Las Vegas Aviators 6, Chihuahuas 4
Key Stats: RHP Ryan Bergert 5 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Francis Peña 2 IP, H, 2 K; 1B Connor Joe 2-for-4, 2 R, SB (4); LF Tirso Ornelas 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI; DH Trenton Brooks 1-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB (1)
Ryan Bergert is off to a strong start in his PCL debut. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: After clearing waivers last week, Eguy Rosario didn’t immediately join EL Paso as he worked in the outfield at the Peoria Sports Complex. After over 2,000 minor league innings at both second and third, he made his 2025 debut as the Chihuahuas’ starting center fielder, a position he had never played in his nine-year career. It was a start Eguy would like to forget as he went 0-for-4 at the plate, and he overran a ball, committing an error. … On the mound, Ryan Bergert had a mixed showing on Friday. On the bright side, the righty generated 16 swing-and-misses, including a 56% whiff rate on his slider. His spin rate on all his pitches was up compared to his last start, when he dominated. The difference was that when the Aviators did make contact, they sent it a long way. That included a monster 455-foot blast by top prospect Nick Kurtz in the third inning. It was the longest home run hit in minor league baseball Wednesday. Bergert topped out at 94.7 mph on his fastball and averaged 93. … After being held back in extended spring training to finish building up, Francis Peña made his Triple-A debut and immediately forced the Aviators to turn up the dial. Peña hit 98.8 mph with his sinker and averaged 98 mph with it. He also mixed in a cutter that generated a 50% whiff rate. It was a great start for the 24-year-old entering his third full season as a pitcher. … Two batters before the long home run, Tirso Ornelas made an inopportune dive for a ball in left field. It rolled behind him for an inside-the-park home run. He would more than make up for it as he hit his first home run of the season a few innings later. Ornelas also made a nice play on Rosario’s error, chasing down down the ball and making an excellent throw to nail the runner at the plate for an outfield assist.
Missions 8, Corpus Christi Hooks 4
Key Stats: C Ethan Salas 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI, SB (1); 1B Romeo Sanabria 4-for-5, 2B, HR (2), 3 R, 3 RBI; CF Kai Murphy 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI; RHP Victor Lizarraga 4 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 5 K; RHP Eduarniel Núñez 2 IP, 3 K
Ethan Salas in the Spring Breakout game. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: After starting the year 1-for-11, Ethan Salas had three hits Wednesday night. The youngest player in Double-A raised his batting average by nearly 200 points in the contest, providing a good reminder not to jump to conclusions after less than a week. It was his first three-hit game since July 2024. Salas also stole his first base of the year without allowing a stolen base. … After going hitless in his first game of the season, Romeo Sanabria has gone 12-for-18 since, including four hits Wednesday. Sanabria homered in his second straight game, surpassing the home run total he posted in 32 games for San Antonio last year. After slugging .493 with Lake Elsinore in April and May, Sanabria fell off to .364 between Fort Wayne and San Antonio over the last three months of the year. His four extra-base hits are also one away from his total with San Antonio last year in over 100 fewer plate appearances. … Victor Lizarraga returned to San Antonio after a successful 2024 Double-A campaign. The 21-year-old only allowed three hits over four innings, did not walk a batter and struck out five. It would have been a fantastic start had two of the three hits not left the park. Lizarraga landed 35 of his 49 pitches for strikes in his season debut. … Eduarniel Núñez, who signed with the Padres as a minor league free agent over the winter, faced the minimum over two innings. He struck out three and got three infield popups. The 25-yeear-old, who has always struggled with command, has faced 11 batters this year and allowed one walk and no hits.
Dayton Dragons 5, TinCaps 0
Key Stats: RHP Clark Candiotti 3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K; RHP Josh Mallitz 2 IP, BB, 5 K; SS Leo De Vries 0-for-4, K; 1B Ethan Long 1-for-3; DH Brandon Durfee 1-for-4, 2B
Prospect Watch The TinCaps were two-hit on Wednesday, losing on the road in Dayton. They had three total baserunners and struck out 10 times. … Clark Candiotti made his professional debut. Clark, the son of the famous knuckleballer Tom Candiotti, has a more traditional repertoire. The University of Arizona alum fought nerves, rain, and freezing weather in the first, allowing four runners and giving up a run. He did rebound by striking out the side in the second before getting wild and walking two more in his final inning. It was a debut to build on. … Undrafted free agent Josh Mallitz closed the game and was in control. He generated 13 whiffs in 2.1 innings as he struck out five, including two batters that swung and missed on three straight pitches. The 23-year-old righty out of the University of Mississippi has struck out six over 4.1 scoreless innings in Fort Wayne.
Modesto Nuts 9, Storm 5
Key Statistics: RHP Kleiber Olmedo 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, BB, 7 K; CF Kasen Wells 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B, BB; SS Ryan Jackson 0-for-1, 2 R, 4 BB; 1B Lamar King Jr. 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R; 2B BY Choi 2-for-4, BB; 3B Zach Evans 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI; C Victor Duarte 2-for-5, 2B
Lamar King is tapping into his power as he gets further away from his shoulder surgery. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm combined for 10 hits and eight walks but could only turn it into five runs as they went 4-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left 13 on base. … Lamar King Jr. continued to be the heavy hitter for the Storm, clubbing a bases-loaded double to give him two more RBI and eight overall in five games. He now ranks second in the Cal League in hits (9) and RBI, third in batting average (.450), and third in OPS (1.222). After catching Tuesday, King played first base Monday. As Mike Daly, Padres Assistant Director of Player Development, told us, King should be catching about half the time. …Speedy outfielder Kasen Wells collected his first professional multi-hit game. The 21-year-old, who originally played at Texas A&M, has always been able to get on base. He had a .477 OBP throughout college and has carried it through the start of this season, reaching base safely seven times in four games (.450 OBP). Wells is also second in the league with three steals. … After Kash Mayfield‘s stellar debut and with Boston Bateman scheduled to debut Thursday, Kleiber Olmedo drew the start. While the stat line of six earned runs over 3.2 innings is far from ideal, seven of the 11 outs he recorded were by way of the K. The 20-year-old ended last year with Lake Elsinore but walked over five per nine innings. In his first start of 2025, he had a 7:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio while dialing his fastball up to 95. Strange stat of the night: all six runs Olmedo allowed were with two outs. The Nuts went 5-for-7, with a pair of doubles and a homer with two outs against the righty.
