San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: May 22

Chihuahuas 6, Tacoma Rainiers 2

Key Statistics: LHP Kyle Hart (W, 2-0) 5 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 4 K, HBP, WP; RHP David Morgan (S, 1) IP, K; 1B Luis Campusano 1-for-4, 2B, RBI; Tim Locastro 2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI

Prospect Watch: Kyle Hart overcame struggles with command to turn in a solid start in his fourth outing as a member of the El Paso Chihuahuas. The left-hander worked five innings, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks, while striking out four. Hart’s stuff generated a 31% whiff rate on the night. His newly-added kick-change, which he threw 15 times Thursday, continues to show promise, drawing three whiffs on seven swings. It averaged 10.2 inches of horizontal break, 0.8 inches of induced vertical break, and 1387 rpm. … After being tagged for seven runs in his last outing, David Morgan slammed the door in the ninth for his first Triple-A save. Morgan’s fastball sat at 99 mph and his slider showcased excellent shape, getting 1.6 inches of induced vertical break,  -4.1 horizontal break, while sitting at 89.9 mph. … Ethan Routzahn worked 1.1 scoreless innings while walking one and striking out one. His sinker generated a pair of whiffs and induced soft contact as he held opposing hitters to a 0.225 xwOBA on the night. … Luis Campusano made another start at first base and went 1-for-4 with a 110.8 mph RBI double in the bottom of the fifth. In 128 at-bats in El Paso, Campusano has a 1.028 OPS and .447 wOBA fueled by 18 extra-base hits. Yes, it is the PCL, but Campusano’s batted ball data remains excellent. His numbers include a 14.6% barrel rate, 55.3% hard-hit rate, and 107.8 mph 90th percentile exit velocity, all in the top five percent of Triple-A hitters. … Tim Locastro put together a 2-for-4 night that featured a pair of doubles two runs batted in, and a stolen base. The veteran outfielder has a 1.053 OPS in 49 at-bats this year for El Paso. He’s 3-for-9 with two stolen bases since returning from a two-week stint on the IL last week. … Bryce Johnson‘s respectable showing since the Padres re-acquired him rolled along as the 29-year-old outfielder went 1-for-4 with an RBI double. While the baseline stats remain solid since his return to the organization, the underlying data is underwhelming. He has just a 38.9% hard-hit rate and 86.1 average exit velocity. To his credit, he has a strong 16.7% walk rate. 

Missions 2, Wichita Wind Surge 1

Key Statistics: SP Henry Baez 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K; RP Bradgley Rodriguez (W, 4-0) IP, 2 H, K; RP Manuel Castro (S, 5) IP, 1K, HBP; SS Francisco Acuña 2-for-4, HR (6); 3B Marcos Castañon 1-for-3, 2B

Prospect Watch: For the fourth time in his last five starts, Henry Baez worked at least into the sixth inning, working 5.2 scoreless innings on three hits and one walk while striking out six. Baez, 22, pounded the zone, throwing 66.3% of his pitches for strikes. Hs fastball sat 93-95 for most of the night, topping out at 96. The slider, while effective, had a more slurvy shape than his last time out, sitting in the low-80s. His arsenal generated nine total whiffs and a 20.9% whiff rate. After a bit of a slow start to the year, over his last five starts, Baez has posted a 1.65 ERA, 22.8% strikeout rate and 2.51 FIP in 27.2 innings. … Bradgley Rodriguez worked a scoreless eighth inning. After allowing a pair of hits to start the inning, the right-hander settled in and retired the next three hitters. That included a strikeout of Kala’i Rosario. Rodriguez’s sinker sat 96-97, and topped out at 98 while his changeup continued to flash excellent arm-side fade. …Manuel Castro worked a scoreless ninth inning to lock down his fifth save of the year in one of his better outings this month. After hitting the first batter, Castro retired the next three Wind Surge hitters in order. His stuff generated four total whiffs on nine swings. … Francisco Acuña provided one of the night’s biggest swings in the first inning, blasting a leadoff home run as part of a 2-for-4 day at the dish. … In the bottom of the eighth, newly-promoted Nerwilian Cedeño came through with his second game-winning hit since his promotion, lacing an RBI single into center to hand San Antonio a 2-1 lead. … Romeo Sanabria went 1-for-3 at the plate, with an opposite-field knock in the seventh. The Mission’s first baseman has been exceptional, posting an .874 OPS good for a 145 wRC+.  Sanabria continues to be aggressive, swinging at a career-high 52.8% of the pitches he has seen in 128 at-bats into the season. While he has been decidedly more aggressive, his 21.5% swing-and-miss rate and 18% strikeout rate remain very good.

