With the weekend comes a time to relax, and a time to relax comes with watching Minor League Baseball.

More specifically, watching Padres minor league teams. Padres’ affiliates went 1-3 in game action on Saturday. 

Here is a recap of the day’s events. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 11-2 vs Las Vegas) (6-8 on the season)

Luis Campusano – 2-for-3, Two Singles, Walk

Rodolfo Duran – 1-for-4, Two-RBI Single

Wes Benjamin – 4 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 0 BB, 5 K (87 pitches – 55 strikes)

Former Ranger Wes Benjamin made his third start for the Chihuahuas and fourth appearance overall. While his first two starts were strong (1.29 ERA in 7 IP), his third was not the charm. Benjamin was hit hard on 50% of balls in play, with only his changeup not registering a hard-hit ball in play against. The soft-tossing left-hander allowed three home runs as well, including a 394-foot blast to A’s top prospect Nick Kurtz. Most concerningly for the left-hander, his four-seam fastball was in its worst shape of the young season, down one mile per hour on average and averaging five less inches of induced vertical break in the game; no whiffs came on the fastball either. 

Watch it fly ?

Nick Kurtz (@Athletics) hits his MiLB-leading 7th homer for @AviatorsLV! pic.twitter.com/Bsqv59N4VY

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 13, 2025

Kevin Kopps, who has become a workhorse out of the Chihuahuas bullpen, tossed two innings of two-run baseball in relief of Benjamin, allowing two inherited runners to score along with two runs of his own in the fifth inning. The former Golden Spikes winner kept opponents to soft contact in his relief, and he could be a late season long relief for the Padres if he keeps up this performance. Raul Brito struck out three batters in an inning of work, and Ethan Routzahn shook off a rough outing in his last game to fire two scoreless innings. 

The middle of the Chihuahuas’ batting order had a strong game, as Luis Campusano had a two-hit day as the designated hitter. Campusano has split time at catcher and designated hitter so far this season. While he keeps hitting the ball hard (top exit velocity of 107.7 on the day), the Padres organization would like to see more consistency out of their former second-rounder before he gets a call to the bigs. Yonathan Perlaza had two hits of his own, as did Mike Brosseau, back on the active roster. Perlaza has been strong this series, posting at least one hit in each of the five games, including three extra-base hits. Starting behind the plate, Rodolfo Duran drove in the lone Chihuahuas runs of the game with a bases-loaded single to left field in the seventh. 

El Paso returns to play Sunday at 11:05 am Pacific Time. Austin Krob starts for El Paso, with Joey Estes throwing for Las Vegas. 

San Antonio Missions (Lost 2-0 vs Corpus Christi) (5-3 on the season)

Joshua Mears – 1-for-3, Single

Francisco Acuna – 1-for-4, Single

Braden Nett – 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K (58 pitches – 39 strikes)

Going into the 2025 season, Braden Nett ranked in at No. 8 on the East Village Times Top 30 Padres Prospects. Going into the season, I said the following regarding Nett in a video projecting breakouts (at the 6:57 mark): “This is a guy who could be […], he could be the next homegrown ace of the San Diego Padres.” A lot of praise for a pitcher who had one start at the Double-A level entering the season, but perhaps it may not have been unfounded. 

Nett started for San Antonio and fired off four innings of one-run baseball in 58 pitches. 67% of his pitches went for strikes, and opposing batters whiffed on 42% of swings against (13 whiffs on 31 swings). The biggest need for Nett was to cut down on the walks, as his walk rate sat at 14% last season. Thus far, he has only walked three in seven innings, and his stuff has looked even better than last season. His fastball was topping out at 98 mph in his outing, with his sinker clocking in at 95 mph per the broadcast. His cutter, splitter, sweeper, and curveball also saw usage in the ballgame, keeping opposing batters befuddled throughout. 

Braden Nett

4.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Ks, 1 BB, 2 H, 58 pitches

Was touching 98 mph. Number 3 prospect in the system imo. pic.twitter.com/9HnpGLhBa1

— Giannis Auntiegotapoodle (@TooMuchMortons_) April 13, 2025

The trio of Nett, Jose Espada, and Eduarniel Nunez combined to strike out 14 batters in eight innings of work, scattering five hits and two runs. Nett was one out away from four scoreless innings, but a wild pitch moved Hooks’ right fielder, Colin Barber, from second to third, and he would score on a single from Anthony Sherwin. Corpus Christi’s second run came on a home run by Logan Cerny off Jose Espada. 

