San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: September 4th

Chihuahuas 6, Salt Lake Bees 5 (10 Innings)

Key Stats: C Luis Campusano 2-for-4, RBI; RHP Connor Gillaspie 3 IP, H, BB, 4 K; RHP Bradgley Rodriguez 1.1 IP, H, BB; RHP Manuel Castro (W, 3-1) , 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K; CF Clay Dungan 3-for-4, HR (14), 2B, 2 RBI, 4 R, BB

Prospect Watch: Luis Campusano collected yet another multi-hit night as the backstop went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles. drove in a run in the bottom of the third on a hit to center that registered a 108.3 mph exit velocity. There isn’t really much else to say about Campusano, who appears to be auditioning for MLB’s 29 other teams at this point. His batted ball data has been incredible this season. His 14.5% barrel rate, 55.4% hard hit rate, 93.1 mph average exit velocity, .423 xwOBA, and .441 wOBA all rank in the 98th percentile or better among all Triple-A hitters this season. … Bradgley Rodriguez came on with two on and two outs with a one-run lead in the fifth. He quickly got ahead 0-2, but then gave up a single that plated the tying run, then got a ground ball to end the frame. He came back for the seventh and worked around a leadoff walk. Rodriguez’s most effective offering of the night was his sinker, which averaged 96.6 mph, 10.1 inches of induced vertical break, and 12.4 inches of arm side run, helping him generate a key double play ball against Brandon Drury in the bottom of the sixth. Since returning from the IL, Rodriguez has worked 6.1 scoreless innings, though alarmingly he’s walked five and only struck out three. Thursday, he didn’t induce a single whiff on 18 pitches. … Manuel Castro impressed in his two scoreless innings of work against Sacramento. The 23-year-old allowed only one hit while striking out three. Castro went curveball-heavy, utilizing the pitch at a 33.3% clip. It averaged -7.2 inches of induced vertical break and -9.7 inches of horizontal break while spinning at 2678 rpm. In 24.1 innings since his promotion in mid-June, Castro owns a 2.59 ERA. However, his 5.44 FIP and 7.18 xFIP suggest a pitcher who is due for regression. … Clay Dungan had an explosive evening at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, home run, two RBIs, four runs scored, and a walk. His two-run home run with an exit velocity of 100 mph in the top of the seventh gave El Paso a 5-3 lead. Dungan has a career-high 14 home runs and has produced nearly league-average numbers for El Paso this year, but the batted ball data is below average. His 108.3 max exit velocity and 86.1 mph average exit velocity both rank in the bottom quartile among all Triple-A hitters.  

Missions 3, Corpus Christi Hooks 2

Key Stats: RHP Enmanuel Pinales (W, 7-6) 6 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K; LHP Ryan Och 1.2 IP, BB; 1B Romeo Sanabria 2-for-4, R; RF Braedon Karpathios 1-for-3, BB; 3B Devin Ortiz 2-for-4

Prospect Watch: For the second time in his last three outings, right-hander Enmanuel Pinales completed six innings for the Missions. During his strong outing, Pinales allowed just one run on three hits, while he walked three and struck out six. Pinales had his swing-and-miss stuff Thursday, generating 13 whiffs and a 31.7% whiff rate. While the right-hander’s stint in Double-A has been a mixed bag, in eight starts since July 24, the 24-year-old owns a solid 3.31 ERA with an 18.8% strikeout rate while holding opposing hitters to a .197 batting average. He still has struggled with command, posting a 10.4% walk rate during the stretch. … Ryan Och logged yet another quality outing on Thursday. As the first arm out of the San Antonio bullpen, the left-hander worked 1.2 hitless innings with one walk. After a tough start to the season, Och has rebounded to post a 2.94 ERA, 3.71 FIP, and 23.2% strikeout rate since June 1. … Romeo Sanabria logged a multi-hit night in Thursday night’s victory, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and a run scored. The second half of the 2025 season has been a struggle for the 23-year-old. Since July 17, Sanabria is hitting just .176 with a 45 wRC+, .235 wOBA, and .071 Isolated Power. He has just four extra-base hits in his last 127 plate appearances. The bat-to-ball skills are still there, evidenced by his 83.1% zone contact rate, but the quality of contact remains an issue. … Devin Ortiz also logged a multi-hit night, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Ortiz has been a steady contributor in his first full season in Double-A, posting a 96 wRC+, .651 OPS, and .311 wOBA. That’s right in line with his production since signing as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Virginia back in 2022.

