Padres minor league affiliates had five games on Friday, finishing with a 2-3 record. 

Here is a recap of the day’s events. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 5-3 vs Sacramento) (28-27 on the season)

Tirso Ornelas – 3-for-3, Double

Bryce Johnson – 2-for-4, Home Run, Two RBI

Matt Waldron – 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 6 K (75 pitches – 48 strikes)

Matt Waldron made a rehab start with the Chihuahuas on Friday, tossing 75 pitches over four innings. Waldron leaned heavily on his patented knuckleball and sweeper, with both pitches returning chase rates north of 30%. Waldron’s knuckler and sweeper have a near 2,000 rpm difference in movement, which makes them so effective off one another. Waldron also brought the swing and miss, as he struck out six batters in his outing. It is not yet known how many more rehab starts Waldron will make, but he appears to be a candidate to join the Padres in June. 

The lineup was mostly held at bay by River Cats starter Carson Whisenhunt, as the team posted six hits against the southpaw. Tirso Ornelas had the best performance of any Chihuahuas hitter, finishing 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Bryce Johnson had the biggest Chihuahuas swing in terms of distance, pulling a hanging slider out to left-center field. Cody Roberts singled and scored a run, while Mason McCoy had a single in four at-bats. 

San Antonio Missions (Won 4-2 vs Arkansas) (27-22 on the season)

Brandon Valenzuela – 1-for-4, Home Run

Joshua Mears – 1-for-4, Two-Run Double

Enmanuel Pinales – 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 8 K (78 pitches – 45 strikes)

Clutch hits, power, and a precision on the mound led to a clean and tidy 4-2 win for San Antonio. Luis Patino made his first start in a non-rehab capacity and was effective, limiting Arkansas to no runs on two hits over four innings. Patino was strong with his command as well, throwing 32 of his 51 offerings for strikes. The right-hander is still being stretched out to work in a starter’s capacity, and his outing with the Missions is another step towards a potential big league return. Enmanuel Pinales, who was set to start this game, came on in the fifth and threw the rest of the game, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out eight. It was one of the right-hander’s sharpest outings of the season, and Pinales is starting to kick it into gear with his new team. 

The offense saw a pair of sluggers make the most of their opportunities with runners on to pave the way for a win. Joshua Mears gave the team a lead on a two-run double to score Nerwilian Cedeno and Anthony Vilar. The heart of the lineup produced three hits, with Marcos Castanon extending his on-base streak to six of seven games. Brandon Valenzuela slugged yet another home run, his fourth of the month, in the eighth inning to extend the lead to 4-0. Romeo Sanabria singled in the game, extending his on-base streak to ten games.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 10-4 vs Great Lakes) (24-25 on the season)

Brandon Butterworth – 2-for-4, Home Run

Sean Barnett – 1-for-4, Home Run

Miguel Mendez – 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K (68 pitches – 38 strikes)

The Fort Wayne offense finally had some home run thump, but fell as a result of a bullpen meltdown. Brandon Butterworth had a first-inning home run to give the ‘Caps a 1-0 lead, and Sean Barnett added on to the power surge with an opposite-field home run, his first with Fort Wayne. Jack Costello doubled twice in the game, and Jacob Campbell had an RBI double in the late innings. Brendan Durfee singled and scored a run, while Leo De Vries was held hitless in the loss. 

On the mound, Miguel Mendez labored through 3.2 innings, but held the Loons offense at bay. In his outing, Mendez allowed a run on three hits, but only managed one strikeout. While Mendez got outs both on the ground or in the air, he was aided in part by catcher Oswaldo Linares, who threw out an attempted baserunner in the second inning. Mendez has struck out 22 batters in 16 innings with Fort Wayne, while walking just seven, and he looks to be coming into his own this season. Bodi Rascon took the loss, getting knocked around for seven runs in 1.1 innings of work. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 5-1 vs Stockton) (22-27 on the season)

Victor Figueroa – 1-for-4, Home Run, Two RBI

Kavares Tears – 3-for-4, Home Run

Tucker Musgrove – 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K (43 pitches – 27 strikes)

Lake Elsinore’s pitching staff struck out eleven batters in a successful 5-1 win. Tucker Musgrove made his first professional start and pitched into the third inning. The right-hander struck out four while walking just one. The lack of walks was an important development for Musgrove, as he had walked six batters in his last 7.1 innings and five relief appearances. While Musgrove has not yet seen time in the field, it remains possible that he will as the season goes on, as the team’s current outfield configuration is more than strong. Johan Moreno earned the win, tossing 4.2 innings with three strikeouts. Moreno has struck out 35 in 28.1 innings, but has struggled with command at times this season, walking 21 in that span. Right-hander Vicarte Domingo struck out four of seven batters faced in two innings of work, and has one of the highest strikeout rates in the Padres system at 35.4%. 

Our Staff was dominant tonight ?

Tucker Musgrove: 2.1 IP 1 ER 4 K
Johan Moreno: 4.2 IP 0 ER 3 K
Vicarte Domingo: 2 IP 0 ER 4 K pic.twitter.com/qPWJBpm5nh

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 31, 2025

The lineup certainly thundered past the Ports, as two homers led the way. Kavares Tears continues his blistering month of May with a home run as part of a 3-for-4 day. Tears has posted an .883 OPS in May, seeing most of his time at DH. Tears’ bat will lead his way up the system, and if he remains this consistent, he has top 100 prospect written all over. Victor Figueroa hit his first home run at The Diamond in the game, his eighth total on the season. The left-handed hitter has been nothing short of unstoppable this season, and continues to rake for a team in need of thump. Both Kaden Hollow and Ryan Wilson drove in a run in the game, and while the team finished 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, the team’s power and slugging did the heavy lifting. 

Did anyone order the Oppo Taco??

Kavares Tears goes yard for the second straight game to give us the 1 run lead!!! pic.twitter.com/meLvKVO3Sk

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 31, 2025

Victor Figueroa clubs this one over the wall for his FIRST Diamond dinger and his 8th professional home run in his first 21 games played ?

Season of Firsts Presented by 5G Verizon Home Internet pic.twitter.com/n4FH09lOeG

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 31, 2025

ACL Padres (Lost 4-2 vs ACL Mariners) (5-16 on the season)

Ismael Javier – 3-for-4, Three Singles

Gustavo Marquez – 1-for-3, RBI Single

Cole Paplham – 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

A bullpen game for the Padres saw the team lose after a late Mariners rally. Cole Paplham served as the Padres’ opener and allowed a hit but got all three of his outs on grounders. Yovannki Pascual tossed two scoreless innings. Pascual did allow an unearned run, but was able to keep the game close. Tanner Smith tossed two innings, acing his way through scoreless frames with a season-high four strikeouts. Winyer Chourio tossed the final three innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and striking out four. 

The Padres got minimal action going at the plate. Ismael Javier had his first three-hit game of the season, scoring one of the Padres’ two runs. Gustavo Marquez had an RBI single, his second RBI of the season. Yimy Tovar had an RBI single of his own, having driven in 11 runs in 21 games. Eguy Rosario finished with a single and a walk, seeing time in left field.

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.