Chihuahuas 13, Albuquerque Isotopes 6
Key Statistics: 2B Clay Dungan, 2-for-5, 3 R, 2B, BB; CF Bryce Johnson, 2-for-6, R, RBI; LF Trenton Brooks, 2-for-5, R, 3 RBI; DH Yonathan Perlaza, 2-for-5, R, BB, RBI; 3B Mike Brosseau, 3-for-5, 2 R, RBI; SS Mason McCoy, 3-for-5, 2 2B, R, 4 RBI; LHP Wes Benjamin (W, 1-1) 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, K; RHP Andrew Bellatti 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Francis Peña IP, 2 K
Bryce Johnson is back with the Chihuahuas. (Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: The wind was howling once again in the town inhabited by Walter White, but the Chihuahuas put up 13 runs without the benefit of a home run in Friday’s win against the Isotopes. El Paso’s offense did total 15 hits and nine walks as a unit. … Old, and now new, friend Bryce Johnson made his 2025 Chihuahuas debut, and he delivered a pair of singles. The 29-year-old played in 74 games for El Paso last season, hitting .288/.407/.431. He also appeared in 47 games for the Padres, producing a .524 OPS. This week, he was acquired from the Pirates organization in exchange for Brett Sullivan. Johnson provides insurance should something happen to Tyler Wade, the only healthy player who can be counted on for regular innings in center field. … Yonathan Perlaza reached base three times with a pair of singles and a walk. The former Cubs farmhand has swung the bat well to start the season and is putting himself in position to receive his first big league call-up. Perlaza, 26, ranks sixth in the PCL with a 1.018 OPS despite hitting just one homer. He has shown extra-base power, though, as he is tied for fourth with eight doubles. The switch-hitter has a passable 23.1% K-rate for El Paso. Perlaza broke out in the KBO last season, hitting 24 homers for Hanwha. … Shortstop Mason McCoy continued his hot offensive start with a pair of doubles, a single, and a team-high four RBI. Last year, McCoy had a .711 OPS for El Paso before getting called up when Ha-Seong Kim hit the injured list. In the first month this season, McCoy owns a .921 OPS and is tied with Perlaza for the team lead in doubles. McCoy still isn’t hitting the ball with much authority, but the Padres value his play at shortstop enough to have added him to the 40-player roster during spring training rather than lose him. …. Veteran lefty Wes Benjamin didn’t look particularly sharp, but he earned the win by keeping the Chihuahuas in the game. He completed five innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked four and struck out just one batter. Benjamin is the quintessential crafty lefty, showing a high-80s fastball and three other offerings, including a slider to keep hitters off-balance. In five appearances for the Chihuahuas in his return from Korea, Benjamin has a 6.62 ERA. … After struggling with command in his last two outings, reliever Francis Peña was dialed in Friday. The 24-year-old righty needed just 14 pitches to strike out two and get a weak groundout. Peña’s sinker was 95-97 while the cutter continued to trend toward more of a true slider. Peña landed the pitch, which sat 85-87 with tight break, in the zone three times in five offerings and got a chase with it.
Missions 4, Northwest Arkansas Naturals 3 (10 innings)
Key Statistics: LF Kai Murphy, 2-for-4, R, BB; C Brandon Valenzuela, 3-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2B, SB (1); 3B Devin Ortiz, 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB; RHP Braden Nett, 4 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 6 K; LHP Jake Higginbotham, 2 IP, BB, 4 K; RHP Bradgley Rodriguez, 1.1 IP, H, 2 K; RHP Jose Espada (W, 1-0) IP, 3 K
Braden Nett showcases in the Spring Breakout game. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The Missions got a walk-off infield single from Marcos Castañon to defeat the Naturals in 10 innings. … The offensive star of the night was Brandon Valenzuela, who delivered a double and two singles, and even stole his first base of the season. The switch-hitting catcher has five hits over his last two games after starting the season 3-for-27. While Ethan Salas is clearly the top catching prospect on the team, Valenzuela has split action with him behind the dish and at designated hitter. Valenzuela has seen action with the Missions in the third straight season. … Left fielder Kai Murphy had a pair of singles and drew a walk. The 24-year-old undrafted free agent out of Arizona State has been a solid contributor since joining the Padres organization. Murphy has posted above-average offense in 2023 with the Storm and last year with the TinCaps. In limited action this year, he sports a 133 wRC+ – 33% above league average. In 31 plate appearances this season, Murphy has struck out just three times. … Righty Braden Nett allowed a solo homer in the first inning but was otherwise in control for four innings Friday. Nett struck out six to help work around four hitsand a pair of walks, generating eight whiffs in his four innings. The 22-year-old has been impressive out of the gate for the Missions. While his high pitch counts have kept him from completing more than four innings in any of his three outings, he’s dominated opposing batters. In 11 innings, Nett has struck out 17 batters while opponents have hit just .214. Nett has arguably the highest upside of any pitcher in the organization, but he’s frequently battled injuries throughout his time in the Padres system. He tossed just 65 innings last season, so the Padres will likely be conservative with his innings this season.
