Padres minor league affiliates went 5-2 on Saturday. 

Here is the daily recap of games played. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 4-3 vs Reno) (38-36 on the season)

Mason McCoy – 3-for-4, Two-Run Home Run

Nate Mondou – 2-for-4, Two Singles

Wes Benjamin – 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 5 K (81 pitches – 48 strikes)

Before the ballgame, the Chihuahuas’ roster saw some familiar faces welcomed back. Wes Benjamin was activated off the 7-day IL, and Sean Reynolds was optioned back to Triple-A, with Bryan Hoeing making his way back to the Padres. Logan Gillaspie’s rehab assignment was transferred to El Paso, and rehabbing outfielder Jason Heyward was designated for assignment. 

As stated before, Wes Benjamin made his triumphant return to the mound, tossing 5.1 innings of two-run baseball against a high-powered Reno lineup. Benjamin struck out five batters in 5.1 innings, leading with his curveball and getting significant swings and misses on the pitch. Despite throwing only 81 pitches, Benjamin gave the Chihuahuas every chance at a win. Kevin Kopps entered in relief and was one out from getting out of the inning unscathed, but an error by Mason McCoy allowed the inning to continue, and Reno catcher Rene Pinto turned on a sinker from Kopps out to right field, and the ball squeaked just over the right-center field wall for a three-run homer to give Reno a 4-2 lead. Logan Gillaspie struck out two in two innings, and Ron Marinaccio tossed a scoreless ninth with a punchout. 

RENE PINTO FOR 3 ?

Aces lead 4-2 in the 6th‼️ pic.twitter.com/TV24oaqagG

— Reno Aces (@Aces) June 22, 2025

Mason McCoy tallied six of the Chihuahuas’ total bases, opening the scoring with a two-run homer off Reno’s Dylan Ray. While the Chihuahuas only struck out seven times as a team, they were unable to get much of anything going at the plate. Mason McCoy’s home run was the only extra-base hit for the team, and while Nate Mondou had two singles and a stolen base, the rest of the lineup was 0-for-23 with two walks. Luis Campusano finished 0-for-4 in the cleanup spot. 

BACK 2 BACK 2 BACK NIGHTS WITH A HOME RUN FROM MASON MCCOY ? pic.twitter.com/QgMhoNbPnq

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) June 22, 2025

San Antonio Missions (Won 3-2 vs Frisco) (39-29 on the season)

Francisco Acuna – 2-for-3, RBI Double

Brandon Valenzuela – 2-for-4, Walk-off Single

Jagger Haynes – 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K (82 pitches – 52 strikes)

Left-hander Jagger Haynes rebounded with a quality start against the RoughRiders at home. Haynes struck out five over six innings of one-run baseball, with a solo home run accounting for all scoring against. Haynes has been on another gear over the past month and change, as he has pitched to a 1.97 ERA in 27.1 innings over his last five starts. Ethan Routzahn allowed a home run in one inning of work, and Jake Higginbotham worked two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Higginbotham has pitched to a 2.25 ERA in eight innings this month, striking out thirteen while only walking three. 

Francisco Acuna got the scoring starting for the Missions with an RBI double to score Wyatt Hoffman in the second inning. Acuna has posted an .874 OPS in June so far, and is making a push for a Texas League All-Star spot. Both Acuna and Moises Gomez had multi-hit games, with Gomez driving in a run on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. Nerwilian Cedeno hit a double and scored a run in the game, and all but one starter reached base in the game. Brandon Valenzuela played hero yet again, singling in Acuna in the bottom of the ninth to win the game for San Antonio, pushing the Missions back into first place with one game left in the first half. 

Walk-off magic worthy of a spot in the Quidditch Cup?@Padres prospect Brandon Valenzuela says “Evanesco!” to this game for @missionsmilb ? pic.twitter.com/tt8CYmuADM

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 22, 2025

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 10-0 vs Dayton) (33-34 on the season)

Brandon Butterworth – 3-for-5, Home Run, Two RBI

Jack Costello – 2-for-5, Two-RBI Double

Eric Yost – 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K (86 pitches – 58 strikes)

Right-hander Eric Yost delivered a near-flawless outing against Dayton, striking out nine batters in seven innings of work, While it was not a season-high in strikeouts, Yost did not allow a single baserunner to reach second base. Yost has now pitched to a 2.43 ERA this season, striking out 25.2% of opposing batters. While his big sweeping curveball is his strongest pitch, Yost has expanded his arsenal this season and now works with a five-pitch arsenal that includes two fastballs and a tighter slider that takes advantage of the right-hander’s natural supination.

