Dodgers Rally Falls Short Saturday; El Paso Wins Division

El Paso Chihuahuas – 3

Oklahoma City Dodgers – 2

Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 – Southwest University Park – El Paso, Texas

Game Summary: The Oklahoma City Dodgers rallied in the ninth inning and scored two runs with two outs, but were unable to complete a comeback as the El Paso Chihuahuas went on to a 3-2 win Saturday night at Southwest University Park. El Paso (84-62) clinched the PCL East Division title with the victory after jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the game. Juan Fernandez connected on a RBI single in the second inning to bring in El Paso’s first run of the night. Eguy Rosario added a solo homer in third inning before a RBI groundout by Matthew Batten put the Chihuahuas in front, 3-0, in the fourth inning. The Dodgers (80-66) were held to one hit through four innings and to three hits through eight shutout innings. The Dodgers placed runners at second and third base with two outs in the fifth inning before El Paso pitcher Carlos Belen got Ryan Noda to pop out to end the inning. The Chihuahuas went on to retire 10 straight OKC batters before the Dodgers’ rally in the ninth inning. Back-to-back singles by Kevin Pillar and Edwin Ríos opened the inning for the Dodgers. Later with two outs, pinch-hitter Michael Busch drew a walk and a wild pitch on ball four allowed Pillar to score OKC’s first run of the night. Tomás Telis followed and with two strikes, lined a RBI single into center field that allowed Ríos to score. Busch, representing the game-tying run, advanced to third base on the play, but Chihuahuas pitcher Angel Felipe then struck out Devin Mann to end the game.

Of Note:

-The El Paso Chihuahuas clinched the PCL East Division title with Saturday’s win as they extended to a 4.0-game lead ahead of second-place Oklahoma City in the division standings. While four games remain in the season and the Dodgers can still technically tie El Paso’s overall record, Saturday’s victory guaranteed El Paso will win the overall season series against the Dodgers, which represents the first tiebreaker in determining the division winner. El Paso now leads the season series with OKC, 14-12, with one head-to-head game remaining between the teams Sunday.

-The Dodgers have now lost four straight games in El Paso after winning the series opener against the Chihuahuas Tuesday night…Entering Sept. 1, the Dodgers led the then-third place Chihuahuas by 5.5 games atop the division. But since then, El Paso has gone 18-4, while the Dodgers have gone 8-13, leading to a 9.5-game swing.

-Saturday marked the third straight game the Dodgers offense was held to two runs. This is the first time since May 26-27 against Reno in Oklahoma City that the Dodgers have been held to two runs or less in three straight games of any length (the May stretch included a doubleheader) and the first time they have been held to two runs or less in three consecutive nine-inning games since April 22-24 in Sacramento…The Dodgers have now scored three runs or less in 11 of their 21 games of September and have scored two runs or less seven times this month…The Dodgers have also been held to six hits or less in three straight games for the first time since May 26-27 against Reno in OKC.

-The Dodgers were held to one extra-base hit Saturday — a double by Drew Avans in the fifth inning — as their stretch of nine consecutive games with a home run came to an end. The Dodgers had hit 21 home runs over the previous nine games, tying the team’s season-long streak of consecutive games with a homer.

-Tomás Telis knocked a RBI single with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning to extend his hitting streak to eight games. During the streak, Telis is 13-for-34 with a double, homer and seven RBI. The streak is the longest active hitting streak by an OKC player and his third of the season of at least eight games.

-Andy Burns collected OKC’s first hit of the night in the second inning and has hit safely in 10 of his 11 games this month with an at-bat. He is batting .371 (13x35) in September and has reached base in 10 straight games with a plate appearance.

-Edwin Ríos picked up a hit and scored a run. Over his first 10 games of the current road trip, Ríos is 11-for-40 (.275) with two homers, four doubles, nine RBI and nine runs scored. However, his streak of four straight games with an extra-base hit came to an end Saturday.

-The Dodgers bullpen held the Chihuahuas scoreless and to two hits and three walks over the final 4.2 innings, recording three strikeouts. The Dodgers have held the Chihuahuas to three runs or less in three of the first five games of the current series.

-Kevin Pillar continued his Major League Rehab Assignment, going 1-for-4 and scoring a run. Saturday was his third appearance of the rehab assignment and he is 2-for-12 with two RBI and two runs. Pillar was placed on the LAD Injured List June 2 with a left shoulder fracture and transferred to the 60-day IL June 3.

-Victor González continued his Major League Rehab Assignment, pitching one scoreless and hitless inning with one walk and one strikeout. He faced four batters, throwing 23 pitches (12 strikes). It was his third appearance after restarting his rehab appearance Sept. 20.

-Ryan Noda drew two more walks Saturday to extend his league-leading total to 89 this season. The walk total also is a new OKC team single-season record during the Bricktown era (since 1998), surpassing Cliff Brumbaugh’s 85 walks in 2000.

What’s Next: The Dodgers play their final road game of the season at 1:05 p.m. CT Sunday against the El Paso Chihuahuas at Southwest University Park. Live radio coverage of each OKC Dodgers game begins 15 minutes before first pitch on AM 1340 "The Game," 1340thegame.com and through the free iHeartRadio or MiLB First Pitch apps. All OKC Dodgers games are also available streamed live on MiLB.TV with a subscription.