Salt Lake Bees 10, Chihuahuas 5
Key Statistics: CF Nick Schnell, 1-for-3, R, HR (7), RBI; SS Mason McCoy, 2-for-3, 3 RBI, SB (7); C Anthony Vilar, 2-for-3, BB; 3B Will Wagner, 1-for-4, 2 R, BB; LHP Jackson Wolf, 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Garrett Hawkins, IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB; RHP Logan Gillaspie, IP, 5 H, 6 ER, BB
Jackson Wolf’s long limbs and low arm slot make for a difficult at-bat. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: El Paso jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first and had a one-run lead going into the seventh inning. The Bees then mounted a comeback, scoring six runs in the frame, and pulled away for a convincing win. … While Jase Bowen has gotten the headlines for El Paso, former first-rounder Nick Schnell has also shown power potential. Schnell started in center and connected on his seventh homer of the season, a blast with an exit velocity of 111.5 mph that traveled 402 feet. The former Rays farmhand is tied for eighth in the PCL with his seven homers, but his .849 OPS is actually below the league average. … El Paso catcher Anthony Vilar reached base three times with a pair of singles and a walk. The 27-year-old has been pressed into regular duty for El Paso with Blake Hunt still on the injured list and Rodolfo Duràn in San Diego. The University of Miami product has held its own offensively. The multi-hit night raised his average to .316, which he’s achieved despite a K-rate approaching 30%. … Lefty Jackson Wolf turned in a solid outing but did not factor in the decision. He pitched five innings and allowed just two runs. He walked one and struck out a pair. The 27-year-old has pitched well this year in a swing role. Wolf has appeared in 11 games, six of them starts. Wolf barely cracks 90 mph with his fastball, but he changes speeds effectively, and he’s striking out a batter per inning. While his ERA is over five, his 1.26 WHIP is playable in the Pacific Coast League. Wolf’s versatility makes him someone to watch this summer.
Missions 10, Wichita Wind Surge 4
Key Statistics: SS Carson Tucker, 2-for-5, 2 R, SB (7); Leandro Cedeno, 2-for-2, R, BB, RBI; RF Tirso Ornelas, 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI; CF Braedon Karpathios, 2-for-3, R, 2 BB, 2 RBI; 3B Ryan Jackson, 2-for-4, 3 RBI; C Ethan Salas, 1-for-4, R, BB, SB (8); LHP Omar Cruz, 3.1 IP, H, 2 R, BB, 9 K; RHP Sadrac Franco (W, 2-2) 1.2 IP, 3 K; RHP Francis Peña, 2 IP, 5 K
Braedon Karpathios has settled in after a rough start to the year. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Prospect Watch: The Missions used a 14-hit attack to defeat the Wind Surge at Wolff Stadium while four Missions pitchers combined to strike out 20 batters. … Shortstop Carson Tucker continues to be one of the best stories in the system this year. The former Guardians prospect had two more hits, and he notched his seventh stolen base of the year. The two-hit night raised his batting average to .349, which would lead the Texas League if he had enough plate appearances to qualify among league leaders. While he has yet to connect on a homer, he does have eight doubles and a triple. He was out of affiliated baseball in 2024 and 2025 after being released by Cleveland. … Braedon Karpathios continued his scorching May by reaching base four times. He had a pair of singles, drew a walk, and drove in a pair of runs. In his last 12 games, the 23-year-old is hitting .326/.442/.512. … Tirso Ornelas has also been red-hot the last few weeks, and that trend continued Friday. The former big leaguer had three hits, including a double. Over his last 11 games, he has a 1.051 OPS with a pair of homers and as many walks (six) as strikeouts. … Lefty Omar Cruz has had a miserable start to his 2026 campaign, but he looked dominant at times Friday. The 27-year-old worked 3.1 innings and allowed two runs (both unearned), one walk, and recorded nine strikeouts before departing. Cruz made the big league club last year out of spring training, serving as the Padres’ long man before being demoted to the minors. San Diego non-tendered him in November, but brought him back on a minor league deal. He allowed eight runs in four innings in El Paso to open the season. In eight innings with the Missions, Cruz has a 7.00 ERA.
