Tacoma Rainiers 6, Chihuahuas 5
Key Statistics: LHP JP Sears 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 4 K; RHP Jason Adam IP, 2 BB; CF Jase Bowen 2-for-5, 3B, 2 K; 1B Marcos Castañon 2-for-5, HR (2), 2B, RBI, 2 R; LF Samad Taylor 3-for-5, 2 RBI; DH Sung-Mun Song 0-for-4, 3 K
Jase Bowen impressed in his first spring training with the Padres. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: Without question, the most immediate news in El Paso’s Sunday loss was that Jason Adam appeared in back-to-back games, the last goal before he is ready to return from the injured list. Adam worked one scoreless inning despite issuing a pair of walks without a strikeout. It wasn’t Adam’s cleanest inning, as he landed only seven of his 17 offerings in the strike zone, generated only one whiff, and sat at around 92.9 mph with his fastball. His changeup did look solid, though, seeing 16.3 inches of arm side fade. He could be activated during the Pittsburgh series assuming his knee feels good when he joins the club. … JP Sears made his second start of the season, working 4.1 innings, and allowing three runs on four hits, walking four, and punching out four. Sears logged double-digit whiffs in his start, a majority of which came on his four-seamer, which he threw 44 times. The offering sat at 92-94 mph through the first four frames before fading a bit when he came out in his final inning. While 14.4 inches of ride and 10.0 inches of horizontal break were not necessarily encouraging metrically, he got batters to chase the pitch at a 37% rate and drew a 26.9% whiff rate. Beyond his four walks, he also put only 49% of his offerings in the zone. … After logging a cycle on Friday night, Jase Bowen continued to see the ball well on Sunday, going 2-for-5 with a triple. None of the balls he put in play topped an exit velocity of 95 mph. Still, even in a small sample size, Bowen has been impressive in El Paso’s first week of play. The 25-year-old minor league free agent has posted a 65.7% hard tit rate and 110.8 mph max exit velocity. As has been the case throughout his career, the question with Bowen is his contact rate. The athletic outfielder has punched out nine times in 32 trips to the plate. … Marcos Castañon went 2-for-5 with a home run and double in the loss. Neither of his knocks was cheap as he crushed his 431 foot home run in the fifth inning at 110.5 mph after connecting on his second-inning double at 95.3 mph. The UC Santa Barbara alum is coming off arguably his strongest professional season in 2025, when he posted a 120 wRC+ and .356 wOBA between San Antonio and El Paso. While he is still prone to chase, Castañon does flash plus bat speed and power.
TinCaps 4, Great Lake Loons 1 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: RHP Abraham Parra 3.2 IP, ER, H, 3 BB, 5 K; RHP Clark Candiotti (W, 1-0) 1.1 IP, H, BB; RHP Clay Edmondson (S, 1) IP, K; C Carlos Rodriguez 2-for-4, 2B, R, SB (1); 1B Jack Costello 1-for-2, HR (1); LF Alex McCoy, 0-for-2, RBI, BB, CS (1)
Great Lake Loons 16, TinCaps 1 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: RHP Kleiber Olmedo, (L, 0-1) 2 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, K; RP Will Varmette, 0.1 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, BB, K; Vicarte Domingo, 0.2 IP, ER, H, K; CF Kasen Wells, 1-for-3, 2B; 3B Zach Evans, 1-for-3; RF Kavares Tears, 0-for-1, BB, SF
Jack Costello barrels one up for Fort Wayne TinCaps. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps and Loons were forced to play in less-than-ideal conditions after getting rained out Saturday night, as a light snowfall powdered Dow Diamond for extended period of time throughout the afternoon Sunday. Despite a field temperature of 33 degrees and wind gusts up to 12 mph, Jack Costello launched the TinCaps’ first long ball of the season in the opener, helping the TinCaps to their first win of the year. The 25-year-old University of San Diego alum is looking to bounce back after a struggle-filled 2025. Costello managed post a solid 78.8% contact rate last season, but struggled to turn that contact into real damage. He posted just an 85 wRC+ and .309 wOBA in 439 plate appearances with Fort Wayne last season. … Abraham Parra delivered a mixed bag in his High-A debut in game one of the double header. The 20-year-old generated nine whiffs and a solid 33.3% whiff rate. On the other, he issued three walks and hit two other batters, driving his pitch count up and forcing him to exit before the end of the fourth inning. Signed out of Venezuela as a 17-year-old in 2023, Parra is one of several $10,000 from that class the Padres hope will take a step forward this season. … Carlos Rodriguez helped lead the TinCaps offense in game one, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Rodriguez, a native of Venezuela, has been with the organization since 2021. After spending nearly three full seasons in the Arizona Complex League, something clicked last season for Rodriguez as he posted a respectable 138 wRC+ and .410 wOBA as an older Single-A player in Lake Elsinore. … Clark Candiotti made his first professional relief appearance in the game one win, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings one one hit and one walk. The 2024 senior sign out of the fourth round is set to be a full-time reliever this season. While he was hit rather hard at times last year, he did generate a 28.9% K rate and a 15.5% swinging-strike rate. Candiotti’s fastball won’t blow anyone away; however, he does claim a few fun secondary offerings, like a high-80s splitter that saw around 14 inches of arm-side fade, and a mid-80s gyro slider. … Clay Edmondson earned his first win of the season, working a 1-2-3 9th inning to secure the win in game one of the doubleheader. Edmondson, a 14th-round selection for last year’s draft class, is a true side-armer coming from a 3.6 ft. release height. His stuff won’t light up the radar gun, but his combination of a unique arm slot and movement can make him difficult to barrel. His low-90s sinker sees around 18 inches of arm side run, and his changeup flashes a -8.5 inches induced vertical break and 14.4 inches of arm side run. … The nightcap was all Great Lakes, which had an 11-run lead after three innings. The TinCaps managed only two hits and punched out 12 times. While he didn’t take the loss, Will Varmette struggled mightily in game two, only logging one out in the third inning and allowing five runs on four hits and a walk. It’s a tough start to the year for Varmette, who’s looking to bounce back from a poor 2025 when he posted a 6.61 ERA, 4.24 FIP, and 11.8% walk rate.
