Game One: Chihuahuas 7, Tacoma Rainiers 4 (7 innings)

Key Statistics: 1B Donovan Solano, 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), 2B, RBI; 2B Nate Mondou, 3-for-4, RBI, SB (2); C Kevin Plawecki, 2-for-3, BB; LF Tim Locastro, 2-for-3, 2 R, HR (1), RBI; RHP Nolan Watson (W, 4-1) 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K; RHP Logan Gillaspie (S, 1) IP, H, K

Game Two: Tacoma Rainiers 3, Chihuahuas 1 (7 innings)

Key Statistics: 3B Clay Dungan, 2-for-4, R, HR (3), RBI; 2B Nate Mondou, 2-for-3, 2B; RHP Gabe Mosser, 4 IP, 6 K; LHP Austin Davis (L, 1-2) 0.1 IP, ER, 2 BB, K; RHP Matt Festa, IP, 2 K

Clay Dungan hit his third home run of the year. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)

Prospect Watch: After rain postponed Thursday’s game, El Paso and Tacoma played a pair of seven-inning games Friday night. The Chihuahuas won the first game and lost the second despite allowing just one hit in the nightcap. … Veteran Donovan Solano started at first in game one and doubled and connected on his first homer as a member of the Padres organization. Solano has played gotten off to a hot start in five games with El Paso since joining the organization. The 36-year-old is 5-for-16. … Veteran Nate Mondou tallied five hits on the day – three in game one and two more in the second. Mondou entered Friday hitting .265 but his big night raised his average to .307. The versatile infielder spent most of last season at the Triple-A level in the White Sox organization, where he hit a career-high 13 homers. … Nolan Watson rolled through five innings before running into trouble in the sixth inning, when Tacoma got to him for three runs. Despite that rough patch, it was another solid affair for the former first-rounder. He earned his fourth win of the year, allowing three earned runs on five hits and three walks in 5.1 innings. Watson has never generated many strikeouts, but this year has been different. After striking out eight Friday, the Indianapolis native has punched out 30 in 27 innings. Last season, he struck out 85 batters in 126 innings. Overall, he has a solid 4.67 ERA. … Last week 27-year-old Gabe Mosser made his Triple-A debut with arguably the worst start of his career. Mosser allowed seven runs, recording just one out. On Friday, he bounced back extraordinarily. Mosser breezed through four perfect innings, striking out six along the way. He threw just 57 pitches, 36 for strikes. The solid outing lowered his Triple-A ERA to 14.54. 

Wichita Wind Surge 7, Missions 1

Key Statistics: CF Jakob Marsee, 1-for-3, BB, 2 SB (9, 10); C Brandon Valenzuela, 2-for-3, R, BB; LF Robert Perez Jr., 1-for-3, BB; LHP Robby Snelling (L, 0-1) 2.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Reggie Lawson, IP, 3 K; LHP Jayvien Sandridge, IP, BB, 3 K

Prospect Watch: The Overlord of MadFriars, John Conniff, is in San Antonio this weekend with on-site coverage. Read his game recap here. 

Homer Bush, Jr. had a pair of infield hits. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)

Great Lakes Loons 5, TinCaps 3

Key Statistics: DH Ethan Salas, 2-for-4, R, BB; CF Homer Bush Jr., 2-for-3, BB, SB (9), CS; 1B Griffin Doersching, 1-for-3, 3 RBI, 2 BB; RF Kai Murphy, 2-for-5; RHP Henry Baez (L, 0-1) 5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 8 K; RHP Francis Pena, 2 IP, H, BB, K

Ethan Salas reached base three times. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)

Prospect Watch: The TinCaps have had terrible luck with weather this year and Friday night was no exception. The game was delayed over an hour and when it resumed, Fort Wayne lost their fourth straight to the Loons at Parkview Field. … Ethan Salas started at designated hitter and had a pair of singles and a walk. It was his first multi-hit game since the season’s second game nearly three weeks ago. The talented catcher has shown a great eye at the plate thus far but he has just four doubles and zero homers in 70 plate appearances. The 17-year-old is hitting .224/.343/.293 on the season. …  Homer Bush Jr. has struggled, but as the saying goes, speed never slumps. The organization’s fastest player, Bush legged out a pair of infield singles, drew a walk, and went 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts to snap a 1-for-21 stretch over his last eight games. The Grand Canyon University product has failed to notch an extra-base hit in 17 games this year and is hitting just .212/.317/.212. … Kai Murphy had two hits, as he continues to play well in April. Coming into Friday’s game, the 23-year-old had a wRC+ of 117, good for third on the squad. The lefthanded outfielder has walked in 12% of his plate appearances this season. … The evening started off rocky for Henry Baez but he finished strong. Baez allowed the first five Loons to reach base and he trailed 4-0 by the time he recorded his first out. From there forward, Baez retired 15 straight and notched eight strikeouts. It was the first time this season that the 21-year-old completed five innings and his first outing without a walk. In four starts for the TinCaps, Baez has pitched to a 3.86 ERA. He worked his fastball up to 96 in the outing.

