Padres Down on the Farm: May 1 (Bateman dominates/TinCaps’ comeback win)
Storm
A new month is great, but a new month with even more Padres minor league baseball is more than great. Padres minor league affiliates went 2-3 in five games played.
Here is a recap of the games’ events.
El Paso Chihuahuas – Went 0-2 in Doubleheader vs Oklahoma City
Lost 4-3 in Game One
Tim Locastro – 2-for-4, Two Runs Scored
Nate Mondou – 1-for-3, Two-Run Double
Austin Krob – 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K (77 pitches – 43 strikes)
Left-hander Austin Krob had his best start of the season, striking out five batters in five innings of work. Krob, facing one of the better offenses in the Pacific Coast League, balanced his three-pitch mix to get whiffs on 29% of swings against. Krob used his four-seamer more than he did in his past starts, topping out at 92.2 mph with a 50% whiff rate. The left-hander, while not on the Padres’ 40-man roster, is a candidate to see Major League time this season.
The Chihuahuas’ lineup had some productive plate appearances in the ballgame, posting three runs against Comets right-hander Landon Knack. Former Dodger Tim Locastro had two base hits from the top spot in the Chihuahuas’ lineup, scoring two runs and stealing a base. The veteran speedster has become something of an under-the-radar slugger in his return to the Chihuahuas, but used his speed to make an impact. Nate Mondou had the big hit of the game for El Paso, with a two-run double against right-hander Jack Little, with both runs charged to Knack. After spending time on the development list, Mondou has come out swinging this season, posting a .933 OPS in his first 60 plate appearances.
Raul Brito faltered in the sixth inning, allowing a runner to get to third with two outs. Manager Pete Zamora pulled Brito in favor of closer Reiss Knehr for the four-out save, but Dalton Rushing pulled a fastball down the line to tie the game at three. Knehr pitched into the bottom of the seventh, hoping to push the game to extra innings. It would not come to happen, as OKC’s Ryan Ward turned on a Knehr fastball down and in, hitting it to the deepest part of left-center field. Even though Tim Locastro was able to track down the ball on a pair of hops and send it back in, the relay throw from Clay Dungan one-hopped to the plate, which allowed Ward to score the walk-off inside-the-park home run.
They say you never know what you’re going to see at the ballpark …
How about a WALK-OFF INSIDE-THE-PARK HOMER!? ?
Ryan Ward (@Dodgers) delivers the goods for the @OKC_comets: pic.twitter.com/0qQb10RGre
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 1, 2025
Chihuahuas Lost 12-5 in Game 2
Bryce Johnson – 1-for-2, Three-Run Double
Luis Campusano – 1-for-2, RBI Single, Two Walks
Jason Blanchard – 0.2 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 0 K (32 pitches – 13 strikes)
Making his first start in three seasons, left-hander Jason Blanchard had a nightmarish outing. The southpaw’s command was nowhere near its usual form, as Blanchard walked four batters and hit another while failing to record a strikeout. A 19:13 ball-to-strike ratio is the microcosm of his outing, as Blanchard’s only outs recorded came as sacrifice flies, putting El Paso down 4-1 after one innings of play. Kevin Kopps served as the bulk reliever for El Paso, pitching three innings of three-run ball with five strikeouts. Kopps isn’t the arm who will wow evaluators with whiffs, but his craftiness has allowed him to have a successful start to the season. Austin Davis, meanwhile, struggled mightily yet again, allowing four runs in 0.1 innings and walking three batters.
The lineup for the Chihuahuas had more success this time, facing right-hander Bobby Miller. Luis Campusano, coming off a strong April, went 1-for-2 with an RBI single in the first inning. Bryce Johnson had the team’s most productive hit of the day, with his three-run double in the fifth inning drawing the team to a 7-5 score. That would be as close as the game would get, however. Tim Locastro had yet another double in the ballgame, while Nate Mondou singled. The team mustered just four hits in total, walking eight times in the loss. Catcher Rodolfo Duran scored two runs and drew two walks in the game, while also throwing out a baserunner.
The Chihuahuas return to play Friday night, with Omar Cruz set to take the mound against right-hander Nick Frasso.
San Antonio Missions (Lost 3-1 vs Corpus Christi) (12-12 on the season)
Brandon Valenzuela – 3-for-4, Home Run, Two Doubles
Joshua Mears – 2-for-4, Double
Jackson Wolf – 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 9 K (74 pitches – 57 strikes)
Brandon Valenzuela had himself a spectacular day at the plate on Thursday, finishing with three extra-base hits in four at-bats. Valenzuela teed off for his fourth homer of the game as well, raising his season OPS to .796. His three hits accounted for nearly half of his team’s total hits, as the only other member of the lineup with a multi-hit game was outfielder Joshua Mears, who finished 2-for-4 with a double. Marcos Castanon kept hitting, with a single in the game while making his first start of the season in first base. The former UC Santa Barbara infielder has been a consistent presence in the lineup, hitting .319 with a .354 on-base percentage. If Castanon keeps up this level of production, he could be in line for his first Triple-A call-up.