A Cernyfied homerun pic.twitter.com/jkRIPrhLOV

— Corpus Christi Hooks (@cchooks) April 13, 2025

The Missions’ offense was ice cold in the warm Texas temperature, with two singles and three walks accounting for all baserunners for San Antonio. Francisco Acuna and Joshua Mears were the lone players to record base hits, with the rest of the lineup going 0-for-20 with three walks in the loss. There was not much to speak of in terms of runners in scoring position, as the team finished 0-for-1 in that regard. 

San Antonio looks to get back in the win column on Sunday, with left-hander Jackson Wolf making his second start of the season. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 6-0 vs Dayton) (4-4 on the season)

Leo De Vries – 1-for-4, Single

Jack Costello – 1-for-4, Single

Isaiah Lowe – 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 0 K (32 pitches – 19 strikes)

Tyler Morgan – 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K (36 pitches – 27 strikes)

Isaiah Lowe was unable to escape the first inning against Dayton, surrendering four runs (three earned). The right-hander allowed three hits to lead off the game, with an infield single from Carlos Jorge scoring the first run of the ballgame. Lowe then walked Ricardo Cabrera to lead the bases, and the next batter rolled over a Lowe changeup to third base. Chase Valentine threw to second for the forceout, but Brandon Butterworth’s turn to first base was low and unable to be scooped by Costello on a short-hop, allowing two runs to score. Lowe then balked the runner at second to third, and the runner came around to score on a groundout by Anthony Stephen, ending Lowe’s outing. 

Reliever Tyler Morgan became the story of the game, as the 2023 14th-rounder had one of the best relief outings of his career. Morgan threw 3.1 innings of no-hit baseball, striking out a career-high seven batters. It was the single strongest relief appearance the right-hander posted since April 24, 2024 (the opposing team that day: Dayton. What a coincidence!).

10
10 @Padres right-handed prospect Tyler Morgan retires all 10 batters he faces — 7 by strikeout — for the @TinCaps: pic.twitter.com/Tib0INR5DM

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 12, 2025

The TinCaps’ offense failed to plant seeds for any scoring in the ballgame. The duo of Leo De Vries and Jack Costello each singled in the game. Nerwilian Cedeno had himself a double as well, but the rest of the lineup was ineffective, going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Braedon Karpathios, Jake Snider, and Rosman Verdugo all walked in the game, but the team never got a runner past second base, losing 6-0. 

Fort Wayne finishes the series on Sunday, with right-hander Eric Yost set to start the finale. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 10-1 vs Modesto) (1-7 on the season)

Ryan Jackson – 4-for-4, Home Run

Zach Evans – 3-for-4, Triple, Single, Three RBI

Bryan Balzer – 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K (46 pitches – 28 strikes)

Lake Elsinore came very close to their first win on Friday, and on Saturday, Lake Elsinore became Lake Winsenore for the first time this season. 

Right-hander Bryan Balzer had his best start of his young pro career, tossing four shutout frames with three strikeouts. Balzer did not allow a run or even an extra-base hit. He also managed to control the running game for Modesto, picking off one of two attempted base stealers. The game was manager Brian Burres’ first with the Storm, and he was given the official lineup card after the game. Carson Swilling picked up his first professional win in the game, tossing two scoreless innings of relief.

Congratulations to Brian Burres on his first win as a Manager in the California League!

Season of Firsts Presented by Verizon 5G Home Internet pic.twitter.com/uS35xR4Ada

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) April 13, 2025

Bryan Balled Out ?

Tommy’s Express Car Wash offers a fast, convenient, and high-quality cleaning experience, ensuring your vehicle shines like new in just minutes. pic.twitter.com/S36OrSPdLe

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) April 13, 2025

The offense came out swinging, as multiple players had multi-hit games. Ryan Jackson continues to impress to open the season, notching a four-hit game and hitting his first professional home run. Zach Evans had three hits, driving in three runs, scoring two runs, and walking once. His first-inning RBI triple gave Lake Elsinore a lead the team never surrendered. Kaden Hollow drove in four runs, hitting two two-run doubles in the ballgame, and Sean Barnett had another base hit, with a double marking a three-game hitting streak. 

Zach Evans perfectly places a ball into left centerfield to give us a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning!#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/vGz9R82wDg

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) April 13, 2025

We score runs like Brady… In Bunches ?

After ANOTHER four run frame, we’re up 8-0 in the top of the fifth inning! #EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/qvUvlThaob

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) April 13, 2025

One Position Player Pitching
One Position Player MASHING

Ryan Jackson just gave us a double-digit lead in the seventh inning. pic.twitter.com/fUAyMeqGcL

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) April 13, 2025

Lake Elsinore looks to double dip in the win column on Sunday, with Luis Gutierrez in line to start.

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.