Chihuahuas 12, Las Vegas Aviators 4

Key Statistics: SS Clay Dungan, 3-for-5, 2 R, BB; 1B Luis Campusano, 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (10), 3 RBI, 2 BB; DH Tirso Ornelas, 3-for-5, R, 2B, 3 RBI; C Rodolfo Durȧn, 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (2), RBI, BB; 3B Mike Brosseau, 1-for-4, 2 R, HR (4), RBI, BB, SB (3); LF Trenton Brooks, 1-for-5, R, HR (6), RBI; LHP Kyle Hart (W, 1-0) 5 IP, 2 H, R (0 ER), 3 BB, 4 K; RHP Raul Brito, 1.2 IP, 2 K

Tirso Ornelas is working to elevate more. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)

Prospect Watch: The wind was blowing out to center in Summerlin, and the Chihuahuas took advantage, belting four homers in a blowout win in Southern Nevada. … As we have chronicled all season, it is evident that Luis Campusano has nothing left to prove offensively the PCL. Yet, he continued to prove it Friday as he doubled and connected on his tenth homer of the season while drawing a pair of walks. For the first time this season, the 26-year-old started at first base, perhaps giving him a chance to carve out a role on the big league roster. He leads the PCL with a 1.120 OPS, and his two-hit effort extended his hitting streak to six games. His power has not come with a lot of swing-and-miss; his swinging strike rate of just 5.8% is the fourth-lowest in the circuit. That has helped him punch out just 21 times while drawing 25 walks in 142 plate appearances… Tirso Ornelas is enjoying his time in the Vegas area. The 24-year-old had a double, a pair of singles, and three RBI in the victory. Ornelas has hit safely in all four games this series, going 10-for-18 with a double and eight RBI to raise his average from .259 to .311. After breaking out last year with 23 homers for El Paso, Ornelas has just one to his name in 122 plate appearances this season. Ornelas’ average exit velocity is down three miles per hour from the 88 mph he posted last season and his hard-hit percentage is also down from 39% to 32%. He is hitting the ball in the air more than ever, but with less velocity behind the batted balls, just 4% have left the yard, after 19% of his flyballs resulted in a homer last year. His pitch selection and walk rates are still solid, so it’s no surprise that Ornelas is starting to heat up. … Lefty Kyle Hart earned his first PCL win, tossing five solid innings for the victory. He allowed one unearned run on two hits, walking three and striking out four. The 32-year-old began the season in the Padres’ rotation, but he’s taking his demotion in stride. Friday’s outing lowered his ERA to 1.84 in three PCL starts. The lefty, who worked in Korea that last three years, used his two fastballs just 30% of the time Friday, relying more heavily on his sweeper and a very effective changeup.

Missions 14, Midland RockHounds 11

Key Statistics: SS Francisco Acuña, 2-for-5, R, 2B, SB (7); 3B Devin Ortiz, 3-for-6, 3 R, 2 2B, SB (4); Moises Gómez, 4-for-6, 2 R, 2B; C Brandon Valenzuela, 5-for-6, 2 R, 2 RBI; 1B Cody Roberts, 2-for-5, R, BB, 2 RBI; DH Marcos Castañon, 2-for-6, 2 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI; RHP Henry Baez (W, 1-1) 5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 4 K; RHP Jose Espada (S, 1) 0.2 IP, BB

Brandon Valenzuela keeps on delivering for the Missions. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)

Prospect Watch: The Missions opened an 11-0 lead, but the RockHounds battled back to make it a game, scoring three in the ninth. Jose Espada got a groundball double play to end the game and preserve the win. San Antonio had 21 hits, setting a season-high. … Catcher Brandon Valenzuela had a career-best night at the dish, recording his first five-hit game. The switch-hitting catcher had five singles and drove in a pair of runs. Valenzuela, who re-signed with the organization in the offseason, has a career-high .898 OPS and has been especially hot in May, amassing a .458/.527/.667 line. The Padres’ current big league tandem of catchers are only under contract through this season, so Valenzuela’s play could lead to a big league opportunity shortly. The organization has exposed him to the Rule 5 draft the last two seasons. The Hermosillo, Mexico native will be eligible for free agency again this off-season if the organization fails to add him to the 40-man roster. … Moisés Gómez had four hits, including a double. The 26-year-old outfielder has been a solid contributor since joining the organization on a minor league contract this off-season. Overall, Gómez has an excellent .847 OPS for the Missions, while cutting his strikeout rate to a more manageable 27.8%. He hasn’t finished a season with a mark below 33% since he was in Single-A in the Rays organization in 2018. … Third baseman Devin Ortiz had three hits, including two doubles, and scored three runs. He also swiped his fourth base of the year. Last season, Ortiz posted a roughly league average.664 OPS in 117 games for the TinCaps. In 2025, the former Virginia two-way star has an .806 OPS, although the underlying numbers don’t point to a breakout. Ortiz’s walk rate has dropped to 7.8% this season after he posted an 11.8% mark last season. His K-rate is up slightly from 17.8% last season to 19.1% in 2025, but Ortiz is hitting .374 on balls in play – up 80 points from last season. … Shortstop Francisco Acuña came off a brief stint on the IL and picked right back up with two hits out of the leadoff spot. The 25-year-old, who signed as a minor league free agent after spending the first eight years of his career in the Pirates system, also swiped his seventh base. He’s posted a .766 OPS while providing steady defense at shortstop for the Missions. … Righty Henry Baez worked into the sixth inning Friday night, earning his first win of the season. Baez ran into trouble in the fourth inning, as he allowed four runs. The key play was a Baez throwing error that made all four runs unearned. Aside from that inning, the 22-year-old did not allow any other damage. In eight starts this year, Baez sports a fantastic 3.11 ERA. More impressively, Baez is sporting a career-best 7.7% walk rate and a 25% strikeout rate that would be his best full-season league result.

