San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: July 8

Chihuahuas 11, Las Vegas Aviators 4

Key Statistics: 2B Clay Dungan 3-for-4, R, 2 2B, RBI; SS Mason McCoy 1-for-4, HR (8), 4 RBI; LF Forrest Wall 2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI; 3B Mike Brosseau 2-for-4, BB, 2 RBI; RHP Matt Waldron (W, 4-2) 7 IP, 4 H, BB, 8 K; RHP Francis Peña IP, K, 2 BB; RHP Sean Reynolds IP, 4 H, 4 ER, K

Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas scored five times in the bottom of the first and five more times in the second to build a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Aviators scored all of their runs against Sean Reynolds in the top of the ninth to at least avoid the shutout. … Clay Dungan had a three-hit night with a single and two doubles. He also drove in a run. The 29-year-old is having his finest season as a professional. He’s already set a new career-high with 10 homers, and his .851 OPS is his highest since he played in rookie-level Idaho Falls way back in 2019. Overall, the former Royals farmhand has an .851 OPS for the Chihuahuas this season. … Mason McCoy only had one hit, but it was a massive blast. The El Paso shortstop connected on a second-inning grand slam to put El Paso up 9-0. It was McCoy’s eighth big fly of the year. The 30-year-old has seen time in San Diego in each of the last two seasons. Last year, he filled in when Ha Seong Kim hit the injured list, despite having tepid offensive numbers in the PCL. This season, McCoy has hit well for the Chihuahuas. In 51 games, McCoy is hitting .295/.364/.523 with 16 doubles and the aforementioned eight homers. His offensive upside is limited, but he plays a fine shortstop defensively and can bounce around the infield. … Matt Waldron looked crisp on Tuesday, a week after struggling in a spot start for the Padres. The knuckleballing Waldron completed seven strong innings, allowing just a run on four hits. He walked only one and struck out eight as he threw his knuckleball 58% of the time, generating five whiffs. Waldron also heavily featured his low-90s sinker, and he threw seven total sweepers, generating a pair of whiffs. The PCL can be fairly unforgiving for a pitcher who depends on a pitch like the knuckleball, but in 29.1 Triple-A innings, Waldron has a solid 3.99 ERA. 

Wichita Wind Surge 6, Missions 2 

Key Statistics: SS Ripken Reyes 2-for-4, BB; CF Kai Murphy 2-for-5; DH Marcos Castañon 2-for-4, 2B, RBI; LF Albert Fabian 1-for-3, R, HR (1), RBI; RHP Victor Lizarraga 2.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, K; RHP Jared Kollar 3.1 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Stephen Jones (L, 2-3) 2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 K

Prospect Watch: This game was tied at two going into the bottom of the seventh when the Wind Surge plated one to take the lead and added three more in the eighth to pull away from the Missions. Kai Murphy broke out of a slump with a pair of hits in the loss. The 24-year-old had a strong June, hitting .328/.474/.379 but came into Tuesday’s game with just one hit in 17 July at-bats. The former ASU pitcher and outfielder doesn’t possess much power, but he has a solid 12% walk rate. While his 14% strikeout rate is the seventh-lowest in the Texas League, but his third-lowest .053 ISO isn’t sustainable for a corner outfielder. … Albert Fabian connected on his first Double-A homer – a solo shot in the loss. The 24-year-old Fabian has long flashed intriguing power potential, but a gruesome knee injury cost him a full calendar year. Now healthy, the 23-year-old corner outfielder and first baseman should add some thump to a lineup that sorely needs it. The Missions are tied for eighth in the 10-team Texas League in homers. … Righty Victor Lizarraga made an abbreviated start and tossed just 2.2 innings before exiting. The 21-year-old righty allowed a run on three hits, walking two and striking out one. Lizarraga left a start on June 13 with the trainer, missed two weeks, and has been gradually building back up. The Montgomery High product has pitched well in his limited action since June 1, allowing just three runs over 17.1 innings. Overall, the righty has a 6.06 ERA for the Missions this season. 

