The end of the week wrapped up another slate of Padres minor league baseball, with affiliates going 3-1 in regular-season games. 

Here is a recap of the day’s events. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 3-2 vs Oklahoma City) (15-18 on the season)

Forrest Wall – 2-for-4, Go-Ahead RBI Single

Bryce Johnson – 2-for-4, RBI Single

Sean Reynolds – 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K (21 pitches – 12 strikes)

El Paso scored three runs in the final two innings to take a series-closing win over the Oklahoma City Comets. The Chihuahuas’ bullpen game worked smoothly, as opener Austin Davis and five other arms combined to allow two runs on seven hits. Davis struck out three in two innings of work. Andrew Bellati allowed a run on three hits in an inning of work, his velocity still working back to form. The highlight of the game on the mound was another appearance from rehabbing right-hander Sean Reynolds, who tossed two scoreless innings while touching 97 mph on his fastball. Reynolds is nearing prime form after missing the first month of the season with a stress reaction in his foot, and could soon become an option for the Padres at the MLB level. While right-hander Francis Pena struggled with his command in the later innings of the game, surrendering the tying run, he was able to get his sinker up to 98.3 mph, one of his hardest pitches of the season. Reiss Knehr tossed a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts, bringing his season total to a 3.27 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 12.27 K/9 in 11 innings. Knehr has benefited from a .150 BABIP, but with his performance remaining strong since a rocky first appearance, Knehr could be an arm that merits a look. 

Sean Reynolds is dominant again.

2.0 Innings
0.00 ERA
0 Hits
0 ER
1 BB pic.twitter.com/dvKOE2GQ2v

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) May 4, 2025

The Chihuahuas’ offense was led by two-out magic, as two of the team’s three run-scoring hits came with two outs. Bryce Johnson tied the game in the eighth inning with an RBI single, and Yonathan Perlaza continued his strong start to the season with an RBI single of his own with two outs. Eguy Rosario and Rodolfo Duran each made it on base twice, walking and singling once apiece. Fresh off the injured list this week, Forrest Wall gave El Paso the lead in the ninth inning on a line drive single to right field, scoring Mike Brosseau. The team finished 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position when all was said and done, leading the way for a Chihuahuas win. 

The Force was with Forrest‼️ pic.twitter.com/hWyrJKvB4a

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) May 4, 2025

 

San Antonio Missions (Won 5-4 vs Corpus Christi) (14-13 on the season)

Devin Ortiz – 1-for-3, Home Run, Two RBI

Moises Gomez – 0-for-2, Two Sac Flies, Game-Winning RBI

Henry Baez – 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K (67 pitches – 43 strikes)

Five days after striking out eight members of the Hooks lineup, right-hander Henry Baez was hit hard by the Corpus Christi lineup. Baez allowed four runs on seven hits in four innings of work, striking out just two batters. The Hooks were swinging early and often against the Missions’ starter, as only four plate appearances Baez had went longer than four pitches. Despite Baez’s rough start, he still has a 4.05 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 9.79 K/9 compared to a 1.69 BB/9 in 26.2 innings of work this season. The big concern with Baez’s jump to Double-A was the walks, and he has been effective at minimizing their impact. Jose Espada struck out three in two innings of work, and Fernando Sanchez had two punchouts of his own in 1.2 innings of work. Bradgley Rodriguez recorded the final four outs on seven pitches, getting two of four outs on the ground. 

The Missions lineup was again graced with the presence of Jackson Merrill, who finished 0-for-3 with a run scored after being hit by a pitch. Brandon Valenzuela had his third multi-hit game of the month in four games played in May, hitting two singles and scoring a run. Devin Ortiz had his first home run since April 4, driving in two runs for San Antonio. Ortiz has continued to hit for average this season, and his slugging is at a career-high in his first taste of Double-A baseball. Kai Murphy had two base hits out of the leadoff spot and scored a run as well. Moises Gomez, the former Cardinals farmhand, had two sacrifice flies in the game, but was the hero in the team’s ninth-inning rally. After Romeo Sanabria singled in the tying run, Gomez hit a towering fly ball to center field, allowing Sanabria to score the winning run from third base. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 2-0 vs Dayton) (15-12 on the season)