West Michigan Whitecaps 15, TinCaps 2

Key Stats: RHP Sam Whiting (L, 0-4) 3.2 IP, 7 ER, 5 H, 3 BB; LHP C.J. Widger 1.1 IP, 1 K; 1B Lamar King Jr. 2-for-4, 2B Rosman Verdugo 1-for-3, HR, RBI, R, BB; SS Chase Valentine 2-for-3, 1 R

Prospect Watch: Thursday was a night to forget as Fort Wayne got rolled by West Michigan, 15-2. Starter Sam Whiting allowed seven runs on five hits and three walks over 3.2 innings. Whiting breezed through the first two innings before running into major trouble in the third and fourth innings as seven of the last ten batters he faced reached base. … Lamar King Jr. went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles in the loss for his first multi-hit night since August 23. After a strong first week at the High-A level, the 21-year-old has struggled as of late, hitting just .222 with a .581 OPS since August 12. The good news, though, is that King has made contact on pitches inside the zone at a solid 83.6% rate since his promotion to High-A. However, he has expanded the zone much more often, posting a 31.6% whiff rate and 29.8% chase rate on pitches out of the zone. … Second baseman Rosman Verdugo was one of the few bright spots as the 20-year-old went 1-for-3 with a solo shot in the seventh inning. Verdugo has struggled mightily in the second half of the season, hitting just .173 with a .236 wOBA and 28.9 strikeout rate. Verdugo has struggled to make consistent contact all year, posting a well below average 35.9% whiff rate and 67.7% in-zone contact rate. Verdugo began wearing glasses during the TinCaps’ home stand last week. We will see how they impact his bat-to-ball woes.

Inland Empire 66ers 7, Storm 1

Key Stats: RHP Kannon Kemp (L, 3-5) 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K; RHP Bernard Jose 2 IP, 4 K; RF Kavares Tears 1-for-3, 2B, RBI; LF Alex McCoy 1-for-4; SS Dylan Grego 1-for-4; DH Jorge Quintana 0-for-3, BB, 3 K

Prospect Watch: Coming off the best start of his career, Kannon Kemp grinded through his Thursday night start. The right-hander worked 4.2 IP, allowing two runs on six hits, walking three, and striking out four. Kemp’s fastball sat 93-95 mph while topping out at 97 mph. Kemp logged only eight whiffs and a 17.3% whiff rate. Since his promotion to Lake Elsinore, he owns a 5.87 ERA though his 20.9% strikeout rate, and 4.44 FIP show better than that. Opponents are hitting .315 off the 21-year-old this season. … Kavares Tears went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the loss. Since August 15, Tears is hitting .259 with a 143 wRC+, a .923 OPS, and a .417 wOBA. Nine of the last 15 hits have gone for extra bases including four home runs. Even during this run of success, Tears has struck out at a 30.2% rate. Strikeouts have been the Achilles heel for Tears all season. The 23-year-old owns a 37.8% whiff rate, 66.8% in-zone contact rate, and 29.2% strikeout rate in 105 games for Lake Elsinore in his first season. … Alex McCoy went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to six games. McCoy has looked like a much different player since returning from injury on July 12, hitting .333 with a .983 OPS, 164 wRC+, .453 wOBA, and .234 isolated power. The 23-year-old has flashed speed, too, swiping 10 bases in that same time period. McCoy’s shortened swing has helped him cut his strikeout rate to 22.3% after he posted a 29% rate in his first 19 games of the year.