Padres Down on the Farm: June 15 (Tears’ power surge/Gutierrez’s TinCaps debut)

Credit: Storm

Padres affiliates went 3-1 on Sunday to close out the weekly slate.
Here is a recap of the games played.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 7-1 vs Round Rock) (36-33 on the season)
Nate Mondou – 3-for-4, Double, Single, Three RBI

Mason McCoy – 3-for-5, Two Doubles, Three Runs Scored
Matt Waldron – 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K (90 pitches – 57 strikes)
El Paso’s offense put up seven runs on a warm summer’s day in Round Rock. Clay Dungan’s leadoff home run set the tone early, with the Chihuahuas clawing four runs in the first three innings. Nate Mondou singled in Mason McCoy in the first inning to extend the lead to 2-0, and a passed ball allowed Yonathan Perlaza to score the team’s third run. Tim Locastro drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, and Mondou singled in McCoy again in the fifth to give the team five runs on the afternoon. Jason Heyward had an RBI double in the ninth, and a sac fly by Mondou scored Heyward to cap off the scoring.
Matt Waldron took the mound for the Chihuahuas and was again effective, tossing 5.2 innings of one-run baseball. Waldron’s knuckler was in good form as well, with low spin and unpredictable movement. Waldron got whiffs on 30% of swings against his knuckleball, and the pitch was only put in play three times. Eduarniel Nunez struck out the only batter he faced, topping out at 98.5 mph on the radar gun. Bryan Hoeing struck out one batter in an inning of work, and the duo of Harold Chirino and Ron Marinaccio closed out the game with two scoreless frames.
San Antonio Missions (Won 8-5 vs Amarillo) (35-28 on the season)
Kai Murphy – 2-for-4, Go-Ahead Single
Brandon Valenzuela – 2-for-5, Two-Run Home Run
Jagger Haynes – 4.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 4 K (72 pitches – 47 strikes)
The Missions won another tense, back-and-forth affair on Sunday night, with Kai Murphy’s ninth-inning bases-clearing single leading the team to an 8-5 win. The Missions slugged early, as Anthony Vilar and Moises Gomez gave San Antonio a 2-1 lead after two innings of play. Nerwilian Cedeno singled in the Missions’ third run, and after the Sod Poodles took a 4-3 lead, Brandon Valenzuela launched his ninth homer of the season to give the Missions a 5-4 lead. While Amarillo tied the game on a home run off Tyson Neighbors, the Missions loaded the bases in the ninth against Amarillo’s Landon Sims. Kai Murphy came through with one out, singling to left field to score one run. The ball got past outfielder Caleb Roberts, and two more runs scored, giving San Antonio an 8-5 lead.
Thanks to his game-winning hit, Kai Murphy is the @FrostBank Player of the Game! pic.twitter.com/zJyC3BbjOT
— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) June 16, 2025
Jagger Haynes made his second start this series and pitched into the fifth inning. Haynes’ start saw him strike out four batters, walking three. Haynes continued to show swing-and-miss stuff, but his command was not as strong as usual. The left-hander allowed four runs, only three of which were earned. One run came in to score after Haynes departed the game. Tyson Neighbors pitched two innings, allowing one run on a solo home run, but struck out two. Neighbors continues to rack up strikeouts this season, and the right-hander continues to limit baserunners as well, which bodes well for his future as a late-inning reliever. Manuel Castro bounced back with a strong outing, striking out five of six batters faced.
Tyson Neighbors gets Kevin Graham to line into a Double Play and threat ends without a run @EVT_News @StatNerd_Base
First scoreless inning of the day
4-3 AMA
T7 pic.twitter.com/sFAsi5BbOC— Austin Hartsfield (@HartsfieldPC) June 16, 2025
A special thank you to Austin Hartsfield of Sideline Sports for his assistance and video coverage of this series! For more on the series from his perspective, check out his coverage for Sideline Sports here.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 5-4 vs South Bend) (30-33 on the season)
Brandon Butterworth – 1-for-4, Single, Two RBI
Kai Roberts – 0-for-1, Go-Ahead Sac Fly
Luis Gutierrez – 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K (87 pitches – 56 strikes)
