Padres minor league affiliates went 3-1 on Thursday. 

Here is our daily recap of games played. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 10-9 vs Round Rock) (7-11 on the season)

Mason McCoy – 2-for-4, Two Home Runs, Four RBI

Nate Mondou – 1-for-3, RBI Single, 1000th Career MiLB Hit

Griffin Canning – 2.2 IP, 1 H, 6 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 6 K (67 pitches – 37 strikes)

After a blowout win, El Paso and Round Rock faced off in a traditional PCL shootout, with the Express winning 10-9. Griffin Canning allowed one hit through 2.2 innings, but issued four walks. Canning struck out six batters, racking up whiffs on 36% of swings against. A fielding error by Carlos Rodriguez in right field allowed three runs to score in the third inning, chasing Canning from the game. Andrew Thurman made his first Triple-A appearance since 2017, allowing three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of relief. Yuki Matsui threw a scoreless inning, while his velocity remained down by one mile per hour on average. Miguel Cienfuegos struck out three batters in 1.2 innings of relief, allowing one run. Ethan Routzahn pitched yet another scoreless outing, throwing 1.1 innings of one-hit baseball. 

Loaded ’em up and Michael drove ’em in to score!#RockEm | #RRExpress pic.twitter.com/QLruaifiaQ

— Round Rock Express (@RRExpress) April 17, 2026

Mason McCoy bounced back from a tough series against Albuquerque with a multi-homer game. McCoy launched two homers in the ball game, with one against a pitcher of each handedness. The Chihuahuas’ shortstop is now up to a .711 OPS this season. Nate Mondou had a milestone moment, as his third-inning single marked the 1000th hit of his minor league career. Nick Solak drove in three runs on two hits, and Jase Bowen went 1-for-4 with a triple out of the cleanup spot. El Paso went 3-for-4 in the stolen base department, while finishing 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the loss. 

MONDOUUUUUU https://t.co/CFpNi9hcEr pic.twitter.com/7EaVGQIcN0

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) April 17, 2026

San Antonio Missions (Won 4-1 vs Midland) (4-8 on the season)

Ethan Salas – 1-for-3, Double, Two Walks

Luis Verdugo – 2-for-3, Double, RBI, Two Runs Scored

Miguel Mendez – 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K (78 pitches – 52 strikes)

Miguel Mendez’s season continues to be the dominant campaign he and the Padres envisioned when he was added to the 40-man last November. The fiery right-hander threw five innings of one-run baseball, striking out six batters. Mendez continues to live in the mid to high-90s with his fastball, and he has made strides in his location of pitches through the young campaign. Mendez’s kryptonite in Spring Training was that his mislocations were either down the heart of the plate or way out of the zone. Mendez has now reeled in his command, making more competitive offerings, which allows him to set up for whiffs and strikeouts as he did during his elite summer form last season. Eric Yost pitched in relief of Mendez yet again, partly due to the Missions having so many starting-caliber arms. Yost picked up where his teammate left off, firing four innings of scoreless baseball with three strikeouts and three walks. Yost also induced two double plays, picking up a total of eight outs on ground balls in play. The right-hander has excelled to open the season, and could very well fit the sort of swingman role the Padres organization values, especially with his heavy east-west arsenal profile. 

Miguel Mendez

5.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Ks, 2 BB, 2 H

Off to a great start this season pic.twitter.com/inP9gJV9Ol

— Giannis Auntiegotapoodle (@TooMuchMortons_) April 17, 2026

The Missions saw Ethan Salas atop the lineup once more, and the phenom delivered yet again. Salas finished 1-for-3 with a double, RBI, and two walks in the ballgame. Salas even picked up a stolen base for all the troubles along the way. His second season at Double-A is already off to a better start than 2025, and Salas has shown maturity beyond his years in his approach at the plate. If hecano slug some more as the year goes on, the Salas-saince could very well be a real occurrence. Luis Verdugo and Ryan Jackson each finished 2-for-3 with a single and a double, making an impact in their own ways. Verdugo drove in a run on a sac fly, and with his double, he raised his average to .318 with a .993 OPS. Jackson, meanwhile, stole two bases and came in to score on Verdugo’s sacrifice fly. Braedon Karpathios is finding his groove at the plate, as he finished 1-for-4 with a triple and a run scored. An error by Leo De Vries allowed Karpathios to scamper the extra 90 feet home on the triple, giving the Missions a 1-0 lead. Romeo Sanabria picked up the team’s only other RBI with a sac fly to score Luis Verdugo. Leandro Cedeno was hitless but drew two walks in the win. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 8-3 vs Lake County) (4-7 on the season)