Quad Cities River Bandits 3, TinCaps 2

Key Statistics: CF Kai Roberts 2-for-5, R, SB (15); C Brendan Durfee 2-for-3, 2B, RBI; RF Braedon Karpathios 1-for-4, R, HR (10), RBI; RHP Ian Koenig 6 IP, 5 H, 5 K; RHP Cole Paplham (L, 0-2) IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Prospect Watch: The TinCaps took the lead in the bottom of the eighth, only to allow Quad Cities to plate a pair of runs in the top of the ninth to steal away a victory at Parkview Field. … Braedon Karpathios briefly gave the TinCaps a 2-1 lead with a dramatic solo homer to right field. It was Karpathios’ 10th homer of the season. The former undrafted free agent has quietly had another solid campaign after breaking out last year with the Storm. While the contact issues are still frequent (he has a 28% K-rate), he has walked in 16% of his plate appearances, and owns a solid wRC+ of 115, matching his production a season ago in Lake Elsinore. … After he has struggled for much of the season, there are some positive signs that Brendan Durfee is figuring things out at the plate. The TinCaps’ catcher had a single, a double, and an RBI. In a small, five-game sample this month, Durfee is hitting .294 with just one punchout in 20 plate appearances. Coming into Tuesday’s game, Durfee had a 26.2% K-rate – an unfortunate stat for a player who’s slugging just over .300. However, in his pro debut last summer, Durfee made consistent contact and he is a solid receiver behind the plate. … Righty Ian Koenig continued his up-and-down 2025 campaign with one of the better outings he’s delivered all season. The Camarillo, California native tossed six shutout innings, allowing just five hits. He struck out five without issuing a walk. Koenig has pitched at least six innings in back-to-back starts after allowing 11 runs in 9.2 innings in his previous two outings. In 14 starts for the TinCaps, the former undrafted free agent has a 5.81 ERA. … Cole Paplham has had a rough 2025 season, and the struggles continued Tuesday. The 25-year-old righty allowed a pair of runs in the ninth to blow the save and take the loss. Paplham received facial fractures in spring training after being drilled with a comebacker in a game against the Dodgers. Since returning, the Green Bay, Wisconsin native had struggled mightily with control. In 11.1 innings with the TinCaps, Paplham has walked 12, leading to a 5.59 ERA. When he was at his best in 2023, Paplham’s high-90s fastball and power-slider played well, but a series of injuries have cost him velocity and development time.

Visalia Rawhide 7, Storm 2

Key Statistics: C Lamar King Jr. 1-for-5; 3B Zach Evans 2-for-4, BB; 2B Yendry Rojas 2-for-4, 2B; RHP Humberto Cruz 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Kannon Kemp (L, 1-3) 3.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Prospect Watch: The Storm went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and lost on the road at Visalia. … Third baseman Zach Evans had a pair of singles and drew a walk in the loss. The 6-foot-4 third baseman has been a solid offensive contributor this season, despite hitting just three homers. He has cleaned up with runners in scoring position, hitting .339/.387/.484 with ducks on the pond. Overall, his 55 RBI ranks third in the circuit. … Yendry Rojas continued his torrid stretch with two more hits, including a double. The 20-year-old infielder went 5-for-5 Sunday, and he delivered an OPS of 1.000 last week. Rojas has shown a capable glove at second base, but he hasn’t hit the ball with authority since signing with the organization for $1.1 million back in 2022. The Storm infielder has hit safely in six of seven games in July. … Humberto Cruz pitched relatively well Tuesday, but the results don’t necessarily indicate that. He tossed 3.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two. Cruz threw 59 pitches, 34 for strikes. In 6.1 innings since joining the Storm, the 18-year-old has a 2.84 ERA. … Kannon Kemp took over for Cruz and allowed five earned runs and ultimately absorbed the loss. Kemp allowed six hits, walked three and punched out two. Kemp worked at least five innings in each of his previous four outings with the Storm. In five outings since joining the club, the Texas native has a 6.38 ERA. 

ACL Padres 8, ACL Cubs 1

Key Statistics: 2B Luis De Leon 3-for-4, 3 R, BB, RBI, 3B, 2 SB (14); CF Donte Grant 3-for-3, R, HR (1), 2 2B, 5 RBI, SB (14); SS Jose Sanabria 3-for-5, RBI; RHP Dane Lais, IP, BB; RHP Dariel Polanco (W, 2-0) 4.2 IP, 4 H, ER, 4 K; LHP Joseph Herrera 1.1 IP, H, 3 K

Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres snapped their 12-game losing streak in style by pummeling the ACL Cubs in a seven-inning tilt. … Center fielder Donte Grant had the best game of his pro career as the athletic outfielder connected on two doubles and his first professional homer. Grant, 20, is 8-for-23 this month after hitting just .226 in June. The outfielder has only played in the ACL since signing as an undrafted free agent out of high school in 2023, but had played just 18 games combined coming into 2025. This season, he’s played in 45 games for the complex Padres, hitting .235/.374/.352. … Luis De Leon had three more hits Tuesday, as the switch-hitting infielder continues to clobber complex league pitching. The diminutive switch-hitter had two singles, a triple, and scored three runs. He also stole a pair of bases, giving him 14 this year. The three-hit night raised his average to .300, and he sports a solid .792 OPS for a team that has struggled both to score and prevent runs this season. … Righty Dane Lais made his professional debut Tuesday, pitching a scoreless inning. The Oregon native was the Padres’ 13th-round pick in 2023, signing for $350,000 to bypass a chance to pitch for Oregon State. He underwent Tommy John surgery last spring and figures to build up in the desert over the last few weeks of the ACL season before a late-season opportunity to pitch in Lake Elsinore. … Lefty Joseph Herrera made his stateside debut a week after he came over with several other reinforcements from the DSL to get the Peoria staff through the end of the season. The 19-year-old, who signed in January of 2024, struggled with command in his first season in the DSL, but showed improved results this summer. He struck out three of the five batters he faced Tuesday.