Padres affiliates went 3-2 on Saturday. 

Here is a recap of the day’s events. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 1-0 vs Tacoma) (25-25 on the season)

Clay Dungan – 0-for-2, Sac Fly, RBI

Yonathan Perlaza – 2-for-3, Run Scored

Wes Benjamin – 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (74 pitches – 45 strikes)

Wes Benjamin had his best start of the season, throwing six shutout innings as three Chihuahuas’ arms combined for a shutout. Benjamin went the aforementioned six innings, allowing six hits and striking out two. The southpaw isn’t the sort of arm who will rack up the strikeouts, but depends on the ground ball for success. The 31-year-old picked up his second win of the season in the process. Kevin Kopps tossed two scoreless innings, striking out two batters. Kopps has struck out batters at a higher rate this season, while also walking batters at a lower rate. Harold Chirino recorded his second save of the season, tossing a scoreless ninth. 

In a well-pitched game on both ends, it is usually the first team to score who winds up winning, and the Chihuahuas were the first to score on Saturday. Yonathan Perlaza and Mike Brosseau had two singles in the second, putting runners on the corners for Clay Dungan. Dungan launched a 95 mph fly ball to center field, scoring Perlaza to make the score 1-0. Perlaza had two hits in the game, with Bryce Johnson & Nate Mondou adding one hit each to the final tally. 

San Antonio Missions (Won 5-2 vs Wichita) (23-21 on the season)

Francisco Acuna – 2-for-4, RBI Triple

Marcos Castanon – 1-for-4, Game-Tying Two-Run Double

Enmanuel Pinales – 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K (80 pitches – 52 strikes)

A five-run rally allowed San Antonio to walk away with the victory, defeating Wichita by a 5-2 final. Enmanuel Pinales had the best start of his brief Missions’ tenure, holding the Wind Surge at bay over the first five innings before allowing a pair of runs in the sixth. Despite the two runs allowed, Pinales was flat-out dominant, allowing just five hits and one walk. The decrease in walks was the most notable development, as when Pinales limits the walks, he has ace-like stuff that can bewilder opposing batters. 

The Missions’ lineup surged through in the sixth inning, forcing across the decisive five-spot on the score sheet. Moises Gomez doubled to open the frame, and Romeo Sanabria reached on an error before Marcos Castanon’s double tied the game. After two outs, Joshua Mears roped a grounder to shortstop, but an error from Wichita shortstop Tanner Schobel allowed Mears to reach and Castanon to score the go-ahead run. The error became more costly when Francisco Acuna tripled, scoring Mears. Acuna himself came around to score on a single from Devin Ortiz.

Andrew Moore earned the win, tossing one scoreless frame. Ryan Och and Jake Higginbotham combined for five outs between the seventh and eighth innings, holding the game at 5-2. Manuel Castro, who had struggled to a 9.95 ERA and 5.84 FIP in six appearances in May, bounced back for the second straight outing, registering a double play and lineout to end the game and record his eighth save of the season.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 12-4 vs Cedar Rapids) (22-22 on the season)

Leo De Vries – 3-for-4, Two Doubles, Run Scored

Ethan Long – 1-for-3, Two-Run Home Run

Isaiah Lowe – 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (0 ER), 4 BB, 5 K (84 pitches – 52 strikes)

Right-hander Isaiah Lowe made the start for the TinCaps, and Lowe pitched into the fourth inning, allowing three hits and three unearned runs. Lowe walked four in the game, which did not bode well, as one of those runners came around to score. The team’s defense did not help Lowe in this regard, as a pair of fourth-inning errors led to three runs. For a sinkerballer like Lowe, who does not have the strikeout stuff of other young arms, the ground ball is essential for success, and errors on those have not helped his numbers this season. Luis German allowed five runs in one inning, and Nick Wissman allowed two runs in 1.2 innings, walking four. 

Leo De Vries had one of his best performances this month, finishing 3-for-4 with two doubles. It was the Padres’ No. 1 prospect’s best performance in the series, as De Vries had been 1-for-12 over the first four games. Brendan Durfee had another double in the series, and Brandon Butterworth was 1-for-4 with an RBI single. Jacob Campbell finished with two hits in the game, and Ethan Long launched a home run, his second of the season in 30 games. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 7-1 vs Visalia) (18-26 on the season)

Victor Figueroa – 3-for-4, Home Run, Three RBI

Lamar King Jr – 1-for-4, Three-Run Home Run

Luis Patino – 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K (47 pitches – 31 strikes)

Lake Elsinore thundered past Visalia on Saturday, using a trio of home runs to stake their claim to a decisive 7-1 victory. Victor Figueroa again stole the show, finishing with three hits and his second homer with the Storm. Figueroa’s home run came in the eighth inning to give the Storm a 3-1 lead, ultimately being the decisive factor in the game. Kavares Tears and Lamar King Jr joined the fun in the ninth inning, with Tears launching a solo homer off left-hander Eric Dominguez. King got to Dominguez later in the inning, hitting a massive three-run home run to put the game away. Zach Evans walked three times in the ballgame, scoring two runs, while fellow on-base machine Ryan Jackson was 1-for-5 out of the leadoff spot. 

Victor Figueroa clutch homer this guy has impressed so much in the short time I’ve watched him. Off a lefty and going oppo is giving me James Wood in low A vibes. pic.twitter.com/99YC1WmXgj

— Giannis Auntiegotapoodle (@TooMuchMortons_) May 25, 2025

Luis Patino made his fourth Single-A start, pitching a season-high three innings with four strikeouts allowed. Patino, who is not on the Padres’ 40-man roster, remains on rehab assignment with Lake Elsinore, but is nearing full health after his performance on Saturday. Bryan Balzer, who was regularly set to start, came on in relief and threw four scoreless innings, striking out three batters. It was a welcome bounceback after his last three appearances saw the right-hander post subpar results (15 ER in 14.1 IP) for the high expectations he had set for himself after some of his stronger starts this season. Right-hander Adam Conrad continued his torrid pace this season, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts. On the season, Conrad now has a 0.00 ERA in his first nine appearances and 18.2 innings of work, striking out 22 against 13 walks and a batting average allowed under .100 at .095. Conrad could be an arm who makes it to High-A this season if he remains this strong, as his three-quarter arm slot and downhill delivery make it hard for opposing batters to pick up his fastball or slider, which tunnel well off each other. 

ACL Padres (Lost 14-6 vs ACL Mariners) (5-12 on the season)

Jesus Castro – 2-for-4, Three RBI

Yoiber Ocopio – 1-for-4, Two-RBI Double

Ruben Galindo – 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K 

Ruben Galindo made his first appearance of the season on rehab assignment, tossing a scoreless inning with a strikeout. The Colombia native is a hard-thrower with an impressive changeup, and seeing him back on the mound could add further depth for a system with impressive relief options. Luis Maracara struggled as the bulk arm, tossing 2.2 innings and allowing five runs on five hits. The right-hander struck out three and walked three in his outing as well. Both Maracara and Manuel Davila, whom placed on the lower end of our EVT preseason Top 30 prospects, were hit hard in their appearances, as Davila allowed six runs in three innings of work. 

Yoiber Ocopio kicked off the Padres’ scoring with a two-RBI double, his first of the season. Jesus Castro had two hits, including a double, while driving in three runs in the game. Luis De Leon continued his strong week with a single, a walk, and a run scored. Yimy Tovar was 1-for-5, but hit his fifth double of the season, scoring two runs. Despite hitting his first homer of the season on Friday, Jesmaylin Arias continues to struggle, finishing 0-for-3; he is now hitting .154 with a .440 OPS on the season.

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.