San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: April 5

Chihuahuas 12, Oklahoma City Comets 8

Key Statistics: 2B Tyler Wade 1-for-5, BB; 1B Trenton Brooks 2-for-4, 2B, BB, 4 RBI; DH Oscar Gonzalez 3-for-5, 3B, RBI, BB; LF/CF/RF Tirso Ornelas 0-for-3, 2 BB; SS Clay Dungan 2-for-4, 2 RBI; 3B Mason McCoy 1-for-3, 2 BB; LF Yonathan Perlaza 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI; RHP Stephen Kolek 4 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 6 K, HR; RHP Kevin Kopps 2 IP, H 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Ethan Routzahn IP, H, BB, 2 K; LHP Tom Cosgrove (W, 1-0) IP, H, 2 R, 4 BB; RHP Reiss Knehr 1 IP, 3 K

Prospect Watch: With a game-time temperature of 45 degrees and a 22 mph wind coming in from left that made it seem much colder, the Chihuahuas broke their four-game losing streak with a win on the road over the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate. … The big bat for El Paso on the day was once again Oscar González, one of the last cuts from the big league squad. The right-handed outfielder had a triple among three hits and a walk in six trips to the plate. Over seven games, he has a 1.030 OPS with three home runs and five extra-base hits. … Alpine native Trenton Brooks, who played at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, had two hits and is off to a blistering .379/.432/.690 start with a team-leading 11 hits in his first seven games. The left-hander, who signed in the offseason after two seasons playing in Triple-A for the Giants, mainly played first base last year but does have extensive time at the corner outfield positions. … Stephen Kolek struck out six in four innings, landing 56 of his 79 pitches for strikes. The righty gave up six runs on 10 hits with the wind tunnel blowing hard from left to right. Kolek showed off a five-pitch mix, getting 10 whiffs on 42 swings, but when the Comets made contact, it was loud; the 16 balls in play averaged nearly 99 mph exit velocities. … The best news of the night was the return of Reiss Knehr, who struck out the side on 13 pitches, including the Dodgers’ top prospect Dalton Rushing to end the game. The righty last threw a competitive pitch in June, 2023 when he started for the Padres. He underwent Tommy John surgery in August of that year and missed all of last season. The 28-year-old from Long Island, New York, has made 21 appearances in the big leagues for the Padres.

Missions 8, Amarillo Sod Poodles 2

Key Statistics: SS Francisco Acuña 2-for-5, 2B, RBI; C Brandon Valenzuela 1-for-4, HR (1), RBI, BB; 1B Romeo Sanabria 3-for-5, 2B, DH Marcos Castañon 3-for-4, 2 2B, HR (1), 2 RBI; 3B Devin Ortiz 1-for-3, RBI, BB; LF Moises Gomez 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI; RHP Henry Baez 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; LHP Miguel Cienfuegos (W, 1-0), 4 IP, 3 H, 7 K; RHP Stephen Jones 1.2 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K; RHP Eduarniel Nuñez 1.1 IP, BB, 2 K

Prospect Watch: The wind was also blowing in San Antonio, but this time it wasn’t blowing in as usual. The Missions took advantage to claim their second straight win at home over the former Padres affiliate. Down two in the bottom of the first inning San Antonio put four on the board with home runs by Brandon Valenzuela, Moises Gomez, and Marcos Castañon. Castañon, in the lineup at DH, had one of the best nights of his career, with a home run and a pair of doubles. … Henry Baez got the start but needed 51 pitches to get through two innings. The Padres’ number six prospect was charged with a pair of runs in the first inning, then worked around a one-out walk in the second. Subscribers can read our interview with Baez for more on his focus areas this season. … Once they had the lead, the Missions staff held the Sod Poodles offense in check for the rest of the game. Miguel Cienfuegos, 28, did much of the heavy lifting, striking out seven over four shutout innings to get the win. The Canadian native, who didn’t get his first opportunity in affiliated ball until he until he was 26, was one of the better stories in the system last year. He had a 5.46 ERA in 124.4 innings between the TinCaps, Missions, and Chihuahuas. Many pitchers in the organization, including San Antonio’s Jagger Haynes, credited Ciefuegos for helping them navigate the ups-and-downs of a baseball season.

