San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: August 27

Chihuahuas 5, Oklahoma City Comets 4

Key Stats: RHP Joe Musgrove (W, 1-1) 5 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 K; LHP JP Sears 3 IP, H, 2 K; RHP Alek Jacob (S, 9) 0.2 IP, H, K; C Ethan Salas 3-for-4, 3B, BB; 1B Marcos Castañon 3-for-4, 2B, HR (16), BB

Prospect Watch: Joe Musgrove appeared to check all the final boxes before his impending return to the big league club, tossing five-plus innings of one-run ball to pick up the win. The Padres star, whose last appearance was scratched because of a sore back, bounced back to throw 60 pitches, 42 of which were strikes. Both his four-seam and sinker sat 93-94, velocity he held until he was pulled after two batters in the sixth. Musgrove went deep into his arsenal, throwing six different pitch types. While he only drew three whiffs on 26 swings, he got 16 called strikes as he worked over a Comets lineup that included five players who have spent significant time with the Dodgers this season. After cruising through the first five innings, Musgrove gave up a first-pitch leadoff single in the sixth before Alex Freeland got him for an RBI double. Pete Zamora removed Musgrove at that point, and JP Sears quickly stranded the runner, getting out of the inning in only 10 pitches. Sears worked two more scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, but facing the minimum as the runner was caught stealing. It was the best outing the lefty has had since the Padres sent him down again at the start of the month. He’s allowed 11 earned runs over 10.2 innings back in the PCL, with 14 strikeouts against six walks. … Ethan Salas had three hits and drew a walk in five trips to the plate, He had a pair of singles in three trips against left-handed starter Cole Irvin then smoked a 105.3 mph triple the other way to the deepest part of the park in left-center. Salas had gone seven straight games without an extra-base hit, but is still batting .325/.402/.554 in 97 plate appearances since his promotion. … Marcos Castañon also reached base four times, including his team-best 16th home run of the year. The 27-year-old infielder scored three and drove in two on the day. He’s on track for a career-best strikeout rate, punching out at only an 18.5% rate, but he also has a career-low 6.1% walk rate and, for the first time as a professional, is going to finish the year with below-average offensive production.

Springfield Cardinals 7, Missions 2

Key Stats: LF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-3, 2B, BB; 1B Romeo Sanabria 2-for-4; RF Alex McCoy 0-for-4, 4 K; RHP Victor Lizarraga 3.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 5 K, 2 BB; RHP Josh Mallitz 1.2 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 K, BB; RHP Garrett Hawkins 2 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 K

Prospect Watch: The Cardinals jumped on Victor Lizarraga for five runs on seven hits over 3.1 innings, building a lead that the Missions’ league-worst offense couldn’t overcome. Through 123 games, San Antonio’s 522 runs scored is 96 worse than the second-lowest total in the Texas League; the top scoring team on the circuit, Tulsa, has plated nearly two more runs a game. For Lizarraga, the outing continued a nightmare season in which he’s posted a 7.07 ERA with a 67:52 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 77.2 innings. The righty, who grew up in San Diego and Tijuana, has been torched for a .293 opponents’ batting average, nearly 60 points above his career mark entering the season. The 22-year-old, whose velocity has never increased since entering the organization in 2021, will be a minor league free agent this winter. … Garrett Hawkins tossed two innings of one-run ball, striking out three. The righty gave up a monster home run to Cardinals prospect Tai Peete on a changeup that floated in at 86 at the top of the zone. After sitting in the upper-90s with elite ride on his fastball last year to earn a selection to the 40-player roster, the 26-year-old has regressed significantly this year, yielding a 6.18 ERA across two levels while walking 32 in 43.2 innings. He’ll have some work to do to reestablish his release point this winter and put himself in line for a big league opportunity next season. … Both Tirso Ornelas and Romeo Sanabria have had disappointing campaigns at the plate, but both are trying to finish the year on a high note. Ornelas went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. He’s now hit in five straight, going 8-for-19 with three extra-base hits and no strikeouts. Sanabria added a pair of hits, pushing his average since he returned to San Antonio to .425. He has drawn nine walks against just eight strikeouts in 58 plate appearances after a dreadful stint in the PCL. At 24 years old, he’ll get another crack at Triple-A next year.

Dayton Dragons 9, TinCaps 3 (10 innings)

Key Stats: 3B Kerrington Cross 2-for-5, HR (5); DH Lamar King Jr. 2-for-3, 2B, BB; RHP Matthew Watson 3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 3 BB; LHP Javier Chacon 3 IP, H, 4 K, BB; RHP Jack Pineau 2 IP, 3 K; LHP Will Koger 1.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R (5 ER), 2 K, BB

Prospect Watch: For the second time in a week, the TinCaps went to extra-innings only to have the bullpen implode and finish with a lopsided loss. The late meltdowns have contributed to a -236 run differential that is the worst in professional baseball. After falling behind 3-1 through two innings, Fort Wayne rallied back to tie on a Kerrington Cross solo homer in the sixth and an RBI single by Lamar King Jr. in the eighth. King also drove in the first run of the game with a double, and finished the day 2-for-3 with a walk. It’s been a difficult year for the 22-year-old backstop, who has hit just .226/.325/.311 across 351 plate appearances. His career-worst .085 isolated power rate has come in a year several observers inside and outside the organization thought the former fourth-rounder was primed for to take a step forward offensively. King has seen his strikeout rate creep up a bit this year to 24.8%, but his contact and zone numbers have all trended above-average among High-A batters. … Cross connected on his fifth Midwest League round-tripper, but it was his first in over 50 plate appearances. A senior sign in the seventh round last year, the 24-year-old Indiana native went ice cold after his promotion to the TinCaps, but has rebounded with a .276/.382/.414 line this month. … Righty Jack Pineau tossed two scoreless innings in his second professional appearance, striking out three. The 21-year-old, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Creighton this summer, made a one-game pit stop in Lake Elsinore before joining Fort Wayne. He has yet to allow a runner to reach base safely.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 3, Storm 2

Key Stats: Joe Tiroly 1-for-4, HR (3); CF Qrey Lott 2-for-4; SS Jorge Quintana 0-for-3, BB, 3 K, SB (26); PH Elliot Lascelles 1-for-1, SB (2); RHP Lan-Hong Su 3 IP, 2 H, 7 K, BB; RHP Albert Roblez 2 IP, 3 K, 3 BB; LHP Zack Qin 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 K, BB

Prospect Watch: The Quakes rallied late to take this game and send the Storm to their tenth straight loss. After finishing the first half with a division win, Lake Elsinore has a league-worst 22-35 record in the second half. Righty Lan-Hong Su continued to impress down the stretch, tossing three scoreless innings with a career-best seven strikeouts. After dealing with blister issues in extended spring training and struggling out of the gate for Lake Elsinore, the 19-year-old right-hander has found his groove over the last six weeks, pitching to a 2.75 ERA with a stellar 26:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 19.2 innings. A key part of the Padres’ 2025 international free agent class, the Taiwanese righty will still need to add significant weight to his frame as he advances in the system, but he’s shown a consistent ability to fill the zone with a four-pitch mix. He’ll be one of the main names to watch in the organization heading into 2027. … Righty Albert Roblez worked around three walks to throw a pair of scoreless innings in his second professional outing. The Riverside county native made four stops in his collegiate career before the Padres drafted him in the 16th round last month. The 23-year-old struck out 53 in 30 innings for Oregon State this year, and has continued to show swing-and-miss stuff with five punchouts in his first 3.1 innings for Lake Elsinore.