Padres minor league affiliates went 3-2 on Thursday.

Here is our daily recap of games played. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 4-1 vs Tacoma) (18-18 on the season)

Jase Bowen – 2-for-3, Two-Run Home Run

Pablo Reyes – 1-for-2, Single, RBI

JP Sears – 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 8 K (83 pitches – 52 strikes)

El Paso won a well-pitched game all around by a 4-1 final score. JP Sears had his best start since early April, pitching five innings and allowing only one unearned run. The left-hander struck out eight batters, a season high, walking just two. Sears was in control throughout his outing, consistently getting ahead of opposing batters to use the full extent of his arsenal. Garrett Hawkins pitched two innings of relief, averaging 95.5 mph on his four-seam fastball. The right-hander threw 72.7% of his pitches for strikes, and landed his slider in the zone on 62.5% of sliders thrown. His changeup returned a 100% chase and whiff rate as well. Logan Gillaspie threw a scoreless eighth inning with three ground ball outs, and David Morgan struck out one in a scoreless ninth, picking up his first save of the season. 

Jase Bowen hit his eighth home run of the season, a two-run blast to center field in the second inning. Bowen’s homer came off the bat at 110 mph, traveling 441 feet. Bowen has used an aggressive approach to capitalize on mistake pitches in the middle of the zone, trading some contact for improved quality of contact. Pablo Reyes hit a bunt single and drove in a run; he has now reached base in every game he has started this season. Nick Schnell hit a triple in the game, and Anthony Vilar reached base on two instances, scoring both times. 

Jase Bowen launches a 441-foot, 110 mph two-run blast in the bottom of the second ? for his second run of the game that gives the Chihuahuas a 3-0 lead after two innings. pic.twitter.com/dQq1cSLqsv

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) May 8, 2026

San Antonio Missions (Lost 6-2 vs Midland) (8-22 on the season)

Carson Tucker – 1-for-2, Double, Run Scored

Luis Verdugo – 1-for-4, Single, Run Scored

Jagger Haynes – 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K (84 pitches – 50 strikes)

Left-hander Jagger Haynes threw a second consecutive quality start, pitching six innings of two-run baseball. Haynes struck out three and walked three, working around base traffic all outing long. Though Midland got one run in the first thanks to a two-out rally, Haynes left the bases loaded in the frame. The left-hander induced two double plays and picked off a baserunner, and his ability to execute situationally allowed Haynes to pitch as long as he did. Haynes has turned a corner in his last three starts, as he has struck out 17 against seven walks in 17 innings. The former 5th-rounder has a 3.17 ERA in that stretch, and has seen an uptick in his groundball metrics through that span. Omar Cruz was charged with three runs while recording no outs, and his ERA now sits at 11.12 with the Missions. Johan Moreno allowed a run in a full inning of work, striking out one. Andrew Thurman struck out three in two shutout innings of relief. 

The Missions’ lineup struck out 14 times in the ballgame, with 10 coming against starter Wei-En Lin. Ethan Salas did not reach base in the game, but he did drive in a run on a sacrifice fly. Carson Tucker had a double in three plate appearances, scoring a run. Tucker, 24, now has a .900 OPS and .400 on-base percentage in 62 at-bats this season. Luis Verdugo had a single and scored a run, while Ryan Jackson went 1-for-4 with a single. Both Romeo Sanabria and Leandro Cedeno finished 1-for-4 with a single, and Kai Murphy drove in a run from the number nine spot in the lineup, finishing 0-for-3. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 3-1 vs Beloit) (14-16 on the season)

Zach Evans – 1-for-4, Go-Ahead Two-Run Single

Kavares Tears – 1-for-4, Double, RBI

Carson Montgomery – 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (73 pitches – 46 strikes)

The TinCaps’ pitching staff performed valiantly in what became a 3-1 win, as Zach Evans’ eighth-inning two-run single gave the ‘Caps a lead they would not relinquish. Starting with the starting pitcher, Carson Montgomery continues to pitch on cruise control, as he struck out five batters in five innings of work. Montgomery scattered three hits and one walk over the course of the outing, stranding a runner at second in three of five innings. The right-hander now has a 1.64 ERA in 22 innings across five starts, though he has yet to have the sort of overpowering outing he showed he has the potential for in the Arizona Fall League. This start could be the first step on such a stretch for the Windermere, Florida, native. Javier Chacon allowed a run in his TinCaps debut, striking out one batter. Will Varmette allowed an inherited runner to score on a wild pitch, but stranded the bases loaded in the sixth. Varmette fanned his lone batter in the seventh inning as well; the right-hander has struck out five in his last 4.2 innings, allowing no runs in three of four outings since April 26. Igor Gil picked up the final two outs in the inning, and Kleiber Olmedo struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning, getting in line for the win. 

