Steve Drumwright

Ethan SalasKash MayfieldKruz SchoolcraftMiguel MendezRyan WidemanJorge QuintanaKale FountainTy HarveyTucker MusgroveGarrett HawkinsJagger HaynesBraedon KarpathiosMichael SalinaLamar King JrKavares TearsAlex McCoyDeivid CoronilKannon KempLuis Gutierrez

Ethan SalasKash MayfieldKruz SchoolcraftMiguel MendezRyan WidemanJorge QuintanaKale FountainTy HarveyTucker MusgroveGarrett HawkinsJagger HaynesBraedon KarpathiosMichael SalinaLamar King JrKavares TearsAlex McCoyDeivid CoronilKannon KempLuis Gutierrez

Checking in on the San Diego Padres prospects who made a mark in the last week: Ryan Wideman, CF, Low-A Lake Elsinore Season stats: 32 games, 9 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 13 BB, 25 K, 27 SB, 6 CS If there is a player to dream on in the Padres' system, it just might be Wideman. Why? Take the center fielder's last game as a prime example. Wideman went 4-for-4 and stole five bases—yes, FIVE steals—in the Lake Elsinore Storm's 5-4 loss to the Inland Empire 66ers (Seattle Mariners). That put an exclamation point on a dynamic week for Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect. All the 22-year-old Wideman—the Padres' third-round draft choice last year out of Western Kentucky—did last week was go 10-for-19 (.526) with four runs, four RBIs and nine stolen bases. That came despite not playing in one game and going 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter in another. So that line is really covering just four games. Last week accounted for one-third of his steals for the season. Sunday's five thefts marked the seventh game with multiple stolen bases and surpassed the four he swiped on April 23. Wideman's 27 steals are the most in all of Minor League Baseball by four and is 11 clear of the next-highest total in the Cal League. The Storm, not so coincidentally, lead the Cal League with 105 steals, with the No. 2 team at 54, and are second in all of MiLB. Based on the first 33 games of the season, Wideman is on pace to steal 118 bases. But the reason the 6-foot-4, 204-pounder is able to steal the quantity of bases he has been is due to an improved offensive approach. First, he has cut down on his strikeouts. In his debut season last year with the Storm, Wideman struck out 32 times in 112 plate appearances (28.6%) over 26 games. In 32 games this year, he has just 25 strikeouts in 144 plate appearances, a much more palatable 17.4% rate. That more selective approach has allowed his batting average to climb from .229 to .328, which ranks eighth in the Cal League and third on the Storm. He could still stand to draw a few more walks (9% walk rate this year), but that is something he can develop over time. Carson Montgomery, RHP, High-A Fort Wayne Season stats: 1-0, 1.64 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 22 IP, 16 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 8 BB, 18 K The 11th-round draft choice in 2023 out of Florida State turned in his second straight start of five scoreless innings Thursday in a 3-1 win over the Beloit SkyCarp. Montgomery, 23, allowed three hits and a walk with five strikeouts, nearly identical to his line in his previous outing (5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K). He now sports a 1.64 ERA in five starts, allowing four earned runs in 22 innings. Montgomery's ERA would be fourth in the Midwest League if he had enough innings to qualify. It is a good comeback story for Montgomery, who had 718 days between his previous appearance this season and his 2026 debut. He started 2024 at Low-A Lake Elsinore and appeared in three games (7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 10 K) before his elbow gave him problems. He took a little time before deciding on Tommy John surgery, which KO'd the rest of his 2024 and 2025 regular seasons. But the Padres gave Montgomery a look in the Arizona Fall League in 2025. There, he made four starts, pitching 10⅓ innings with a 1.74 ERA, allowing two runs on 11 hits with seven walks and 17 strikeouts. Pitching in the Arizona Fall League set him up to begin 2026 with confidence, which has shown in the results. Opponents are hitting just .213, which would rank in the top eight in the Midwest League if he had enough innings to qualify. His comeback is certainly a good turn for a Padres system needing some positive stories. Tyler Schmitt, RHP, Low-A Lake Elsinore Season stats: 2-2, 5.09, 1-0, 3.64 ERA, 6 games (5 starts), 23 IP, 16 H, 13 R, 13 ER, 18 BB, 27 K There isn't much room for statistical improvement following Schmitt's last two outings. The 17th-round draft choice in 2025 out of Illinois, Schmitt turned in his second consecutive shutout start, going six innings and allowing just one hit against the 66ers. He did walk three and struck out five. That game Saturday came after the 21-year-old went five shutout innings and gave up two hits with a walk and six strikeouts, giving him an 11-inning scoreless streak. On Monday, Schmitt was named the California League Pitcher of the Week for the second week in a row. Schmitt's ERA is a bloated 5.09 based on allowing seven runs in three innings April 18 vs the Stockton Ports (Athletics). But the promise is there. He has 27 strikeouts in 23 innings, which includes seven K's in 3⅓ innings in his pro debut April 4 against the Ontario Tower Buzzers (Los Angeles Dodgers). He has five or more strikeouts in four of his six games. Schmitt's one relief appearance came as the bulk guy in Lucas Giolito's rehab appearance April 25. Schmitt made the jump to Division I with Illinois in 2025 after playing two years at Division III Wisconsin-La Crosse. Carson Tucker, IF, Double-A San Antonio Season stats: 22 games, .352/.405/.507, 9 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 7 BB, 21 K The 2020 first-round draft choice (23rd overall selection) by the Cleveland Guardians signed with the Padres in January after being released by Cleveland in July 2024 following some injuries and a lack of production. He didn't play at all in 2024. Now 23, Tucker is realizing some of that potential after spending 2025 playing independent ball. Tucker is the younger brother of infielder-outfielder Cole Tucker, who was a 2014 first-round selection (24th overall) of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both were drafted out of Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix. Tucker is coming off a week in which he played in four of the San Antonio Missions' six games and had a pair of three-hit games as part of an 8-for-15 showing with three doubles, a walk and an RBI against the Midland RockHounds (Athletics). Tucker went 3-for-4 Wednesday for his first three-hit game since June 14, 2023. After a hit and a walk Thursday, Tucker had another 3-for-4 performance, including his third straight game with a double. Tucker's nine doubles lead the Missions. He spent 2025 playing for the Ogden Raptors in the Pioneer League, an independent league. There, he slashed .323/.469/.452 with a homer, 12 RBIs and six stolen bases in 18 games. He also drew 16 walks. With the Guardians, for whatever reason, Tucker never got going offensively. He had slash lines of .150/.320/.300 in 2021 (six games, Arizona Complex League), .137/.257/.222 in 2022 (38 games, Low-A Carolina League) and .200/.296/.263 in 2023 repeating in the Carolina League. Zach Evans, 3B, High-A Fort Wayne Season stats: 24 games, .222/.278/.300, 4 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 7 BB, 17 K, 3 SB, 0 CS Entering last week, the 23-year-old was having a rough season offensively, with a .188/.263/.232 slash line with three doubles and an RBI in 18 games. But something has changed recently as the ninth-round pick in 2024 out of Lenoir-Rhyne University has been more of a threat at the plate. Last week against the Beloit SkyCarp (Miami Marlins), Evans went 7-for-21 with a double, a homer and six RBIs with two stolen bases. A rainout Tuesday set up a Wednesday doubleheader. In the first game, Evans doubled his RBI total with an RBI double in his first at-bat, but he saved his biggest hit of the season for his next trip to the plate. That is when he drilled a 1-1 pitch for a two-run homer and a 4-0 lead. It was his fourth career homer after making his pro debut last year with Low-A Lake Elsinore and then coming up to Fort Wayne. The next day, Evans had a tie-breaking two-run single up the middle in the eighth inning in a 3-1 victory. Perhaps his most dramatic moment, though, came in Friday's 1-0. In the fifth inning, Evans had a leadoff single and went to third on a Jonathan Vastine double. The next two batters were unable to drive him in with a groundout and a popup. That prompted Evans to steal home against a left-handed pitcher in what would be the game's only run. Evans finished the game 2-for-3. Evans also had singles Saturday and Sunday to give him a modest four-game hitting streak and hits in 10 of his last 13 games. A year ago during his debut season, Evans had a .275/.343/.344 slash line with three homers, 72 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Honorable Mentions Two other players are worth taking note of. One, of course, is Double-A San Antonio catcher Ethan Salas. Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect went 8-for-15 with a pair of three-hit games. While there were no homers, unlike the three he hit the previous week, Salas did have three doubles while scoring four times and driving in four. The other is catcher Rodolfo Duran, who went 4-for-4 with a double, a homer and four RBIs for Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday, then made his MLB debut with the Padres Thursday. He spent 11 years in the minors before finally getting the official call-up when Luis Campusano went on the 10-day injured list (he actually was on standby this season following Freddy Fermin's concussion scare). View full article