Lamar King Jr – 3-for-4, Home Run, Double, Two RBI

Jake Cunningham – 2-for-4, Two Home Runs, Four RBI

Carson Montgomery – 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K (68 pitches – 42 strikes)

Fort Wayne fought through a long rain delay to secure a win over the Lake County Captains on Thursday night. The TinCaps brought out the hammers, as they launched five home runs en route to a victory. Lamar King Jr got on the board with his first homer of the season against starter Jackson Humphries. Rosman Verdugo and Alex McCoy went back-to-back with home runs in the sixth inning against Lake County reliever Sean Matson, with McCoy crushing a 110 mph moonshot to left field. Jake Cunningham broke out with two home runs of his own in the late innings, going on to drive in four valuable insurance runs after the second rain delay of the game. 

Verdugo and McCoy go back-to-back before the delay?? pic.twitter.com/mN6uLgPOVS

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) April 17, 2026

On the mound, Carson Montgomery made his scheduled start, pitching four innings of two-run baseball. Home runs were an issue for the right-hander, as he allowed solo home runs to Jaison Chourio and Esteban Gonzalez. Despite this, Montgomery was able to coax the ground-ball double play on two separate instances to bury any momentum the Captains were building. Montgomery picked up whiffs on eight swings, and three of his four strikeouts came swinging. Tucker Musgrove made his season debut, albeit in relief. However, the role mattered not for the Alabama native, who struck out the side on 17 pitches in his one inning of relief, and the scorekeeper credited him with the win. Igor Gil fanned two in an inning of relief, stranding two baserunners. Kleiber Olmedo was on in relief again, striking out two but allowing one run on three walks and two hits in 1.1 innings. Manager Jonathan Mathews turned to Braian Salazar out of the bullpen, and Salazar went on to record the final five outs via the K to end the game and seal a TinCaps win. 

In his season debut, Padres No. 17 prospect Tucker Musgrove struck out the side in the fifth inning of Fort Wayne’s 9-3 win over Lake County.

Yeah, that will most definitely play. pic.twitter.com/Q9eqir4DTj

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) April 17, 2026

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 11-7 vs Stockton) (5-7 on the season)

Truitt Madonna – 2-for-5, Two Doubles, RBI

Kerrington Cross – 2-for-3, Home Run, Double, RBI

Bryan Balzer – 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K (72 pitches – 42 strikes)

Lake Elsinore changed up their winning formula in their win over Stockton, as they launched three home runs in the 11-7 win. Kerrington Cross and Justin DeCriscio each hit their first home runs of the season. Cross finished 2-for-3 with two extra-base hits; a good day in the pros for the former Cincinnati Bearcat. Truitt Madonna hit two doubles and drove in a run, also scoring in the win. Ryan Wideman finished 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI, raising his OBP to .375 in 12 games. Jose Verdugo finished 2-for-5 with a double while splitting time at second base and shortstop. Kale Fountain launched his second home run of the season in the second inning. 

Bryan Balzer made his third start of the season, and while the final line was not as clean as his first two, he fared well despite the run column. Balzer pitched five innings, allowing four runs on six hits. Despite this, Balzer was able to strike out five batters, walking just one. The right-hander’s sinker-heavy approach allowed him to mitigate damage, as he picked up five of 15 outs via the ground ball. Balzer has been the steady force in the Storm rotation thus far, and the next few months could be critical for his future outlook. Daichi Moriki made a scoreless appearance, striking out two batters in one inning. Javier Chacon picked up six outs via the strikeout in two innings of relief, generating 11 whiffs. Chacon was charged with two runs (both unearned) on a two-run home run. Sean Barnett allowed a run on two walks and a wild pitch in the ninth inning, but closed out the win.

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.