Jake Snider – 2-for-4, Double

Addison Kopack – 1-for-4, Double

Eric Yost – 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 11 K (85 pitches – 60 strikes)

Eric Yost, take a bow! The right-handed starter had one of his best starts as a professional. Yost struck out eleven batters in seven innings of work, making light work of a potent Dragons lineup. The lone run scored off the right-hander came in the fourth inning, when a forceout and throwing error from Leo De Vries allowed the runner from second base to score. Notably for Yost, his sweeper was absolutely unhittable in the game, with nine of his eleven strikeouts coming off the sweeper. Tyler Morgan pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the game, bringing his season ERA down to 3.12 and his WHIP to a 0.81. Morgan and Yost have been two of the most consistent arms with Fort Wayne this season, and it would not be surprising at all to see them in San Antonio later this season.

The Fort Wayne offense was able to string together eight base hits in the game, but were unable to drive in a runner home. Jake Snider and Sean Barnett had multi-hit games, with Barnett reaching base three times as the TinCaps’ DH. Snider hit his second double of the season, while Addison Kopack hit his first. Leo De Vries reached base twice in the game, once via the walk and once with a single. Outside of Barnett, the heart of the order had an 0-for, with Rosman Verdugo striking out three times. Despite several strong individual performances, the team went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, finishing the game scoreless in the loss. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 9-8 vs Inland Empire) (11-16 on the season)

Kavares Tears – 1-for-4, Home Run, Three RBI

Kaden Hollow – 1-for-2, Double, Two RBI

Luis Patino – 1 IP, 0 H, 2 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 1 K (34 pitches – 17 strikes)

Luis Patino got to shake off the rust in his first outing since Tommy John surgery, tossing one-plus innings and walking three. Despite the three walks, Patino was able to get a strikeout and was helped out by his defense in the first, erasing one of the walks. Patino departed the game in the second with two runners on, and both runners scored off left-hander Luis Gutierrez. Gutierrez was able to toss 5.2 innings of relief, allowing three runs, two of which were earned. It was worth noting that Gutierrez, for the third consecutive outing, allowed all inherited runners to score, bringing his season mark in that stat to 7-of-7. 

The game looked grim for the Storm in the fifth inning, as Alex McCoy singled but injured himself on the play. Down 4-0 at the time, the Storm were able to draw back within three after Kavares Tears scored a run on a wild pitch. The sixth inning saw the team tie the game after a single from Lamar King Jr brought the team to within two, before Tears launched a game-tying two-run homer to the opposite field, his second of the season. After falling behind 8-4 after seven and a half, the Storm’s lineup drew to within one after a groundout from Tears scored a run, and Kaden Hollow doubled to score two runs, making the score 8-7. The game turned on its head in the ninth, when Lake Elsinore loaded the bases with one out. Lamar King Jr tied the game on a sac fly, and Kavares Tears re-loaded the bases on a botched grounder to first. The 66ers’ infield defense proved costly in the end, as a chopper off Zach Evans’ bat made it to shortstop John Wimmer. Wimmer went to third to try and get the forceout, but a headfirst slide by Cobb Hightower led to third baseman Harold Coll being late to cover the base, allowing Kasen Wells to score the winning run.

That baseball had feelings, and now it has Tears! Kavares tied the game with one swing of the bat!#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/T6AZhe97ta

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 4, 2025

Cobb Hightower collects his first professional hit with a grounder past first base!

Season of Firsts Presented by Verizon 5G Home Internet pic.twitter.com/fEt7OjIPQe

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 4, 2025

Zach Evans walks it off for Lake Elsinore, 9-8, with some help from Cobb Hightower beating the throw to third base.

Evans is hitting .324 with 25 RBI this season pic.twitter.com/XvqTXgO9Yt

— Al Scott (@AlScott1998) May 4, 2025

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.