Ethan Salas' two-run homer fueled San Antonio's first-inning explosion in an 8-3 rout of Wichita, where Miguel Mendez tossed two scoreless innings. Winyer Chourio struck out 10 in five innings as Lake Elsinore edged Rancho Cucamonga 4-3, with Will Koger earning the save. Fort Wayne had only three hits as it lost 3-2. El Paso fell 11-4 despite homers by Nick Solak and Jose Miranda. Padres Minor-League Transactions LHP Fernando Sanchez assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. 2B Victor Duarte assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from Lake Elsinore Storm. El Paso Chihuahuas transferred RHP Triston McKenzie to the Development List. El Paso Chihuahuas transferred C Colton Vincent to the Development List. San Antonio Missions activated RHP Andrew Dalquist from the Development List. San Antonio Missions activated RHP Miguel Mendez from the 7-day injured list. San Antonio Missions placed RHP Eric Yost on 7-day injured list. SS Justin DeCriscio assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. SS Dylan Grego assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from Fort Wayne TinCaps. Lake Elsinore Storm activated C Ty Harvey from the 7-day injured list. Marco Gonzales Pounded As Chihuahuas Routed By Bees Nick Solak and Jose Miranda homered, but it was another rough outing by former MLB left-hander Marco Gonzales that spelled the difference in the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas' 11-4 loss to the host Salt Lake Bees. Gonzales lasted just 1⅓ innings, surrendering seven runs on five hits with four walks and no strikeouts. In his last three starts, Gonzales has allowed 17 runs (14 earned) in 6⅓ innings, which leaves his season ERA at 10.64. Right-handed reliever Misael Tamarez came in and gave up four runs in 2⅓ innings on five hits, including two homers, and three walks with a pair of strikeouts. The final three relievers of the day, right-hander Justin Yeager, left-hander Kyle Hart and right-hander Garrett Hawkins, combined for 4⅔ shutout innings, striking out five. El Paso grabbed a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Will Wagner sacrifice fly, but the Bees tied it in the bottom half, then scored six in the second and four more in the third for an early 11-1 cushion. Mason McCoy had an RBI double to score Solak in the fourth, then Solak smacked his second homer of the season in the sixth and Miranda his fifth of the year in the seventh. Solak, McCoy and Carlos Rodriguez each had two of the Chihuahuas' seven hits. Pablo Reyes walked in his final plate appearance in the eighth inning to keep his on-base streak going at 28 games. EP_0512.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Jase Bowen 3 1 0 0 1 1 Samad Taylor 3 0 0 0 0 1 Will Wagner 3 0 0 1 0 0 Nick Solak 3 2 2 1 0 0 Pablo Reyes 3 0 0 0 1 0 Mason McCoy 4 0 2 1 0 0 Jose Miranda 4 1 1 1 0 2 Carlos Rodríguez 4 0 2 0 0 2 Anthony Vilar 4 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Marco Gonzales (L) 1 1/3 5 7 7 4 0 1 Misael Tamarez 2 1/3 5 4 4 3 2 2 Justin Yeager 2 1/3 2 0 0 1 3 0 Kyle Hart 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Garrett Hawkins 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Ethan Salas Hits 1 of 3 First-Inning Homers As Missions Cruise Ethan Salas, Braedon Karpathios and Luis Verdugo homered in a six-run first inning and five pitchers combined on a four-hitter as the host Double-A San Antonio Missions rolled to an 8-3 victory over the Wichita Wind Surge. Romeo Sanabria also homered for the Missions. Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, got the Missions off to a good start with a two-run homer in the top of the first inning, his sixth of the season that ignited a six-run rally. With one out, Tirso Ornelas and Sanabria had back-to-back doubles to make it 3-0 and Karpathios and Verdugo then hit back-to-back homers for a 6-0 advantage. The homers by Karpathios and Verdugo were the second of the season for both. Salas was playing against older brother Jose, a shortstop for the Wind Surge. The Missions added two more runs in the second inning as Leandro Cedeno had a one-out single, extending his on-base streak to 23 games, and the 6-foot-2, 264-pounder stole second with two outs. That was just his ninth stolen base in 484 career minor-league games. Perhaps inspired by the big man's steal, Sanabria launched his third homer of the season to make it an 8-0 game. Missions right-hander Miguel Mendez, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect who was activated off the injured list Tuesday after being out since April 25, went only two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks with two strikeouts. Right-hander Andrew Dalquist pitched a scoreless third, then right-hander Andrew Thurman went the next three and allowed all three runs on two hits and four walks with four strikeouts. Right-hander Josh Mallitz pitched two hitless innings and right-hander Johan Moreno pitched a perfect ninth, striking out the side. SA1_0512.mp4 SA2_0512.mp4 SA3_0512.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 3 1 0 0 2 1 Ethan Salas 5 1 1 2 0 0 Leandro Cedeño 3 1 1 0 1 1 Tirso Ornelas 4 1 1 0 0 2 Romeo Sanabria 3 2 2 3 1 0 Braedon Karpathios 3 1 1 2 1 2 Luis Verdugo 4 1 1 1 0 3 Ryan Jackson 3 0 0 0 0 1 Albert Fabian 4 0 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Miguel Mendez 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Andrew Dalquist (W) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Andrew Thurman 3 2 3 3 4 4 0 Josh Mallitz 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 Johan Moreno 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 Jonathan Vastine Homers, but TinCaps Kept Quiet By Kernels The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps were limited to a mere three hits and gave up a pair of seventh-inning runs in falling 3-2 to the host Cedar Rapids Kernels. Jonathan Vastine hit his second homer of the season, a solo shot in the fourth inning. His other homer came April 19. The TinCaps also scored in the top of the second as Carlos E. Rodriguez, celebrating his 23rd birthday, and Jack Costello had back-to-back doubles to lead off the inning. But after Vastine's third career homer, the Kernels retired 16 straight to finish the game. TinCaps right-handed starter Matt Watson allowed one run on two hits, but walked four and struck out two in 3⅔ innings. Right-hander Clark Candiotti gave up the other two runs in the seventh. FW_0512.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells 2 0 0 0 2 1 Rosman Verdugo 4 0 0 0 0 2 Lamar King Jr. 3 0 0 0 1 2 Alex McCoy 3 0 0 0 1 3 Carlos Rodriguez 4 1 1 0 0 0 Jack Costello 4 0 1 1 0 0 Kavares Tears 4 0 0 0 0 1 Justin DeCriscio 2 0 0 0 1 0 Jonathan Vastine 2 1 1 1 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Matthew Watson 3 2/3 2 1 1 4 2 0 Luis Germán 1 1/3 1 0 0 1 3 0 Clark Candiotti (L) 1 2/3 4 2 2 0 1 2 Tucker Musgrove 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 Braian Salazar 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Winyer Chourio Strikes Out Career-High 10 In Storm Triumph Right-handed starter Winyer Chourio struck out a career-high 10 over five innings and Connor Westenburg had an RBI triple and scored as the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm turned back the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 4-3. The 22-year-old Chourio didn't walk anyone and gave up two runs on six hits, while matching his season high for innings. His previous career high for strikeouts was eight, accomplished twice, including April 28 vs. the Ontario Tower Buzzers, the only other game this season he went five innings. Chourio lowered his ERA to 2.42 and has not allowed more than two runs in a game this season. Westenburg got the Storm going in the third inning. Jose Verdugo had a leadoff single and Westenburg pulled a 1-2 pitch just inside the third-base bag and into left field for an RBI triple. One out later, Westenburg scored on a wild pitch for a 2-0 lead. The Storm made it 3-0 in the fourth when Luke Cantwell walked, went to second on an errant pickoff attempt and scored on Kerrington Cross' single to right. Chourio gave up a two-run homer in the top of the fifth, but the Storm came back with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Cantwell led off the inning with a hit by pitch and went to second on Cross' single. Jorge Quintana bunted the runners to second and third and Yoiber Ocopio delivered a run-scoring single to right. The Quakes pulled within 4-2 in the top of the eighth, but couldn't do any more damage. Storm right-handed reliever Nick Falter struck out two in 2⅓ innings, allow a run on two hits and walk, while right-hander Will Koger went the final 1⅔ innings, striking out a pair, while not allowing a run or a hit with one walk for his third save of the season. Westenburg and Cross each had two hits for the Storm, who won despite being outhit 8-6. LE_0512.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Bradley Frye 3 0 0 0 0 1 Qrey Lott 3 0 0 0 1 2 Ryan Wideman 4 0 0 0 0 2 Luke Cantwell 0 2 0 0 2 0 Kerrington Cross 3 0 2 1 1 1 Jorge Quintana 3 0 0 0 0 3 Jose Verdugo 2 1 1 0 2 0 Yoiber Ocopio 4 0 1 1 0 1 Conner Westenburg 3 1 2 1 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Winyer Chourio (W) 5 6 2 2 0 10 1 Nick Falter (H) 2 1/3 2 1 1 1 2 0 Will Koger (S) 1 2/3 0 0 0 1 2 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-5, HR, 2 RBI Kash Mayfield: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Bradgley Rodriguez: DNP Miguel Mendez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Humberto Cruz: DNP Jagger Haynes: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Ryan Wideman: 0-for-4, 2 K Kale Fountain: DNP Romeo Sanabria: 2-for-3, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB Jorge Quintana: 0-for-3, 3 K Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K Garrett Hawkins: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K Tirso Ornelas: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 K Kavares Tears: 0-for-4, K Truitt Madonna: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Francis Pena: DNP View full article

The Alex Verdugo era with the San Diego Padres never had a chance to take off. The Padres on Monday released the outfielder. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune said the left shoulder injury that Verdugo had sustained about a month ago will require surgery, which would sideline him the entire season. Verdugo signed a minor-league contract with the Padres at the beginning of March, perhaps with a chance to eventually contribute to the major-league roster. But that never materialized. The 29-year-old was released by Atlanta in July after posting a slash line of .239/.296/.289 with no homers and 12 RBIs. He didn't play in a minor-league game with the Padres. View full rumor

