Padres minor league affiliates returned to play on Friday, going 2-3 in regular season action. 

Here is a recap of the games’ events. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 4-3 vs Round Rock) (18-19 on the season)

Oscar Gonzalez – 2-for-5, Game-Winning RBI Single

Luis Campusano – 2-for-2, Game-Tying Home Run

Kyle Hart – 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K (79 pitches – 43 strikes)

The El Paso Margaritas walked off their first game in their alternate jerseys this season, with Oscar Gonzalez’s walk-off single scoring the winning run. The team had reinforcements in their lineup, and both impacted the game. Luis Campusano was the second of those reinforcements, and he slugged another game-tying home run, his seventh long ball of the season. Campusano really has little left to prove offensively at Triple-A, but the real question is whether his results will carry to MLB. Clay Dungan had an RBI triple in the game, bringing his season OBP to .367. Eguy Rosario singled and scored two runs as well.

After trailing 3-1 in the 8th inning, Campusano sails a game-tying home run to the @myGECU Green Seats!
Exit Velocity: 103.7mph
Distance: 410ft
Launch Angle: 32deg pic.twitter.com/CDMaIAqz50

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) May 10, 2025

pic.twitter.com/lkuIoWcn61

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) May 10, 2025

The pitching staff was led by Kyle Hart, who twirled five innings of two-run baseball. The left-hander struck out four batters against three walks, limiting baserunners. Hart scattered four hits in the game, holding a potent Express offense to just two runs. It is a needed bounceback for the left-hander, who struggled to a 6.00 ERA and 6.15 FIP. Kevin Kopps had another scoreless outing, and his cutter continues to flash upside as his main offering. Kopps has nearly scratched the fastball, and it has worked. Raul Brito allowed a run in two innings, setting up a tie game in the ninth. Reiss Knehr fired a scoreless ninth, bringing his season ERA down to 2.77 (with a 3.83 FIP and groundball rate north of 50%). 

With the win, El Paso moved to within a game of a .500 record, and the team looks to get there Saturday, with a starter yet to be announced. 

San Antonio Missions (Lost 4-3 vs Frisco) (15-16 on the season)

Brandon Valenzuela – 2-for-3, Double, RBI, Two Walks

Joshua Mears – 1-for-1, Pinch-hit RBI Single

Jagger Haynes – 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 6 K (80 pitches – 55 strikes)

The outings stayed strong for left-hander Jagger Haynes, who had 5.2 innings of two-run baseball against Frisco. Haynes struck out six batters in his outing, bringing his season total to 32 on the season. Haynes’ rate stats aren’t as flashy as they were in his summer of 2024, but his ability to limit walks has been impressive this season. For a player who missed so much time early in his career, seeing everything begin to click for Haynes is a welcome sight. Fernando Sanchez was dealt the loss, allowing two runs (one unearned) in the eighth inning. Two fielding errors did not aid the Missions’ efforts. Carter Loewen and Bradgley Rodriguez had scoreless outings in the game, with Rodriguez striking out one in one inning of work.

The Missions’ offense had a trying day, scoring two runs in the seventh inning after six scoreless innings. Brandon Valenzuela drove in one run with an RBI double, tying up the game in the seventh inning. Marcos Castanon grounded into a double play in the seventh inning, scoring the Missions’ first run of the game. Ripken Reyes drew a walk and singled, coming around to score two of the team’s three runs. Down by two in the ninth inning, Joshua Mears was called on to pinch-hit, and as the tying run, singled to score one run, bringing the score to 4-3 against Frisco reliever Thomas Ireland. With two outs and runners on the corners, Moises Gomez came to the plate as the tying run and lined a sharp drive to left field, only for the ball to be caught by left fielder Alejandro Osuna to end the game, stranding the tying and go-ahead runs on base. 

San Antonio looks to bounce back on Saturday, with Henry Baez on the mound. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 8-4 vs South Bend) (18-13 on the season)

Oswaldo Linares – 3-for-4, Two RBI Doubles

Rosman Verdugo – 2-for-5, Double, Single, Two RBI

Miguel Mendez – 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K (78 pitches – 52 strikes)

Miguel Mendez, take a bow! Right-hander Miguel Mendez, in his first career High-A start, struck out seven in five scoreless innings of work. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out seven batters in his outing, marking his second straight start with seven or more strikeouts. Mendez was sharp with his command as well, walking no batters and throwing 66.7% of his pitches for strikes. Mendez has taken a couple seasons to make the jump to High-A, but he is becoming a must-see arm in front of our very eyes. Tyler Morgan allowed four runs, three of which were earned, in two innings of work. It was the second time in ten outings this season where Morgan allows three or more earned runs, but he has been scoreless in seven of ten appearances, so it may simply not have been his day at the office, per se. Bodi Rascon closed out the game with two scoreless innings, striking out one.

