Chihuahuas 6, Albuquerque Isotopes 2
Eguy Rosario leads the team in OPS at 1.049. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Key Statistics: 1B Nate Mondou 2-for-3, 3B, BB, SB (7); 2B Xander Bogaerts 1-for-2, 2B, BB; DH Tirso Ornelas 2-for-4, HR (12), RBI; RF Eguy Rosario 2-for-4, 2B, HR (11), 2 RBI; 3B Graham Pauley 1-for-3, BB, RBI; LHP Jackson Wolf (W, 3-9) 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; RHP Tommy Nance IP, 2 H, 2 K; LHP Jayvien Sandridge IP, H, 3 K; RHP Logan Gillaspie IP, 3 K
Tirso Ornelas leads El Paso in home runs with 12. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas hosted one of only two games in all of minor league baseball on Sunday as they won to split the series with Albuquerque. El Paso put the game out of reach with back-to-back home runs by Tirso Ornelas and Eguy Rosario in the fifth inning. Ornelas has the team lead with 12 home runs and hit .500 for the six-game series with 11 hits and 17 total bases. The 6-foot-4, 235 pound outfielder from Tijuana has the highest slugging percentage of his career at .522 and a wRC+ of 123, up significantly from the 92 mark he posted in 55 Triple-A games last season. After carrying a nearly 55% ground ball rate through the first month, he’s finally elevating the ball more consistently. … Rosario logged his first career game in the outfield after asking the organization to give him a shot to expand his repertoire for two years. The Dominican native has been pounding the PCL when he hasn’t been on the big league club’s bench, posting a 1.049 OPS in 161 plate appearances. In 37 games, he has 35 extra-base hits and 11 home runs. In San Diego, he has nine extra-base hits for a .814 OPS in 30 games. He is still only 24 but has very little left to prove in the batter’s box in the minors. … Jackson Wolf delivered his best start since early June, only allowing two earned runs over five innings. After leaning heavily on his four-seam fastball in the 87 to 90 mph range through the first inning, he spent the next four frames throwing mainly sliders, curveballs, and changeups to generate weak contact. Wolf is effective when he has movement within the strike zone. … Chihuahuas relievers struck out nine batters over the final four innings and didn’t allow a run. Jayvien Sandridge and Logan Gillaspie each struck out the side. Since being promoted from Double-A San Antonio in late June, Sandridge has 15 strikeouts in eight innings against seven walks. He caught some bad luck in a couple of outings – including allowing five runs in an 1.1 innings in Round Rock – but Sunday his four-seamer was consistently at 95 and touched 98 as he struck out three of the four batters he faced. Gillaspie started his career in independent ball in 2017, then had stints with Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Boston before coming to San Diego in the offseason as a minor league free agent. He’s had bits of three seasons in the big leagues, and with the promotion of Austin Davis, is serving as the Chihuahuas’ closer. He’s only allowed one earned run in his last seven appearances.
Notes: Xander Bogaerts had a walk and his first extra-base hit and is now 2-for-11 with four walks in four games in El Paso. He logged five innings in the field at second base before giving way to a pinch runner as he continues to build back up from his injury.