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot Record last week: 4-3 Runs scored last week: 25 Runs allowed last week: 21 Standings Scores Game 34 (Monday): Giants 3, Padres 2 Game 35 (Tuesday): Padres 10, Giants 5 Game 36 (Wednesday): Padres 5, Giants 1 Game 37 (Thursday): Cardinals 2, Padres 1 Game 38 (Friday): Cardinals 6, Padres 0 Game 39 (Saturday): Padres 4, Cardinals 2 Game 40 (Sunday): Padres 3, Cardinals 2 (10 innings) Week in Review and Highlights Giants series Game 1: If you have heard this before, it is because you have. For the third time in four games, the Padres' offense was stifled by a young pitcher. This time it was 25-year-old San Francisco Giants right-hander Trevor McDonald who kept the Friars' bats quiet in a 3-2 loss. Making his third career start and fifth appearance, McDonald threw the fourth quality start in the Padres' last five games, allowing one run on two hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in seven innings in his first MLB game this season. The one run he did allow? That was Jackson Merrill drilling the first pitch he saw with two outs in the first inning for a solo homer to straightaway center field, his fourth homer this year. Merrill's blast went 436 feet, tying Manny Machado (in Mexico City) for the longest by a Friar this year. Padres right-handed starter Randy Vasquez, however, gave that run and another back in the bottom of the second. It remained 2-1 until the bottom of the sixth, when the Giants got to Vasquez for another run. Old friend Luis Arraez had a leadoff double against his former teammate, went to third on a groundout and scored on a Rafael Devers sacrifice fly. Overall, it was a solid performance by Vasquez, who went 5⅔ innings, allowing those three runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts. The Padres' offense, which had a stretch of 15 straight hitters retired by McDonald, again had an opportunity to steal a win late. Ramon Laureano launched his fifth homer of the season leading off the ninth to pull the Friars within 3-2. But the core of the lineup, Fernando Tatis Jr., Merrill and Machado went down in order for a fifth loss in six games. Game 2: The last thing the Padres needed was to face one of the best pitchers in MLB. But that is exactly what happened. And that old adage "You can't predict ball" came to fruition. Going up against Giants right-hander Logan Webb, who finished in the top six of NL Cy Young Award voting the last three seasons, the Padres exploded for double-digit runs for just the second time this season in a 10-5 victory. The Friars matched their season highs for runs and hits (14). Whether it was because of a lineup shuffle—Tatis was moved down from second to fifth in the order, putting Miguel Andujar third and Gavin Sheets at cleanup, and Sung-Mun Song starting his first MLB game after being called up earlier in the day—or just the baseball gods doing their thing, it worked. Song had his first two MLB hits, Xander Bogaerts homered and Andujar and Merrill, hitting leadoff, each had three hits. Andujar's day included a double and a triple. The Padres were also more aggressive against Webb. While scoring five runs in the fourth inning and sending nine players to the plate, they only saw 21 pitches from Webb. Perhaps that mentality will help unlock the offense. Padres right-handed starter Walker Buehler gave up a pair of runs in each of the first two innings, putting the Giants up 4-1. That was the score when things turned around in the fourth. With one out, Sheets hit an opposite-field single to left and Tatis an opposite-field double to right. Bogaerts had an RBI groundout and Nick Castellanos a run-scoring single to make it 4-3. Luis Campusano was hit by a pitch and Song delivered his first MLB hit in his second plate appearance, a ringing double to left-center to put the Padres up 5-4. With Song on third, Merrill singled to extend the lead to 6-4. A Castellanos sac fly in the fifth and an Andujar RBI single put the Friars up 8-4. The Padres tacked on two more in the eighth as Song reached on an infield single, stole second and scored on Merrill's double. Merrill went to third on a groundout and scored on a balk. Buehler steadied himself from there, making it through 5⅓ innings, surrendering seven hits and no walks with five strikeouts. He retired 11 straight before two runners reached in the sixth. The relief corps of Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam and Ron Marinaccio finished things off. Song was called up due to second baseman Jake Cronenworth going on the seven-day concussion list, something that appears to go back to him getting hit in the shoulder by a pitch that deflected into his face April 18 vs. the Los Angeles Angels. He described himself as being in various states of a "hazy fogginess" since. Cronenworth has a .144/.272/.196 slash line. Game 3: The Padres continue to find creative ways to pull out victories. Using an opener for the first time this year and a couple of big at-bats to score four runs late, the Friars bounced the Giants 5-1. The clutch performers were familiar faces, just doing it in unusual circumstances. Sheets, with a knack of late-game homers, drilled a solo shot into McCovey Cove in the top of the fourth inning for a 1-0 lead. The Giants tied it when Rafael Devers took right-hander Matt Waldron deep in the bottom of the fifth. But it was the seventh where things got strange. Tatis reached on a rare fielding error by Giants third baseman Matt Chapman and Laureano walked. Castellanos hit a slow grounder to short that advanced the runners and Freddy Fermin flew out for the second out. While the Giants made a pitching change, bringing in a left-hander, Padres manager Craig Stammen debated using a pinch-hitter for Song, a left-handed hitter. Stammen took too long to make his decision to put Ty France in for Song, who was approaching the batter's box when called back. It cost France a strike on a pitch-clock violation. Nonetheless, France got the count to 3-2 when he lofted an opposite-field fly ball down the right-field line. Giants right fielder Jesus Rodriguez, in his third MLB game and first in right field after catching in the other two, had the ball deflect off his glove, going for a France's second triple of the season and scoring both runners for a 3-1 lead. In the eighth, Machado had a leadoff walk and, one out later, Bogaerts—who came off the bench to play defense in the seventh—crushed his second homer in as many days for a 5-1 advantage. Meanwhile, the pitching staff kept the Giants quiet in a slightly unconventional way. Right-handed reliever Bradgley Rodriguez got the call as an opener, the first used by the Friars this year, and he tossed a perfect first. Right-hander Matt Waldron, who has struggled in his three starts since coming up, took over and pitched five stellar innings, striking out seven and allowing just two hits. That could be a formula for future Waldron starts, however many there are. Left-hander Adrian allowed a hit in two scoreless innings and closer Mason Miller pitched a perfect ninth in a non-save situation. Cardinals series Game 1: The Padres can throw a quality start, too. And this one by Michael King was very high quality. The right-hander allowed just one hit, a homer, over six innings, but the Friars' offense was also shut down by yet another quality start by an opponent as San Diego fell to the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1. The difference came in the seventh inning when Jordan Walker's torrid start to the season continued with a leadoff double and then a one-out triple by Masyn Winn that snapped a 1-1 tie. But King was the story for the Padres. The soon-to-be 31-year-old continued his impressive beginning to 2026. King walked two and struck out six, but he was one pitch away from six innings of no-hit ball. His lone mistake was to Alec Burleson, who jumped on a first-pitch changeup and lined it just over the right-field fence with one out in the fourth inning to tie the game 1-1. The Padres had taken a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Machado walked, went to second on Tatis' single to left and scored on Bogaerts' opposite-field single to right. But that was the extent of the Friars' scoring as Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore was nearly as good as King. Liberatore allowed just three hits with three walks and six strikeouts in six innings. The Padres' bullpen, while very good, hasn't been as lockdown as it was last year. Rodriguez came on for King in the seventh and gave up the two decisive hits. Tatis had two of the Friars' four hits, but the Cardinals' relievers prevented another comeback by retiring the final eight hitters. Catcher Rodolfo Duran made his MLB debut after 11 seasons in the minors, the last two with the Padres. He went 0-for-3. Campusano went on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left big toe. Game 2: In the immortal words of the legendary Harry Doyle, "One hit. That's all we got? One (bleeping) hit?" That is the way Friday went for the Friars. If it wasn't for Merrill's leadoff single in the fourth, there might be a lot more to stress about for Padres fans other than a 6-0 setback to the Cardinals. Still, this is one of those games to forget. Right-hander Michael McGreevy, one of the reasons why the rebuilding Cardinals are off to a better-than-expected start, allowed just one hit over six innings, striking out nine. He retired the first nine batters before Merrill grounded a single to right. The Cardinals retired the final 19 Padres hitters after Tatis' two-out walk in the fourth. Speaking of Tatis, his no good very bad start to the season took a strange turn in the sixth inning of a scoreless game. Two singles and a one-out walk off Padres right-handed starter Griffin Canning set the stage for Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt. He pulled a 1-1 changeup through the infield and into right, where Tatis charged it then watched it scoot under his glove and roll to the wall. It unloaded the bases and Wetherholt scampered around the bases for a Little League grand slam and a sudden 4-0 Friars deficit. The next three batters singled, doubled and walked to load the bases and end Canning's evening. Left-hander Yuki Matsui made his season debut after coming off the injured list Tuesday and gave up an RBI single and a sac fly, putting the Padres down 6-0. It was a tough six earned runs for Canning, who made his second start of the season and allowed seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 4⅓ innings. Game 3: The Padres are certainly getting the wrong end of opposing pitching performances. But at least on this day, they did enough to pull out a victory. France and Machado homered and Tatis hit a go-ahead single as the Friars came away with a 4-2 victory. Miller recorded four outs and notched his MLB-leading 12th save with a unique twist: A four-strikeout ninth inning thanks to a wild pitch on a strikeout. It wasn't a breakout performance by the offense as the Padres managed just five hits, but they made the ones they got count. Trailing 1-0 in the fifth, France hit a one-out solo homer to tie the game and plate the Padres' first run since the first inning of Thursday's series opener, a 21-inning scoreless drought. Song had a walk, Fermin a single and then a passed ball set up Tatis, who ranks in the 98th percentile in hard-hit percentage and flared a two-run single the opposite way down the right-field line. Machado tacked on an insurance run in the eighth with a solo homer, his 200th blast as a Padre and sixth of the season. Vasquez continued his sharp start to the season. The right-hander allowed just a fourth-inning run while giving up six hits and no walks while striking out six in five innings. He has struck out six or more in four of his eight starts. Vasquez has also gone at least five innings in all but one start. Estrada and Adam followed with hitless innings. But left-hander Adrian Morejon ran into trouble in the eighth. With one out, Morejon hit Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera doubled him home to