Kai Roberts set the tone for the TinCaps, launching a leadoff home run. Roberts has now homered in back-to-back games, matching the total from his first 53 career games. Oswaldo Linares and Ryan Jackson each had an RBI single in the game, and Leo De Vries reached base three times in the game, driving in a run on an RBI single of his own. Brandon Butterworth had two extra-base hits, including an RBI double and a solo home run. Jack Costello hit a two-RBI double to give the TinCaps seven runs on the board. The team finished their scoring in the eighth, as after Butterworth’s home run, Ryan Jackson and Sean Barnett each singled in a run. The team was 7-for-17 with runners in scoring position, drawing six walks in the game. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 6-5 vs Rancho Cucamonga)

Kavares Tears – 1-for-5, Two-Run Home Run

B.Y. Choi – 2-for-4, Three-RBI Double

Abraham Parra – 4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R (4 ER), 5 BB, 2 K (82 pitches – 49 strikes)

Facing the division-leading Quakes, Abraham Parra was knocked around for five runs in 4.1 innings of work. Parra was only able to register two strikeouts, and his command was not as strong as he is used to. Parra walked five batters and allowed seven hits. Despite this, the Storm’s pitching staff held the deficit, ultimately allowing the team to rally and take the lead. Kudos to right-hander Adam Conrad, who tossed 2.2 innings in relief of Parra and struck out two batters. While Conrad did walk three and worked around suboptimal command, he was able to keep the Quakes off the board. Xavier Ruiz was able to bounce back to post a two-inning save. 

The team started their scoring in the third inning, when Zach Evans singled to score Cobb Hightower, who had doubled earlier in the frame. Lamar King Jr and Ryan Wilson proceeded to reach base, and B.Y. Choi cleared the bases with a double to give the Storm a 4-2 lead at the time. Kavares Tears placed the proverbial cherry on top of a scoring sundae with a two-run home run. Tears has been on fire as of late, and now has three home runs in June. Chase Valentine was 0-for-4 at the plate, but threw out Jose Meza trying to score at home, cutting down the tying run to end the third inning. 

ACL Padres (Lost 17-2 vs ACL Mariners) (10-27 on the season)

Kevin Hacen – 1-for-4, RBI Walk

Kale Fountain – 2-for-4, Double

Tanner Smith – 1.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, (3 ER), 2 BB, 0 K

The ACL Padres’ pitching staff allowed 12 runs in the first three innings, and the Padres fell behind the eight-ball early, falling 17-2 in a dose of ACL Vedder Cup action. Kale Fountain and Emil Turbi had multi-hit games for the Padres, with each hitting a single and a double. Kevin Hacen finished 1-for-4, but also drew a bases-loaded walk to score the Padres’ first run. Donte Grant drove in the team’s second run in the ninth inning with a sacrifice fly, but by then, the ACL Mariners’ 17 runs made Grant’s sac fly something of a “Chris Paul hits a huge three to cut the lead down to 42” situation. 

The Padres’ pitching staff was beleaguered in the game, with starter Tanner Smith allowing five runs in 1.2 innings; all five runs scored in the second inning. Jimmy Reyes allowed five runs in one inning of work, and Manuel Davila tossed 1.2 innings of three-earned-run baseball. Two unearned runs scored off Davila, and Roberto Burgos allowed a run of his own. Position player Ismael Javier allowed the final run of the game. Darlin Mendez was the only Padres pitcher to post a scoreless outing. 

DSL Padres Gold (Won 9-8 vs DSL Tampa Bay) (9-5 on the season)

Jose Verdugo – 2-for-4, Double, Single, Four RBI

Fabian Alcantara – 2-for-2, Home Run, Three Runs Scored

Jeronimo Palmeros – 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K

The Padres Gold won with relentless offense over the DSL Tampa Bay by a 9-8 final. Jose Verdugo drove in four runs on two hits and a bases-loaded walk, and is now sporting a 1.137 OPS this season. Fabian Alcantara’s power surge continues, as he hit a home run for the second consecutive day. Alcantara had two hits and a walk, scoring three times in the game. Deivid Coronil drove in a run on an RBI single, and Jhoan De La Cruz walked twice. 

Starter Jeronimo Palmeros pitched four effective innings, allowing two runs on three hits. The southpaw managed to escape a jam in the first inning, having allowed only one run, and looks to build upon this outing. Miguel Alvarez allowed three runs in 1.2 innings, and Jose Blanco allowed two runs in an inning of work, earning the win. Jeferson Villabona earned the save with 1.1 scoreless innings to end the game. 

DSL Padres Brown (Won 5-2 vs DSL Royals Fortuna) (7-6 on the season)

Clay Winklaar – 1-for-3, Home Run, Sac Fly

Kaden Hernandez – 1-for-3, RBI Double

Josias Figuereo – 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K

Clay Winklaar led off the game with a home run, and while the Padres Brown fell behind, they came back to win 5-2. Down 2-1 in the fourth, Kaden Hernandez doubled in the tying run, knotting the game at two. Frederick Saguita and Jose Bericoto drew bases-loaded walks to take a 4-2 lead, and Winklaar gave the Padres Brown insurance on a sac fly. This was more than enough for starter Josias Figuereo, who struck out five in four innings of two-run baseball. Figuereo made just his third pro start and has been rock solid to start the season. Jose Montijo closed out the win with three scoreless innings, striking out three batters.

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.