San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: May 2

Oklahoma City Comets 10, Chihuahuas 0

Key Statistics: DH Trenton Brooks, 1-for-4; 2B Clay Dungan, 1-for-4; LF Bryce Johnson, 1-for-3, BB; LHP Omar Cruz (L, 0-2) IP, H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, K; RHP Andrew Bellatti, IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB; RHP Jared Kollar, 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Prospect Watch: Friday’s game was one to throw-away, as the Chihuahuas managed just four singles as the Comets handed the Chihuahuas their first shutout of the year. After winning the first game of the series, El Paso has dropped three straight. … Left fielder Bryce Johnson was the only El Paso player to reach base twice. He drew a walk and singled in four plate appearances. The 29-year-old veteran has reached base in all 12 games he’s played for El Paso since the Padres acquired him in a minor trade. Overall, he is sporting a .355/.463/.511 slash-line with the Chihuahuas after starting the year in the Pirates’ organization. … Lefty Omar Cruz made the start and tossed just one inning. The 26-year-old walked three, allowed one hit, and notched one strikeout. Cruz started the season in the Padres’ bullpen before being sent down following a lengthy outing against the Cubs. In 10.2 innings for the Chihuahuas, Cruz has a 2.57 ERA but the underlying numbers are more concerning. He’s walked 10 batters, leading to an xFIP of 6.31. Cruz is a valuable depth arm but he’s going to need to fill the zone more consistently in order to get another big league opportunity. … Jared Kollar came in to pitch in the third and pitched five innings. He allowed four runs on six hits, walking three and striking out two. The former undrafted free agent doesn’t have big-time stuff and it’s difficult for a pitcher to succeed in the PCL without generating whiffs. Opposing hitters are batting .342 against the Rutgers product and he’s struck out just nine batters in 28.2 innings. After Friday’s outing, Kollar is sporting a 7.22 ERA in seven games (six starts) for El Paso. 

Corpus Christi Hooks 5, Missions 3

Key Statistics: C Brandon Valenzuela, 2-for-4, SB (4); 3B Devin Ortiz, 2-for-4, R, 3B; 1B Marcos Castañon, 2-for-4, R, HR (2), 2 RBI; Anthony Vilar 2-for-4, R, HR (3), RBI; RHP Victor Lizarraga (L, 0-4) 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K; LHP Ryan Och, 1.2 IP, H, R, 3 K

Prospect Watch: The Missions had nine hits including a pair of homers, but they went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and ultimately fell to the Hooks. … Catcher Brandon Valenzuela had two more hits Friday night. The switch-hitting catcher is 5-for-8 over his last two games and he’s hit safely in seven of his last eight. Over the last two games, Valenzuela has increased his batting average from .203 to .250. … Marcos Castañon had a pair of hits, including his second homer of the season. The 26-year-old has performed well early in his third season with the Missions. His .329 batting average ranks sixth in the circuit and his overall offensive production has been 26% above the league average. Castañon’s average is fueled by a .407 BABIP – about 70 points higher than his career best. His 5.1% walk rate is the lowest he’s produced in full-season ball. The corner infielder will need to be more selective at the plate in order to sustain his offensive production. … Righty Victor Lizarraga turned in his best outing of the season, completing a season-high five innings. He dominated the Hooks through the first three, striking out seven without allowing a ball out of the infield. He opened the fourth by hitting a batter and then gave up a two-run homer for the first hit of his night, but then quickly got back on track and faced only six more batters to get through his final two innings of work. The 21-year-old had a nightmare April, posting a 10.43 ERA in four starts. Lizarraga’s main issue this year has been hard contact in the air. His groundball percentage is an anemic 26.3% and 29.6% the fly balls he has allowed have left the yard. For context, that number has been just 6.1% over the last three years. The 21-year-old from San Diego will hope that Friday night’s contest gets things back on track.