make it 3-2. After a groundout, Miller came on to face the dangerous Walker, who grounded out to end the threat. Machado's homer gave some breathing space, not that Miller needs it. In the ninth, Miller gave up a leadoff walk before a strikeout, another walk and another strikeout. The next batter, Yohel Pozo, also struck out, but strike three was a wild pitch on a wicked slider, with Pozo reaching first to load the bases. But Miller struck out Wetherholt to end the game and join the club of four strikeouts in an inning. The last Padre to do that? None other than Miller's manager, Craig Stammen, who did it on Sept. 24, 2021. Game 4: One strike away from having their first losing week of the season, Castellanos kept the Padres alive with a dramatic two-out homer in the ninth to tie the game. An inning later, there were hugs and high-fives as Machado's sac fly to right-center as the Padres won 3-2 in 10 innings, their fourth walk-off this year. Before the ninth, the Padres were facing their second loss in this series in which they had just one hit. But not the Friars are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers atop the NL West at 24-16. Castellanos fouled off three pitches from Cardinals closer Riley O'Brien, including breaking a bat and borrowing one of Tatis' bats, before drilling a 3-2 sinker on the ninth pitch of the at-bat down into the Western Metal Supply Co. building in left to tie the game 2-2. Bogaerts scored ahead of him following a leadoff walk, going to second with two outs on defensive indifference and taking third on a wild pitch. In the 10th, Laureano was the automatic runner at second base, Merrill was intentionally walked and Tatis walked on a 3-2 pitch after squaring twice to bunt, loading the bases. The Cardinals brought in an extra infielder, but it didn't matter as Machado lofted the first pitch to right-center, deep enough to bring in Laureano and salvage a frustrating week by splitting this four-game series. The Friars were in position for yet another comeback thanks to Buehler. He allowed just three hits, but one was a two-run homer by Walker in the fourth inning. Otherwise, Buehler was very good, not allowing a walk and striking out a pair. Then the bullpen picked up where he left off. Marinaccio pitched two perfect innings and Rodriguez retired all three batters he faced before Estrada and Morejon escaped the 10th unscathed. Marvelous Mason Miller Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer: Season stats: 18 games, 1-0, 12 saves in 12 chances, 0.96 ERA, 18⅔ innings, two runs, seven hits, five walks, 38 strikeouts, .111 opponent batting average. Was named NL Reliever of the Month for April, the third time he has won the award and second time in three months with the Padres (also September). He is one of three Friars to win the award multiple times, joining Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman (3), Brad Hand (2) and Robert Suarez (2). His 38 strikeouts leads MLB relievers. 11 of Miller's career saves have been of the four-out variety, including two this year. Has finished 17 of the Friars' 24 victories this year. Has not allowed a run in 40 of his 42 appearances, including the postseason, since becoming a Padre (0.81 ERA). New scoreless streak is at four innings. Random Stats Jake Cronenworth extended his club record for being hit by a pitch to 67 in Monday's game vs. the Giants. Sung-Mun Song's two-run double for his first MLB hit made him the first Padre since Graham Pauley (three-run homer) on March 30, 2024, to drive in more than one run with his first hit. Song was also the fourth Friar to have at least two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs in his first career start. He is the first South Korea-born player to do that in MLB history. Miguel Andujar's triple on Tuesday was his 500th career hit. Injuries have limited his playing time since having 170 hits as a rookie in 2018. His only other season with 100 or more hits was last year, with 102 between the A's and Cincinnati Reds. Manny Machado's sacrifice bunt Wednesday was his first since he had two in 2015 with the Baltimore Orioles. Machado's 200th homer as a Padre put him in unique company. He is one of 11 players in MLB history with 200 homers, 1,000 hits and 650 RBIs with one team after playing 750 games with another franchise. Ty France's triple this week was his second of the season, the first time he has recorded multiple three-baggers in a year. He entered this season, his eighth in MLB, with four career triples. Tatis at 162 entering Saturday. Tatis and Chandler Simpson of the Tampa Bay Rays are the only ones among the 100 MLB players with more than 150 plate appearances to not have a homer. Saturday's sellout with the 18th in 23 games at Petco Park this season. The Padres rank second in MLB in attendance, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Transactions Tuesday: Placed 2B Jake Cronenworth on the 7-day injured list. Concussion symptoms. Tuesday: Recalled IF Sung-Mun Song from El Paso Chihuahuas. Tuesday: Activated LHP Yuki Matsui from the 15-day injured list. Tuesday: Optioned LHP Kyle Hart to El Paso Chihuahuas. Thursday: Activated IF Will Wagner from the 10-day injured list and optioned him to El Paso Chihuahuas. Thursday: Placed C Luis Campusano on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left big toe. Thursday: Selected the contract of C Rodolfo Duran from El Paso Chihuahuas. Thursday: Transferred RHP Joe Musgrove from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Thursday: Sent RHP Jhony Brito on a rehab assignment to ACL Padres. Website Highlights Canning's perfectly adequate first start could be just what the Padres need — Randy Holt Can Tatis find a way out of his launch-angle spiral? — Randy Holt Hart's salvation lies in his reworked splitter — Randy Holt Padres are swinging harder in 2026. Does it even matter? — Randy Holt Looking Ahead Monday: Off Tuesday: Padres (Matt Waldron) at Brewers (Brandon Sproat), 4:40 p.m. Wednesday: Padres (Michael King) at Brewers (Jacob Misiorowski), 4:40 p.m. Thursday: Padres (Griffin Canning) at Brewers (Kyle Harrison), 10:40 p.m. Friday: Padres (Randy Vasquez) at Mariners, 6:40 p.m. Saturday: Padres (Walker Buehler) at Mariners, 4:15 p.m. Sunday: Padres (TBA) at Mariners, 4:20 p.m. View full article

El Paso walked off Tacoma 7-6 in 10 innings as Nick Solak went 4-for-5 with three runs scored. San Antonio rallied past Midland 3-2 on a Lucas Giolito quality start and a walk-off single by Carson Tucker. Fort Wayne fell 9-7 to Beloit in extras despite six strong innings from Jamie Hitt. Lake Elsinore dropped a 5-4 decision to Inland Empire after Carlos Medina worked four scoreless and Ryan Wideman went 4-for-4 with five stolen bases. Padres Minor-League Transactions No roster moves Mason McCoy, Chihuahuas Rally For Win In 10th Mason McCoy's opposite-field line-drive single to right scored Nick Solak from third base with no outs in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas overcame a three-run deficit to beat the Tacoma Rainiers 7-6. The walk-off win was the second of the series and fourth of the season for the Chihuahuas (19-20), who won the series 4-2. Solak, who went 4-for-5, led off the 10th by bouncing an RBI single up the middle past a diving shortstop to score zombie runner Nick Schnell from second. Solak went to third on Clay Dungan's bunt single and a throwing error by the pitcher, then scored when McCoy hit the first pitch for the game-winner. Solak also scored three times, while Dungan went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI and Samad Taylor had a pair of hits and has reached base seven times in the last two games. Pablo Reyes had a first-inning single to extend his on-base streak to all 27 games he has played this year. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Evan Fitterer bounced back from a subpar last outing to allow two runs 4⅔ innings, yielding seven hits and two runs with three strikeouts. Right-hander Logan Gillaspie pitched a perfect 2⅓ innings of relief, striking out two. Tacoma took a 4-1 lead with three runs in the top of the sixth, but the Chihuahuas got two back in the bottom half on back-to-back one-out doubles by Solak and Dungan and Marcos Castanon's two-out single to make it 4-3. El Paso tied it in the bottom of the eighth as Solak, Dungan and Jose Miranda getting one-out singles, with Miranda's plating Solak. In the 10th, Tacoma scored once in the top, before the Chihuahuas rallied for the win in the bottom half. El Paso's Jase Bowen had a first-inning triple, his fourth, which is tied for the Pacific Coast League lead. EP_0510.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Jase Bowen 5 1 1 0 0 1 Samad Taylor 4 0 2 0 1 1 Pablo Reyes 3 0 1 2 1 0 Nick Schnell 5 1 0 0 0 2 Nick Solak 5 3 4 1 0 0 Clay Dungan 4 1 3 1 1 0 Jose Miranda 4 0 1 1 0 1 Mason McCoy 1 0 1 1 0 0 Marcos Castañon 4 0 1 1 0 0 Colton Vincent 4 1 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Evan Fitterer 4 2/3 7 2 2 2 3 1 Triston McKenzie 1/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 David Morgan 2/3 4 3 3 0 0 0 Logan Gillaspie 2 1/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 Alek Jacob (W) 2 2 1 0 1 1 0 Lucas Giolito Shines, Missions Walk It Off For First Series Win Kai Murphy and Carson Tucker had back-to-back RBI singles with one out in the bottom of the ninth as the Double-A San Antonio Missions pulled out a 3-2 walk-off victory over the Midland RockHounds. With their second straight walk-off, the Missions (11-22) won their first series of the season 4-2. It is also their first series victory since July 8-13 last season against Wichita. San Diego Padres right-handed starter Lucas Giolito, in what is likely to be his final tuneup before joining the major-league rotation, allowed one run on three hits with no walks and three strikeouts in six innings. He threw 74 pitches, 52 for strikes. In four starts since signing a one-year contract April 22, Giolito has thrown 17 innings, allowing 11 runs (nine earned) on 18 hits with six walks and 15 strikeouts. He has a clause in his contract that requires him to be added to the MLB roster by Saturday. Midland had grabbed a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth before Braedon Karpathios led off the bottom with a walk, was bunted to second, pinch-hitter Leandro Cedeno intentionally walked and replaced by pinch-runner Luis Verdugo. Murphy lined the tying single to right, easily scoring Karpathios, and Tucker won it by going the other way with a single down to right, driving in Verdugo from second. After Giolito, right-hander Victor Lizarraga went the final three innings, giving up a run on three hits and a pair of walks with one strikeout. Ethan Salas had an RBI single in the third inning for the Missions. SA_0510.