Eguy Rosario hit a career-high 22 home runs in 2022. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Chihuahuas 3, OKC Dodgers 2
Key Statistics: SS-2B C.J. Hinojosa 2-2, 2 BB; 1B Kyle Martin 2-3, 2B, BB; DH Juan Fernandez 2-3, RBI; 3B Eguy Rosario 1-4, HR (22), RBI; LHP Luke Westphal 3.0 IP H, 2 BB, 2 K; LHP Ray Kerr (W, 5-0) 1.0 IP, 3 K; RHP Nabil Crismatt 1.0 IP, 2 K; RHP Angel Felipe (S,3) 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, BB, 2 K
Luke Westphall got the start on Saturday night. (Photo: Jorge Salgado).
Prospect Watch: The El Paso Chihuahuas clinched the Pacific Coast League East title with their victory over the Dodgers’ Oklahoma City affiliate, but not until they made it interesting. El Paso took a 3-0 lead into the ninth inning, but OKC opened the frame with back-to-back singles. With runners on first and third, right-hander Angel Felipe, 24, got two outs, but then uncorked a pair of wild pitches to put the Dodgers on the board. After another single cut the deficit to 3-2, Felipe got his second strikeout of the inning to finish the inning and give El Paso the PCL East crown. … The Chihuahuas had the pedal to the metal to win the title, winning 18 of their last 22 games, including their last four. The team is 9-2 on their current home stand. … Eguy Rosario, 22, hit a career-best 22nd home run. His previous high was 12 last season in San Antonio. He enjoyed hitting in El Paso with a .339/.418/.603 slash line at home, while he was at .232/.315/.407 on the road … C.J. Hinojosa, 27, continued his hot second-half with a pair of hits. Over the last three months, he has posted a slash line of .320/.383/.564. Hinojosa blew past his previous career high of 11 to hit 17 home runs. … With the title looming, the Chihuahuas turned to a bullpen game. Luke Westphal, 33, got the start and threw more than he had in any game since late July, going three solid shutout innings. In five appearances and nine innings in September, Westphal, another independent league signee by the Padres last season, hasn’t allowed a run. … Nabil Crismatt made his second appearance with the Chihuahuas and, once again, tossed a perfect inning. … Felipe, who was added to the 40-player roster last month after signing as a minor league free agent last winter, threw his four-seam fastball nine times, hitting triple digits with it seven times and landing the other two at 99.7 and 99.9 mph. The 25-year-old righty, who has a career-high 81 strikeouts in 60 innings this year, also dialed up his sinker, which was consistently getting more than a foot of horizontal movement, to 101. … El Paso will play its final home game Sunday before getting on the bus for a short three-game series with Albuquerque to close out the regular season.
