Padres minor league affiliates went 2-3 on Saturday.

Here is our daily recap of all games played. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 5-4 vs Salt Lake) (20-24 on the season)

Samad Taylor – 2-for-5, Double, RBI

Jose Miranda – 3-for-4, Double, Two Singles

Evan Fitterer – 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K (74 pitches – 45 strikes)

A quality start in the PCL is a real thing, and Evan Fitterer proved such on Saturday. The right-hander pitched six innings on 74 pitches, generating 12 groundouts en route to his longest outing of the season. Fitterer, at one point, had three straight innings with a ground ball double play. The former Marlins farmhand has been a steadying force since stepping into the Chihuahuas rotation midseason, and continues to impress as he stretches out to a starter’s workload. 

Evan Fitterer becomes just the second @EPChihuahuas starting pitcher to pitch into the sixth inning this season.

Last was JP Sears on April 23 against Reno.

— Ian Napetian (@ian_napetian) May 17, 2026

El Paso took an early lead with an RBI single by Nick Solak. Solak finished with two hits and a run scored in the game, and now has a .437 on-base percentage this season. Nick Schnell hit into a fielder’s choice double play to score a run in the third inning. Jose Miranda had three hits, with his third hit being a double to set up a run-scoring opportunity in the ninth. Jase Bowen had two hits out of the cleanup spot, and Samad Taylor reached base twice as the leadoff man. Marcos Castanon had a pinch-hit single in the ninth, scoring a run. 

The Chihuahuas’ bullpen could not hold on to a 2-1 advantage. Kyle Hart threw a scoreless seventh but ran into trouble in the eighth. Hart allowed a leadoff single and one-out walk, chasing him from the game. David Morgan came on with two on and one out, and promptly gave up a double to Denzer Guzman. The double scored both inherited runners, and Salt Lake now led 3-2. Morgan allowed an RBI single to Chris Taylor (yes, that one) to extend the deficit to two. After a Chihuahuas rally in the ninth, manager Pete Zamora stuck with Morgan, and it paid off at first. Morgan struck out Yolmer Sanchez before Austin Wynns hit a one-out double. Morgan struck out Nelson Rada for the second out, but his first pitch to Christian Moore was lined to left field for a single. Carlos Rodriguez threw home, but his throw was up the third base line, allowing pinch-runner Bryce Teodosio to score as the Bees clinched a series win. 

San Antonio Missions (Lost 5-2 vs Wichita) (14-24 on the season)

Carson Tucker – 2-for-5, Two Singles, Two Runs Scored, Two Stolen Bases

Romeo Sanabria – 1-for-3, RBI Single, Walk

Victor Lizarraga – 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 8 K (86 pitches – 61 strikes)

Victor Lizarraga spun a quality start for the Missions, pitching six innings and allowing just one earned run. The right-hander had his best strike percentage of the season at 70.9 and did not issue a walk. Lizarraga struck out a season-best eight batters, generating 16 swings and misses in the game. The right-hander has been on an impressive streak this month, as in three games, Lizarraga has a 1.29 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 3.64 FIP in 14 innings. Johan Moreno allowed three runs on four hits in one inning of relief, striking out one batter. Clark Candiotti, fresh off a promotion to Double-A, struck out two in two scoreless innings. 

Tonight’s @FrostBank Player of the Game is Victor Lizarraga ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/kp02r78bwA

— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) May 17, 2026

Carson Tucker continues to be a force at the top of the lineup, as he hit two singles in five at-bats. Tucker’s impact also showed on the bases, as he swiped two bases, setting him up to score two runs. Ethan Salas was held hitless, but drove in a run on an eighth-inning groundout. Romeo Sanabria hit an RBI single in the third inning, driving in his 16th run of the season. Albert Fabian picked up his first stolen base of the season, reaching base twice in the loss. 

The Missions will likely make a roster move for a starting pitcher before their series finale vs Wichita, as right-hander Eric Yost was reportedly placed on the seven-day injured list today.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 7-4 vs Cedar Rapids) (18-20 on the season)

Rosman Verdugo – 1-for-4, Two-Run Home Run

Zach Evans – 2-for-4, Two Singles

Abraham Parra – 3.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 4 K (74 pitches – 50 strikes)

For the second straight start, Abraham Parra did not make it out of the fourth inning. However, this time he was not as effective. The right-hander was tagged for six runs in 2.1 innings, despite picking up four of his ten outs via the strikeout. Parra ran into trouble with two outs, as he allowed two runs on a double by Yasser Mercedes. Three straight hits opened the second against him, with the Kernels adding a run. Marek Houston’s sac fly scored the fourth run against Parra, and despite a clean third inning, Parra saw two runners reach in the fourth. The right-hander did not get the chance to end the inning, as he was relieved with one out. Kleiber Olmedo allowed a two-run single to Eduardo Tait, adding two runs to Parra’s ledger. Olmedo pitched one run in two innings, with a bequeathed runner scoring after he left the game. Javier Chacon allowed an RBI single to Eduardo Tait, but allowed nothing further in 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. Chacon struck out four batters and has now struck out 23.3% of batters faced since joining the TinCaps.