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 5 0 1 1 0 3 Ethan Salas 3 0 1 1 1 1 Tirso Ornelas 3 0 1 0 1 0 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 1 0 0 0 Ryan Jackson 4 0 1 0 0 1 Braedon Karpathios 2 1 2 0 2 0 Francisco Acuna 3 0 0 0 0 2 Albert Fabian 3 1 2 0 0 0 Kai Roberts 0 0 0 0 0 0 Leandro Cedeño 0 0 0 0 1 0 Luis Verdugo 0 1 0 0 0 0 Kai Murphy 4 0 2 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Lucas Giolito 6 3 1 1 0 3 0 Victor Lizarraga (W) 3 3 1 1 2 1 0 TinCaps Squander Lead, Fall To Sky Carp In Extras The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps gave up three runs in the top of the ninth and three more in the 10th to drop a 9-7 decision to the Beloit SkyCarp. The TinCaps (16-17), who lost for the first time in extra innings this year, won four of the six games in the series. The TinCaps scored once in the bottom of the 10th on Alex McCoy's sac fly, but couldn't get anyone else on base. Fort Wayne had a 6-2 lead after the sixth and 6-3 after the top of the seventh before the SkyCarp tied it up with three runs in the top of the ninth. Left-hander Jamie Hitt, the Padres' eighth-round pick in 2025 who is making his pro debut this year, turned in the TinCaps' first quality start of the season, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in a season-high six innings. The outing is the longest by a TinCaps pitcher this year. The TinCaps' bullpen had been instrumental in Fort Wayne winning nine of its last 10. Over that stretch, the relief corps led the entire minors in wins, saves, ERA and opponent batting average, but faltered in the ninth and 10th innings. Carlos E. Rodriguez had his first three-hit game in 25 games with the TinCaps, driving in two and scoring once. FW_0510.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells 4 1 1 0 1 1 Rosman Verdugo 4 3 1 1 1 0 Carlos Rodriguez 4 1 3 2 1 1 Alex McCoy 3 0 0 1 0 0 Jake Cunningham 5 0 1 0 0 3 Jack Costello 4 0 0 0 1 1 Zach Evans 4 1 1 0 0 0 Jonathan Vastine 4 0 0 0 0 1 Oswaldo Linares 4 1 2 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jamie Hitt 6 5 2 2 2 5 0 Igor Gil 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 Kleiber Olmedo (H) 1 3 3 3 0 0 0 C.J. Widger (BS) 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 Isaiah Lowe (L) 1 2 3 2 0 1 1 Ryan Wideman Has 4 Hits, 5 Steals, But Storm Falter Late Ryan Wideman went 4-for-4 and stole a career-best five bases, but the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm let a late lead slip away, losing in walk-off fashion to the Inland Empire 66ers 5-4. The Storm (19-14) went 2-4 in the series. Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect, has 27 steals in 33 attempts in the 32 games he has played. He had a four-steal game April 23 vs. Visalia and has eight games with multiple stolen bases. Nine of his steals came in this series. Lake Elsinore scored three times in the top of the eighth to take a 4-2 lead. But the 66ers tied it in the bottom of the eighth and won it in the ninth. Storm right-handed starter Carlos Medina matched his season high with four innings, not allowing a run while giving up three hits and a walk with five strikeouts, one shy of his season high. Luke Cantwell had a pair of hits and scored once for the Storm. Wideman got the Storm on the board in the fourth when he singled, then stole second and third. After Kerrington Cross was hit by a pitch and stole second, Jorge Quintana had an RBI groundout to bring in Wideman and put the Storm up 1-0. Inland Empire went up 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, but the Storm regained the lead in the eighth. Cantwell had a leadoff double and went to third on a Wideman single. Wideman stole his fifth base of the day and Truitt Madonna singled home Cantwell. Wideman, now on third, scored on Cross' squeeze bunt and, with two outs, Jose Verdugo singled home Madonna from second. LE_0510.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Qrey Lott 3 0 0 0 0 1 George Bilecki 2 0 0 0 0 0 Luke Cantwell 5 1 2 0 0 2 Ryan Wideman 4 2 4 0 0 0 Truitt Madonna 4 1 1 1 0 2 Kerrington Cross 2 0 0 1 0 0 Jorge Quintana 4 0 1 1 0 1 Jose Verdugo 3 0 1 1 0 0 Yoiber Ocopio 4 0 1 0 0 1 Conner Westenburg 3 0 1 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carlos Medina 4 3 0 0 1 5 0 Cal Riehl 1 1/3 0 0 0 2 3 0 Carson Swilling (BS) 1 2/3 1 2 2 2 2 0 Joseph Herrera (L) 1 1/3 2 3 3 2 0 1 Top-20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K Kash Mayfield: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Bradgley Rodriguez: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Humberto Cruz: DNP Jagger Haynes: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Ryan Wideman: 4-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 5 SB Kale Fountain: DNP Romeo Sanabria: 1-for-4 Jorge Quintana: 1-for-4, RBI, K Lamar King Jr.: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Tirso Ornelas: 1-for-3, BB Kavares Tears: DNP Truitt Madonna: 1-for-4, R, RBI, 2 K Deivid Coronil: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Francis Pena: DNP View full article

Braedon Karpathios hit a walk-off homer to lift the San Antonio Missions to a 3-2 win over Midland. Clay Dungan hit a three-run homer as the El Paso Chihuahuas lost 6-3 to Tacoma. Five Fort Wayne pitchers allowed just five hits in a 3-1 TinCaps win over Beloit. Tyler Schmitt allowed one hit over six innings as the Lake Elsinore Storm hung on for an 8-6 victory over Inland Empire. Clay Dungan's 3-Run Homer Not Enough As Chihuahuas Fall Box score Clay Dungan's three-run homer in the fourth inning was the lone offense for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, who dropped a 6-3 decision to the Tacoma Rainiers. Samad Taylor went 3-for-4 to raise his batting average to .325, but the rest of the Chihuahuas combined for five hits. One of those came from Dungan, drove his three-run shot out to center for his fourth homer of the season. Nick Solak had singled and Carlos Rodriguez drew a one-out walk before Dungan drilled a 2-2 pitch over the fence. Chihuahuas left-handed starter Jackson Wolf struck out nine over five innings, but he also gave up five runs on seven hits and a walk. His nine strikeouts were the most by an El Paso pitcher this year and two shy of his career high of 11, done twice. Wolf's previous high this year was five on April 15. Right-hander Garrett Hawkins, left-hander Kyle Hart and right-hander Ethan Routzahn combined to allow just one run over the final four innings. For Hart, it was his first game with the Chihuahuas after his demotion from the San Diego Padres this week. Patrick Wisdom hit a pair of home runs for the Rainiers, his 10th and 11th for the Rainiers, and drove in three while on a rehab assignment from the Seattle Mariners. EP_0509.mp4 Braedon Karpathios Drills Walk-off Homer In Ninth For Missions Box score Braedon Karpathios crushed a two-out walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Double-A San Antonio Missions pulled out a 3-2 victory over the Midland RockHounds. Karpathios took a center-cut 2-1 pitch and drilled it over the wall in left-center field for a no-doubter, his first homer of the season. He has been off to a slow start this season after hitting three homers in 21 games with the Missions last year. His homer leaves him with a slash line of .206/.283/.318 in 30 games. Leadoff hitter Carson Tucker had three of the Missions' six hits and scored once. Missions right-handed Eric Yost yielded two runs on four hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts over a season-high six innings. Left-hander Harry Gustin and right-hander Sadrac Franco combined to allow two hits and a walk with three strikeouts over the final three innings. Both teams scored a pair of runs in the fourth inning, with Midland getting a two-run homer in the top half. Tucker and Ethan Salas led off the inning with singles and Leandro Cedeno's walk loaded the bases. Tirso Ornelas then tied the game when he laced a double to the gap in left-center that rolled to the wall, easily scoring both runs. Both pitching staffs controlled things from there until the bottom of the ninth. Ornelas grounded out and Luis Verdugo struck out before Karpathios' heroics, his second walk-off of the season. SA_0509.mp4 TinCaps Pitchers Shine, Zach Evans Drives In Go-Ahead Run In Victory Box score Lamar King Jr. went 3-for-4 and five pitchers combined on a five-hitter as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps edged the Beloit SkyCarp 3-1, their ninth win in 10 games. Zach Evans continued his big series with the go-ahead single in a two-run fifth inning. Right-handed starter Abraham Parra, right-hander Luis German, right-hander Will Varmette, left-hander Braian Salazar and right-handed closer Clay Edmondson shut the SkyCarp down. Parra allowed the only run on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts in 3⅔ innings. From there, the TinCaps bullpen was virtually unhittable as German, Vermette, Salazar and Edmondson allowed just one hit and three walks while striking out five. Four of those strikeouts came from Edmondson, who got the final four out for his seventh save in as many chances. He leads all of Minor League Baseball with seven saves. He threw 18 pitches, 15 for strikes. After Beloit grabbed a 1-0 advantage in the second inning, Fort Wayne came back to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Jonathan Vastine had a leadoff single and Kasen Wells doubled him home with one out to tie the game. Evans then grounded a single past the shortstop and into center to drive in Wells with the go-ahead run. In the sixth, Jack Costello had a one-out double and Oswaldo Linares looped a single to shallow center that bounded away from the fielders, allowing Costello to beat the throw home for a 3-1 lead. King had his fourth game this season of three or more hits and also stole a pair of bases to give him eight this year. He also extended his on-base streak to 22 games, surpassing the longest by a TinCap this season set by Alex McCoy. Wells had two hits and a steal out of the leadoff spot. FW_0509.mp4 Tyler Schmitt Allows 1 Hit In 6 Innings As Storm Prevail Box score Right-hander Tyler Schmitt turned in his second straight standout start, allowing just one hit over a season-high six innings as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm jumped out to a huge lead and had to withstand a furious ninth-inning rally to beat the Inland Empire 66ers 8-6. Conner Westenberg hit a three-run homer and Jose Verdugo a two-run shot in a five-run fifth inning for the Storm. A 17th-round draft choice out of Illinois last year, Schmitt is making his pro debut this season and has turned in his best starts in his last two outings. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder walked three and struck out five—tying his third-best K total—while throwing 73 pitches, including 47 strikes. Last week, he struck out six over five shutout innings, giving up a pair of hits, giving him 11 consecutive shutout innings. Ryan Wideman got the Storm offense going when he tripled with two outs in the top of the first inning, scoring on Justin DeCriscio's single. DeCriscio stole second and scored on Luke Cantwell's RBI single for a 2-0 lead. Then came the big five-run fifth featuring the first homers of the season for Westenberg and Verdugo to make it 7-0. In the sixth, Cantwell singled, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Kerrington Cross' two-out single to left for an 8-0 cushion. Behind Schmitt, the Storm had the 66ers baffled. Right-handed reliever Daichi Moriki pitched a hitless seventh, with a walk and two strikeouts, and right-hander Nick Falter a hitless eighth with a strikeout. The Storm took a one-hit shutout into the bottom of the ninth, but the 66ers struck for six runs, four credited to right-hander Sean Barnett, who didn't record an out, giving up a pair of hits and two walks. Right-hander Brandon Langley eventually got the final three outs, giving up two runs. LE_0509.mp4 View full article

