San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: August 24

Chihuahuas 16, Sacramento River Cats 5

Key Stats: 2B Clay Dungan 2-for-5, 2 HR (13), 3 R, 4 RBI; LF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-4, HR (7), 2 BB, 3 R; RF Yonathan Perlaza 4-for-5, HR (16), 2B, BB; DH Luis Campusano 2-for-5, BB; 1B Nate Mondou 2-for-5, HR (6), BB, 4 RBI; C Rodolfo Durán 2-for-6, HR (11); RHP Logan Gillaspie 3.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 K, 3 BB; RHP Francis Peña 1.2 IP, H, 2 K; RHP Bradgley Rodriguez IP, 2 K, BB

Prospect Watch: El Paso jumped out to an early lead with four runs in each of the first two innings then turned it into a laugher with seven runs in the seventh. Batting out of the leadoff spot, Clay Dungan connected on a pair of homers as he extended his career-best total to 13 on the year. The left-handed batter has delivered an .809 OPS while playing solid defense at five different positions on the year. The 29-year-old from Indiana will be eligible for minor league free agency at the end of the year. … Yonathan Perlaza came up a triple short of the cycle as he went 4-for-5, drew a walk, and scored four runs. He extended his PCL-leading doubles total to 41 before ending the day with a laser of a home run that left the bat at 109.3 mph. The switch-hitter now has a 1.044 OPS in August and has only been striking out at a 15.6% clip. It’s unclear whether he’ll do enough to get his first big league call-up in September, but the 26-year-old has made a solid impression in his return after a year in the KBO. … Luis Campusano had a pair of hits and a walk and has now hit in 12 straight and reached base 24 games in a row. He has an otherworldly .435/.536/.855 line in 19 contests this month. … Relievers Francis Peña and Bradgley Rodriguez combined for 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out four batters. Peña leaned heavily on his sinker, getting a 40% whiff rate while tossing it 14 times. It was his first appearance of more than one inning in three games since coming off the IL last week. Rodriguez, getting his second look since a seven-week stint on the shelf, struck out a pair. He got six strikes on 12 offerings of the changeup and the River Cats didn’t put the pitch in play at all. His fastball was up to 97.1.

Amarillo Sod Poodles 5, Missions 4

Key Stats: CF Braedon Karpathios 1-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, E (1); 2B Anthony Vilar 1-for-2, HR (5), 3 R, 2 BB; LHP Harry Gustin 3 IP, 2 H, 2 K, 2 BB; RHP Kevin Kopps 0.2 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, K, 2 BB; RHP Misael Tamarez 2 IP

Prospect Watch: San Antonio kept the Soddies in check except for when everything broke down in the fourth inning and the visitors put up enough to claim the game and the series. Lefty Harry Gustin got the nod as an opener in his second game since his promotion from Fort Wayne. The 23-year-old, the Padres’ 18th-round pick in 2023, has had a strong breakout campaign working as a multi-inning reliever, posting a 2.14 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. The University of Hawaii product has shown the ability to cut his mid-90s fastball very well, helping him hold opponents to a .191 average. … Center fielder Braedon Karpathios connected on an RBI double and finished his first Double-A series 4-for-18 with a pair of walks and two extra-base hits. … Anthony Vilar delivered his fifth homer of the year and drew a pair of walks on his way to scoring three of the club’s four runs. The left-handed hitter has ridden strong pitch recognition to a 10.6% walk rate on the year.

TinCaps 8, Lake County Captains 3

Key Stats: RF Jack Costello 2-for-4, 2 HR (8), 3 RBI, E (3); CF Kai Roberts 2-for-4; C Victor Duarte 2-for-3, 2B; DH Zach Evans 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI; 2B Rosman Verdugo 1-for-3, 2 BB, SB (6); RHP Will Varmette 6 IP,  H, ER, 3 BB; RHP Luis Germán 0.1 IP, H, ER, K, 3 BB; RHP Johan Moreno 1.2 IP, 2 H, R (0 ER), K

Prospect Watch: The TinCaps put up four runs in the second inning and never looked back to salvage a series split in suburban Cleveland. Jack Costello came into the game just 1-for-13 in the series but broke out impressively with a pair of homers. The 24-year-old Southern California native had a big June but has struggled in the second half with an OPS well below .600. He’s managed to keep his strikeout rate at a solid 16.6% clip all year, but has had an underwhelming 42.9% fly ball rate. He’s seen action in all four corner spots, with the bulk of his work coming in left field and first base, where offensive expectations are high. … Rosman Verdugo had a single and two walks in five trips to the plate and was the only TinCaps batter in the lineup to finish the game with an OPS above .700. The 20-year-old infielder’s power production has cratered in the second half as he’s managed only four extra-base hits over the last two months, but he has been making better swing decisions to draw walks at a 12.8% clip. … Will Varmette earned his first quality start in the Midwest League, tossing six innings of one-run ball. While he allowed six hits and walked three, he dodged damage effectively all day. A 2023 undrafted free agent out of junior college, Varmette hadn’t gotten through four innings in any of his first seven starts since joining the TinCaps last month.

Stockton Ports 7, Storm 6 (10 innings)

Key Stats: LF Alex McCoy 1-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI; RF Kavares Tears 2-for-3, 2 HR (11), BB; SS Jorge Quintana 1-for-4, 2 SB (6), 2 K; RHP Tucker Musgrove IP, H, 2 K, HBP, WP; RHP Abraham Parra 5 IP, 3 H, 3 ER,  K; LHP Igor Gil 1.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R (3 ER)

Prospect Watch: Lake Elsinore put up three runs in the 10th, but the home squad rallied for three of their own before Bernard Jose uncorked a bases loaded wild pitch to send the Storm to their fifth straight loss. … Kavares Tears celebrated the day before his 23rd birthday in style, clubbing a pair of homers and drawing a walk. The outfielder hadn’t left the yard since June 28 and has slugged just .267 since then while striking out an unsightly 38.8% of the time. The first of two fourth-round compensation picks for the Padres last year, Tears got off to a fast start after dealing with hamstring issues this spring, but Cal League pitchers have realized they don’t need to throw him a fastball and have worked him over for most of the last three months. … Alex McCoy went hitless for the first nine innings, extending his first mini-slump in a month to 0-for-11, but came through with a bases-clearing double in the 10th inning to give the Storm their first lead since the second inning. The big outfielder has dominated the Cal League for a 1.144 OPS this month. … Tucker Musgrove made his third start since coming off the IL and tossed a scoreless inning. The 23-year-old struck out the first two batters he faced before giving up a single, throwing away a pickoff attempt, uncorking a wild pitch, and hitting a batter. He bounced back to get a groundout to end the inning without any damage, but the extra stress kept him from being able to come back out for the second inning. He’ll look to get deeper into his final two opportunities of the season.