0 0 0 Braedon Karpathios 4 1 1 0 0 1 Romeo Sanabria 4 1 2 1 0 1 Ryan Jackson 3 0 0 0 1 2 Luis Verdugo 4 0 1 1 0 2 Francisco Acuna 2 1 0 0 2 2 Kai Murphy 2 1 0 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig (W) 7 5 0 0 0 6 0 Josh Mallitz 1 2 1 1 0 2 0 Johan Moreno 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Carson Montgomery Fans 7, TinCaps Win On Passed Ball Right-hander Carson Montgomery struck out a career-high seven over five innings, Jake Cunningham homered and the host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps scored the tiebreaking run on a passed ball in the seventh inning to pull out a 5-4 victory over the Dayton Dragons. Fort Wayne won despite having just four hits as it drew 11 walks. Montgomery entered the game with a 16-inning scoreless streak, but yielded his only run in the top of the first inning. He has pitched exactly five innings in each of his last four starts in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. He allowed three hits and two walks, surpassing his previous career best of six strikeouts set in his final start before surgery in 2024 with Low-A Lake Elsinore. Even with the run allowed, his ERA now stands at 1.41. While the Dragons got three runs (two earned) in the sixth inning against left-hander Igor Gil, the rest of the TinCaps' bullpen—left-hander Braian Salazar,right-hander Tucker Musgrove and right-handed closer Clay Edmondson—didn't allow a hit and struck out four over the final three innings. Edmondson earned his ninth save, which leads the minors, and is unscored upon in 13 of his 15 appearances for a 0.50 ERA. Down 1-0, Fort Wayne tied it in the second after three walks loaded the bases and Zach Evans hit into a double play that brought in the tying run. In the fifth, two walks preceded Justin DeCriscio laying down a very nice bunt that the third baseman threw into the bullpen down the right-field line, scoring one for a 2-1 TinCaps lead. Dayton plated three runs in the top of the sixth, which included a throwing error and a passed ball by TinCaps catcher Lamar King Jr., to take a 4-2 lead. Cunningham launched his seventh homer of the season to lead off the sixth inning that trimmed the TinCaps' deficit to 4-3. In the seventh, Rosman Verdugo drew a leadoff walk and was erased on a King forceout. King then stole second and Alex McCoy hit a tying double on an opposite-field flare down the right-field line. Cunningham had an infield single, moving McCoy to third, then stole second. After an out, McCoy scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball. Cunningham had two hits and drew two walks. FW_0521.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 4 0 1 0 1 2 Rosman Verdugo 2 0 0 0 2 2 Lamar King Jr. 4 1 0 0 0 1 Alex McCoy 3 2 1 1 1 0 Jake Cunningham 2 1 2 1 2 0 Jack Costello 2 0 0 0 2 1 Zach Evans 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jonathan Vastine 2 1 0 0 2 1 Kasen Wells 3 0 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carson Montgomery 5 3 1 1 2 7 0 Igor Gil (BS) 1 3 3 2 2 2 0 Braian Salazar (W) 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Tucker Musgrove (H) 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Clay Edmondson (S) 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Pair Of Homers Fuel Early Outburst, Pitchers Locked In As Storm Roll Yoiber Ocopio and Kerrington Cross hit homers to lead an early blitz by the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm in a 9-3 win over the host Visalia Rawhide. Storm right-handed starter Bryan Balzer allowed all three Rawhide hits in five innings, giving up three runs (two earned) with two walks and six strikeouts. Right-handers Brandon Langley (two innings), Sean Barnett and Will Koger allowed just a walk over the final four innings. But by that time, the Storm offense had already done its damage, scoring twice in the first on a double steal with Bradley Frye swiping home and Truitt Madonna added an RBI single, then two more in the third on Ocopio's second homer of the season, a no-doubt two-run shot for a 4-1 lead. It was the fifth where the Storm blew this one open. Ryan Wideman had a leadoff double and scored on Jose Verdugo's one-out single. Verdugo then stole second and Ty Harvey walked with a wild pitch putting Verdugo on third. Madonna then drove in Verdugo with a single to left and Cross followed with his three-run homer, an opposite-field drive to right for his third blast of the year and a 9-1 lead. Madonna finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, Verdugo went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored, Qrey Lott had three hits and Harvey had a pair of hits and scored once. LE_0521.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 6 1 1 0 0 2 Bradley Frye 4 1 1 0 1 2 Jose Verdugo 5 2 3 1 0 0 Ty Harvey 4 1 2 0 1 2 Truitt Madonna 5 1 3 2 0 0 Kerrington Cross 3 2 1 3 2 0 Yoiber Ocopio 4 1 1 2 1 2 Qrey Lott 4 0 3 0 0 0 Conner Westenburg 5 0 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Bryan Balzer (W) 5 3 3 2 2 6 0 Brandon Langley 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sean Barnett 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Will Koger 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-5 Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-6, 2B, 2 K Jorge Quintana: DNP Ty Harvey: 2-for-4, 2 K Kale Fountain: DNP Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-4, K Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-4, K Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-3, 2B Truitt Madonna: 3-for-5 Tucker Musgrove: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-2, 2 K Bryan Balzer: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Deivid Coronil: DNP View full article

Already sporting a very deep and very versatile bullpen, the San Diego Padres could be looking to strengthen that unit even more. According to a report by Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the Friars are on the lookout to improve the best unit on the team. That could mean strengthening the back end, which already has the best closer in MLB in right-hander Mason Miller. While Miller is coming off his first blown save of the season in a 5-4 loss to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday, the only other reliable end-of-game options are right-hander Jason Adam and left-hander Adrian Morejon. There are also some softer spots in the relief corps in right-hander Ron Marinaccio and left-hander Yuki Matsui. Lin mentioned two possible acquisitions: left-handers Aroldis Chapman of the Boston Red Sox and Josh Hader of the Houston Astros. Due to both teams struggling this year, they could be available for cheap, although the Padres' farm system is not very deep in prospects. Entering Thursday, the Padres rank seventh in MLB in innings pitched by relievers at 200⅓ as well as ERA at 3.32. Miller has already had three appearances where he was called upon to get four outs, which is more than he had last year with the A's. In fact, Miller only went more than three outs twice before the Padres acquired him in a blockbuster at the trade deadline. He went more than one inning five times after joining the Padres. Adding to this possibility is the new ownership that is set to be approved by MLB in the next month in Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones, who could be looking to give president of baseball operations A.J. Preller room to do what he needs to do before the trade deadline. View full rumor