Padres Down on the Farm: May 2 (Hightower debuts/Pinales dominates)
Credit: Lake Elsinore Storm
Padres minor league affiliates returned to play on Friday, going 2-2 in games played.
Here is a recap of the day’s events.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 10-0 vs Oklahoma City) (13-18 on the season)
Bryce Johnson – 1-for-3, Single, Walk
Trenton Brooks – 1-for-4, Single
Omar Cruz – 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 1 K (34 pitches – 18 strikes)
Throughout a season, there are games to remember and games to forget. For the Chihuahuas, this game was more so the latter. Starter Omar Cruz, coming off a dominant performance, tossed one inning of work, allowing a three-run home run to James Outman, accounting for the three runs allowed by the Chihuahuas left-hander. Cruz now has a 2.53 ERA with the Chihuahuas after the one inning of work added to his season sample, albeit in 10.2 innings worth of work. Andrew Bellatti allowed three runs in an inning of work, with his velocity being down by two mph on all his offerings.
THAT’S how you get the game going❗️ pic.twitter.com/XnjAwE1MSa
— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) May 3, 2025
Jared Kollar pitched five innings of bulk relief, allowing four runs on six hits. Unlike his last two outings, where Kollar has been mainly using his cutter, he incorporated his four-seamer into the mix more often, throwing it 27.4% of the time. When we spoke with Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen regarding Kollar’s stuff, his fastball was described as one with natural cut considering the arm slot it was coming from, but the difference in iVB and horizontal break between the two offerings could be something the right-hander is working on.
The Chihuahuas’ lineup had minimal success against Comets starter Nick Frasso, as four players had base hits, all singles. Bryce Johnson kept up his strong performance, reaching base twice on a single and walk, also stealing a base in the game. Trenton Brooks’ sixth-inning single led to the Chihuahuas’ DH reaching base in 10 of his last 12 games. Clay Dungan and Rodolfo Duran had back-to-back singles in the fifth inning, but the team was unable to capitalize on their opportunities with runners in scoring position, going 0-for-9 in those situations.
Kyle Hart makes his Chihuahuas debut on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is at 4:05 p.m. Pacific.
San Antonio Missions (Lost 5-3 vs Corpus Christi) (12-13 on the season)
Marcos Castanon – 2-for-4, Home Run, Two RBI
Anthony Vilar – 2-for-4, Home Run, Double
Victor Lizarraga – 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K (79 pitches – 47 strikes)
Missions starter Victor Lizarraga took a hard-luck loss on Friday despite making one of his best starts of the season. The right-hander scattered four baserunners in five innings of work, with the damage against him coming in the fourth inning. One pitch told the whole story, as with a runner on, an 0-0 slider was driven to left field by Rowdey Jordan for a two-run home run. Lizarraga had seven strikeouts in his five innings of work, a season-high.
Rowdey “Roddy” Jordan has come here to chew bubble gum and hit home runs.
And he’s all out of bubble gum. pic.twitter.com/PSjI7elSCe
— Corpus Christi Hooks (@cchooks) May 3, 2025
Marcos Castanon and Anthony Vilar accounted for the run production the Missions’ offense was able to generate. Both infielders finished the game 2-for-4 with at least one extra-base hit. Castanon homered in the fifth inning to bring the score to 2-1 at that point in the game, while driving in the team’s second run on an RBI groundout. Anthony Vilar had a solo homer of his own in the ninth inning, his third of the season. Brandon Valenzuela had two more base hits in the game, raising his OPS to .805 on the season after a slow start.
Left-handed relievers Miguel Cienfuegos and Ryan Och tossed a combined 3.2 innings of relief, allowing three unearned runs. The runs may as well have been counted as earned, as each committed a throwing error that ultimately led to a run. Och struck out three batters in five outs recorded on the mound, starting May strong after a 6.75 ERA month of April.
