Padres minor league affiliates had themselves a Saturday slate, going 2-2 in games played. 

Here is our nightly recap of games played. 

El Paso Chihuahuas – Swept Doubleheader vs Tacoma (5-3 on the season)

Won 5-2 in 8 innings in Game 1

Sung-Mun Song – 2-for-4, Double, Two RBI

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

Griffin Canning – 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K (51 pitches – 33 strikes)

A trio of Padres arms on rehab assignment led the pitching staff in the Chihuahuas’ 5-2 extra-inning win. Griffin Canning made the start in his organizational debut, pitching 2.1 innings of one-run baseball. Canning’s changeup was impressive, returning a 40% whiff rate. His fastball was equally as effective, which helped the right-hander rack up four strikeouts against a potent Tacoma lineup. Yuki Matsui made his first rehab appearance, striking out two batters in a scoreless inning of work. Jason Adam made his first rehab appearance of the weekend, recording two outs on 18 pitches. The veteran right-hander is set to rejoin the Padres after one more rehab appearance and will likely be activated in time for the team’s next homestand. Justin Yeager earned the win with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, and Alek Jacob shut the door by striking out three in the eighth. 

The @EPChihuahuas are winners in game one of tonight’s doubleheader!

Alek Jacob shuts the door with the game-tying run at the plate.

ELP 5 TAC 2 (F/8)

— Ian Napetian (@ian_napetian) April 5, 2026

El Paso’s offense was led by yet another two-hit game by Sung-Mun Song. Song got the Chihuahuas on the board in the third inning with an RBI double, scoring Pablo Reyes. Song has been successful at spraying the ball around the field, and will likely see another week’s worth of action in El Paso at least. Jase Bowen drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning by reaching on an error, with Samad Taylor coming in the backdoor to score. Song’s second hit of the game scored Bowen, and Song scored on a two-run single by Rodolfo Duran. El Paso’s lineup went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position. 

Chihuahuas Won 2-1 in Game 2

Marcos Castanon – 2-for-3, Two-Run Home Run

Samad Taylor – 1-for-3. Double

Evan Fitterer – 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K (49 pitches – 28 strikes)

The Chihuahuas rode a strong pitching outing from Evan Fitterer and a two-run home run by Marcos Castanon to their third consecutive win. Starting with the offense, Marcos Castanon got the start at third base and made it count with his first home run of the season. Castanon hit it high but barreled it, as his 334-foot blast came off the bat at 99.3 mph. Castanon had two base hits in the win, totaling five bases. Samad Taylor and Carlos D. Rodriguez each had a double in the win, and Nick Schnell drew two walks. 

Marcos Castañon smacks a two-run shot and fires the @EPChihuahuas into an early lead in game two of tonight’s doubleheader.

ELP 2 TAC 0 | Mid 1st

— Ian Napetian (@ian_napetian) April 5, 2026

Evan Fitterer used his fastball to get through three scoreless innings, striking out four batters. Fitterer threw the heater 71% of the time, getting whiffs on seven of 20 swings. On his whole outing, Fitterer got whiffs on nine of 24 swings (38%). Eli Villalobos took over in the fourth, pitching two scoreless innings. The California-born right-hander got three of his six outs via the ground ball, averaging 94.4 mph on his four-seam fastball. Logan Gillaspie picked up the save with two innings of one-run baseball, allowing a home run to Patrick Wisdon. Gillaspie fanned four batters, again leading with his changeup. Gillaspie’s changeup registered a 100% whiff rate on swings against. With the win, El Paso now sits 5-3 on the young season. 

San Antonio Missions (Lost 4-0 vs Tulsa) (1-2 on the season)

Kai Murphy – 2-for-4, Two Singles

Luis Verdugo – 1-for-2, Single, Two Walks

Ian Koenig – 5 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 5 K (77 pitches – 47 strikes)

Right-hander Ian Koenig made his Double-A debut as San Antonio’s starting pitcher, and he fared well against a potent Tulsa lineup. Koenig pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits. Koenig also did not issue a walk, striking out five batters. Walks were an issue for the right-hander in 2025, so his ability to command the baseball and make effective pitches in or near the vicinity of the zone was a sign of what he is capable of. Koenig picked up 10 swings and misses along the way,y too. Francis Pena threw 1.1 scoreless innings of relief in his season debut, striking out and walking two. Andrew Thurman made his second appearance of the season, throwing 1.2 innings of scoreless relief with one strikeout. 

HEY ELIJAH…THAT BALL HAD A FAMILY? pic.twitter.com/vACCk51RJr

— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) April 5, 2026

The Missions’ lineup had a tough task against Drillers pitcher Patrick Copen, and they were unable to score in the loss. That’s not to say they didn’t have chances, as the team went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, stranding 10 runners. The top three hitters in the lineup (Francisco Acuna, Ethan Salas, Ryan Jackson) went a combined 0-for-11 with two walks and eight strikeouts. Luis Verdugo reached base three times in the loss, drawing two walks and hitting a single. Albert Fabian and Romeo Sanabria each had a single in the loss. Kai Murphy had two singles out of the number nine spot in the lineup, stealing a base as well. San Antonio struck out a combined 14 times in the loss.  

Fort Wayne TinCaps – Postponed vs Great Lakes

The TinCaps’ regularly scheduled game against the Great Lakes Loons was called due to inclement weather. The teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday, April 5. Abraham Parra will toe the rubber for Game 1, while Kleiber Olmedo is set to start Game 2. 

pic.twitter.com/UZ9J1f2JjX

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) April 4, 2026

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 6-4 vs Ontario) (1-2 on the season)

Luke Cantwell – 2-for-4, RBI Double

Ryan Wideman – 1-for-4, Home Run

Tyler Schmitt – 3.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 7 K (70 pitches – 37 strikes)

A pair of strong debuts in the Storm pitching staff was not enough to overcome two late Ontario homers, as Lake Elsinore dropped the series finale by a 6-4 final score. Former 17th-round pick Tyler Schmitt made his professional debut as the Storm’s starter, allowing two earned runs in 3.1 innings of work. Schmitt made a strong impression, striking out seven batters and picking up 10 whiffs in his outing. The right-hander will be a mainstay in the Lake Elsinore rotation this season, so keep an eye out for him this season. Another notable debut was left-hander Jamie Hitt, San Diego’s 8th-round pick last season. Hitt pitched two scoreless innings of relief, striking out four. Hitt matched the whiff count by Schmitt, as he picked up 10 swings and misses in his two innings. Landry Jurecka was tagged with the loss, as he allowed two solo home runs in one inning of work. 

The Storm’s lineup had production from all parts, as three players finished with multi-hit games. Ty Harvey had two hits, including an RBI single and a stolen base. Luke Cantwell, making his first start of the season, had an RBI double as part of his own two-hit day. Justin DeCriscio notched his first two hits of the season as well. The duo of George Bilecki and Jorge Quintana each drew two walks in the game, with Bilecki scoring a run. Ryan Wideman had the biggest swing of the game for the Storm, launching his first home run of the season in the fifth inning. The team went 3-for-6 in the stolen base category, stranding eight runners on base in the loss.

Ryan Wideman hits the first Storm home run of the season to put us in front in ONT!#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/Ftlku9TCaG

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) April 5, 2026

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.