It’s that time of year again, as the San Diego Padres’ minor league affiliates, or at least one of them, returned to action on Friday. 

Padres’ affiliates went 1-0 in regular season action. Here is a recap of the night’s events.

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 10-3 vs Salt Lake) (1-0 on the season)

Trenton Brooks – 2-for-4, Two Home Runs, Two RBI

Luis Campusano – 3-for-4, Three Singles

Mason McCoy – 2-for-4, Double, Triple, Three RBI

Ryan Bergert – 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K (59 pitches, 31 strikes)

The Friday night lights in the desert once again bore witness to a Chihuahuas victory, as El Paso’s ballclub dropped double digits on the visiting Salt Lake Bees. 

Making his Triple-A debut, Padres #24 prospect Ryan Bergert didn’t let the thin air of the PCL rattle him.

The right-hander tossed four innings, scattering three hits and one walk across four innings pitched. The lone run allowed by Bergert came on a home run off the bat of Scott Kingery. Even at the high altitude of El Paso, Bergert’s pitches preserved their spin rates and movement profiles, as his fastball recorded whiffs on 42% of swings against. His slider, while not generating its usual amount of whiffs, played off successfully off the fastball despite some stronger quality of contact allowed. Overall, it was a successful Triple-A debut for the 2021 sixth-round pick.

Southpaw Wes Benjamin allowed two runs (one earned) in 1.2 innings of work in relief. Benjamin, the Chihuahuas’ projected long reliever to open the season, allowed a home run among three hits allowed, recording one strikeout in the process. Right-handers Raul Brito, Ethan Routzahn, and Harold Chirino kept the Bees off the scoreboard the rest of the way, combining to scatter two hits and a walk while punching out four. 

The Chihuahuas offense clawed away at Salt Lake’s pitching staff in the ballgame, with four of the Chihuahuas’ starters logging multiple hits.

Trenton Brooks became a human highlight reel for a night, crushing two home runs on the night. The Alpine native made quite the statement in his first regular season game with the Chihuahuas, but he wasn’t the only member of the lineup with two extra-base hits. Shortstop Mason McCoy finished the night with two hits, a double, and a triple while driving in three runs. Luis Campusano, starting behind the plate, notched three singles in the game. The impressive part? All three of Campusano’s base hits clocked in over 105 mph off the bat, despite all being hit on the ground. The man affectionately known as “Campy” looks to forge a path back to the bigs, and these exit velocities could help make his case as the season goes on. 

The Chihuahuas’ season continues on Saturday at 5:35 pm, with right-hander Jared Kollar taking the mound for El Paso.

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.