The Missions return to play on Saturday, with Jagger Haynes scheduled to start.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 2-1 vs Dayton) (14-11 on the season)
Rosman Verdugo – 2-for-4, Home Run
Jose Sanabria – 1-for-2, Go-Ahead RBI Single
Enmanuel Pinales – 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K (76 pitches – 50 strikes)
Right-hander Enmanuel Pinales had his most efficient start of the season, becoming the first TinCaps pitcher to pitch into the seventh inning this season. Pinales struck out four against Dayton, holding the Dragons to one run on four hits. In the process, Pinales lowered his season ERA to 1.40 in 25.2 innings, generating 11 ground ball outs and three double plays on the night. Pinales’ strong start to the season could earn the right-hander a midseason promotion to Double-A, especially if he can continue to limit walks and hard contact as successfully as he has this season.
Tyson Neighbors earned a two-inning save on 25 pitches, striking out four of six batters faced. The TinCaps’ closer, much like Pinales, may not be in Fort Wayne for too much longer, as he has posted a 0.77 ERA and 1.43 FIP in 11.2 innings so far in the season. Collegiate closers like Neighbors are usually closer to pro-ready compared to other minor league arms, so Neighbors could be in line for a summer in Amarillo before being summoned to the major leagues, especially if his three-pitch mix continues to produce whiffs.
Rosman Verdugo’s power is tantalizing in his prospect profile, and the talented infielder hit his sixth home run of the season in the win. Verdugo has found his power stroke after a rough 25-game stint with Fort Wayne last season. While he hit nine home runs in 81 games with Lake Elsinore previous season, he has six homers in 23 games with Fort Wayne. Breakout en route? It’s possible. Jose Sanabria, who has been in the Padres’ system since 2021, broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning with an RBI single to score pinch-runner Brandon Butterworth. Leo De Vries was 1-for-4 in the game with a single and a stolen base, and while the TinCaps went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, the one hit they had (Sanabria’s single) made all the difference in the win because, frankly, that’s baseball.
Isaiah Lowe toes the rubber as the TinCaps do not partake in their usual Saturday matinee, with first pitch scheduled for 3:35 p.m. Pacific.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 4-0 vs Inland Empire) (10-15 on the season)
Zach Evans – 2-for-4, Two RBI
Kasen Wells – 2-for-5, Double
Miguel Mendez – 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K (71 pitches – 48 strikes)
A month ago, Lake Elsinore’s pitching staff was entering the season as a major question mark. Now, the team’s staff has rattled off three straight shutouts. Miguel Mendez toed the rubber and tossed his best start of the season: five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. Mendez sat in the mid-90s with his fastball while using a tight mid-80s slider to keep opponents on their toes. Clearly, while the right-hander is still young and developing, he has some promising offerings that could lead to further success. The 22-year-old from San Juan de la Maguana could be one arm the Padres choose to promote when the team makes moves in the minor league system as spring turns to summer. Tucker Musgrove tossed two scoreless innings with two strikeouts, and Bernard Jose, in his second full season stateside, struck out four to close out the shutout win.
Zach Evans continues to be the steadying presence in the Storm’s lineup, hitting two singles and driving in two runs. While not the most fearsome power hitter, Evans’ line-drive oriented approach can allow his success to carry over to less hitter-friendly environments. Kavares Tears reached base twice on a hit and a walk, driving in a run as well. Kasen Wells was 2-for-5 out of the leadoff spot and could be one of the entire organization’s most consistent leadoff hitters so far in his young career. Kaden Hollow reached base three times in the game, raising his OBP to a staggering .435 percentage so far in the season. Cobb Hightower made his professional debut in the game, and the Padres’ 2024 third-round pick reached base once in five plate appearances while making his presence known on the field with a perfect relay to home plate.
Cobb Hightower announces himself early with a DOT to home plate to keep a 0 on the scoreboard!! pic.twitter.com/pyIMHP0GL7
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 3, 2025
Kavares Tears finds the gap and increases the lead!!#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/YLDiXp0emE
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 3, 2025
Lake Elsinore looks to extend the scoreless streak on Saturday, with Bryan Balzer in line 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.