The San Diego Padres’ minor league affiliates returned to action on Wednesday, with teams going 0-1 in regular season action.

Here is a recap of the night’s events.

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 9-4 vs Oklahoma City) (2-3 on the season)
Oscar Gonzalez – 2-for-4, Two Home Runs, Two RBI
Trenton Brooks – 1-for-3, RBI Double, Two Walks
Austin Krob – 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K (58 pitches, 32 strikes)

The Chihuahuas took the field against the Oklahoma City Comets on Wednesday night, with a new member of the team at the center of the diamond. Left-hander Austin Krob (EVT’s No. 29 Padres Prospect entering the 2025 season) made his Chihuahuas debut as the team’s starting pitcher. Facing a formidable OKC lineup, Krob performed admirably while on a pitch count, as the left-hander fired 2.2 innings of shutout baseball, striking out four batters while walking three. Opposing batters whiffed on 26.3% of swings against Krob, who leaned heavily on his sinker and slider to hold batters at bay. While it was an abbreviated debut, it was a welcome sight for the left-hander and the team and a welcome first experience in the PCL.

The main offensive catalyst for the Chihuahuas was slugger Oscar Gonzalez. The former Cleveland Guardian launched his first two home runs of the season for El Paso, both against right-handers. Gonzalez has been off to a slow start this season, thanks in part to issues with plate discipline, but if he can take advantage of pitches in the zone as he did in this game, the right-handed hitting outfielder can likely set the stage for making a Major League impact.

HOW BOUT ANOTHER. MAKE THAT TWO HOMERS ON THE NIGHT FOR GONZALEZ pic.twitter.com/Bzrvcce4LV

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) April 3, 2025

Left-hander Jake Higginbotham was saddled with the loss for El Paso, allowing five runs while only recording one out. Higginbotham allowed three walks and two doubles in the bottom of the fourth inning before being replaced by right-hander J.B. Wendelken. Wendelken uncorked a wild pitch to score a run, and on the play to cover home plate came up limping. Wendelken was forced to depart the game with a lower-body injury, as he was unable to place much weight on his left leg after delivering the wild pitch. Southpaw Jason Blanchard came on to finish the inning, but the Comets’ offense put up four runs against him.

A laser by Michael Chavis for a two-run triple! pic.twitter.com/6TLRflfHvJ

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) April 3, 2025

Relievers Logan Gillaspie and Austin Davis combined for four shutout innings after the nine-run fourth inning, but the game was more or less decided by then. Trenton Brooks continued his torrid start to the season with another RBI double. Forrest Wall went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a stolen base out of the leadoff spot.

The Chihuahuas return to action Thursday night in Oklahoma City. Ryan Bergert makes his second start of the season and first on the road.

The first pitch is scheduled for 5:05 pm Pacific Time.

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.