San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: April 19

Chihuahuas 9, Albuquerque Isotopes 3

Key Statistics: C Brett Sullivan, 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2B, RBI; DH Graham Pauley, 1-for-2, 3 R, HR (4), 2 RBI, BB; LF Tirso Ornelas, 3-for-4, 2 2B; RHP Nolan Watson, 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K; RHP Lake Bachar (W, 3-0) IP, H, 2 K; LHP Austin Davis, IP, 3 K; RHP Matt Festa, IP, 2 K

Prospect Watch: Threes were wild in El Paso on Friday night. El Paso jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Isotopes scored three in the fifth to tie the game, but El Paso plated three in the bottom of the sixth without the Benfield of a hit to take the lead, which they would not relinquish. … Designated hitter Graham Pauley had another nice night at the plate. He walked, connected on his fourth homer of the season, drove in a pair, and scored three runs while batting cleanup. Since getting sent down, the former Duke infielder has enjoyed the friendly confines of El Paso. He’s hitting .290/.436/.677 with seven walks and just three strikeouts in 39 plate appearances. … Tirso Ornelas came into Friday’s game with three hits all season but broke out against Albuquerque, doubling his season hit total with a three-hit night. Ornelas singled and socked a pair of doubles. Ornelas’ big night raised his batting average from .088 to .158. Coming into Friday’s action, Ornelas has a respectable 19% K-rate and an excellent 16% walk rate. His biggest issue continues to be an abundance of groundballs; 57.7% of the balls he has put in play have been on the ground. Ornelas makes frequent contact, but the groundballs have resulted in a BABIP of .115. … Nolan Watson had a shutout after four innings, but the Isotopes got to him in the fifth for three runs, including a two-run shot. Overall, Watson allowed six hits, walked three and struck out five. It was a solid bounce-back after he had to leave his last start after just one inning. He has gone at least five innings in each of his other four starts. His 4.57 ERA is solid, considering he made three starts at elevation.

Missions 7, Corpus Christi Hooks 2

Key Statistics: CF Jakob Marsee, 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 SB (7); 1B Nathan Martorella, 1-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 RBI; RF Robert Perez Jr., 1-for-3, R, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB, SB (1); Juan Zabala, 2-for-4, R, RBI, SB (1); LHP Robby Snelling, 4.2 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 5 K; RHP Ethan Routzahn (W, 1-0) 1.1 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, K; LHP Jason Blanchard, IP, 3 K

Prospect Watch: The Missions broke a three-game losing streak with a win against Corpus Christi on the road. … Center fielder Jakob Marsee singled, walked, and stole a pair of bags to help kickstart the offense. Marsee entered the spring with an outside shot of winning a big league job, but was sent to the Missions instead. Thus far, Marsee has struggled mightily. Friday’s game raised his slash line to .137/.286/.275. Marsee’s big problem has been the glaring lack of contact. He’s struck out at least once in all 13 games he’s played this year, including six multi-strikeout games. He stuck out in less than 20% of his plate appearances last season, but his K rate is hovering at 30% this season. When Marsee does get on base, he’s been a menace, swiping seven bases. … Right fielder Robert Perez Jr. connected on his first homer as a member of the organization and stole his first base for good measure. The 23-year-old signed with the Padres as a minor league free agent in the offseason. The outfielder brings power to the table; in 2022, between Single-A Modesto and High-A Everett, he hit 27 homers and drove in 114 runs. Last year, with Double-A Arkansas, he connected on 17 roundtrippers. He’s off to a slow start with the Missions this year, hitting just .205/.354/.333. … Lefty Robby Snelling made the start and couldn’t get out of the fifth inning, missing an opportunity to snag a win. Overall, Snelling pitched well, completing 4.2 innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits, walking three and striking out five. Snelling threw 78 pitches – 50 for strikes. The 20-year-old has had some issues throwing strikes consistently this year, but Texas League batters aren’t making much contact against him. In 13.2 innings, he’s struck out 15 batters while allowing opponents to hit only .149. Even though he’s walked seven batters, it is encouraging that Snelling is keeping Texas League hitters off-balance at just 20 years old. 

TinCaps 5, Dayton Dragons 3

Key Statistics: DH Ethan Salas, 1-for-5, RBI; LF Albert Fabian, 2-for-3, R, BB; RF Kai Murphy, 4-for-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI; RHP Henry Baez, 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 5 K; RHP Tyler Morgan (W, 1-0) 4 IP, 2 H, 5 K

Prospect Watch: The TinCaps overcame an early 3-0 deficit to beat the Dragons on the road in front of nearly 8,000 fans. … Outfielder Kai Murphy had a career night, posting the first four-hit game as a professional. The 23-year-old singled twice,  doubled twice and drove in three runs. The former ASU star was once a top recruit as a pitcher but moved to the outfield full-time in his sophomore season. Murphy posted solid offensive numbers with the Storm last year before struggling in a late-season promotion to Fort Wayne. Thanks to his big game Friday night, Murphy is carrying an excellent .278/.366/.472 slash-line. … The rest of the TinCaps lineup combined for three hits, and left fielder Albert Fabian contributed two of them. The 22-year-old also drew a walk and now owns an. 808 OPS through his first 25 plate appearances. … Righty Henry Baez struggled with efficiency once again in his third outing. He needed 74 pitches to complete three innings. Baez flashed excellent stuff, striking out five batters. However, he allowed four hits, walked a pair, and got a batter. The right-hander hasn’t completed more than four innings in any of his three starts, but he’s posted a 2.00 ERA with nine punchouts in nine innings. … Tyler Morgan won with another brilliant outing out of the bullpen. Morgan pitched the final four innings to notch his first professional victory. He allowed just two hits while striking out five in his four innings. The 14th-rounder from 2023 has thrown nine innings in three relief appearances. He’s walked just two while striking out 13 batters.

Storm 4, Visalia Rawhide 3

Key Statistics: 1B Romeo Sanabria, 1-for-3, R, BB; Nick Vogt, 1-for-4, R, RBI; SS Wyatt Hoffman, 1-for-3, BB, RBI; RHP Eric Yost, 3 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Dwayne Matos (W, 1-0) 3 IP, 2 H, ER, 5 K; RHP Bradgley Rodriguez (S, 2) IP, 2 K

Prospect Watch: A night after drawing 12 walks, the Storm received nine free passes, winning again against Visalia. … Before the game, the Lake Elsinore Storm inducted former Padres lefty Wade LeBlanc and Andrés Pagán into the Storm Hall of Fame – the first members of the newly minted honor. LeBlanc started 19 games for the Storm back in 2007 and went on to pitch 13 years in the big leagues. Pagán played parts of three seasons for the Storm and currently works for the club as assistant to the CFO. …  Wyatt Hoffman, who stands to see an increase in playing time with Rosman Verdugo on the injured list, doubled in a run and drew a walk. The 25-year-old brings speed and a versatile glove to the lineup, but has typically struggled offensively. The former Cathedral Catholic infielder has a .713 OPS in seven games this year. … Romeo Sanabria extended his hitting streak to five games with a single. In addition, he drew a walk and scored a run. The first baseman is hitting .348/.434/.478 with three doubles and a homer. … Righty Eric Yost made his first professional start and pitched well. The 21-year-old threw three innings and allowed a run on four hits, walking a pair and striking out four. Yost was drafted in the 17th round last year, signing for $150,000. … RIghty Bradgley Rodriguez pitched the ninth to notch his second save of the year. The hard-throwing 20-year-old struck out a pair of hitters in a perfect frame and now has nine strikeouts with just one walk in 5.1 innings. Opposing batters are hitting just .111 against him.