The TinCaps lineup was held to two hits in five innings by starter Dasan Hill, who fanned seven in five innings. Fort Wayne’s first two runs of the game came on one swing, as Rosman Verdugo hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning. For Verdugo, it was his 21st career home run as a TinCap. Zach Evans hit two singles in the ball game, raising his average in May to .314 with an .803 OPS. Kavares Tears had a second consecutive multi-hit game, with two singles and an RBI. Tears is another TinCap surging after a quiet start, hitting .313 with a .905 OPS in May, with four of his ten hits going for extra bases. Lamar King Jr drove in a run on an RBI infield single in the ninth, scoring Carlos E. Rodriguez. Kasen Wells went hitless at the plate, but contributed an outfield assist to stymie a potential rally in the first inning. 

He did it again ‼️

Career home run number 2⃣1⃣ for Rosman Verdugo in a TinCap uniform, tying him for 6th in franchise history pic.twitter.com/5ByniZoGV8

— Andy Jachim (@AndyJachim) May 17, 2026

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 4-2 vs Rancho Cucamonga) (23-15 on the season)

Truitt Madonna – 1-for-3, Two-Run Double

Ty Harvey – 2-for-3, Two Singles, Walk, Two Runs Scored

Tyler Schmitt – 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K (86 pitches – 57 strikes)

Storm starter Tyler Schmitt looks well on his way to the California League Pitcher of the Month award, as the right-hander pitched 5.2 quality innings against Rancho Cucamonga. While he did allow runs for the first time all month, Schmitt held the Quakes to three hits and two walks, picking up five strikeouts and a Single-A best 18 whiffs in the game.

Right-hander Tyler Schmitt struck out five in 5.2 innings vs Rancho Cucamonga, allowing two runs.

Schmitt’s May looks as follows:
16.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 16 K
1.07 ERA
3.15 FIP
27.1% K
10.2% BB

I dare say, it sounds like Pitcher of the Month numbers to me. @EVT_News https://t.co/b4ag0Smreg

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) May 17, 2026

The Storm’s offensive production was not as off the charts as on K-Pop Night (14 runs ICYMI), but the team used a pair of two-run doubles to their advantage. Ty Harvey continues to impress since his return from a hamstring injury, hitting two singles and scoring two runs. Harvey also stole two bases in the game, a good sign for the athletic catcher. Bradley Frye hit two singles as well, stealing his 11th base of the season and scoring twice. Truitt Madonna, handling the catching duties, finished with a two-run double in the game, scoring the Storm’s first two runs. Madonna also drew a walk in the game. Kerrington Cross had the team’s second run-scoring hit, as his seventh-inning double pushed in the go-ahead runs. 

Carson Swilling pitched his longest relief outing by outs recorded this season (seven), pitching scoreless baseball. The right-hander out of the University of South Alabama threw 2.1 scoreless innings with one strikeout. Will Koger picked up his fourth save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning. Since stepping into the closer’s role for Ethan Long, Koger is 4-for-5 in save opportunities, allowing three earned runs in 6.2 innings, albeit with a 12:2 K: BB ratio.  

ACL Padres (Won 9-2 vs ACL Guardians) (5-6 on the season)

Jesmaylin Arias – 3-for-4, Double, Two RBI

Fabian Alcantara – 2-for-4, Home Run

Lan-Hong Su – 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K 

The Padres’ offense scored a season-best nine runs en route to a win over the ACL Guardians. Fabian Alcantara blasted a home run as part of a two-hit effort. Alcantara’s home run was his first in the Arizona Complex League, as he had previously hit 11 home runs in two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. Jesmaylin Arias had three hits, including a double, and drove in two runs. Jhojan Downer drove in two runs on a two-run single in the first inning, later scoring Jhoan De La Cruz on a base hit to center field. De La Cruz scored two runs, as did Yimy Tovar. Santiago Vargas was held hitless, but hit a sacrifice fly to drive in his eighth run of the season. 

Lan-Hong Su made his season debut with two innings of work. The right-hander struck out four batters in his two innings, not allowing a run. Su allowed one hit but issued two walks in his first official outing since Spring Breakout. Jeferson Villabona allowed a home run in one inning of relief. Villabona started the season with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, but is currently on a rehab assignment. Jordan Valenzuela threw 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, striking out five batters. The right-hander has now struck out 13 in 8.2 innings on the complex, but has also issued nine walks. Bernard Jose was charged with one run in 1.1 innings, striking out three.

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.