Padres minor league affiliates went 0-4 on Wednesday.

Here is a recap of the day’s events. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 6-4 vs Las Vegas) (20-21 on the season)

Clay Dungan – 3-for-4, Three Doubles

Tirso Ornelas – 2-for-5, Two RBI

Yu Darvish –  4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K (51 pitches – 37 strikes)

Yu Darvish made a strong return to the mound, allowing two runs in four innings of work. Darvish mixed up his arsenal, and leading with his fastball and slider gave him plenty of opportunities for the swing and miss. It is not likely that Darvish makes many more rehab appearances, with his recovery from this game determining the next step for the veteran right-hander. David Morgan tossed a scoreless inning in the game, striking out one, while Harold Chirino continued to find his form with another scoreless inning, striking out two. 

Tirso Ornelas had two base hits in the game, driving in two runs. The Tijuana native has yet to rediscover his slug in his return to the minors, but he could be working on some mechanical adjustments at the plate after a rough first cup of coffee in the Majors. Clay Dungan had three doubles against three different pitchers in the game, and has been raking at the plate this month. Oscar Gonzalez slugged his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot in the seventh against former Dodger Dylan Floro. Mike Brosseau had two hits in the game as well, and the team went 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position. 

San Antonio Missions (Lost 6-0 vs Midland) (17-18 on the season)

Marcos Castanon – 2-for-4, Two Singles

Brandon Valenzuela – 2-for-4, Two Singles

Victor Lizarraga – 3.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 3 K (80 pitches – 42 strikes)

Victor Lizarraga was again unable to escape the fourth inning, surrendering six runs on six hits in 3.1 innings of work. His fastball velocity is down from last season, and it is significantly affecting his performance. Sitting at 90-92 mph, his heater doesn’t have the same smoke it did last season, which lets batters sit back and wait for a mistake pitch. Lizarraga has a 9.47 ERA in 25.2 IP this season, and he could be needing something of a reset, be it mental or mechanical, to rediscover the form that had him dominating in the second half of 2024. 

Marcos Castanon continues to provide the Missions with a consistent bat regardless of where he bats in the lineup. Facing surging left-hander Gage Jump, Castanon singled twice out of the leadoff spot. Brandon Valenzuela had two base hits of his own out of the number two spot in the lineup. The twosome of Castanon and Valenzuela has been on fire at the plate over the month of May, with Valenzuela finding his footing at the plate. Kai Murphy and Ripken Reyes each had a base hit, and Cody Roberts reached base twice on a single and a walk. The team was unable to capitalize, going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, stranding nine in the loss. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 7-0 vs West Michigan) (19-16 on the season)

Braedon Karpathios – 2-for-3, Two Singles

Ethan Long – 1-for-3, Single

Clark Candiotti – 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K (35 pitches – 16 strikes)

The Fort Wayne offense was limited to three singles and one walk in the game, finishing scoreless yet again. Ethan Long had a single, and Braedon Karpathios had two singles in the game. It was yet another multi-hit game for the Pennsylvania native, who is coming off a strong slate vs South Bend. The offense had minimal chances with runners in scoring position, finishing 0-for-3 with three stranded runners. 

Clark Candiotti could not find his command in the early going, throwing 35 pitches in the first inning and failing to leave the inning. It was one of those games, as Tigers top prospect Max Clark greeted Candiotti with a towering solo home run. Candiotti allowed three more runs in the first inning, chased from the game after just two outs. Candiotti has some of the most intriguing stuff in the Padres system; Candiotti is somewhat raw for a collegiate arm, both statements can be correct.

Max Clark wastes no time!

MLB’s No. 7 prospect (@Tigers) drills a leadoff homer, boosting his average to .354 vs. RHP for the High-A @wmwhitecaps. pic.twitter.com/WKbniNVCvw

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 14, 2025

Tyler Morgan tossed 2.1 scoreless innings, and Bodi Rascon pitched three innings of one-run baseball, continuing to get his feet wet at the High-A level. The TinCaps’ staff struck out ten batters in the game as a whole.

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 3-0 vs Fresno) (15-20 on the season)

Cobb Hightower – 1-for-4, Single

Kasen Wells – 1-for-4, Single

Will Varmette – 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K (75 pitches – 48 strikes)

On a day where the Lake Elsinore bullpen was depleted, right-hander Will Varmette had one of the best outings of his career. The right-hander struck out eight batters in 5.1 innings of work, allowing just one run. Varmette and left-hander Igor Gil pitched the entire game, with Gil allowing two runs in 3.2 innings in his first outing back with the Storm. 

Will Varmette dealt on the mound today

Tommy’s Express Car Wash offers a fast, convenient, and high-quality cleaning experience, ensuring your vehicle shines like new in just minutes. pic.twitter.com/Dc82zVDMUO

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 14, 2025

The offense had very little success against Grizzlies pitching, as the team had only two hits and one walk. Cobb Hightower had a single in the game, and Kasen Wells had a base hit of his own. The Storm got nothing going on the basepaths and went 0-for-3 in a very limited sample size with runners in scoring position. Kaden Hollow drew a walk in the loss, but the rest of the lineup posted a goose egg in the game, which Lake Elsinore ultimately lost. 

ACL Padres – Off-Day

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.