Jackson Wolf was, to put it simply, dominant in his outing despite what the stat line says. Wolf struck out a season-high nine batters in six innings of work, in the process lowering his season WHIP to a minuscule 0.80, limiting opposing batters to a .185 batting average against. Wolf struggled mightily at Triple-A last season, but has been dominant with San Antonio in six starts so far this season. Could Wolf be an option for the Padres this season? Considering how he skipped Triple-A in his initial call-up back in 2023, it remains within the realm of possibility.
Jose Espada struck out the side in a clean inning of work. In his return to the Padres organization, Espada has pitched to a 5.00 ERA, but has struck out 20 batters in his nine innings of work. Speaking of strikeout artists, Bradgley Rodriguez tossed two innings for San Antonio, striking out two and walking one. Rodriguez, who came in as EVT’s 14th-ranked Padres prospect before the season, continues to be a riser in the Padres’ system, with his velocity and wicked changeup providing significant upside at the back end of a bullpen.
San Antonio returns to play on Friday night, with Victor Lizarraga on the mound.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 8-6 vs Dayton) (13-11 on the season)
Rosman Verdugo – 1-for-3, Go-Ahead Two-RBI Double
Jack Costello – 1-for-3, Three-Run Home Run
Jose Luis Reyes – 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 6 K (87 pitches – 54 strikes)
It’s hard to miss a TinCaps game lately, as it begs the question of what Leo De Vries will do next. Let’s see, he’s hit for the cycle once, nearly recorded another cycle, what’s left? If you guessed a game-saving play, ding ding! De Vries was 1-for-2 with a single in the game, but was walked three times while scoring a run. <
“Just go ahead and wear a cape!” ?♂️@Padres prospect Leo De Vries — “El Mutante” — calls game with a beautiful grab for the @TinCaps. pic.twitter.com/fk98zGEWOg
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 2, 2025
Ethan Long hit his first home run of the season in the second inning, a solo shot off Dragons starter Luke Hayden. Brandon Butterworth had a single and walk in the game, scoring two runs, while Sean Barnett reached base four times, twice via the hit-by-pitch. Barnett will be an interesting player to monitor this summer, as he is likely to see time on the mound as well as at the batter’s box. Rosman Verdugo had a multi-hit game, which included hitting the game-winning go-ahead double to score two. Braedon Karpathios had a game-tying single in the eighth inning, reaching base twice in the game to bring his season OBP to .355.
Long ball for Ethan Long! ⚾️? pic.twitter.com/10Oev1EMNp
— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) May 1, 2025
Next to homer: Jack Costello ? pic.twitter.com/PiqxNlsLYY
— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) May 2, 2025
Starter Jose Luis Reyes had a better day than the scoreboard showed. The right-hander allowed four runs in five innings of work, although only one of the four was earned. Reyes struck out six batters while only walking two, keeping the ball on the ground for six of nine outs recorded on balls in play. Left-hander Bodi Rascon made his High-A debut, tossing 2.2 innings and allowing two earned runs, striking out four batters. Rascon has been in the Padres’ system since being a 2019 14th-round selection, and is making his first High-A appearance of the season, having missed 2024 due to injury. Garrett Hawkins got the win, recording the final four outs of the game while striking out two. Hawkins continues to show improvements in his command and maintaining his velocity, which could indicate possible success as a reliever going forward.
Fort Wayne returns to play on Friday at home, with Enmanuel Pinales set to take the mound.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 4-0 vs Inland Empire) (9-15 on the season)
Ryan Wilson – 3-for-4. RBI Double
Kaden Hollow – 3-for-4, RBI Single
Boston Bateman – 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (74 pitches – 53 strikes
The Blackout uniforms and a strong outing for Boston Bateman seem to gel together like peanut butter and jelly, as the towering left-hander struck out five batters over six shutout innings. Bateman kept batters guessing and whiffing, posting a 31.1% whiff rate in the game. Despite some games with over three runs allowed, Bateman is still limiting opposing batters to a .188 batting average against. The ceiling that the left-hander possesses was on full display, that of a full-blown ace in the making. Right-hander Will Varmette tossed the final three innings of the game, bouncing back from a rough start against Visalia to strike out two in those three shutout innings.
6-foot-8 southpaw Boston Bateman twirls a gem in his 4th pro start for Single-A @Storm_Baseball:
6 IP
2 H
0 R
1 BB
5 KThe 52nd overall pick in the 2024 Draft (@Padres) is limiting opposing batters to a .188 average this year. pic.twitter.com/NXsr8PfMVK
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 2, 2025
The Storm’s offense did not put up any crooked numbers, but they were able to secure run support for their starting pitcher. Kaden Hollow gave the team a 1-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI single, and Ryan Wilson had himself a three-hit day, including a third-inning RBI double. Wilson is now slashing .300/.423/.412 with an .836 OPS in 23 games, being a consistent fixture of the lineup. Kasen Wells reached base three times in the game, raising his on-base percentage to .417 on the season. Wells also stole three bases in the game, raising his total to 19 on the season. Alex McCoy had an RBI single in the ballgame, his 11th RBI of the season in 13 games. The Storm went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, but it mattered not when their pitching staff held the opponents off the scoreboard.
Kaden Hollow, Kaden Hollow, roll with him, and runs will follow#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/UNaYmFQ0d1
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 2, 2025
Lake Elsinore returns to play at The Diamond on Friday, with Miguel Mendez likely to start.
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.