Oklahoma City Comets 9, Chihuahuas 4
Key Stats: LHP Austin Krob 2.2 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 K; RHP Logan Gillaspie 2 IP, 3 K; RHP Austin Davis 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K; CF Forrest Wall 2-for-5, R, SB (2); RF Oscar González 2-for-4, 2 HR (2), 3 R, 2 RBI; LF Tirso Ornelas 0-for-3, BB; 1B Trenton Brooks 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
Austin Krob was a strong contributor in 2024. (Photo: Vashaun Newman)
Prospect Watch: After joining the club only 24 hours before his outing, Austin Krob was subject to a strict pitch limit. Krob struck out James Outman for the second out of the third inning and started to laugh as he held up his finger to manager, Pete Zamora asking for one more batter. It didn’t work, and Krob’s Triple-A debut ended with 2.2 scoreless innings and four strikeouts. Krob threw only sinker/slider, generating five whiffs. When hitters did make contact, it was straight into the ground, as all fielded outs were grounders. Krob only tops out at 93 mph and relies heavily on weak contact and the tilt on his 2800 RPM slider. … On the opposite side, Logan Gillaspie threw six different pitches, including a 97 mph 4-seamer over his two scoreless innings of work. The minor league free agent was the last pitcher cut from the Padres roster, as he was replaced on opening day by Omar Cruz. Two scoreless against the Dodgers Triple-A team is a good impression.
Oscar González is a threat at the plate for El Paso. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Offensively, it was all Oscar González. After a 1-for-14 start to the season, González hit two no-doubt home runs. The home run he hit in the fourth inning had an exit velocity of 111.2 mph and was the hardest-hit ball by El Paso on the night. Gonzalez hit a career-high 31 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A in 2021 but hasn’t hit more than 15 in a season since. … Both designated hitter Luis Campusano (0-for-4) and Tirso Ornelas (0-for-3, BB) went hitless on the day, while fellow 40-man roster player Connor Joe did not play. Ornelas did walk and has now reached base safely eight times in four games. El Paso stole two more bases, including Forrest Wall‘s second of the early season. The 29-year-old had 52 steals in both 2022 and 2023, before injuries slowed him down to 20 steals in 2024. … Reliever J.B. Wendelken uncorked a wild pitch on his third offering of the night, and when he left the mound to cover home, came up lame with a left leg injury. We’ll add details when we have them, but don’t be surprised if the big right-handed free agent hits the IL.
MadFriars Content Update
The other three full-season clubs get underway Friday night. We’ll have previews of each of them run tomorrow (if you missed the El Paso preview, check it out) and on-site coverage as the Storm open in Rancho Cucamonga. In the meantime, we’ve had a profile of Wes Benjamin, an interview with Kash Mayfield, and another with fellow 2024 draftee Clark Candiotti go up this week, and there’s a ton more subscriber content coming over the next few days. If you’re not already a subscriber, what better time to become one?