Left-hander Luis Gutierrez made his TinCaps debut, tossing six efficient innings of two-run baseball. The left-hander had pitched incredibly well for the Lake Elsinore Storm, and while he didn’t rack up the strikeouts, Gutierrez continued to keep the ball on the ground, with eight groundouts induced. Sean Barnett allowed two runs in relief, struggling with his location while maintaining his velocity. Ruben Galindo made his return to the ‘Caps, working 1.2 scoreless innings and earning the win. Garrett Hawkins stepped into the closer’s role, striking out the last two batters of the game to earn the save.
The lineup was only able to record three hits all game, but a combination of walks and smart baseball helped the team rally. The team drew an astonishing eleven walks, which made up for the lack of base hits. Leo De Vries drew three walks, eventually scoring the go-ahead run. Jake Snider drew two walks out of the leadoff spot, scoring two runs in the game. Oswaldo Linares had one of two RBI base hits, with an RBI single in the second inning. Kai Roberts hit the decisive sacrifice fly in the game, also drawing a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to drive in another run. Brandon Butterworth finished off his hot weekend with an RBI single in the game.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 10-6 vs Visalia in 10 innings) (29-34 on the season)
Kavares Tears – 2-for-5, Three-Run Home Run
Ryan Jackson – 2-for-6, Two-Run Single
Will Varmette – 2.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 1 K (51 pitches – 33 strikes)
Right-hander Will Varmette made his second start of the series, starting in lieu of Tanner Musgrove, and on four days’ rest, Varmette pitched into the third inning. The right-hander was much more efficient with his pitches compared to his first start, throwing 64.7% of his pitches for strikes. Varmette allowed three hits and one walk, but the third inning saw the game unravel, no fault of his. A walk, double, and sacrifice fly gave Visalia a 1-0 lead, and another run scored on a fielding error. A sac fly and single later, the Storm were down 3-0, though the inning should have ended. Another fielding error from Victor Figueroa at first allowed the fourth run of the inning to score, chasing Varmette. Johan Moreno came on in relief and was dynamite, tossing five innings and allowing just one run to score. Moreno struck out five batters as well and continues to show potential despite a slow start to the season. Bernard Jose tossed two innings in relief, allowing three earned runs in the ninth and tenth innings. Braian Salazar came on with two outs in the tenth to get out of a jam, but was tagged for a run of his own.
The team’s lineup showed some impressive performances. Cobb Hightower made his return to the lineup and was 1-for-3 with a double out of the leadoff spot. Hightower is coming off a lower-body injury, so the Storm will likely look to ease him back into action as the California League’s second half comes along. Ryan Jackson was 2-for-6 out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup, and hitting behind a speedy runner like Hightower could benefit Jackson, who is already having a stellar season. Victor Figueroa launched his ninth home run this season, and his fourth with the Storm, hitting a ball off the right-center field scoreboard. Kavares Tears looks to be dialed in, sporting 21, as he launched a three-run home run to bring the Storm to within one. The Storm will be looking to see what Tears can bring at the plate, and if this power surge continues through the summer, the team will more than certainly take it. Zach Evans and the aforementioned Ryan Jackson had multi-hit games, and Jackson’s second hit was his biggest of the game, a two-run single to give the Storm a 6-5 lead. Every member of the starting lineup reached base at least once, with Kaden Hollow drawing an impressive three walks. Still, the team was 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position, and five fielding errors became a factor late in the game, leading to the extra-inning loss.
Victor Figueroa CRUSHES one directly into our right field scoreboard for his 9th home run of the 2025 @MiLB season!!#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/IP7rJaT13l
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) June 15, 2025
KAVARES TEARS DOES IT AGAIN!!
Back-to-back days with a home run for Kavares in his return as #21 makes it a one run ball game! pic.twitter.com/6bfaXeynQj
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) June 15, 2025
Reliable Ryan gives us the lead!!! Jackson now has an OBP of .444 this season#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/zkf4O1AAzl
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) June 15, 2025
ACL Padres – Off Day
DSL Padres – Both teams on an Off Day
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.