Padres Down on the Farm: March 30 (Kolek strong, Perlaza slugs for series win)
El Paso Chihuahuas
The Padres’ minor league affiliates’ seasons continued on Sunday with one official game. Padres’ affiliates were 1-0 in regular season action.
Here is a recap of the day’s events.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 13-2 vs Salt Lake) (2-1 on the season)
Yonathan Perlaza – 3-for-3, Home Run, Six RBI
Tirso Ornelas – 3-for-4. Two Singles, Three RBI
Rodolfo Duran – 2-for-4, Home Run, Two RBI
Stephen Kolek – 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (77 pitches, 51 strikes)
El Paso’s offense was, without a doubt, a buzz saw in their Sunday matinee against the Salt Lake Bees, putting up 13 runs on 13 hits. Facing Angels top prospect Caden Dana, the offense was out to a slow start through the first three innings, stranding the bases loaded in the second. Despite the slow start, it would not take long for the Chihuahuas to break through.
Connor Joe drew a one-out walk in the fourth inning, and Yonathan Perlaza roped a single at 102.1 mph, putting runners on the corners. Nate Mondou opened the scoring for the Chihuahuas, scoring Joe on an RBI single to left field. The Chihuahuas’ lineup really broke open the floodgates in the ensuing frame. Facing southpaw Jack Dashwood, Trenton Brooks singled on a pop-up before Luis Campusano walked. Tirso Ornelas, playing center field, grounded an up-and-in sinker through the right side at 105.4 mph to score Brooks, and Perlaza brought both runners home on a line drive home run to the Peter Piper Pizza Porch in left field.
— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) March 30, 2025
The fireworks didn’t end there, as after a walk to Nate Mondou, Dashwood was replaced by former Chihuahuas starter Carl Edwards Jr. Rodolfo Duran, who, like Perlaza, was making his Chihuahuas debut, lined a double to left to cap off the five-run fifth.
All this scoring may have overshadowed the work of Chihuahuas starter Stephen Kolek. The right-hander tossed five shutout innings against the Bees, striking out three batters. Kolek mixed up his deep arsenal to keep the opposing lineup at bay, although he did not use his changeup in the outing. Kolek was able to get eight whiffs on 46 swings for a 17.4% whiff rate, but got 9 nine of his 15 outs on ground balls and sequenced his cutter/sinker combination effectively. Kolek’s performance almost matched that of Randy Vasquez, to whom he lost in the rotation competition, but if Kolek continues to pitch as he had throughout spring and this start, he could be a valuable call-up later in the season.
#InCaseYouMissedIt … @skolek32 had a stellar outing!
5.0 IP | 4 H | 0 R | 3 K | 1 BB?@SalgadoPhoto_ pic.twitter.com/ltlxw2oqOV
— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) March 30, 2025
Tirso Ornelas and Yonathan Perlaza continued to pour on the runs in the sixth inning, with Ornelas poking an opposite field RBI single and Perlaza hitting a two-RBI single against Edwards Jr. Four walks, a sac fly, and an RBI double brought the Chihuahuas to a dozen runs in the seventh inning, and Rodolfo Duran homered against former Phillie Connor Brogdon to cap the Chihuahuas’ scoring at 13.
Rodolfo Duran hits a home run in his Chihuahuas debut! Chihuahuas extend their lead over the Bees, 13-2 in the eighth. ?? #FearTheEars pic.twitter.com/OKhnntJMVp
— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) March 30, 2025
The Chihuahuas’ pitching staff had a strong day overall. After Kolek’s five shutout innings, Jake Higginbotham was summoned for the sixth, and after a Scott Kingery single, he hung an 81 mph slider to Carter Kieboom, who crushed a two-run homer. That, however, would be the lone runs that the Bees would score. J.B. Wendelken and Ethan Routzahn tossed scoreless innings despite some base traffic, and Harold Chirino struck out two in the ninth as the Chihuahuas secured the 13-2 win.
Hang A Star
Tirso Ornelas played center field in the ballgame for El Paso, with Connor Joe and Yonathan Perlaza flanking him in the corners. While Ornelas in center field was not the team’s strongest defensive lineup, the Tijuana native showed off his athleticism with an impressive sliding/diving catch on a sinking liner. Ornelas’s ability to play center field in a pinch (as highlighted in our very own EVT Top 30 Prospects list) should allow him to be the next man up to the bigs, especially if he continues to hit well.
How about that catch by @TirsoOrnelas! pic.twitter.com/2vSfVqOWPk
— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) March 30, 2025
The Chihuahuas continue their regular season on April Fools’ Day vs the Oklahoma City Comets. A starting pitcher has yet to be announced for El Paso, though Logan Gillaspie is a candidate to pitch in the series opener.
The first pitch is scheduled for 5:05 pm Pacific Time.
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.