Kash Mayfield held Beloit to one hit over five innings as Fort Wayne edged the SkyCarp 1-0. Kruz Schoolcraft worked four innings of one-run ball as Lake Elsinore beat Inland Empire 4-1, with Ryan Wideman driving in three. Ian Koenig spun a quality start as San Antonio rolled past Midland 8-4 behind three hits each from Ethan Salas and Tirso Ornelas. El Paso fell 17-2 to Tacoma despite Jase Bowen's two homers. Padres Minor-League Transactions No moves made. Chihuahuas Routed By Rainiers; Jase Bowen Homers Twice Jase Bowen hit a pair of solo homers, but the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas couldn't muster any other offense in a 17-2 loss to the Tacoma Rainiers. Bowen, who homered Thursday to give him three in two games, also had a leadoff single in the bottom of the first inning to account for three of the Chihuahuas' nine hits. El Paso right-handed starter Sean Boyle was tagged for six runs on seven hits and two walks in 3⅓ innings. It didn't get much better after that as left-hander Miguel Ciengfuegos (three runs in 2⅔ innings) and right-hander Misael Tamarez (two runs in 1⅓ innings) couldn't keep it semi-close before Justin Yeager opened the floodgates by surrendering six runs on seven hits and two walks in 1⅓ innings). Carlos Rodriguez had two hits for El Paso. EP_0508.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Jase Bowen 4 2 3 2 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez 4 0 2 0 0 0 Will Wagner 4 0 0 0 0 3 Pablo Reyes 4 0 1 0 0 2 Nick Solak 4 0 1 0 0 1 Mason McCoy 3 0 0 0 1 1 Nick Schnell 3 0 1 0 1 2 Marcos Castañon 3 0 0 0 0 1 Anthony Vilar 3 0 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Sean Boyle (L, 2-4) 3 1/3 7 6 6 2 3 0 Miguel Cienfuegos 2 2/3 5 3 2 0 3 2 Misael Tamarez 1 1/3 3 2 2 1 1 0 Justin Yeager 1 1/3 7 6 6 2 0 2 Clay Dungan 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Missions Launch 18-Hit Attack To Dispatch RockHounds Francisco Acuna and Kai Roberts each drove in a pair of runs early as the Double-A San Antonio Missions jumped out to a 5-0 lead and pulled out an 8-4 victory over the Midland RockHounds. Ethan Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, went 3-for-6 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI and Tirso Ornelas also had three hits as the Missions pounded out a season-best 18 hits. Five other players, including Acuna and Roberts, had a pair of hits for the Missions. Acuna had a two-run double just inside the left-field line in the second and Roberts a two-run single in the third. Braedon Karpathios also had an RBI single in the third as the Missions went up 5-0. But the RockHounds scored one in the fourth and three in the fifth to pull within 5-4. But the Missions got two of those runs back in the bottom of the fifth. Acuna had a leadoff single and Salas a one-out RBI double. After two walks sandwiched a forceout at second, Ryan Jackson hit a grounder that was knocked down in shallow center by the shortstop for a run-scoring single and a 7-4 advantage. In the seventh, Salas had a leadoff single and went to third on Leandro Cedeno's one-out hit before scoring on Ornelas' single to right. Cedeno extended his on-base streak to 20 games. Missions right-handed starter Ian Koenig allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts in a season-high six innings. Right-hander Andrew Moore struck out five in two hitless innings with a walk, while right-hander Michael Flynn pitched a perfect ninth. SA_0508.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ethan Salas 6 2 3 1 0 1 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 1 0 1 0 Leandro Cedeño 5 0 2 0 0 1 Tirso Ornelas 4 1 3 1 1 0 Ryan Jackson 4 1 2 1 1 1 Braedon Karpathios 5 1 1 1 0 2 Luis Verdugo 4 2 2 0 1 0 Francisco Acuna 5 1 2 2 0 1 Kai Roberts 4 0 2 2 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig (W, 1-3) 6 5 4 3 0 5 0 Andrew Moore (H, 1) 2 0 0 0 1 5 0 Michael Flynn 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Kash Mayfield Goes 5 Shutout, Zach Evans Steals Home For TinCaps The Kash Mayfield shutout streak is back on. The left-handed starter allowed just one hit in five shutout innings and Zach Evans stole home for the game's only run as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps edged the Beloit SkyCarp 1-0. Four Fort Wayne pitchers combined on a three-hitter. Mayfield, Padres Mission's No. 2 prospect, began the season with a 15-inning scoreless streak, then gave up five runs over three innings bridging two games. His outing Friday, which included retiring the first 10 batters of the game, gives him a new streak of seven straight innings without allowing a run. Mayfield walked one and struck out three. The only hit he allowed was a one-out double in the fourth inning. Mayfield now has 1.82 ERA. FW1_0508.mp4 The only run of the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning. Evans had a leadoff single and went to third on Jonathan Vastine's double to right. After a groundout and a popout, Evans stole home, leading to the ejection of Beloit's manager. Evans had two hits and is 5-for-13, including his first homer of the year, in the first four games of the series. FW2_0508.mp4 Right-hander Clark Candiotti struck out four in two hitless innings, left-hander C.J. Widger pitched a hitless eighth and right-hander Tucker Musgrove allowed two hits but struck out two to finish with his first career save. Lamar King Jr., Padres Mission's No. 13 prospect, walked and doubled, extending his on-base streak to 21 consecutive games, matching the longest of the season for the TinCaps by Alex McCoy. Kavares Tears went 2-for-3. Player AB R H RBI BB K Jake Cunningham 2 0 0 0 2 0 Rosman Verdugo 4 0 0 0 0 2 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 0 0 0 2 Alex McCoy 3 0 0 0 1 2 Kasen Wells 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lamar King Jr. 3 0 1 0 1 0 Jack Costello 3 0 1 0 0 0 Kavares Tears 3 0 2 0 0 0 Zach Evans 3 1 2 0 0 0 Jonathan Vastine 2 0 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kash Mayfield (W, 2-1) 5 1 0 0 1 3 0 Clark Candiotti (H, 1) 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 C.J. Widger (H, 2) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tucker Musgrove (S, 1) 1 2 0 0 2 2 0 Ryan Wideman Has 3 RBIs As Storm Topple 66ers Ryan Wideman had three hits and drove in three runs, including a go-ahead double in the fifth inning, as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm beat the Inland Empire 66ers 4-1. Leadoff hitter Bradley Frye also had three of the Storm's 10 hits and drove in the other run. Storm left-handed starter Kruz Schoolcraft, Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect, allowed one unearned run on three hits and two walks while striking out a pair in four innings. Right-hander Rordy Mejia followed Schoolcraft with two shutout innings, right-hander Vicarte Domingo struck out five in two innings and right-hander Will Koger struck out a pair in the ninth for his second professional save. Frye's single in the top of the third drove in the first run of the game after Qrey Lott singled and was bunted to second. Inland Empire tied it in the bottom of the third. In the fifth, there were two outs when Frye singled and went to third on Justin DeCriscio's 13th double of the season. Wideman then doubled to left-center to snap the tie for a 3-1 lead. Wideman made it a three-RBI night in the seventh. Lott had a leadoff single and stole second with one out. Frye's single moved Lott to third and Wideman hit a slow chopper to third that he used his speed to beat out without a play, scoring Lott. Player AB R H RBI BB K Bradley Frye 5 1 3 1 0 2 Justin DeCriscio 5 1 1 0 0 0 Ryan Wideman 4 0 3 3 1 1 Truitt Madonna 5 0 0 0 0 4 Victor Duarte 3 0 0 0 1 0 Jorge Quintana 4 0 1 0 0 2 George Bilecki 3 0 0 0 1 1 Qrey Lott 4 2 2 0 0 2 Conner Westenburg 3 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kruz Schoolcraft 4 3 1 0 2 2 0 Rordy Mejia (W, 2-1) 2 1 0 0 3 1 0 Vicarte Domingo (H, 1) 2 2 0 0 1 5 0 Will Koger (S, 2) 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 3-for-6, 2B, RBI, K Kash Mayfield: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (W) Kruz Schoolcraft: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K Bradgley Rodriguez: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Humberto Cruz: DNP Jagger Haynes: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Ryan Wideman: 3-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, K, 3 SB Kale Fountain: DNP Romeo Sanabria: 1-for-4, BB Jorge Quintana: 1-for-4, 2 K Lamar King Jr.: 1-for-3, 2B, BB Garrett Hawkins: DNP Tirso Ornelas: 3-for-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB Kavares Tears: 2-for-3 Truitt Madonna: 0-for-5, 4 K Deivid Coronil: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Francis Pena: DNP LE_0508.mp4 View full article

The dream of pitching in MLB is on hold, if not over, for San Diego Padres pitching prospect Humberto Cruz. The 19-year-old right-hander pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to transporting undocumented immigrants within the U.S. for money, according to a report Friday by the San Diego Union-Tribune. That report said the Padres believe Cruz has lost his work visa for 10 years, although he can reapply after five years by showing good behavior. Cruz is Padres Mission's No. 6 prospect. Cruz was arrested near the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona in October after picking up a two individuals in exchange for money, $1,000 each. He had been working out at the team's complex in Peoria, Ariz., after having Tommy John surgery in late August. Cruz was signed out of Mexico in February 2024. The Padres placed Cruz on the restricted list in March. He was originally charged with a felony, but Cruz agreed to plead guilty in exchange for the more serious charge being dropped. In November, a judge sentenced him to 30 days in prison with credit for time served. View full rumor

