Padres affiliates went 2-3 on Wednesday. Here is our daily recap of games played. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 11-10 vs Tacoma) (17-18 on the season)

Samad Taylor – 2-for-4, Home Run

Pablo Reyes – 2-for-5, Two Home Runs, Three RBI

Marco Gonzales – 3 IP, 5 H, 6 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 3 K (53 pitches – 34 strikes)

El Paso won a back-and-forth affair in regulation this time, taking down the visiting Tacoma Rainiers by an 11-10 final. The power was fully on display for the Chihuahuas on Wednesday afternoon, as Samad Taylor, Pablo Reyes, and Jose Miranda all hit home runs in the win. Reyes had himself yet another multi-homer game, his second of the campaign. Will Wagner finished with three walks and a single in five plate appearances, starting this time at first base. Mason McCoy hit a double and scored a run as part of a three-hit day; El Paso’s shortstop is now hitting .316 with a .913 OPS this season. No starter went without reaching base in the game, with Nick Solak being the lone starter without a base hit. 

Down 6-0 in the bottom of the third, the PCL’s Player of the Month, Samad Taylor hit a home run that bounced off the outfield wall! pic.twitter.com/ONocQm1aOJ

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) May 6, 2026

Pablo Reyes wants in again! He rounds the bases on his second home run of the game, his fifth of the season! Chihuahuas lead 9-6! pic.twitter.com/ETJBBZ15kC

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) May 6, 2026

Marco Gonzales made the start for the Chihuahuas, and it was a mixed bag. On one hand, Gonzales struck out three while crossing the 50-pitch threshold. This was notable for the left-hander,r as he is coming back from an injured list stint and missed 2025 due to injury. However, he was charged with six runs (three earned) in his start, bringing his season ERA up to 8.27. Triston McKenzie pitched 1.1 frames in relief, continuing to rack up both strikeouts and walks en masse. McKenzie walked four and struck out three, and was charged with three runs. Two of those scored against reliever Justin Yeager, who allowed a pair of inherited runners to score. Yeager has struggled with inherited runners this season, as 60% of inherited runners have scored against the former Braves draftee. Misael Tamarez touched 100.0 mph on the dot in his two innings of relief, averaging 97.9 mph on his four-seamer. Tamarez allowed a solo home run, but otherwise kept the Tacoma offense in check. After El Paso took the lead in the bottom of the eighth, Ethan Routzahn entered and picked up his third save of the season. Routzahn touched 93.1 mph on his sinker, which, coming from a submarine/sidearm slot, is impressive. 

COLT! UPPER TANK! FOR THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/x9FSND4hcZ

— Tacoma Rainiers (@RainiersLand) May 6, 2026

San Antonio Missions (Lost 8-3 vs Midland) (8-21 on the season)

Romeo Sanabria – 1-for-4, Double, RBI

Carson Tucker – 3-for-4, Double, Run Scored

Fernando Sanchez – 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K (75 pitches – 45 strikes)

Fernando Sanchez pitched the best start of his season so far on Wednesday, pitching five scoreless innings against a loaded Midland RockHounds team. Sanchez struck out eight batters, picking up whiffs on eight swings against him. The Sonora, Mexico native has gone back and forth between the rotation and bullpen in his career, but this sort of performance is the kind that presents an intriguing question for the Padres organization. Sanchez has put together a 2.19 ERA as a starter this season, and opponents have hit .186 against him in this role. Depending on Miguel Mendez’s return, the Missions will have tough decisions ahead. Josh Mallitz threw a scoreless inning, picking off the lone baserunner he allowed. Harry Gustin allowed a leadoff single and double in the seventh, with a fielding error scoring a run against him. A soft groundout scored another run, and with one out, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer turned on a low-and-in fastball from Gustin for a two-run home run onto the berm in left field, putting the Missions down 4-3. Michael Flynn ended the inning, allowing no further damage. Sadrac Franco allowed four runs in the ninth, with only three being earned. 

Today’s @FrostBank Player of the Game is LHP Fernando Sanchez ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/fj1oCxWTYK

— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) May 6, 2026

The lineup was without Ethan Salas, who had a scheduled off day. Despite this, the Missions tacked on early against Midland starter Jackson Finley. Kai Roberts went 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot, scoring on Romeo Sanabria’s RBI double in the first. Back-to-back second-inning doubles by Carson Tucker and Francisco Acuna scored the Missions’ second run of the game. Tucker had a double and two singles in the game, and is hitting .400 in May so far. Acuna scored Ryan Jackson on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning for the Missions’ third run of the game. After falling behind, the Missions had opportunities to tie the game, as they left two runners on in the seventh inning. The Missions had two on and two outs in the eighth, prompting manager Chris Tremie to send up Ethan Salas as a pinch-hitter. Salas flew out deep to center field to end the inning. San Antonio went down 1-2-3 in the ninth to end the game. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps – Result of Doubleheader vs Beloit

Won 5-0 in Game 1

Zach Evans – 2-for-4, Home Run, Double, Three RBI

Rosman Verdugo – 1-for-3, Home Run

Matt Watson – 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K (48 pitches – 31 strikes)

Fort Wayne, debuting their brand new Fort Wayne Pufferbellies jerseys (some of the best alternates in the Midwest Leagu,), took the opening game of the twin-bill by a 5-0 final. Zach Evans had a breakout game, as the Padres’ No. 30 prospect hit his first High-A home run in the fourth inning. Evans also doubled to score the first run of the game in the second inning. Kavares Tears doubled to score a run in the second as well. Rosman Verdugo added on with his fifth home run of the season in the fifth inning, making the score 5-0. Jake Cunningham had a double and a run scored, and Lamar King Jr drew two walks, tying him for the team lead. 

