San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: May 28

Round Rock Express 10, Chihuahuas 5

Key Statistics: DH Matthew Batten 3-for-5, R, 2 2B, RBI; LF Tirso Ornelas 1-for-3, BB; 3B Eguy Rosario 1-for-3, R, BB; LHP Jackson Wolf (L, 1-6) 2.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R (2 ER), 2 BB, K; RHP Lake Bachar 2.1 IP, H, ER, 2 K; LHP Tom Cosgrove IP, H, R, BB, K

Prospect Watch: El Paso hit the road and traveled to Round Rock, where they lost the series opener. … Designated hitter Matthew Batten had three hits, including a pair of doubles. It was Batten’s 10th multi-hit game of May. The 28-year-old is hitting .372/.413/.543 this month. … Tirso Ornelas singled and walked in the Chihuahuas’ loss. The single extended his hitting streak to five games. Ornelas has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games. Much like Batten, Ornelas has been red-hot in May. The Tijuana native is hitting .343/.395/.529 with three homers this month, pushing his wRC+ for the year to 111 – 11% above league average production. … Jackson Wolf struggled again and suffered his sixth loss of the season. Wolf allowed five runs (two earned) on five hits in 2.2 innings. He walked two and struck out one. His defense certainly didn’t help him in the third when they failed to turn a pair of grounders into outs. Then, with two outs, Wolf induced another grounder, but third baseman Eguy Rosario booted it, allowing all three runs to score. Wolf was pulled after walking the next hitter. Over his last three starts, the southpaw has completed just 8.2 innings. He’s allowed 14 earned runs while walking seven batters during that span. Before this three-game stretch, Wolf allowed just five runs in his previous 21.2 innings (2.08 ERA). Wolf has shown that he can pitch well in the upper minors but he will need to make a quick adjustment to get back on track. 

Frisco RoughRiders 3, Missions 2

Key Statistics: 2B Ripken Reyes 2-for-5, SB (7); RF Robert Perez Jr. 2-for-4; SS Ray-Patrick Didder 1-for-3, BB, RBI; RHP Ryan Bergert (L, 0-5) 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 K; RHP Raul Brito 1.1 IP, 2 K

Prospect Watch: The Missions fell behind early and had a chance to come back. Brandon Valenzuela connected on a an eighth-inning, two-out RBI double to pull within a run. However, he was then picked off second to thwart any further threat. … Second baseman Ripken Reyes had a pair of singles and stole his seventh base of the year. The versatile infielder and sometimes outfielder has struggled this season after a very solid campaign last year. He broke out with the Missions in 2023, hitting .257/.408/.359. This season, he’s cut his strikeout rate slightly but his BABIP has dropped 80 points, explaining the .205 batting average after Tuesday’s game. Reyes has a career .394 on-base percentage in over 1100 minor league at-bats. … Robert Perez Jr. also notched a pair of singles in the San Antonio loss. The two-hit night helped Perez end an 0-for-16 skid. When you put the recent slide aside, the former Mariners prospect has been one of the better hitters for a squad that owns a league-worst .616 OPS. The 23-year-old is hitting .261/.338/.362 this month. … After a brutal start to the month, Ryan Bergert turned in his best start of the year, completing a season-high six innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out three batters without issuing a walk. Coming into Tuesday’s start, Bergert had allowed 15 earned runs in 14 innings over his previous five starts. The biggest issue for Bergert in May has been the lack of swing-and-miss stuff. In April, Bergert racked up 22 strikeouts in 17 innings. In 20 May innings, he’s punched out just nine as his fastball has flattened out. Strikeouts have never been an issue for Bergert; last year he struck out 51 batters in 44 innings. Bergert has also cut his BB/9 from 3.68 last year to 2.90 this year. In addition to the decreased frequency of strikeouts, Texas League hitters are batting .379 on balls in play – about 80 points higher than last year. With more strikeouts and better luck, Bergert should be able to return to the form he showed last year. 

Transactions: The Missions received reliever Francis Pena from the TinCaps. The 23-year-old had a 3-0 record with a 0.86 ERA in 11 games. Reliever Cole Paplham had his rehab transferred from the ACL to Fort Wayne. 

