Padres minor league affiliates went 4-1 on Friday.

Here is our daily recap of games played. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 10-5 vs Salt Lake) (20-23 on the season)

Mason McCoy – 2-for-4, Two Singles, Three RBI

Nick Schnell – 1-for-3, Home Run, RBI

Jackson Wolf – 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K (85 pitches – 49 strikes)

Jackson Wolf started for the Chihuahuas, pitching five innings of two-run baseball. The lanky left-hander struck out two batters in his outing, with five outs coming via the ground ball. Despite just the two strikeouts, this outing was the left-hander’s strongest of the month so far. Garrett Hawkins had a tough outing in the Salt Lake air, pitching one inning and allowing a pair of runs. Hawkins issued two walks in the outing, and two hits allowed led to two runs and a blown save. The Padres’ No. 9 prospect’s work with El Paso has been marred by walks, as he has issued 15 in 16.2 innings. Logan Gillaspie allowed six runs in one inning of work, with all runs being earned. The big swing of the game came against the right-hander, as Salt Lake’s Donovan Walton hit a grand slam on a low-and-in curve. Justin Yeager threw a scoreless eighth inning, albeit with the team down 10-5. 

DONOVAN WALTON CLEARS THE DECK WITH A GRAND SLAM pic.twitter.com/c7OlO1ulyZ

— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) May 16, 2026

The lineup started strongly, as they cashed in three runs in the first inning. Samad Taylor and Will Wagner reached base in the inning before a single by Nick Solak scored Taylor. After Solak stole second base, a single by Mason McCoy scored two runs for a 3-0 advantage. Nick Schnell hit a solo home run to lead off the sixth inning against former Brave Huascar Ynoa, giving the Chihuahuas a 4-2 lead at the time. Despite two more runners in the inning, the Chihuahuas failed to score. Mason McCoy’s second single of the game scored the team’s fifth run, but the scoring ended there. Pablo Reyes’ 30-game on-base streak came to an end in this game, as he went 0-for-5 as the leadoff man. 

San Antonio Missions (Won 10-3 vs Wichita) (14-23 on the season)

Braedon Karpathios – 2-for-3, Two Singles, Two Walks, Two RBI

Ryan Jackson – 2-for-4, Two Singles, Three RBI

Omar Cruz – 3.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 9 K (57 pitches – 40 strikes)

Making his first start of the season, left-hander Omar Cruz posted video-game numbers. The left-hander threw 57 pitches, 40 of which were strikes. Furthermore, Cruz struck out nine of 14 batters faced, the first time he fanned nine since June of 2024. This total is one away from his career-best in a game (10), set all the way back on May 15, 2021. Cruz was charged with a pair of unearned runs, but he exhibited levels of dominance akin to those that got him to the majors. Sadrac Franco threw 1.2 scoreless innings in relief, striking out three batters and earning the win. Josh Mallitz threw two innings of one-run baseball, striking out three batters. Francis Pena shook off his lack of command from Wednesday in the best way possible, racking up five strikeouts in two scoreless innings. The Missions’ pitching staff struck out 20 batters in the game, setting a franchise record in the process. 

Tonight’s @FrostBank Player of the Game is LHP Omar Cruz! ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/CLFQ6xqyMM

— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) May 16, 2026

The Missions’ lineup saw contributions from the middle and lower end of the lineup. Tirso Ornelas had three hits and drove in one run; Ornelas also hit his ninth double of the season. Romeo Sanabria hit a single and walked two times in the game, scoring three runs. After hitting .176 in April, the Missions’ first baseman is hitting .333 with a .940 OPS in 42 at-bats in May. Braedon Karpathios finished with a multi-hit effort, driving in two runs. Ryan Jackson joined in on the multi-hit festivities with a two-hit game of his own. Jackson drove in three runs in the game, also reaching base on three instances. Carson Tucker reached base twice, scoring two runs. Ethan Salas had a quiet day at the plate by his recent standards, with an RBI single and a stolen base. Salas has now taken eight bags on the season, with his only caught stealing coming on a first-base back pick. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 12-3 vs Cedar Rapids) (18-19 on the season)

Kavares Tears – 3-for-5, Home Run, Double, Four RBI

Rosman Verdugo – 3-for-5, Home Run, Two RBI

Kash Mayfield – 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K (56 pitches – 43 strikes)

When a team scores 12 runs, and the headliner is the starting pitcher, it’s a special day. Kash Mayfield was the headline today for the TinCaps, as the Padres’ No. 3 prospect struck out nine of 16 batters faced while allowing just one hit. Mayfield was aggressive in the zone, with 43 of his 56 pitches being strikes. Mayfield touched 95 mph on the radar gun, and his changeup tunneled as well as always. The left-hander picked up 16 swings and misses against Cedar Rapids, and dominated from the word ‘go’. Braian Salazar pitched the sixth inning, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks. Will Varmette pitched two scoreless innings in relief, striking out one. The Alabama-born right-hander has yet to allow an earned run in May and is settling into his relief role after a rocky start. Luis German closed out the win with a scoreless ninth.