Cedar Rapids Kernels 3, TinCaps 1

Key Stats: CF Kai Roberts 2-for-3, 2 BB, 2 SB (3); SS Leo De Vries 1-for-4, BB, 2 K, SB (4); RHP Clark Candiotti 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 9 K, BB; RHP Harry Gustin 3 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 K, 2 BB

Prospect Watch: John Conniff was on-site in the Summit City and has coverage here.

Visalia Rawhide 5, Storm 3 (10 Innings)

Key Statistics: RHP Maikel Miralles 2 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, K; RHP Johan Moreno 4 IP, ER, H, 6 K; 3B Zach Evans, 3-for-5, 2B, RBI; DH Kavares Tears 2-for-5; 1B Victor Figueroa 1-for-5

Prospect Watch: After grabbing a lead in the top of the 10th inning, Lake Elsinore gave up three to fall at Visalia in walk-off fashion. Zach Evans, who went 3-for-5 with a double, came through with an RBI in the top of the 10th to claim the short-lived lead. Evans’s three-hit night was his third multi-hit game in his last six starts. While his power profile, including a .090 Isolated Power (IsoP) and .419 slugging percentage, won’t jump off the page, but the bat-to-ball skills have been solid as he has posted a strikeout rate under 20% while hitting .338 in his first professional season. … Kavares Tears went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles and a strikeout. Last year’s compensation-round pick has posted an .808 OPS good for a 124 wRC+ this month and sports a 15.1% walk rate, but strikeouts remain an issue. The left-hander has a 25.3% strikeout rate this month, including at least one strikeout in 11 consecutive games… For just the fourth time this year, Victor Figueroa was held without an extra-base hit. Even still, the big left-hander made loud contact as part of a 1-for-5 night. His lone hit was a 107 mph exit velocity single to right field … Starter Maikel Miralles worked only two innings and allowed one earned run on four hits, one walk, and one strikeout. Miralles’s changeup flashed good arm side fade. In his short start, he generated five whiffs on 25 swings. … Johan Moreno worked four excellent innings of relief, allowing one run on a hit while fanning six. It was just his fourth outing this season where he has allowed one or fewer runs. He heavily featured his fastball and slider. The four-seam sat 93-94 as he generated 10 total whiffs and a 38.4% whiff rate… Bernard Jose entered the game in the eighth inning and worked 1.1 scoreless innings on one hit with two strikeouts. While Jose struggled with command of his slider, his sinker sat in the mid-90s with a solid arm-side ride.

ACL Rockies 2, ACL Padres 0  (7 Innings)

Key Statistics: CF Donte Grant 1-for-3, SB (5), CS (1); 3B Ismael Javier 1-for-2; SS Yimy Tovar 0-for-1, 2 BB; RHP Tanner Smith 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 K, BB; RHP Darlin Mendez, 2 IP, BB, 3 K

Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres mustered just two hits in their seven-inning contest, with Donte Grant and Ismael Javier logging singles in 1-for-3 and 1-for-2 afternoons, respectively. While he went hitless, 19-year-old Yimy Tovar collected two walks in the loss. During his time in Arizona, he’s posted an .823 OPS and a .339 average. … Last year’s 15th-round pick Tanner Smith, who had Tommy John surgery that cost him his 2023 season at Harvard and was dealing with ongoing elbow issues last summer, finally got to make his professional debut. The 6-foot-6 righty from Massachusetts struck out a pair after giving up a leadoff walk, but then got hit for a double and single to finish his outing. …  Darlin Mendez worked the lone scoreless outing among Padres pitchers, going two hitless innings, punching out three and issuing a walk. He has struck out five of the 11 batters he has faced since being brought over from the Dominican Republic last weekend.