TinCaps 4, Lansing Lugnuts 1

Key Statistics: SS Leo De Vries 1-for-4, BB; DH Brendan Durfee 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI; 1B Ethan Long 1-for-3, BB; RF Jacob Campbell 2-for-4, 2B; 2B Brandon Butterworth 2-for-3, 2B, BB, 2 RBI; RHP Isaiah Lowe 4 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, K; RHP Garrett Hawkins (W, 1-0) 2 IP, 4 K; RHP Eiker Huizi IP, 2 K; LHP Fernando Sanchez (S,1) 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K

Prospect Watch: In what was a theme for Saturday’s games, the TinCaps won their second straight on a day that seemed much colder than the 49-degree game-time temperature. Fort Wayne were led by stellar pitching from Isaiah Lowe and Garrett Hawkins, and the Brendan and Brandon show at the plate. … Lowe threw 57 pitches to get through four without excellent command, as only 34 were for strikes, but he also only gave up a pair of hits. One of his best attributes, the ability to make in-game adjustments, was on display. The 21-year-old only struck out one, but limited damage to just two singles. Garrett Hawkins made a stellar return from 2023 Tommy John surgery with two perfect innings and four strikeouts. Hawkins was part of a no-hitter in 2023 with Lake Elsinore, when he ranked among the top arms in the system. As he gets stretched out, the big Canadian could be someone to watch as the season goes on. … After catching the opener, Brendan Durfee got the start at DH. His two-run double in the third put Fort Wayne up. The left-handed hitting Durfee, 23, who seems much bigger than his listed 6-foot-3, another product of UC Santa Barbara to find his way into the Padres system, was very good last year in his short stint with the Storm with a .893 OPS. He could also see some time this year at first base where he played in college. … Brandon Butterworth, the Padres’ 12th-round pick last year after he walked more than he struck out at North Carolina State, also had a two-run double. The middle infielder went 2-for-3 with a walk. The TinCaps will look for him to be a table-setter this season.    

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6, Storm 1

Key Statistics: 3B Zach Evans 2-for-5, RBI; DH Lamar King, Jr. 0-for-2, 2 BB; RF Ryan Wilson 2-for-4; 1B Kaden Hollow 1-for-3, BB; 2B Yendry Rojas 2-for-4; RHP Bryan Balzer (L,0-1) 3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 K; RHP Jesus Lopez 2.2 IP 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K; LHP Igor Gil 1.2 IP, K

Prospect Watch: The Storm dropped their second straight, but played better than their rough Friday night opener. Making his full-season debut, 20-year-old Bryan Balzer gave up three runs in the first before he settled down and showed better command. The righty only gave up one hard-hit ball, but walked a pair and gave up two weak-hit singles in the opening frame. He bounced back with two shutout innings and finished the evening with six strikeouts, throwing 30 of his 51 pitches for strikes. Balzer, an international free agent signed out of Japan in 2023, was sitting between 94 and 96 mph this spring. We will have more on one of the organization’s more interesting stories later this week. … As we have noted, Cobb Hightower, Kale Fountain, and Kavares Tears – all Top 20 MadFriars prospects for this year – have been slowed by injuries this spring, creating opportunities in the Storm lineup before they return. Kaden Hollow, 24, is one of the players looking to take advantage. He went 1-for-3 with a walk on Saturday. Signed as an undrafted free agent at catcher in 2022, Hollow has showed some promise in the Arizona Complex League when healthy, but has struggled to get on the field because of injuries. The left-handed hitting Idaho native from Utah Tech is now listed as a first baseman and outfielder who will get some chances. In 181 plate appearances in the ACL, he had a .282/.461/.430 slash line.