West Michigan Whitecaps 8, TinCaps 4

Key Statistics: SS Leo De Vries 2-for-4, R, 2B; 3B Rosman Verdugo 2-for-4, R, 2B; Nerwilian Cedeño 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI; RHP Miguel Mendez (L, 1-1) 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 K; RHP Josh Mallitz 3 IP, 2 H, 5 K

Rosman Verdugo has been locked in at the plate. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)

Prospect Watch: The Whitecaps waited out an hour-long rain delay and scored six times in the final three innings to pull off a win against the TinCaps in Fort Wayne in front of a crowd of nearly 6,000. … For just the second time this month, prized prospect Leo De Vries delivered a multi-hit game that included an opposite-field double, a single, and a run scored. The 18-year-old shortstop had 12 extra-base hits in April, but has just two on the ledger this month. The big culprit in De Vries’ slump has been a steady increase in strikeouts. After punching out in just 18% of his at-bats in April, that number has increased to 24% – still passable for an 18-year-old in a league that tends to suppress offense. De Vries is slugging just .292 this month after posting a robust .625 slugging percentage in April. The real version of De Vries is probably somewhere in the middle, so it will be interesting to see if he can make an adjustment to get back on track. Friday was an encouraging start. … Rosman Verdugo also delivered a multi-hit effort in the loss. Like De Vries, he singled and doubled. The Ensenada native has come a long way from the teenager who hit just three homers with the Storm in 2023. The 20-year-old has gained significant strength, and he’s just two homers away from tying the career-high of 10 he hit last season. Verdugo leads the league in slugging percentage with a .546 mark but his 35% K-rate is the fourth-highest in the Midwest League. … Righty Miguel Mendez took the loss Friday, tossing three innings before the rain came and ended his night. He allowed a pair of earned runs on four hits, striking out five. He did not walk a batter. The 22-year-old has pitched well in 19.1 innings across five starts between the Storm and the TinCaps, posting a 3.26 ERA with 30 strikeouts and just four walks. … When the game resumed, Josh Mallitz took over and tossed three scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits and struck out five. The undrafted free agent from Mississippi had a pair of disastrous outings last month in Lansing in which he surrendered 12 runs over three innings. Since then, the 23-year-old has allowed just two earned runs over 10.2 innings. 

Fresno Grizzlies 6, Storm 3

Key Statistics: SS Ryan Jackson, 3-for-4, RBI, SB (8); DH Kavares Tears, 1-for-4; 3B Zach Evans, 2-for-4, R; RHP Abraham Parra, (L, 0-1) 2.1 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; LHP Braian Salazar, 2.2 IP, 2 H, 5 K; RHP Tucker Musgrove, 2 IP, K

Braian Salazar is working to spin the ball more effectively. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)

Prospect Watch: The Grizzlies jumped all over Storm starter Abraham Parra, scoring five in the first while cruising to a win in front of the biggest crowd in Lake Elsinore so far this year. The announced attendance was 4,835. Making his California League debut, Parra lasted just 2.1 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits. He walked two and struck out two. The 19-year-old out of Venezuela began the season in the ACL, where he had one stellar five-inning outing and gave up a pair of runs in an inning in his second appearance. The 2023 signee posted a 40:26 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 35.2 innings in the desert last summer. … Cobb Hightower got the night off, so Ryan Jackson slid back to shortstop, had three hits, and swiped his eighth bag of the year. Jackson had been just 3-for-21 with “only” four walks over his previous six games. The 23-year-old has drawn walks at an incredible rate this season, leading the Cal League with 43 to fuel a .470 on-base percentage. …  … Lefty Braian Salazar took over for Parra andhad a very encouraging outing. The southpaw worked 2.2 innings, allowing just two hits. He struck out five and did not allow a walk. Salazar has had success pitching in the ACL but full-season ball has proved to be a challenge. He got off to a miserable start this year, allowing seven earned runs in 2.2 innings before being shipped back to Peoria. Since returning to the Cal League, Salazar has allowed just two runs over 7.1 innings. 

ACL Padres 2, ACL Royals 1 (7 innings) 

Key Statistics: 1B Victor Figueroa, 1-for-2, BB; C Carlos Rodriguez, 2-for-2, 2B, BB; SS Yimy Tovar, 1-for-3, R, RBI; RHP Winyer Chourio (W, 1-0), 5 IP, 6 H, ER, K; RHP Elvis Reyes (S, 1) 2 IP, BB, K

Winyer Chourio picked up his first stateside victory Friday. (Photo; Jerry Espinoza)

Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres scored a pair in the first and held on to defeat the ACL Royals in a seven-inning tilt in the desert. … After going hitless in his professional debut, first baseman Victor Figueroa has hit safely in nine straight. He “only” had one hit and a walk Friday, which broke up a streak of eight straight multi-hit games. The 21-year-old is off to a .571/.634/1.200 start in the desert. … Catcher Carlos Rodriguez had a perfect day at the plate, delivering a single, a double, and a walk in three plate appearances. The 22-year-old has spent parts of the last four seasons in the desert. He had a brief seven-game stint with the Storm last season, where he produced a meager .527 OPS. He’s swung the bat well to start the season in the desert, going 7-for-13 with a pair of walks in his first four games. … Righty Winyer Chourio earned his first victory of the season, pitching five solid innings. Chourio, 21, allowed six hits but he did not issue a walk. He struck out just one batter. The Venezuela native was already 20 when he signed with the Padres last May, then spent last season in the DSL, pitching to a 2.09 ERA in 12 games. He has a 6.75 ERA in a pair of games for the ACL squad in 2025.