Editor’s note: We are excited to announce a new sports section for El Paso News. The Oversport column, written by Beto Rodríguez, will be focused on sporting events. Help us welcome Beto to our El Paso News lineup.
Oversport by Beto Rodríguez
The Chihuahuas returned to El Paso to play ball but faced a tough night against the Las Vegas Aviators, losing 3-1 last night.
The night looked promising as the El Paso team aimed to return to its winning ways after a tough start to the year. The Chihuahuas currently stand in 4th out of 5 places in the PCL East. However, they couldn’t get their offense going against their Las Vegas opponents last night.
The Chihuahuas made their mark on the scoreboard first, scoring a run in the 4th inning thanks to Colombian Oscar Mercado. Mercado hit a line drive single to left fielder Tyler Nevin, bringing Graham Pauley home and moving Tirso Ornelas to 2nd base.
But they couldn’t generate any more offense the rest of the night, ending the game with one home run.
The Aviators fought right back in the 5th inning to tie the game when Jordan Diaz singled a ground ball to center fielder Óscar Mercado, bringing Drew Lugbauer home.
The Las Vegas team scored another run in the 7th inning and their final run of the night in the 8th, resulting in a final score of 3-1 in favor of the Aviators. They ended the night with 10 base hits compared to El Paso’s 4 hits.
The Chihuahuas currently have a record of 24-32, indicating another tough year for the Padres affiliate.
The El Paso team hasn’t had a winning season since 2022, when they finished first in their division with a record of 85-65.
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The Sun City natives will be hosting their Nevada rivals this week in an intriguing series that resumes tonight at Southwest University Park at 6:35 PM MDT. The series will continue with daily evening games at the same venue until Sunday.
MLB Suspends El Paso Players
The MLB announced Tuesday morning that Jason Groome from the El Paso Chihuahuas will be suspended for one year for violating the sport’s betting rules and policies.
Groome was one of five players suspended for unrelated violations of the MLB’s sports betting rules and policies. The others are San Diego’s infielder/outfielder, Tucupita Marcano, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher, Andrew Saalfrank, Oakland Athletics pitcher, Michael Kelly, and Phillies infielder Jose Rodriguez.
The most notable suspension was that of San Diego Padres player Tucupita Marcano. The Venezuelan native was placed on the league’s permanently ineligible list – banned for life – for violating MLB’s sports betting rules and policies.
Marcano became the first active major leaguer to be banned for life under the sport’s gambling rules since New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connel in 1924.
The most infamous betting scandal in MLB history occurred in 1989 when Pete Rose agreed to a lifetime ban after an investigation revealed that he had bet on Cincinnati Reds games while managing the team.
During the 2021 season, Marcano played 45 games for the El Paso Chihuahuas.
There has been no appeal filed by any of the players.
About Oversports
Beto Rodríguez is a Mexican-American independent thinker who currently works as an independent journalist for national and international news stations. He grew up on the U.S.-Mexican border and has extensive knowledge of both sides of the river. Additionally, Beto has also worked in various positions in the fields of social, political and business management.
In the Oversport column, Rodríguez provides comprehensive coverage of local and global sports to help keep El Pasoans better informed about current sports.
Beto also writes a column called SUNNY SIDE UP, where he writes about corruption and helps to provide a voice to the unheard.
Beto Rodríguez provides independent and factual work, emphasizing that his journalism efforts stem from a genuine commitment to justice, peace, and unbiased reporting.
Beto is also a community advocate involved in exposing corruption and the issues affecting the city through elections and legislation. As a grassroots activist, he started a toy drive called Toys-4-Smiles, which has been helping local kids and shelters since 2022. He aims to make it an annual project every Christmas.