Zach Evans Goodbye ?

First High-A home run pic.twitter.com/YX73tp1o86

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) May 6, 2026

DESTROYED BY DOOGIE ?

3rd home run in the last week. 5-0 Pufferbellies pic.twitter.com/SUpY9zRzyb

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) May 6, 2026

The strong offensive output was more than enough to back starting pitcher Matt Watson. In his first career start, the former 13th-round pick cruised through four innings, despite just one strikeout. Watson averaged 93-96 on the fastball and showed off a five-pitch mix. Watson was efficient, working around two jams in his four innings, inducing a first-inning double-play as well. Isaiah Lowe, the TinCaps’ usual Wednesday starter, threw three scoreless innings to pick up the win. Lowe struck out three against two walks, facing just one batter over the minimum to close out the shutout win.

Former 13th-round pick Matt Watson made his first career start today for @TinCaps:

4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
48 pitches – 31 strikes

FF 92-96 mph
FS 93-96 mph
SL 81-84 mph
FC 86-89 mph
CH 85-87 mph pic.twitter.com/bc4tAdDNsq

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) May 7, 2026

TinCaps Lost 4-2 in Game 2

Jake Cunningham – 2-for-3, Two-Run Single

Kasen Wells – 1-for-3, Double, Walk, Run Scored

Maikel Miralles – 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K (82 pitches – 56 strikes)

Right-hander Maikel Miralles gutted through four innings against Beloit, allowing three runs on seven hits. The right-hander did not have an easy time finishing off batters, as he got ahead but struggled to execute the out pitch. Miralles was hitting 91-93 mph as usual, but Beloit batters took advantage of mislocations. Miralles was still able to strike out five batters in his start, keeping the team in it. Tucker Musgrove pitched 1.1 innings of relief, striking out three. Musgrove touched 97-98 on his fastball consistently, and his slider had batters (in the words of broadcasters Mike Maahs and Andy Jachim) “turning in their shoes”. Musgrove departed with the bases loaded, and Braian Salazar allowed a run to score on a weakly-hit single to right field. The TinCaps were able to limit the damage thanks to a forceout at home and a strikeout, keeping the deficit at two. 

Jake Cunningham continues to hit! The TinCaps outfielder went 2-for-3 with a game-tying two-run single. Kasen Wells was 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Wells also took the team lead in walks with 17. Alex McCoy, Lamar King Jr, and Rosman Verdugo all walked in the game, with Verdugo scoring a run. King Jr stole his sixth base of the season in the first inning. Oswaldo Linares went 1-for-3 with a single from the nine-spot, throwing out Wilson Weber on a stolen base attempt as well. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 3-2 vs Inland Empire) (17-12 on the season)

Kerrington Cross – 2-for-3, Double, Triple, Run Scored

Jorge Quintana – 2-for-3, Double

Jesus A. Castro – 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 7 K (78 pitches – 55 strikes)

Right-hander Jesus A. Castro had his best start of the season, nearly doubling his season strikeout total against the 66ers. Castro struck out seven while generating 17 swings and misses, the second-highest total in all of Single-A baseball. Castro’s sinker touched 92-93 mph with sharp armside movement, which led to some uncomfortable at-bats for the opposition. Castro allowed two runs on four hits, finishing one out shy of a quality start. Castro’s ERA is down to a more modest 4.58, and his 3.94 FIP reinforces his solid start to the campaign. Daichi Moriki allowed an earned run in 0.1 innings; it was his first time allowing an earned run in almost a month (April 7 was the last time he gave up an earned run). Nick Falter, fresh off making the EVT Minor League All-April Team, pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Falter has now fanned 27.5% of opponents against an 8.7% walk rate to open his career. 

Billy, this is Jesus A. Castro.

He was signed out of Mexico??, is 18 years old, and has an absolutely nasty two-seam and breaking ball combination.

His only deficit is that he wasn’t getting strikeouts until today.

/jpic.twitter.com/ul1VFvlk4k

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) May 6, 2026

Kerrington Cross broke out the big stick, as he finished with two extra-base hits and a run scored. Cross doubled and scored in the third inning, while hitting a triple in the eighth. The Storm’s first baseman also stole a base in the game, setting him up to score on Bradley Frye’s ground ball single. Jorge Quintana had a double as part of a two-hit day. The Padres’ No. 6 prospect has nine hits in his last five games, hitting .375 in that stretch. Jose Verdugo hit a double in the loss, with both Truitt Madonna and Conner Westenburg hitting singles in the game as well. 

ACL Padres – No Game

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.