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Three straight wins to end the latest series against the Salt Lake Bees has given the Las Vegas Aviators new life after just two wins through their first 11 games.
Las Vegas split the six-game series with Salt Lake after losing the first three outings from Las Vegas Ballpark as part of the 12-game homestand. Despite the three losses, the Aviators held leads in four of the six games played, all of which came after two wire-to-wire losses to start the series.
With the recent winning stretch, Las Vegas still sits in last place in the Pacific Coast League West standings but are now just a game out of third place. Additionally, the team is five and a half games out of the first place spot which is currently held by Tacoma.
A major chance at making up ground lies in front of the Aviators as the division-leading Rainiers of the Seattle Mariners organization come to visit next week. That series is set to begin Tuesday, April 16 from Las Vegas Ballpark with first pitch scheduled for just after 7 p.m.
Tuesday, L, 12-2
Salt Lake’s six-run sixth turned what would’ve been a four-run win into a blowout win in the series opener against Las Vegas from LVBP Tuesday night.
In that sliding ninth inning, the Aviators issued five walks with runs scoring on a wild pitch, fielder’s choice and an RBI walk. The final blow of the inning came in the form of a three-run home run to push the lead to double-digits.
To start the game the Bees scored runs in each of the first four innings, all coming off starting pitcher Osvaldo Bido. With just one out recorded in the game, Bido coughed up a solo home run in the first inning to open the day’s scoring. Salt Lake would add another solo homer in the fourth inning.
Bido would later allow runs in the second inning on a groundout and a sacrifice fly. He got into trouble much earlier in the third inning when he led off the frame with a double followed by a walk. One of those runs would cross on a single.
It was another stagnant night for the Las Vegas offense which didn’t see its first hit until the third inning. But when it did, it came in the form of a solo shot from center fielder Esteury Ruiz. In 11 total games in Triple-A over the last two seasons, Ruiz is batting .363.
Third baseman Brett Harris added an RBI for a team-leading eighth of the season.
The highlight of the night for the home team came on the defensive end when left fielder Logan Davidson laid out for a diving catch and quickly returned the ball to the infield to double-up the runner at second base.
Wednesday, L, 8-1
Five losses in the last six games now for Las Vegas after a second straight loss to Salt Lake. The team has still yet to win at home and are now 0-7 in night games.
Second baseman Brett Harris’ RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs helped the team avoid shutout number two on the season in an 8-1 loss.
First baseman Logan Davidson got his first hit of the new year in the second inning in the form of a two-out single. He picked up a second hit in the fifth inning and would go on to be the lead runner in a bases loaded situation with nobody out. None of those runs would score after a fielder’s choice and double play ended the frame.
Those offensive mishaps and missed chances lended the team to this lopsided lumping at the hands of the Bees.
Starting pitcher Jack O’Loughlin allowed just one hit through the first three innings before collapsing in the fourth. That fourth inning began with a leadoff walk followed by a single and an RBI single to open the day’s scoring. Moments later, a three-run homer would chase O’Loughlin from the game.
His final stat line would be four runs on four hits in three-plus innings pitched with three strikeouts and a walk.
Las Vegas pitching tallied 12 total strikeouts on the night with seven coming from the bullpen. Reliever Vinny Nittoli racked up four in two innings including striking out the side in the top of the sixth.
Thursday, L, 7-3
More woes at home as the Aviators lost a third straight game against the Bees to remain winless from Las Vegas Ballpark this season.
Starter Aaron Brooks posted a quality start after a strong beginning to his outing. Salt Lake didn’t tally its first hit against him until two outs were recorded in the top of the third inning.
He’d run into real issues in the fifth inning when the visitors batted around. It was back-to-back doubles at the start of the frame to tie the game at a run apiece. Soon after, the Bees would take the lead on a two-run single before two more runs in the five-run inning.
Brooks would stick around for another inning for a final stat line of six innings of work, giving up five runs on six hits with two of the runs being earned. He fell to 0-3 on the year after being saddled with the loss.
Once he left the mound, Salt Lake burned reliever Tyler Baum for a two-run homer for seven straight runs to take control of the game.
Las Vegas had taken the lead originally on back-to-back doubles to open the bottom of the second. The team wouldn’t score again until late home runs from third baseman Brett Harris and center fielder Esteury Ruiz.
The tandem of Harris and Ruiz combined to go 5-for-8 with three singles, two homers, two RBI and two runs scored.