Jase Bowen powered the El Paso Chihuahuas past the Tacoma Rainiers 4-1, homering and singling behind five sharp innings from JP Sears. Despite Jagger Haynes' quality start, the San Antonio Missions fell 6-2 at home to the Midland RockHounds. Carson Montgomery silenced Beloit, and Zach Evans drove in two late as the Fort Wayne TinCaps prevailed 3-1. Bryan Balzer also turned in a quality start, but the Lake Elsinore Storm lost 4-1 at Inland Empire. Padres Minor-League Transactions Padres selected the contract of C Rodolfo Durán from El Paso Chihuahuas. Padres optioned 3B Will Wagner to El Paso Chihuahuas. El Paso Chihuahuas activated C Colton Vincent from the Development List. El Paso Chihuahuas transferred 2B Nate Mondou to the Development List. JP Sears, Relievers Combine On Two-Hitter For Chihuahuas Left-handed starter JP Sears and three relievers combined on a two-hitter, while Jason Bowen hit a two-run homer as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas shut down the Tacoma Rainiers 4-1 for third straight win. Sears, who had given up two or more runs in all six of his starts this year for a 7.00 ERA, allowed one unearned run on two hits and two walks with a season-high eight strikeouts. Right-handers Garrett Hawkins, Logan Gillaspie and David Morgan combined for four perfect innings of relief, striking out four to complete the stellar game by the pitching staff. Chihuahuas pitchers retired the final 16 batters of the game. Bowen was in the middle of the Chihuahuas' offense. He led off the bottom of the first with a hard ground single to left, was bunted to second by Samad Taylor and went to third on Will Wagner's fly to right. Pablo Reyes then laid down a bunt toward the third baseman on which no play was made, easily scoring Bowen. The single extended Reyes' on-base streak to all 25 games he has played this season, the fourth-longest active streak in Triple-A. In the second, Anthony Vilar had a two-out single to center and Bowen cranked his eighth homer of the season, a blast to center that made it 3-0. Tacoma got its lone run in the top of the fourth after a leadoff double, a flyout and a run-scoring grounder that was booted by second baseman Clay Dungan. The only other hit Sears allowed was a game-opening single. El Paso made it 4-1 in the seventh as Vilar and Bowen drew one-out walks and Wagner a two-out walk to load the bases. A wild pitch plated Vilar. Mason McCoy's career-best 14-game hitting streak came to an end as he went 0-for-2 with a walk and a sac bunt. EP_0507.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Jase Bowen, CF 3 2 2 2 1 0 Samad Taylor, LF 3 0 0 0 0 1 Will Wagner, 3B 2 0 0 0 2 0 Pablo Reyes, DH 2 0 1 1 1 1 Mason McCoy, SS 2 0 0 0 1 2 Nick Schnell, RF 4 0 1 0 0 1 Jose Miranda, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 2 Clay Dungan, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 2 Anthony Vilar, C 2 2 1 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR JP Sears (W, 3-1) 5.0 2 1 0 2 8 0 Garrett Hawkins (H, 2) 2.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 Logan Gillaspie (H, 3) 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 David Morgan (S, 1) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Bullpen Falters After Jagger Haynes' Solid Start In Missions' Loss Despite a good start from left-hander Jagger Haynes, the Double-A San Antonio Missions gave up a decisive four-run seventh inning in a 6-2 loss to the Midland RockHounds. Haynes, Padres Mission's No. 7 prospect, allowed two runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in six innings. He gave up a run in the first with two outs by issuing two walks sandwiched around a single before giving up an RBI single. The other run came in the third via a single and RBI double to the first two hitters. The Missions came back in the second. Luis Verdugo singled and Carson Tucker doubled before Kai Murphy's RBI groundout. Ethan Salas then tied it with a sacrifice fly to medium center. Once Haynes left, the SkyCarp jumped on the Missions' bullpen. Left-hander Omar Cruz gave up a single, a walk and two steals before a go-ahead two-run double that one-hopped the wall in right-center. Right-hander Johan Moreno relieved Cruz, getting a strikeout before hitting the next batter and giving up another two-run double off the wall in left-center for a 6-2 advantage. The Missions were limited to five hits, including four in six innings off RockHounds left-hander Wei-En Lin, who struck out 10. SA_0507.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ethan Salas, C 3 0 0 1 0 2 Romeo Sanabria, 1B 4 0 1 0 0 0 Leandro Cedeño, DH 4 0 1 0 0 1 Albert Fabian, RF 4 0 0 0 0 2 Ryan Jackson, 2B 4 0 1 0 0 2 Braedon Karpathios, CF 3 0 0 0 1 2 Luis Verdugo, 3B 4 1 1 0 0 3 Carson Tucker, SS 2 1 1 0 1 1 Kai Murphy, LF 3 0 0 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes 6.0 7 2 2 3 3 0 Omar Cruz (L, 1-1) 0.0 2 3 3 1 0 0 Johan Moreno 1.0 1 1 1 0 1 0 Andrew Thurman 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 Carson Montgomery Stellar Again As TinCaps Edge SkyCarp Right-hander Carson Montgomery turned in a second straight scoreless outing and Zach Evans hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps topped the Beloit SkyCarp 3-1. Evans, who had one RBI in the season's first 18 games before driving in three in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader, came up big again in the eighth inning. Tied 1-1, Lamar King Jr. drew a leadoff walk and Jake Cunningham singled to right, with Cunnningham taking second when the throw went to third. Kavares Tears tried a safety squeeze, but his bunt went right back to the pitcher, who threw to first for the out. Evans then grounded a 3-2 pitch up the middle past a drawn-in infield that easily scored both runners to put the TinCaps up 3-1. Tears doubled in the TinCaps' first run in the bottom of the sixth inning after Beloit took a 1-0 lead in the top half of the inning. Meanwhile, Montgomery, the Padres' 11th-round pick in 2023, pitched five scoreless innings, allowing three hits while walking one and striking out five. Montgomery had a nearly identical outing last week against the South Bend Cubs, going five scoreless. He now hasn't allowed a run in 11⅔ innings, lowering his ERA to 1.64 in five starts. Left-hander Javier Chacon took over in the sixth and allowed a run on one hit and two walks with a strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning. Right-hander Will Varmette had a run-scoring wild pitch to the first batter he faced, but then combined with left-hander Igor Gil, right-hander Kleiber Olmedo and right-handed closer Clay Edmondson to not allow a hit over the final 3⅔ innings, although each did issue a walk and for striking out a total of six batters. Edmondson notched his sixth save in as many chances and didn't allow a run in his eighth straight game covering 10 innings. FW_0507.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells, CF 3 0 2 0 1 1 Rosman Verdugo, 2B 3 1 0 0 1 0 Lamar King Jr., C 2 1 0 0 2 1 Jake Cunningham, LF 4 1 1 0 0 2 Kavares Tears, RF 4 0 1 1 0 2 Zach Evans, 3B 4 0 1 2 0 0 Carlos Rodriguez, 1B 3 0 1 0 1 1 Jack Costello, DH 4 0 1 0 0 0 Dylan Grego, SS 2 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carson Montgomery 5.0 3 0 0 1 5 0 Javier Chacon 1/3 1 1 1 2 1 0 Will Varmette 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Igor Gil 2/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 Kleiber Olmedo (W, 3-2) 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Clay Edmondson (S, 6) 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Storm Quieted By 66ers; Bryan Balzer Rebounds After Rough First Ryan Wideman returned to the starting lineup with a pair of hits, but the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm was stifled by the Inland Empire 66ers 4-1. For Wideman, who didn't start the first two games of the series, it was his 11th multi-hit game of the season. He also walked and scored. But the rest of the Storm managed just three hits by the three 66ers pitchers, who retired the final eight hitters of the game. Inland Empire scored twice in the bottom of the first against Storm starter Bryan Balzer, who allowed two singles and a two-out two-run double. Balzer was really good from there, allowing just one more hit and finishing two two walks and five strikeouts in a career-high six innings. The Storm got its only run in the fourth. Wideman had a leadoff walk, went to second on a groundout and scored on Luke Cantwell's opposite-field single to left to make it 2-1. The 66ers added two insurance runs in the eighth on a walk, a single, a stolen base and a two-run single for a 4-1 lead. LE_0507.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Bradley Frye, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 2 Justin DeCriscio, RF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Ryan Wideman, CF 3 1 2 0 1 1 Truitt Madonna, C 4 0 0 0 0 1 Luke Cantwell, DH 4 0 1 1 0 2 Jorge Quintana, SS 4 0 1 0 0 0 Jose Verdugo, 2B 3 0 1 0 0 0 Kerrington Cross, 1B 3 0 0 0 0 1 Qrey Lott, LF 3 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Bryan Balzer (L, 3-1) 6.0 4 2 2 2 5 0 Carson Swilling 1 2/3 2 2 2 2 4 0 Joseph Herrera 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kash Mayfield: DNP Ethan Salas: 0-for-3, 1 RBI, 2 K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Bradgley Rodriguez: DNP Humberto Cruz: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Jorge Quintana: 1-for-4 Kale Fountain: DNP Ryan Wideman: 2-for-3, BB, R, SB, K Jagger Haynes: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, K Romeo Sanabria: 1-for-4 Truitt Madonna: 0-for-4, K Michael Salina: DNP Garrett Hawkins: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, H Kavares Tears: 1-for-4, 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K Deivid Coronil: DNP Francis Pena: DNP Bryan Balzer: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, L View full article

The San Diego Padres are losing half of their catching tandem due to a broken toe. Catcher Luis Campusano was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday by the Padres with a fractured toe on his left foot. Catcher Rodolfo Duran was called up from Triple-A El Paso and will be making his MLB debut tonight after 11 seasons in the minors. Duran is starting at catcher and batting ninth in the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals. Right-handed starter Joe Musgrove (right elbow inflammation) was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to make room for Duran on the 40-man roster. The move is simply procedural from Musgrove's perspective as he isn't close to returning to the active roster. Also, infielder Will Wagner was activated from the 10-day injured list and optioned to El Paso, where he had been on a rehab assignment following a strained right oblique in spring training. Campusano fouled a ball off his foot in Tuesday's 10-5 win over the San Francisco Giants. He has been a surprisingly significant contributor to the Padres' offense while splitting time with Freddy Fermin. Campusano has a slash line of .288/.362/.596 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 18 games. Campusano has had the reputation of an offense-first catcher, but with questionable defense. That second part hasn't shown itself through the first month-plus of the season. The 28-year-old Duran is in his second season with the Padres at El Paso. He has a slash line of .238/.356/.429 with four homers and 20 RBIs in 23 games this season. A year ago, he posted a .288/.344/.503 slash line with 16 homers and 73 RBIs in 86 games. View full rumor