TinCaps 11, Lake County Captains 8
Key Statistics: DH Jack Costello, 2-for-5, 3 RBI; RF Braedon Karpathios, 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, HR (1), RBI; 3B Rosman Verdugo, 2-for-3, 3 R, HR (4), RBI, BB, 3B; CF Nerwilian Cedeño, 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, RBI, SB (3); LF Jake Snider, 2-for-5, R, SB (1); RHP Enmanuel Pinales (W, 2-0) 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 8 K; RHP Eiker Huizi (S, 1) 2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, K
Rosman Verdugo squares one up for the TinCaps. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: With the winds blowing out at Parkview Field, the TinCaps smacked six extra-base hits, including a pair of homers to defeat the Captains. Fort Wayne has won three straight, scoring 24 runs during their streak. … Outfielder Braedon Karpathios had a big game, reaching base four times. After ending the Captains’ second inning by throwing out a runner at the plate, he led off the third with his first home run of the year. He also singled and drew a pair of walks. In 12 games, the former Harford (Maryland) Community College slugger is eighth in the Midwest League with a .954 OPS. … Rosman Verdugo looks to be a lock for Midwest League Player of the Week. The third baseman had a triple and clubbed a no-doubt homer deep to left, threatening the windows of the apartment complex beyond the left field wall. Verdugo has hit four homers over the last three games to join a five-way tie for the league lead. Verdugo has gotten considerably stronger since his pro debut, but still struggles to make consistent contact. He’s tied for the fifth-most strikeouts in the league, and he still has issues picking up breaking balls down and away. However, his power development is one of the more exciting storylines to follow early in the season. … Somewhat lost in the offensive onslaught is another stellar pitching performance from Enmanuel Pinales, who earned his second win of the season. Pinales worked five innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out eight – his best total since last May. The righty, who turned 24 earlier this week, has shown an uptick in velocity. Pinales generally sits at 92-94 mph, but he dialed it up several times, touching 97 mph when needed. Friday’s performance lowered his ERA to 1.32. After spending all of last year in Northeastern Indiana, Pinales looks ready to take on Double-A.
Storm 19, Fresno Grizzlies 6
Key Statistics: CF Kasen Wells, 2-for-7, R, RBI; DH Sean Barnett, 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (2), BB, 4 RBI; LF Alex McCoy, 3-for-6, 2 R, HR (1), 2B, 4 RBI; 3B B.Y. Choi, 2-for-5, 3 R, BB, RBI; Ryan Wilson, 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI, BB; RHP Miguel Mendez, 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; RHP Adam Conrad (W, 1-0) 2 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Maikel Miralles (S, 1) 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, K
Alex McCoy is a huge presence in the box. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: After starting the season with seven straight losses, the Storm have won four of their last six. They had 16 hits and drew 10 walks to pummel the Grizzlies in Fresno. Lake Elsinore went 8-for-18 with runners in scoring position. … Alex McCoy has struck out in half of his plate appearances since joining the Storm last week, but when he has made contact, he has obliterated the baseball. The former Hofstra outfielder had three hits, including a grand slam for his first professional homer. McCoy also had a double and a single, falling a triple shy of the cycle. The 23-year-old is listed at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, but he looks even bigger in the box. He is far from a finished product, but his immense power potential could be a boon for an organization that continues to develop undrafted free agents into legitimate prospects. He’s already registered multiple exit velocities of at least 115 mph in his limited action. … Sean Barnett slammed his second homer as part of a two-hit night. Barnett also drew a walk and drove in four. Barnett will get the chance to develop as a two-way player this season but thus far, his power potential has been exciting to watch. His multi-hit effort raised his OPS to .978. … Ryan Wilson has looked much better at the plate in this series after struggling last season in his first tour in Lake Elsinore. The former Davidson outfielder had three hits, including a pair of doubles. Wilson is in the midst of a six-game hitting streak with a 10-for-21 line that includes his first three extra-base hits of the year. Overall, he is hitting .326/.442/.442 with the Storm. … Righty Miguel Mendez pitched better than his line indicated in his season debut. The hard-throwing righty pitched 2.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits, walking two, and striking out five. The young righty has premium stuff with velocity that topped out at 99 last night. However, he has struggled to command the baseball, and Friday was no exception. His stuff is as good as anyone’s in the system when he is on. His season debut was delayed by a freak accident in spring training in which he cut his foot. … Adam Conrad earned the victory in his professional debut Friday night, pitching two scoreless innings and giving up just one hit. He walked two and struck out three. Conrad, 22, signed with the Padres as an undrafted free agent out of Carolina University, an NAIA school. He became the first Carolina Bruin to sign a contract with an MLB team.