Friday, W, 4-3
With the best case scenario being a series split for Las Vegas, the team scraped out a much-needed win to finally secure its first home victory of the season. The feat comes in the team’s sixth home outing of year while also snapping a three-game losing streak.
Salt Lake got the scoring start with a leadoff double followed by an RBI single in the third inning off starting pitcher Joey Estes. In the latter frame, right fielder Hoy Park doubled home two runs to give the home team its first lead of the game.
That lead was short-lived after Estes coughed up the lead via a two-run home run with one out in the top of the fourth inning. That now makes back-to-back games where the Aviators have lost leads.
Estes went four innings with three runs on five hits with two strikeouts and a walk.
Center fielder Esteury Ruiz’s two-run single in the bottom of the fourth not only regained the lead for Las Vegas but it would be a lead that the team would never relinquish. That game-changing hit came with two outs as Ruiz faced a 1-0 count.
Ruiz went 2-for-4 with two singles, two RBI and a run scored. He is 6-for-17 in the series with five RBI including two home runs with three runs scored.
It was the bullpen that saved the game for the Aviators after the relief staff went five full scoreless innings of no-hit ball.
Reliever Easton Lucas (1-0) manned the mound for two innings while only issuing two walks en route to the win.
Fellow relief pitchers Gerson Moreno and Francisco Perez combined to go two more innings with two strikeouts while each raking in a hold.
But it was right-handed reliever Tyler Ferguson picked up the team’s first home save of the season. He sent two of the Bees batters back via strikeouts during his three-out outing.
Saturday, W, 9-5
For the first time this season, the Aviators have earned back-to-back wins behind the first home start for pitcher Hogan Harris.
Harris didn’t have a 1-2-3 inning in any of his first two starts before this game but started this one twirling heat from the mound. Through the first three innings of the game, he had faced the minimum after sitting down the lineup in order the first time through.
By the fourth inning, Harris had recorded his fifth strikeout of the night which tied a season-high. The first hit of the game for Salt Lake came in the top of the fifth inning on a leadoff single. An inning later the team would score its first run of the game on an RBI groundout after a leadoff double.
Las Vegas scored in three straight innings including back-to-back three-run frames. That spurt of offense made up for the fact the team struck out 11 times in the game.
Designated hitter Jordan Diaz broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning with a two-run blast with nobody out. That went as Diaz’s first home run of the season. Soon after, first baseman Drew Lugbauer would plate another run on an RBI double for the 3-0 lead.
Catcher Tyler Soderstrom hit his team-leading fourth home run an inning later to score three runs including himself. He now has four longballs on the year.
Another highlight for the Las Vegas offense was second baseman Armando Alvarez during his 2-for-3 night with two singles, an RBI, a stolen base, a run scored, a strikeout and a walk. He has now hit safely in four of the six games he’s played this season.
Sunday, W, 7-6
Needing three straight wins to salvage a series split against Salt Lake, Las Vegas did just that to earn its first three-game win streak of the season.
Pitcher Osvaldo Bido started his third game this season and his second of this series after losing his first one. Two Salt Lake baserunners reached in the first inning without a hit after a walk and hit-by-pitch. Bido would strikeout the side in the second inning and would have a season-high nine strikeouts tallied by the end of the fifth.
Bido became the first Las Vegas pitcher this season with at least eight strikeouts in a game. He went five scoreless innings with just three hits allowed to go along with his nine strikeouts and two walks. In addition, he has also thrown at least 83 pitches in all of his appearances this season.
Even with mishaps in the form of three wild pitches, all of which came at a crucial time, Las Vegas was able to eke out the win. The Bees trimmed the three-run lead to just a run after back-to-back RBI groundouts in the seventh inning.
An inning later, one of those wild pitches would bring home another run to make it 5-3 in favor of the home team.
The hot offensive for Las Vegas provided the cushion early, beginning with back-to-back jacks by designated hitter Esteury Ruiz and center fielder Hoy Park. Right fielder Stephen Piscotty would plate another first inning run on an RBI single to give the home team the three-run advantage.
Third baseman Armando Alvarez went deep in the bottom of the seventh inning after the visitors had trimmed it to a run after scoring two in the top half.
Things really came to a head when catcher Tyler Soderstrom hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to push the lead to four runs, the team’s largest lead of the game.
Soderstrom now has a team-high five home runs on the year.