El Paso erased a six-run deficit and beat Tacoma 11-10, as Pablo Reyes launched two home runs and Mason McCoy delivered the eighth-inning, go-ahead single. Fernando Sanchez struck out eight over five scoreless innings for San Antonio in a Missions loss. Fort Wayne split its doubleheader, with Matt Watson and Isaiah Lowe combining to shut out Beloit and Zach Evans driving in three. Lake Elsinore fell 3-2 despite Jesus A. Castro's seven strikeouts. Padres Transactions El Paso Chihuahuas activated RHP Justin Yeager from the Development List. Chihuahuas Erupt For 7-Run Fourth, Score Twice In Eighth For Win Pablo Reyes drilled a pair of homers and Mason McCoy snapped an eighth-inning tie with a go-ahead single as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas used a seven-run fourth inning for an 11-10 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers. McCoy capped a three-hit day with two outs in the eighth by grounding an RBI single to left to score Rodolfo Duran, who had just doubled in Clay Dungan with the tying run. Tacoma had taken a 10-9 lead in the top of the eighth. McCoy has a career-high 14-game hitting streak. EP1_0506.mp4 Samad Taylor had a homer and a Little League homer, while Jose Miranda also homered for the Chihuahuas, who have won six of eight games vs. the Rainiers this year. Tacoma jumped out to a 6-2 lead when the Chihuahuas came up in the bottom of the fourth. McCoy had a leadoff double and Miranda belted his fourth homer of the season to pull El Paso within 6-4. Marcos Castanon, Carlos Rodriguez singled and Taylor laid down a sacrifice bunt that turned into a Little League homer when the first baseman threw the ball into right field, scoring all three and putting the Chihuahuas up 7-6. Will Wagner walked and Reyes greeted the new reliever by drilling the second pitch for an opposite-field homer to right to make it 9-6. It was Reyes' fifth homer of the season and extended his on-base streak to all 24 games he has played this year. Reyes also hit a homer Tuesday, giving him three in two games. But the Rainiers tied it with a three-run fifth inning. Chihuahuas left-handed starter Marco Gonzales lasted just three innings, giving up six runs (three earned) on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Right-hander Triston McKenzie followed by allowing three runs on two hits and four walks and three strikeouts in 1⅓ innings. EP2_0506.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Samad Taylor 4 2 2 1 0 1 Will Wagner 2 1 1 0 3 0 Clay Dungan 0 1 0 0 0 0 Pablo Reyes 5 2 2 3 0 0 Nick Solak 4 0 0 0 1 1 Rodolfo Durán 5 1 1 1 0 0 Mason McCoy 5 1 3 1 0 1 Jose Miranda 5 1 1 2 0 1 Marcos Castañon 2 1 1 0 2 0 Carlos Rodríguez 4 1 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Marco Gonzales 3 5 6 3 2 3 1 Triston McKenzie 1 1/3 2 3 3 4 3 1 Justin Yeager 1 2/3 2 0 0 1 1 0 Misael Tamarez 2 2 1 1 0 0 1 Ethan Routzahn 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Fernando Sanchez's 8 K's Wasted As Missions Fall To RockHounds Left-handed starter Fernando Sanchez was sterling in five shutout innings, striking out eight, but the bullpen imploded by allowing a pair of four-run innings as the Double-A San Antonio Missions dropped an 8-3 decision to the Midland RockHounds. Carson Tucker went 3-for-4, while Kai Roberts and Romeo Sanabria—the top two hitters in the lineup—each had two hits and Francisco Acuna drove in a pair of runs. Sanchez went a season-high five innings while making his third straight start and five relief appearances. He allowed three hits with three walks and the season-high eight strikeouts. Sanchez has two six-strikeout games, one in relief and another in his previous start. He has allowed eight hits in 12⅓ innings as a starter with 18 strikeouts. The Missions took a 3-0 lead with single runs in the first, second and fourth innings. Sanabria doubled home Roberts, who had singled and stole second, to begin the bottom of the first. In the second, Tucker and Acuna had back-to-back doubles for a 2-0 lead. Ryan Jackson and Albert Fabian drew one-out walks in the fourth and Tucker singled to load the bases. Acuna made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly. After Sanchez left, left-handed reliever Harry Gustin gave up four runs in two-thirds of an inning in the seventh as Midland took a 4-3 and right-handed reliever Sadrac Franco coughed up another four in the top of the ninth. SA_0506.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kai Roberts 5 1 2 0 0 0 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 2 1 1 0 Leandro Cedeño 3 0 0 0 1 0 Tirso Ornelas 4 0 0 0 0 1 Ryan Jackson 2 1 0 0 2 0 Albert Fabian 3 0 0 0 1 0 Carson Tucker 4 1 3 0 0 0 Francisco Acuna 2 0 1 2 1 0 Chris Sargent 3 0 0 0 0 0 Ethan Salas 1 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Fernando Sanchez 5 3 0 0 3 8 0 Josh Mallitz 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Harry Gustin 2/3 3 4 3 0 0 1 Michael Flynn 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 3 0 Sadrac Franco 1 2 4 3 2 1 1 Matt Watson's Scoreless Start, Zach Evans' 3 RBIs Give TinCaps Split Right-handed Matt Watson threw four scoreless innings in his first professional start, while Zach Evans homered and drove in three as the High-A Fort Wayne Tin Caps blanked the Beloit SkyCarp 5-0 in the first game of a doubleheader. Beloit won the nightcap 4-2, snapping the TinCaps' six-game winning streak. Watson, a 13th-round draft choice in 2024 who had Tommy John surgery after being selected, had made three relief appearances before his scheduled start against Beloit. He gave up just two hits, while walking one and striking out one, throwing 31 of his 48 pitches for strikes. Isaiah Lowe finished with three hitless innings, walking two and striking out three. Evans was the surprise offensive star. He entered the game with a .188/.263/.232 slash line and just one RBI in 18 games this year. With two outs in the second inning, Carlos E. Rodriguez singled and Evans doubled down the left-field line for a 1-0 lead. Kavares Tears followed with an RBI single to put the TinCaps up 2-0. Jake Cunningham drew a leadoff walk in the fourth and Evans crushed a 1-1 pitch for a two-run homer, his first of the year. In the second game, the TinCaps managed just four hits, including two by Jake Cunningham. Cunningham had a bases-loaded single in the third inning that plated a pair of runs to tie the game 2-2. Beloit, which scored twice in the second, took the lead back with a run in the top of the fourth and added another in the sixth. TinCaps right-handed starter Maikel Miralles had second encouraging outing after back-to-back rough starts. Miralles allowed three runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts in four innings. His five strikeouts were the most since he had nine in his season debut. Right-handed reliever Tucker Musgrove struck out three in 1⅓ innings, allowing a run, and left-handed reliever Braian Salazar allowed one hit and a walk in 1⅔ scoreless innings, striking out one. FW_0506.mp4 FIRST GAME Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells 3 0 0 0 0 0 Rosman Verdugo 3 1 1 1 0 0 Lamar King Jr. 1 0 0 0 2 0 Alex McCoy 3 0 0 0 0 2 Jake Cunningham 2 1 1 0 1 0 Carlos Rodriguez 3 1 1 0 0 1 Zach Evans 3 2 2 3 0 0 Kavares Tears 3 0 1 1 0 0 Jonathan Vastine 2 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Matthew Watson 4 2 0 0 1 1 0 Isaiah Lowe 3 0 0 0 2 3 0 SECOND GAME Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells 3 1 1 0 1 1 Rosman Verdugo 2 1 0 0 1 0 Lamar King Jr. 2 0 0 0 1 1 Alex McCoy 2 0 0 0 1 0 Jake Cunningham 3 0 2 2 0 1 Jack Costello 3 0 0 0 0 3 Zach Evans 3 0 0 0 0 0 Dylan Grego 3 0 0 0 0 0 Oswaldo Linares 3 0 1 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Maikel Miralles 4 7 3 3 2 5 0 Tucker Musgrove 1 1/3 2 1 1 1 3 0 Braian Salazar 1 2/3 1 0 0 1 1 0 Jesus Castro Strikes Out 7, But Storm Fall Short Right-handed starter Jesus A. Castro struck out a season-high seven, but the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm couldn't muster enough offensively in a 3-2 loss to the Inland Empire 66ers. Bradley Frye, Jorge Quintana and Kerrington Cross each had two hits for the Storm, who outhit the 66ers 9-5. Cross scored both of the Storm's runs and had his first stolen base of the season. Castro, an 18-year-old who made his pro debut last season in the Dominican Summer League, also set a season best by going 5⅔ innings. He struck out a career-best eight in 4⅔ in a game last year and fell one out short of matching his longest out of 2025. Castro allowed four hits and didn't walk anyone. The score was tied 1-1 when he left in the sixth after retiring the first two batters and hitting the third. Daichi Moriki came on and gave up a walk and a two-run double for a 3-1 66ers lead. Cross led off the top of the third inning with a double, stole second base with one out and scored on Frye's single to center for a 1-0 Storm lead. The 66ers tied it in the bottom of the inning. The Storm got their only other run in the top of the eighth. With one out, Cross tripled to dead center and scored on pinch-hitter Ryan Wideman's groundout to short. Right-hander Nick Falter turned in two scoreless innings for the Storm, walking one and striking out four. Player AB R H RBI BB K Bradley Frye 4 0 2 1 0 0 Jose Verdugo 4 0 1 0 0 0 Truitt Madonna 4 0 1 0 0 0 Victor Duarte 4 0 0 0 0 0 George Bilecki 3 0 0 0 0 3 Luke Cantwell 1 0 0 0 0 0 Jorge Quintana 3 0 2 0 0 1 Qrey Lott 3 0 0 0 0 1 Kerrington Cross 3 2 2 0 0 0 Conner Westenburg 2 0 1 0 0 1 Ryan Wideman 1 0 0 1 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jesus A. Castro 5 2/3 4 2 2 0 7 0 Daichi Moriki 1/3 1 1 1 1 0 0 Nick Falter 2 0 0 0 1 4 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kash Mayfield: DNP Ethan Salas: 0-for-1 Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Bradgley Rodriguez: DNP Humberto Cruz: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Jorge Quintana: 2-for-3, 2B, K Kale Fountain: DNP Ryan Wideman: 0-for-1, RBI Jagger Haynes: DNP Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-3, 3 BB, K, SB Romeo Sanabria: 2-for-4, 2B, BB, RBI Truitt Madonna: 1-for-4 Michael Salina: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Kavares Tears: 1-for-3, RBI Deivid Coronil: DNP Francis Pena: DNP Bryan Balzer: DNP LE_0506.mp4 View full article