1️⃣6️⃣ Swings and Misses ?

37.2% Whiff rate is INSANE ?

13-straight retired to start the day and tied a career-high with 9 Ks (all swinging)@KashM_2024 is something special https://t.co/eehctCfanf

— Jaden Taylor (@JadenTaylor25) May 16, 2026

Kavares Tears had a phenomenal performance, driving in four of the 12 TinCaps runs. Tears launched a three-run home run in the first inning, and later hit an RBI double. Tears now has a .742 OPS this season after a slow start. Zach Evans and Rosman Verdugo opened the game with back-to-back hits, and both scored on an RBI double by Alex McCoy. A double from Kasen Wells scored the team’s sixth run of the first inning. Wells ended the game 4-for-4 with a double, three singles, and two runs scored. Alex McCoy hit his 12th double of the season, driving in two runs and scoring two runs of his own. Verdugo moved into the TinCaps’ all-time home run leaderboard with his 20th career TinCaps homer, tied for 10th place in franchise history. 

We scored 6⃣ runs in the first inning. Chat, is that good? pic.twitter.com/Hv9GHb8rCi

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) May 16, 2026

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 14-0 vs Rancho Cucamonga) (22-15 on the season)

Jorge Quintana – 3-for-5, Two-Run Home Run

Kerrington Cross – 2-for-2, Home Run, Three RBI

Kruz Schoolcraft – 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 4 K (67 pitches – 33 strikes)

On K-Pop Night at The Diamond, the Storm went for the takedown, scoring 14 times while their staff hurled a shutout. Jorge Quintana had three hits, with a home run and two RBI. Quintana is now hitting .248 on the season, and is hitting .317 in May. Ty Harvey opened the scoring with an RBI double, scoring Bradley Frye. Qrey Lott hit two RBI singles in the game, driving in two runs. Truitt Madonna’s fifth-inning double scored two runs, and a bases-loaded walk to Harvey scored the Storm’s sixth run. Ryan Wideman reached on an error to score a run, and Kerrington Cross’s infield single scored the team’s eighth run. Ty Harvey scored on a wild pitch for the ninth run, and Jorge Quintana’s RBI single got the Storm into double digits in yet another five-plus-run inning. Cross hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning, his second of the season. 

KERRINGTON CROSS MAKES IT A BAKER’S DOZEN!!!!#EmbraceTheStorm x #AlturaCU pic.twitter.com/ymPgWC3yFt

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 16, 2026

Jorge Quintana puts an EXCLAMATION POINT on the 6th inning with a laser off of the Ad Monster.

Storm up BIG!!!!! pic.twitter.com/LrM2b6IEZP

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 16, 2026

Kruz Schoolcraft pitched a hitless start, striking out four. However, the Padres’ No. 2 prospect issued five walks in three innings. After showing improvements in his command in recent weeks, Schoolcraft’s five walks issued were a career-high. Despite this, he led the team in whiffs with eight, and pitched in an effectively wild manner. Nick Falter earned the win with three scoreless innings, striking out one. Vicarte Domingo worked a scoreless seventh inning with two strikeouts, and Joseph Herrera struck out one in two scoreless innings to close out the win. 

STORM PITCHING TONIGHT

9 IP
4 H
8 SO
0 R pic.twitter.com/TqBgD4Admc

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 16, 2026

ACL Padres (Won 4-3 vs ACL Rockies) (4-6 on the season)

Santiago Vargas – 1-for-2, Grand Slam

Luis De Leon – 1-for-3, Single, Stolen Base

Michael Salina – 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K 

The ACL Padres needed just one swing to seal a win over the ACL Rockies, as Cartagena’s own Santiago Vargas hit a third-inning grand slam to give the Padres an insurmountable lead. Vargas, who signed with the Padres in the 2025 international signing period, is making his pro debut stateside and has impressed in his first 19 professional aat-bats Luis De Leon went 1-for-3 with a single and a stolen base, while Jesmaylin Arias also singled and scored. Jhojan Downer, Issac Ponce, and Eduarlin Tejeda all hit singles in the win. On the mound, Michael Salina’s second start saw the right-hander strike out two. However, Salina was charged with two runs on three hits and one walk. The right-hander is making his return from Tommy John surgery during his last year at St. Bonaventure University, so he is still some time away from an assignment to a full-season club. Ty Adcock threw a scoreless inning on a rehab assignment. Also on rehab assignment was right-hander Ethan Long, assigned by Lake Elsinore. The former first baseman allowed a run on two walks and a hit. Long, who was closing games for the Storm, is coming back from an unreported injury. Zack Qin pitched two scoreless innings with five strikeouts, picking up the save. The Nanjing, China-born left-hander has not allowed a run in two rehab outings, fanning nine in five innings.

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.