Miguel Mendez with a ?in his 2025 @TinCaps debut! The 22-year old from the Dominican with 5 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 R, with 7⃣ strikeouts against South Bend. @madfriars @PadresProspects @EVT_News @billcenter pic.twitter.com/4lLGcbURm8

— Glenn Marini (@GlennMariniWANE) May 10, 2025

With Leo De Vries out of the lineup, the TinCaps lineup still produced a strong showing. Backup catcher Oswaldo Linares had a three-hit day, doubling twice and driving in two runs. Rosman Verdugo, who saw his stock slide after a rough High-A debut last season, keeps slugging this season, driving in two runs on a single and double. The right-handed hitter continues to hit well for power, but if his ability to hit for average catches up to his slugging, he could be a dangerous player to face at the plate. Jake Snider had two hits and scored two runs, while Brandon Butterworth reached base three times in six plate appearances, scoring two runs and hitting a triple. Finishing 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position boded well for the TinCaps, who are a win away from securing the series win. 

The team goes for the win on Saturday morning, with a resurgent Isaiah Lowe taking the mound. Lowe has posted a 1.08 ERA in his last two starts. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 16-3 vs San Jose) (13-18 on the season)

Cobb Hightower – 2-for-4, RBI Triple, RBI Single

Kasen Wells – 1-for-4, RBI Single, Stolen Base

Kleiber Olmedo – 3.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 2 K (47 pitches – 34 strikes)

The Storm pitching staff was ravaged by the Giants’ lineup in the game, allowing 16 runs on 19 hits and seven walks. Kleiber Olmedo started for the Storm, and in an abbreviated outing, struggled with allowing hits. Olmedo surrendered five runs on seven hits, departing with one out in the fourth inning. Olmedo was throwing strikes, but Giants hitters were simply ready for them. Tucker Musgrove had an outing to forget, failing to record and out and allowing five runs on two hits and three walks. While he left with the bases loaded, Bernard Jose allowed three inherited runners to score on a grand slam to Walker Martin. Jose would allow five runs of his own in 2.1 innings of work, and Johan Moreno pitched the remainder of the game, allowing one run. 

WALKER. MARTIN. GRAND. SLAM. Great shot kid. Giants leading 11-1 in the fourth. pic.twitter.com/IeFrBkZOJw

— San Jose Giants (@SJGiants) May 10, 2025

At the dish, Cobb Hightower had his first career multi-hit game, hitting both an RBI single and an RBI triple. Hightower was the lone member of the Storm’s lineup to finish with multiple hits. Kasen Wells continues to provide quality at-bats, driving in Hightower on an RBI single of his own and stealing his 21st base of the season. That 21st base has Wells at the top of the California League stolen base leaderboard, with the next closest player at 17. Kaden Hollow scored two runs in the game, but the rest of the team was unable to generate much offense in support. 

Bryan Balzer takes the mound on Saturday for Lake Elsinore. 

ACL Padres (Lost 8-3 vs ACL Rangers) (1-4 on the season)

Victor Figueroa – 2-for-3, Two-Run Home Run

Kale Fountain – 1-for-3, Double

Luis Maracara – 3 IP, 8 H, 6 R (5 ER), 2 BB, 1 K

The ACL Padres’ slow start continued on Friday, as the team lost 8-3 vs the ACL Rangers. Starter Luis Maracara, coming off a dominant DSL campaign, allowed six runs (five earned) in just three innings of work. The right-hander did not have his usual swing-and-miss stuff, only striking out one batter. The five earned runs were a career-high for the 17-year-old right-hander. Dariel Polanco made his season debut in relief, tossing three scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Polanco was another arm with a strong 2024 season, and his debut is another milestone checked off.

Offensively, 2024 18th-rounder Victor Figueroa did the heavy lifting, driving in all three Padres runs. Figueroa had an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning and later a two-run home run in the sixth, his first professional home run. Kale Fountain and Donte Grant each finished 1-for-3 with an extra-base hit, as Fountain had a double and Grant a triple. Luis De Leon drew two walks and scored a run, while catcher Carlos Rodriguez reached base twice via a single and a walk. 

The Padres look to get back in the win column Saturday against the ACL Rangers.  

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.