Jay Groome got the Opening Night start for El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
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The rest of the system will get started next Thursday night, but El Paso kicked off their tenth season with a win at home. In case you missed it, Ben Davey has a preview of the Padres’ top affiliate.
Chihuahuas 14, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 3
Key Statistics: C Brett Sullivan, 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI; DH Rangel Ravelo, 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI; 1B Alfonso Rivas, 3-for-5, R, HR (1), 2 RBI; 3B Tim Lopes, 1-for-3, 3 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 BB; 2B Max Schrock, 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (1), 2B, 4 RBI; LHP Jay Groome, 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 5 K; RHP Reiss Knehr, IP, 2 H, ER, BB, K; LHP Ray Kerr (W, 1-0) 0.2 IP, K; RHP Moises Lugo IP, BB, K; RHP Angel Felipe, IP, 3 K
Moises Lugo turned some heads this Spring. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: While the big league club has struggled to get the bats going in the first two games, the Chihuahuas had no problem scoring Friday night. El Paso led 5-3 going into the bottom of the eighth, then proceeded to explode for nine runs to turn this one into a blowout. It was the first Chihuahuas regular season game played in March. … Former Cub and La Jolla Country Day product Alfonso Rivas had three hits, including his first homer as a member of the Padres organization. The 26-year-old spent parts of the last two seasons in the big leagues with Chicago. Last year, he hit .235/.322/.307 in 101 games with the Cubs. Rivas has a career .807 OPS in 267 minor league games, although he has never hit more than nine homers as a professional. After being released by Chicago in January, he signed a minor league contract with the Padres. … Rangel Ravelo started at DH and had three hits and a pair of runs batted in. Like Rivas, Ravelo has big-league experience. He played in 42 games with the Cardinals in 2019 and 2020. In 2022, Ravelo spent time playing for the Orix Buffaloes in Japan. The 31-year-old has a solid .302/.375/.449 career-slash line in parts of 12 minor league seasons. … Organizational newcomer (there’s a theme tonight) Max Schrock had a pair of hits, including a three-run homer in the offensive onslaught in the eighth inning. The blast left Schrock’s bat at 103 mph and traveled 386 feet into the El Paso night. The 28-year-old Schrock has seen big league time in each of the last three seasons, most recently with Cincinnati. The former Nationals draft pick has a career .299 batting average in 540 career games in the minors. … Left-hander Jay Groome narrowly missed making the big league roster, but as a consolation prize, he got the opening night nod for the Chihuahuas. The big lefty pitched much better than his line indicated. In the third inning, he allowed two runs on four consecutive singles – none of which were hit harder than 76 mph. He walked one and struck out five. He generated a game-high 11 swings and misses and showed a sharp slider. He was sitting in the high-80s with his fastball out of the gate but topped out at 93 mph several times, per Baseball Savant. … A pair of arms who could help the big league club at some point stood out in the late innings. Moises Lugo pitched a scoreless frame, walking one and striking out a batter. The big righty topped out at 96 mph. After working as a starter in 2021, Lugo shifted to a bullpen role with the Missions and Chihuahuas last year. He’s got the stuff to work in the back of a big-league bullpen. … Speaking of hard-throwing righties, Angel Felipe recorded the final three outs in style, striking out the side. He displayed some wildness, but with a fastball that is capable of touching triple-digits and an impressive slider, Felipe presents an uncomfortable at-bat. Felipe pitched to a 4.43 ERA in 19 games with El Paso last year.
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