San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: May 17th

Chihuahuas 10, Round Rock Express 4

Key Statistics: RHP Julio Teheran (W, 4-2) 5 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K; CF David Dahl 1-for-6, 2 RBI; 2B Jose Iglesias 4-for-6, 2B, 3B, HR (1), 3 RBI; LF Taylor Kohlwey 3-for-3, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB; LHP Jose Castillo IP, K; LHP Ray Kerr IP, H, 2 K

Prospect Watch: Jose Iglesias became the fifth Chihuahua to hit for the cycle, and it was one of the more improbable ones. The shortstop, in the lineup at second base Wednesday, has never been known as a power hitter – to the point that he hit only three home runs as a starter in Colorado last season. After he his first home run of the year in his first trip to the plate, he picked up a double in the second inning and a single in the third as the Chihuahuas raced to a 7-1 lead. However, he made outs in his next two at-bats, putting into doubt whether he would have a final chance. He got a sixth at-bat with two outs in the ninth inning, and for the first time since 2021, Iglesias hit a triple to complete the cycle. … Center fielder David Dahl, with the club on a rehab assignment, played his third consecutive game in the field. The left-handed hitter contributed a two-run single in six trips to the plate. In five games, he is 7-for-26 with just two strikeouts. … Julio Teheran turned in the club’s second straight strong start, allowing only one run on a pair of hits over five innings. This is his fourth consecutive start allowing no more than three earned runs.  The two hits allowed are his lowest in a start since 2020 when he was with the Angels. … Southpaw Ray Kerr had his sixth straight scoreless outing and has allowed just three baserunners in May. His fastball hit 97 mph on the radar gun tonight and he got a few poor swings with his curve.

Roster Move: The organization announced that Pedro Severino opted out of his contract with the Padres and was subsequently released. In 18 games with El Paso, the veteran backstop was hitting .286/.400/.476. With Luis Campusano on the injured list at the big league level and Yorman Rodriguez on the shelf with El Paso, the only catchers on the El Paso roster are Michael Cantu and Alison Quintero, who joined the club from the Peoria Sports Complex.

Missions 6, Midland Rockhounds 5

Key Stats: RHP Efrain Contreras 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K; RHP Alek Jacob (W, 1-0) 1.2 IP, 4 K; 2B Ripken Reyes 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RS, RBI, BB; RF Tirso Ornelas 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB; CF Daniel Johnson 2-for-5, HR (3); DH Jorge Oña 1-for-4, HR (1), RBI

Prospect Watch: After a delayed start to his campaign Alek Jacob looks to have found his groove.  The side-winding righty struck out four of the five batters he faced Wednesday.  In his last 3.2 innings, he has not allowed a baserunner while striking out six. … Jorge Oña connected on his first home run of the year. After a disastrous April that saw him slug .176, Oña now owns a much more respectable .483 mark in May. Once a marquee part of the 2016 signing class, Oña hasn’t hit more than 11 homers in any season — and that came six years ago. … Speaking of players trying to find their groove, outfielder Tirso Ornelas, is at his best when he’s walking a lot and slicing doubles down the line. After a stretch of 10 games without a walk, Ornelas has now drawn seven in his last four games, hitting .308/.550/.385 in the process.

TinCaps 5, Dayton Dragons 1

Key Stats: RHP Victor Lizarraga 2 IP, H, ER, 2 BB; SS Jackson Merrill 1-for-4, 2 R; DH Carlos Luis 3-for-5, RBI; 2B Kervin Pichardo 1-for-3, HR (2), 2 RBI, BB

Prospect Watch: For the first time all season, the TinCaps etended a winning streak to three in a row as they got shortstop Jackson Merrill back from a second stint fighting an illness the past few weeks. After missing eight straight days, it took Merrill a few at-bats to shake off the rust, but he laced a hard-hit ball to center for his first hit before coming around to score the final run of the game before he was removed in the eighth to get some rest. Even with the extended absence, Merrill has a four-game hitting streak, and is hitting .313/.324/.469 in May. … Infielder Kervin Pichardo delivered the big hit of the game, a two-run homer in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie. The 21-year-old, acquired last year at the end of spring training for James Norwood, has gotten regular playing time since Nerwilian Cedeño went on the shelf with a wrist injury. He has a .606 OPS in 23 games. … Victor Lizarraga struggled labored through two innings Wednesday, struggling to command the strike zone. The 19-year-old threw 18 of his 30 pitches for balls, walked two, hit a batter, and had a wild pitch. He gave way before the third inning and may be the latest in a long string of TinCaps players to deal with the bug that’s been making its way through the clubhouse for most of a month now.

Inland Empire 66ers 8, Storm 6 (11 innings)

Key Statistics: CF Samuel Zavala 2-for-4, RS, 2 BB, Outfield Assist; 1B Griffin Doersching 2-for-5, 2B, HR (3), 4 RBI; LF Nick Vogt 3-for-5, HR (1), 2 RBI; RHP Miguel Mendez 4 IP, H, BB, 4 K

Prospect Watch: The Storm came within a couple of inches of giving the system a complete system sweep for the second night in a row. Inches because, after the 66ers tied it in the top of the 9^th, third baseman Graham Pauley sent a rocket down the right field line.  It looked like Samuel Zavala would score easily from first, but an excellent throw cut him down by inches to send the game to extras. Zavala reached base four times on the night and the 18-year-old outfielder now has a line of .333./.472/.436 in 13 games this month. … Righthander Miguel Mendez made his 2023 debut with a strong four innings. The 20-year-old pitched to a 7.97 ERA in the ACL last year, but impressed with 34 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.  He needed only 57 pitches to get through four innings Wednesday. … Until the blown save, this game was going to be known as first baseman Griffin Doersching’s coming-out party. The big first baseman got the Storm on the board with a towering home run — his third of the season. He later added an RBI double and finished with a career-high four RBI. After posting a .516 OPS in April, the 24-year-old is up to a .895 OPS in May.