River Cats toss shutout to push Chihuahuas to the brink

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento River Cats (72-67) shutout the El Paso Chihuahuas (80-59) 5-0 behind a great start from right-hander Carlos Navas and a stellar performance from the bullpen. El Paso now sits a game and a half behind Las Vegas with the Aviators in action tonight before the regular season finale tomorrow.
With the Major League roster expansion on Sunday, the River Cats team experienced some changes, with three pitchers and two hitters getting the call to the big leagues. Right-hander Carlos Navas returned to Sacramento for his first outing since June 4, getting the start and tossing four scoreless innings, giving up three hits while fanning three batters.
The River Cats used a trio of arms out of the bullpen to complete the shutout. Switch-pitching Pat Venditte continued to be lights out from the pen, allowing just one hit to go with three strikeouts to pick up his sixth win. Lefty Sam Selman and righty Dan Winkler each tossed a perfect inning to put the game away at 5-0.
Offensively, the River Cats had nine different players reach base safely. Newcomer and younger brother of big leaguer Jason Heyward, Jacob Heyward made his 2019 Sacramento debut, going 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored.
The River Cats are expected to let the bullpen piece together the regular season finale with a starter yet to be named, with El Paso also having yet to name a starter. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. (PT). Listen to all of the action live online at rivercats.com, on the MiLB First Pitch app, and on Money 105.5 FM.
Additional Notes

• With the Major League roster expanding to 40 players today, the River Cats had five players get called up to the San Francisco Giants: RHP Burch Smith, LHP Andrew Suárez, LHP Conner Menez, INF Chris Shaw and C Aramis Garcia.
• The River Cats did not allow an extra base hit in today's game and did not allow a hit of any kind after the fourth inning - it was their fifth shutout victory of the season.

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The Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the three-time World Champion -San Francisco Giants. The team plays at Raley Field in West Sacramento, consistently voted one of the top ballparks in America. Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the River Cats' 20th season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). The only place to guarantee official River Cats tickets is at www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.