TinCaps 12, Cedar Rapids Kernels 3
Key Statistics: 2B Rosman Verdugo, 3-for-5, 3 R, HR (6), 2 RBI; LF Alex McCoy, 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2B, SB (6); DH Lamar King Jr., 2-for-5, R, RBI; RF Kavares Tears, 3-for-5, R, HR (3), 2B, 4 RBI; CF Kasen Wells, 4-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI; LHP Kash Mayfield (W, 3-1) 5 IP, H, 9 K; RHP Will Varmette, 2 IP, H, 2 BB, K
Rosman Verdugo is looking to get to his power more consistently in 2026. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps scored six runs in the first and cruised to a win over the Kernels. The TinCaps went 8-for-17 with runners in scoring position. … Kavares Tears had a big night at the plate, slamming a three-run homer and finishing a triple short of the cycle. Tears’ first-inning homer was his third of the season. The former Tennessee star has a decent .742 OPS, but he has struggled to make consistent contact. He has a 29.7% K-rate this season with the ‘Caps, and he’s made contact on just 66% of his swings. Tears has impressive raw power, but will need to continue to refine his approach to find consistent results. … Center fielder Kasen Wells had a four-hit night with three singles and a double. Wells hasn’t brought much power to the plate since the Padres drafted him out of junior college in 2024, and this season has been no exception. He has just six extra-base hits in 138 plate appearances. He does bring speed and the ability to make consistent contact. In 120 career games, he has a .376 on-base percentage. … Rosman Verdugo had three hits, including his sixth homer of the season. Despite 2026 marking his third tour of duty through the Midwest League, the Ensenada native is still just 21 years old. While the overall numbers aren’t impressive, Verdugo is sporting a career-low 21% K-rate – about 11 points lower than the mark he produced in Fort Wayne last season. Coming into Friday’s contest, Verdugo had a .228 BABIP. Verdugo has impressive power for a middle infielder, and if his improved contact rate continues, he could have a monster summer in the Midwest League. After going hitless for 23 straight at-bats, Alex McCoy is bouncing back quickly. The slugger had a double among two hits, drew a walk, and swiped his sixth base of the season. He’s 6-for-12 with three extra-base hits in his last three games. … While the offense was cooking, Kash Mayfield dominated the Kernels, earning his third win of the season. He plowed through the Cedar Rapids, pitching five innings and allowing just one hit for the third time this year. He struck out nine, tying his career high. The 21-year-old has been absolutely dominant this year, outside of one start when he lost his command. He’s allowed one hit or less in five of his seven starts and Midwest League hitters are batting a pathetic .119 against the southpaw. Friday’s outing lowered his ERA to 1.52 for the season. Going back to last June in Lake Elsinore, Mayfield has allowed only 14 runs in 70 innings while striking out 110.
Storm 14, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 0
Key Statistics: C Ty Harvey, 2-for-3, R, 2B, BB, 2 RBI; PH-1B Kerrington Cross, 2-for-2, 2 R, HR (2), 3 RBI; SS Jorge Quintana, 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI; RF-LF Qrey Lott, 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI; LF-CF Conner Westenburg, 2-for-4, R, BB, RBI; LHP Kruz Schoolcraft, 3 IP, 5 BB, 4 K; RHP Nick Falter, 3 IP, 2 H, K; RHP Vicarte Domingo, IP, BB, 2 K
Jorge Quintana gives the Padres plenty to hope on in Lake Elsinore. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm offense fired on all cylinders, and four pitchers shut out the Quakes. The Storm improved their record to 22-15. … Shortstop Jorge Quintana had a nice night at the plate, as he had a double and two singles, including a two-run single off the ad wall in right field that left the bat at 105 mph. The young shortstop has swung the bat well in May, putting together a .317/.349/.390 line. … Kerrington Cross pinch-hit an inning after Luke Cantwell got hit in the arm by a pitch, but still had a big night despite the late start. Cross connected on his second homer of the season in the eighth inning as part of a multi-hit night. The 24-year-old limped through a miserable April, but he’s been one of the hottest hitters in the system this month. Friday’s effort raised his May line to .393/.541/.679 with eight walks. … Lefty Kruz Schoolcraft was erratic on Friday, but he kept the Quakes off the scoreboard. The Padres’ 2025 first-rounder worked three scoreless innings and did not allow a hit. He did walk five, but he also notched four strikeouts to work out of trouble. The 19-year-old has put together back-to-back scoreless outings after a brutal start to the season. In three May starts, Schoolcraft has a 2.61 ERA across 10.1 innings. Alarmingly, he has walked 10 batters, but has notched 11 strikeouts. The improvement is encouraging, but Schoolcraft still needs to work on commanding the strike zone. Of his 67 pitches Friday, just 33 were thrown for strikes. … Righty Nick Falter relieved Schoolcraft and pitched three scoreless innings to tally his first professional win. The 23-year-old undrafted free agent has been the most reliable reliever for the Storm in 2026. Friday’s outing lowered his ERA to 1.82.
ACL Padres 4, ACL Rockies 3 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: 2B Santiago Vargas, 1-for-2, HR (1), 4 RBI; 3B Luis De Leon, 1-for-3, R; C Jhojan Downer, 1-for-2, R; RHP Michael Salina, 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Ty Adcock (W, 1-0) IP, H; LHP Zack Qin (S, 1) 2 IP, 5 K
Prospect Watch: It took just one swing of the bat for the ACL Padres to earn the victory. Second baseman Santiago Vargas connected on a third-inning grand slam, and the complex league bunch hung on for the victory. The blast was Vargas’ first professional homer. The 18-year-old signed with the Padres during the international signing period in 2025, but he did not play last year. In six games this year, he has delivered a .912 OPS. … It was rehab night in the desert with Michael Salina headlining the proceedings. Salina struggled and didn’t make it out of the first inning. He allowed two runs on three hits as he walked a pair and struck out two. Last year’s fourth-rounder will likely need a few more outings in the desert before heading out to a full-season club. … Righty Ty Adcock picked up the win, firing a scoreless inning in relief. The 29-year-old has pitched three scoreless innings in the desert and should be headed to the El Paso bullpen very soon. … Ethan Long began his rehab assignment and allowed a run to score while recording just one out. He walked a pair of batters before departing. Long, who began a conversion to the mound midway through last season, appeared in six games for the Storm this year before hitting the IL on April 22. … Finally, Zack Qin earned his first professional save, pitching a pair of scoreless frames in the win. He struck out five of the six batters he faced. The Beijing, China native is working his way back from Tommy John surgery in late 2024 and has punched out nine in five innings through his first two appearances.
