Oklahoma City Comets 4, Chihuahuas 1
Key Statistics: 1B Connor Joe, 2-for-4, 2B; C Luis Campusano, 1-for-4, HR (1), RBI; Yonathan Perlaza, 1-for-4, 2B, SB (1); LHP Wes Benjamin, 3 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Raul Brito (L, 1-1) 2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, 4 K; RHP Kevin Kopps, 2 IP, H, K
Connor Joe reached base two more times. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Beyond the wrap-up of last night’s game, our Chihuahuas season overview piece is up on the site now. Check out all the names you need to know and some insights from Mike Daly. Our previews for the other three full-season affiliates will run tomorrow as their seasons get underway Friday.
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas bats were mostly silent on Tuesday night as El Paso lost their first road game of the season to the newly minted Oklahoma City Comets. The Dodgers affiliate went by the moniker of OKC Baseball Team in 2024. … First baseman Connor Joe continued his hot start to the season with a pair of hits, including a double. Joe has hit safely in all four El Paso contests, slashing .429/.529/.571 overall. The 32-year-old veteran has 438 games of big league experience, having played at least 63 big league games each of the last four seasons. … Luis Campusano drove in the only El Paso run with a monster home run to left field. The majestic home run traveled 429 feet with an exit velocity of 110 mph. The 26-year-old has looked good at the plate early on this season, producing tantalizing exit velocities as he works to improve defensively. The Georgia native continues to pulverize PCL pitching, but he has yet to put things together at the big league level. Still, he possesses much more upside than the current catchers in San Diego and seems poised to get at least one more shot with the Padres this season. … On the mound, Wes Benjamin pitched well in his first start of the season and second appearance since joining the organization in February. The 31-year-old tossed three innings and allowed just one hit, walking two and striking out two. AJ Preller’s Rangers drafted Benjamin in the fifth round way back in 2014. Benjamin pitched in 21 big league games with the Rangers, last appearing in the big leagues in 2021. He has spent the last three years pitching in the KBO with the KT Wiz. Last season, he went 11-8 with a 4.63 ERA in 28 starts. His 156 strikeouts ranked 10th in the league. Subscribers can read more about Benjamin’s journey and his efforts to follow Kyle Hartas the second lefty to go from the KBO to San Diego. … Kevin Kopps tossed the final two innings, allowing just one hit, and striking out one. The former Golden Spikes Award winner has looked solid in a pair of outings to start the season. He’s allowed just one hit in three innings without walking a batter. Walks have been a huge problem for the 28-year-old; last season with the Chihuahuas, Kopps walked 38 batters in 50.2 innings, leading to an unsightly 5.86 ERA. While the sample size is small, Kopps’ command of his cutter/curve combo has been encouraging.
Roster Moves: The organization announced that utilityman Tyler Wade has cleared waivers and elected to be assigned to El Paso. Wade has a guaranteed $900,000 salary this season and could have elected free agency while keeping his pay since he has five years of service time. Wade produced a .524 OPS in 90 games for the Padres last season while bouncing all over the diamond. The organization likes his versatility and speed, so it would not be surprising to see him get another big-league opportunity. Veteran infielder Nate Mondou was transferred to the development list to open a roster spot. … After the big league club made the last-minute decision to carry Omar Cruz, who made his big league debut Tuesday, the El Paso rotation was one man short. That was remedied when left-handed starter Austin Krob was added to the Chihuahuas roster. He will start Wednesday’s game. The former TCU hurler was initially announced as part of the Missions’ break-camp roster last week.
If you haven’t caught it, there’s a ton of subscriber content hitting the site right now. Don’t miss the interviews with last year’s first-rounder Kash Mayfield or TinCaps starter Clark Candiotti. If you haven’t yet become a subscriber, now’s a great time!