Storm 5, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 2

Key Statistics: C J.D. Gonzalez, 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B; 3B Wyatt Hoffman, 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI; RHP Eric Yost, 4.2 IP, 5 H, ER, 7 K; RHP Xavier Ruiz (W, 1-0) 2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 3 K

JD Gonzalez is part of the Padres impressive depth at catcher. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)

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Prospect Watch: After getting no-hit through the first seven innings, the Storm rallied for five runs in the final two innings for a much-needed comeback win against the Quakes. It’s the third straight game Lake Elsinore has plated at least five runs in the last two innings of the game. … Catcher J.D. Gonzalez rifled a double to right field to open the eighth inning, both breaking up the no-no and notching his first professional hit. He came back with a line drive single the other way to left in the ninth and scored the club’s final run . Last year’s third-rounder is 2-for-9 since joining the Storm. … Third baseman Wyatt Hoffman had a pair of run-scoring singles in the Storm win. The 25-year-old is the elder statesman of the Storm roster. The infielder doesn’t possess much power, but he has put together a .390 on-base percentage in 12 games with the Storm. … After working as a reliever since being drafted last year, righty Eric Yost made his first professional start and threw the ball well. He worked into the fifth inning, allowing just one run on five hits, striking out seven without a walk. The New York native played collegiately at Northeastern, where he pitched to a 4.23 ERA in 15 starts last season. This year, he has struck out 16 batters in 11.2 innings. … Righty Xavier Ruiz pitched the final two innings to earn his first win of the season. The 21-year-old began the year in extended spring training before joining the Storm roster a few weeks ago. In five outings with Lake Elsinore, he has a 3.86 ERA with seven strikeouts in seven innings.

It said the zoo was upgrading various venues to “create a larger and more comfortable living environment”.

However Zoo Atlanta is the only US facility still hosting pandas.

Its programme will expire at the end of this year, with all four pandas expected to be returned to China, the zoo said last year.

The return of panda diplomacy: what it suggests about China-US relations

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Yun Chuan and Xin Bao were born and raised at the national giant panda research centre in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

The announcement of their new assignment comes just days before two other giant pandas, Jin Xi and Zhu Yu, are expected leave for the Spanish capital of Madrid.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday that their arrival would “boost people-to-people exchanges in the two countries and strengthen the friendship between Chinese and Spanish peoples”.

He added that Spain had hosted giant pandas from China for 40 years, helping to breed six cubs.

China has used giant pandas as a modern diplomacy tool since the 1950s, to soften its image on the global stage and strengthen ties with other countries.

From 1957 to 1982, China donated a total of 23 giant pandas to nine countries: the then Soviet Union, North Korea, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Spain and Mexico.

But since 1984, Beijing has offered giant pandas on loan.

The loan agreements typically last for 10 years and can be extended. Hosting zoos pay an annual fee – usually US$500,000 to US$1 million each – to keep the pandas for research and exhibition purposes.

Zoos usually receive a healthy reproductive pair and any cubs born during the loan period are the property of China. The zoo must also pay a “baby tax” of at least US$200,000 to China for each cub. The young pandas must be sent home when they are between two and four years old.

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — For the first time, the relic of St. Jude has been brought to San Diego, giving thousands of people the rare opportunity to be a part of history.

A glass case holds partial remains of St. Jude Thaddeus.

His remains are kept inside a wooden container carved in the shape of an upright arm.

St. Jude, for Catholics, is known as the Patron Saint of Hope and Impossible Cases.

He is one of the 12 Apostles, which is what drew the crowds of people who showed up even before the doors opened, including Margaret Maxton, who came from the Bay Area.

“It’s an honor to have a relic, a third-class relic even from an Apostle,” Maxton said.

There were others like Vivian Simon, who attends St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Clairemont. She said it was a special feeling to know this relic was at her parish.

“We like to have pictures of Saints on the wall, like family on the wall, so having something that we can touch, see, experience fills a human need and a spiritual need for so many people,” Simon said.

As part of this tour, the relics of St. Jude will make their way across North America.

Father Brian Hayes, the Pastor at St. Catherine’s, said that while this takes on a special meaning for Catholics, he hopes all those who come, regardless of religion, walk away with a sense of hope.

“He is the Saint of the Impossible, and many people have found answers to prayers through the intercession of St. Jude,” Hayes said.

The relic will head to the Los Angeles area next week.