The TinCaps’ offense came to life late in the game, despite early opportunities. Kasen Wells reached base in the first and third frames, but was unable to move past third base in either opportunity. They finally broke through in the sixth against the Beloit relief corps, as Wells singled and Rosman Verdugo hit into a force out. Lamar King Jr walked to move Verdugo to second, and a double by Kavares Tears scored the tying run. Tears was batting in the fifth spot as manager Jonathan Mathews wanted to take some of the pressure off his young slugger, and the move has paid off two games in. While Zach Evans was unable to get the go-ahead run to score, he would have a Take 2 in the eighth. With Lamar King Jr and Jake Cunningham reaching base to open the inning, Tears hit a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over. With the infield in, Evans hit a sharp grounder up the middle to score both runners. With the 3-1 lead, Clay Edmondson came on for the ninth and pitched a scoreless inning, striking out one. 

Zach Evans stays hot to give us the lead ?

3-1 ‘Caps pic.twitter.com/h348O5HWUg

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) May 8, 2026

 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 4-1 vs Inland Empire) (17-13 on the season)

Ryan Wideman – 2-for-3, Two Singles, Run Scored

Luke Cantwell – 1-for-3, RBI Single

Bryan Balzer – 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K (77 pitches – 52 strikes)

Bryan Balzer fired off a quality start against Inland Empire, striking out five batters in six innings. The right-hander got ground balls in bunches, as he picked up 10 ground ball outs all game, with no outs coming on fly balls. Two of the four hits Balzer allowed came on fly balls, but for him to keep the ball on the ground as he did today bodes well for his development. Balzer was also efficient in terms of his pitch count, as he averaged just under 13 pitches per frame and picked up 10 whiffs. Carson Swilling allowed two runs in 1.2 innings of relief, striking out four batters. For Swilling, it was just the second time this season that he allowed earned runs. Joseph Herrera picked up the final out of the eighth inning, striking out the one batter he faced. The Storm’s lineup was silent compared to their recent escapades at home, being held to one run. Ryan Wideman went 2-for-3 with two singles, a stolen base, and a run scored. Wideman scored on Luke Cantwell’s fourth-inning single, which made the score 2-1. Cantwell has reached base in 11 of his last 12 games, and is hitting .529 in five games this month. Jorge Quintana and Jose Verdugo each hit a single in the loss, with Verdugo stealing a base. 

ACL Padres (Won 5-2 vs ACL Brewers) (2-2 on the season)

Ty Harvey – 3-for-4, RBI Double

Jhojan Downer – 1-for-2, Double, RBI, Walk

Jhony Brito – 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K (40 pitches – 26 strikes)

Jhony Brito made his first rehab start since undergoing Tommy John surgery, pitching three innings of one-run baseball. Brito struck out seven batters, flashing a six-pitch mix over his start. Brito’s velocity was regularly in the mid-90s, which is a promising sight considering the right-hander’s rehab timeline. Brito allowed one run on a home run, but nothing more. The move today starts Brito’s 30-day clock towards activation, and if he maintains this velocity as he rehabs and builds up, he could be yet another rotation option for the Padres. Left-hander Zack Qin made his first appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery, pitching three scoreless innings. Qin sat between 87-91.5 mph on his fastball over those frames, allowing six hits but striking out four batters in his return. Qin, 20, will likely rejoin the Lake Elsinore Storm once he fully rehabs, but the young southpaw’s return is a welcome sight for fans. Yoesmerli Beltre allowed a run in the seventh, but closed the door on the win. 

Ty Harvey made the ACL look like a cakewalk, as the Padres’ catcher went 3-for-4 with a double, two singles, and an RBI. Harvey, who is working his way back from a left hamstring injury, played all seven innings behind the dish and did his fair share of baserunning with all three hits. All of Harvey’s base hits came off the bat as blistering hits, with exit velocities of 109.8, 107.2, and 102.5 mph. The Padres struck first in the second on a double steal that resulted in a run scoring thanks to a throwing error. Jhoan De La Cruz scored a run on a wild pitch by J.B. Bukauskas, and Yimy Tovar singled to score Ty Harvey. Tovar scored on Jhojan Downer’s ground-rule double in the third as well. Fabian Alcantara hit a double and scored a run in the win.

Jhony Brito pitched for the ACL Padres today, and thanks to the ACL Brewers park, we have velocity data.

3 IP, 1 R, 7 K

FF – 92.1 – 94.7 mph
FS – 94 – 95.6 mph
ST – 80.5 – 83.5 mph
CH – 88 – 91.7 mph
SL – 86.5 – 87.5 mph
KC – 80.4 – 81.5 mph

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) May 8, 2026

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.