TinCaps 2, Dayton Dragons 1

Key Statistics: SS Leo De Vries, 1-for-4, SB (3); 2B Rosman Verdugo, 2-for-4, R, HR (6), RBI; C Oswaldo Linares, 1-for-3, 3B; RHP Enmanuel Pinales (W, 3-0) 7 IP, 4 H, ER, 4 K; RHP Tyson Neighbors (S, 2) 2 IP, 4 K

Prospect Watch: The TinCaps won their fifth straight game and clinched a series win over the Dragons at Parkview Field. … Rosman Verdugo had two hits, including his sixth homer of the season which tied him for the Midwest League lead. The infielder has 13 extra-base hits this season and his .565 slugging percentage ranks third on the circuit (Leo De Vries leads the league with a .603 mark). Verdugo has gotten visibly stronger every year in the system, but while the power is impressive, he’s striking out in a third of his plate appearances. The Ensenada native profiles best as a third baseman and he’s still just 20 years old. If he can make contact more consistently, he could develop into a legitimate top-10 prospect in the system. … Righty Enmanuel Pinales pitched well again, tossing seven terrific innings to earn the victory. The 24-year-old allowed just one run on four hits as he became the first TinCaps pitcher to go past the sixth inning this year. He struck out four and did not issue a walk. Through five starts, Pinales ranks third in the Midwest League with a 1.40 ERA. Opposing hitters are batting .184 and he’s averaging more than a strikeout per inning. Pinales likely won’t be in the Summit City much longer. … Righty Tyson Neighbors took over and shut the door to earn his second save of the year. He tossed two perfect innings, striking out four batters. The hard-throwing reliever from Kansas State has been dominant out of the bullpen for the TinCaps through the season’s first month. In 11.2 innings, the 22-year-old has struck out 22 batters while pitching to a 0.77 ERA. Like Pinales, it’s only a matter of time before Neighbors jumps up to San Antonio. 

Storm 4, Inland Empire 66ers 0 

Key Statistics: CF Kasen Wells, 2-for-5, 2B, SB (20); 2B Ryan Jackson, 1-for-3, R, 2 BB; 3B Zach Evans, 2-for-4, 2 RBI; 1B Kaden Hollow, 2-for-3, BB; RHP Miguel Mendez (W, 1-0) 5 IP, 5 H, 8 K; RHP Tucker Musgrove, 2 IP, H, 2 K

Prospect Watch: For the third straight game, the Storm shut out Inland Empire, earning at least a split of the six-game series. The Storm lost the first game of the series, 5-0, so each game of the series has featured a team getting blanked. … Another day, another multi-hit game for Kasen Wells, who continues to impress. The speedy center fielder had a single and a double, and stole his league-leading 20th base of the young season. During the Storm’s three-game shutout streak, Wells is 6-for-11, with a double, a triple, and six stolen bases. Overall, the 21-year-old is hitting .305/.416/.421 in 2025. … Cobb Hightower made his professional debut on Friday, going  0-for-4 with a walk. The Padres’ third-rounder out of high school in 2024, Hightower dealt with a minor hamstring issue at the end of spring training that pushed back his first game. … With Hightower’s arrival in Lake Elsinore, Ryan Jackson shifted over to second base. The former USC infielder singled and drew a pair of walks. In 25 games, Jackson has drawn a league-high 34 walks, leading to a .500 on-base percentage. He’s reached base at least once in every game he’s played. … Righty Miguel Mendez flashed his quality stuff Friday, striking out eight on his way to earning the victory. The hard-throwing righty pitched five innings and, while he allowed three extra-base knocks among the five hits he gave up, he didn’t issue a walk. Mendez, 22, has flashed a big fastball throughout his time in the system but he’s struggled to consistently throw strikes. Completing five innings without a walk is certainly encouraging for the talented pitcher. In 11.2 innings since coming back from a foot laceration, Mendez has stellar 36% strikeout and 8% walk rates. … Tucker Musgrove followed with two scoreless innings and a pair of strikeouts of his own. The 23-year-old, who had Tommy John surgery shortly after signing out of the 2023 draft, had control issues in his first outing last week, but tossed 17 of his 23 pitches for strikes in this one.