Albuquerque Isotopes 4, Chihuahuas 0
Key Statistics: CF Jase Bowen 1-for-2, 2 BB; C Anthony Vilar 1-for-3, 2B; RF Nick Schnell 1-for-3, 2B; LHP JP Sears 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), BB, 5 K, HR; LHP Omar Cruz 1 IP, BB, 2 K; LHP Yuki Matsui 1 IP, 2 H, R, K; RHP Justin Yeager 2 IP, 3 K
Jase Bowen has impressed so far in El Paso. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The visiting Isotopes put three runs on the board in the third and added one in the sixth as they shut out the newly christened El Paso Matachines, who were held to only four hits and dropped their fourth in five games. … Jase Bowen, who was signed as a minor league free agent from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in the offseason, continues to produce at the plate. He reached base three times on a pair of walks and a double. On the season, he has nine extra-base hits in his first 12 games. … JP Sears, who came into spring training as an odds-on favorite to make the big league rotation, instead made his third start for El Paso. The lefty worked four frames, giving up only those third-inning runs. He matched the five hits allowed with as many strikeouts. While he only walked one, he also hit a batter and threw a wild pitch as he labored through 85 pitches. … Padres reliever Yuki Matsui allowed a run on a triple and sacrifice fly while throwing an inning in his third rehab appearance with El Paso. The lefty has worked one frame in each outing. He’ll likely get a multi-inning appearance and back-to-back games before the Padres consider activating him. … It’s not clear how long Anthony Vilar will remain in El Paso this season, but he is playing well to open the year. The Miami native had a double in three trips and now has five hits in his first six games while looking good behind the plate.
Braedon Karpathios had the game-winning hit on Saturday. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Missions 4, Corpus Christi Hooks 3
Key Statistics: C Ethan Salas 2-for-4, RBI, SB; DH Tirso Ornelas 1-for-3, BB; 3B Luis Verdugo 1-for-3, 2B, BB; 1B Romeo Sanabria 1-for-4, 2B; CF Kai Roberts 2-for-4, 2 SB (4); RHP Ian Koenig; RHP Andrew Thurman 2.1 IP, BB, 2 K; LHP Harry Gustin 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 K; RHP Manuel Castro (W, 1-0), H
Ethan Salas had a pair of hits on the night. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: Having already lost the first four games of the series to the Houston Astros’ Double-A affiliate, the Missions trailed 3-1 going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Tirso Ornelas led off with a single, followed by a Romeo Sanabria double to put runners at first and third. Francisco Acuña’s groundout brought one run in before a wild pitch brought home pinch-runner Cole Tucker with the game-tying run. Tucker remained in the game in the outfield for the first time in his professional career. That mattered in the 10th inning when he made the play of the night. He handled a fly ball and came up firing to gun down the would-be go-ahead run with a perfect strike to Ethan Salas at home for a double-play. Salas followed up by throwing out the next runner attempting to steal second base to end the inning. The Missions rode the momentum as Braedon Karpathios singled in the Manfred Man in the bottom half of the frame to claim the win. … Salas had a nice night at the plate, with a pair of hits to go along with several outstanding defensive plays. He’s not off to a great start, with nine strikeouts in his first 23 plate appearances, but looks much more confident at the plate than in 2025. He posted exit velocities of 102 and 103 on Saturday. … Harry Gustin, one of our favorite sleeper prospects, is off to a nice start. The lefty has six strikeouts in six innings across his first three appearances. He has not issued a walk, and has given up just one run. … In addition to his game-winning hit, Karpathios made a spectacular play in right field in the eighth inning, charging on a single to right field and making a snap throw to the plate to throw out the runner.
Lansing Lugnuts 12, TinCaps 4
Key Statistics: CF Kasen Wells 2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB; RF Kavares Tears 1-for-2, 2 2B, BB; LF Jake Cunningham 2-for-3, HR (1), RBI, BB; 2B Dylan Grego 0-for-2, 2 BB; DH Alex McCoy 1-for-4, HR (1), RBI; LHP Jamie Hitt (L, 0-1) 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Vicarte Domingo 2 IP, H, BB, K
Kasen Wells bundled up for the cold of April in Fort Wayne. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: It has been a rough start for the TinCaps, who lost their sixth of eight games to begin the year. While they matched their season-high with four runs scored, they allowed double-digits for the third time. Lefty Jamie Hitt, the Padres’ eighth-round pick last year, got bumped up after one game in Low-A after Kannon Kemp joined Jaxon Dalena on the IL. Hitt, who both started and worked in relief at the University of Oklahoma, went four innings, getting charged with three unearned runs after an error by Rosman Verdugo. … Alex McCoy hit his first home run of the year and now has four extra-base hits in his first seven games. The 24-year-old has a .292/.346/.542 line with only four strikeouts through 26 plate appearances. … Left fielder Jake Cunningham also hit his first homer of the year. Cunningham, an athletic outfielder originally drafted out of UNC-Charlotte by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2023 fifth round, never really hit in three years in A-ball with that organization. The Padres are gambling they might be able to find something with the 6-foot-4, 210-pound North Carolina native.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5, Storm 0
Key Statistics: CF Ryan Wideman 2-for-4, 3B; LF George Bilecki 1-for-2, 2B, BB; SS Jorge Quintana 2-for-4; RHP Tyler Schmitt (L, 0-1) 2.2 IP, 2 H, R, 3 BB, 5 K, HR
Ryan Wideman is off to a much better start in 2026. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: There wasn’t much to write home about for the Storm as they dropped their third game to the Quakes, now affiliated with the Angels. Ryan Wideman, the Padres’ third-round draft pick last year, is off to a good start after struggling in his 2025 debut. Wideman, 22, had a pair of hits in this one and now has nine in his first eight games. Three of those have gone for extra bases to match his total in 26 games with the Storm last summer. He has also converted four stolen bases in six attempts. Wideman is one of the better athletes in the system, and the organization made some significant changes to his hitting mechanics in the offseason and in spring training to help him get to the ball consistently. He’s cut his strikeout rate to 19.4%. … Jorge Quintana collected two hits on the night as the Padres’ top prospect in Lake Elsinore looks to bounce back from a slow start. The 19-year-old switch-hitter hadn’t collected a hit against a right-handed pitcher in his first six games.