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 4, TinCaps 3

Key Statistics: RF Kai Murphy 1-for-4, BB; 3B Devin Ortiz 2-for-4, R; 2B Nerwilian Cedeño 1-for-2, 2 BB, 2B; RHP Enmanuel Pinales 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K; RHP Joan Gonzalez 3 IP, H, BB, 4 K; LHP Mitch Miller (L, 1-3) 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB

Prospect Watch: The TinCaps were in position to win, but they allowed runs in both the eighth and ninth innings to lose on the road in Appleton, Wisconsin. … Third baseman Devin Ortiz had a pair of singles and scored a run in the loss. Ortiz, 25 hit well in April but struggled at the beginning of May. The 2022 undrafted free agent started May in a 4-for-34 slump but he’s righted the ship in the second half of the month. Over his last 12 games, Ortiz is 16-for-40 (.400 average) with all but one of the hits being singles. Coming into Tuesday’s action, the University of Virginia product led the TinCaps with a wRC+ of 127. … Fort Wayne got another solid but inefficient start from Enmanuel Pinales, who did not factor in the decision. Pinales needed 87 pitches to complete four innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He walked three and struck out five. The 23-year-old has been one of the organization’s breakout stars of the early season, pitching to a 2.79 ERA in eight starts while holding opposing batters to a .165 average. In 20.2 May innings, he struck out 27 batters while walking nine. … After Pinales departed, the TinCaps got three innings of shutout ball from Joan Gonzalez. Gonzalez, 26, allowed just one hit with one walk and four strikeouts. Gonzalez signed with the Padres after last year’s draft out of Bethune-Cookman. Tuesday’s outing lowered his ERA to 1.71 ERA in 21 innings. 

Storm 6, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5 (10 innings)

Key Statistics: 1B Romeo Sanabria 2-for-4, R, 2B; LF Jacob Campbell 1-for-4, BB, RBI; SS Chase Valentine 2-for-4, R, HR (1), 2 RBI; LHP Fernando Sanchez 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, ER, BB, 2 K; LHP Luis Gutierrez 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Kobe Robinson (W, 4-1) IP, 2 H, R, K

Prospect Watch: The Storm won their series opener against the Quakes, thanks to a walk-off single from catcher Oswaldo Linares. … In his 87th game as a professional, Chase Valentine connected on his first career homer, part of a two-hit night. After seeing time in the MLB Draft League, the 22-year-old signed with the Padres as an undrafted free agent out of community college in 2022. He’s been an organizational depth piece, appearing in at least one game for every stateside affiliate since signing. In 10 games for the Storm, he has a .691 OPS. … It was another day and another multi-hit game for Romeo Sanabria. The first baseman singled, doubled, and drew a walk. The two-hit effort raised his batting average to .324 – the third-highest mark in the Cal League. … The Storm used a piggyback effort from the pitching staff, with the first four innings coming from Fernando Sanchez, who allowed two runs (one earned). Sanchez, 23, walked one and struck out two. Sanchez has been the most consistent starter for the Storm this season. In eight games (six starts), the four-time member of the Storm has a 2.70 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. … Luis Gutierrez made his Storm debut after Sanchez left and allowed three runs (two earned) in four innings. He walked a pair and struck out three. The 20-year-old was a high profile member of the Padres’ international free agent class back in 2019 out of Venezuela, but developed a case of the yips and was waylaid in his development. Gutierrez has appeared in 20 games in the ACL over parts of the last three years. The lefty has gotten his fastball up to the mid-90s and can show a fantastic changeup at times. He will likely get the opportunity to stretch out to work as a starter.

ACL Padres 10, ACL Rockies 8 (7 innings)

Key Statistics: SS B.Y. Choi 1-for-4, 3 RBI; DH Connor Hollis 2-for-4, R, 2B; LF Kaden Hollow 2-for-3, R, 2 2B, BB, 3 RBI; CF Spence Coffman 2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, BB, RBI; C Jesus Castro 2-for-4, R, RBI; LHP Jesus Gonzalez IP, 2 H, ER, K; LHP Ruben Salinas (W, 1-1) 2 IP, H, 2 K; RHP Maikel Miralles (S, 2) IP, H, 2 K

Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres used a six-run fourth to beat the ACL Rockies in seven innings. The Padres have a 13-6 record and lead their division. … Rehabbing infielder Connor Hollis had a single, double, and scored a run in his first appearance since hitting the IL a month ago. The 2022 Texas League batting champion should be back with the Missions soon. … Spence Coffman continues to swing a hot bat in the desert. The versatile Coffman had a single, double, and drew a walk. The 20-year-old was drafted by the Padres in 2022 in the 19th round out of high school in Mississippi. In 17 games this year, Coffman is hitting .296/.377/.370 while spending some of his time in the outfield for the first time in his career. With Donte Grant and Kashon Conliffe down Tuesday, he got his first taste of center field. … Jesus Gonzalez made his second rehab appearance, working one inning. He allowed an earned run on two hits. Gonzalez underwent Tommy John surgery in May of last year. The lefty figures to build up in the desert and join a full-season squad in the coming weeks. … Ruben Salinas earned his first win as a pro, firing two innings. He allowed one hit and struck out two. Like Gonzalez, Salinas also underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after converting to pitching last spring. Salinas has not allowed a run in five innings this year.