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Winners of 13 of their last 15, the Las Vegas Aviators are hitting their stride at the right time.
A road trip to Oklahoma City resulted in five wins in six tries for the Aviators resulting in a 56-46 overall record.
It’s the first time this season that Las Vegas has been 10 games over .500.
Currently, the Aviators still sit in third place in the Western Division of the Triple-A West but are four games behind Reno and Tacoma for first place in the division.
The Aces and Rainiers are in a virtual tie for first place with the former having played two less games.
The road trip continues for Las Vegas as it heads to Sugar Land next for six games against the Skeeters.
Presently, Sugar Land is the first place team in the Eastern Division of the Triple-A West with a +109 run differential, the most in the Triple-A West.
Thursday, W, 6-1
Home runs proved to be the difference in the Aviators series opening win over the Dodgers to increase their season-high six-game win streak.
First baseman Francisco Peña opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning to score center fielder Skye Bolt.
Oklahoma City loaded the bases in the bottom of the first with one out but failed to push across any runs.
However, the Dodgers’ Zach Reks tied the game at one apiece in the bottom of the third inning.
The score remained tied until the sixth inning when catcher Austin Allen connected on a three-run shot to put Las Vegas up 4-1.
It was his 20th home run of the season, good for sole possession of second place on the team.
Allen went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, three runs batted in, two runs scored and a strikeout.
Designated hitter Khris Davis followed suit when he drove in Allen as part of his two-run home run in the eighth inning.
He has now hit seven home runs in 11 games with the Aviators.
Davis went 2-for-4 with a single, a home run, two RBI and a run scored, to up his average to .340.
Starting pitcher Homer Bailey pitched three innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out two and walking two.
Reliever Zack Erwin got his first win of the year in his first decision of the year after pitching two innings where he allowed just one hit while walking two and striking out one.
Friday, W, 5-4
The streak has been run to seven following Las Vegas’ 5-4 comeback win over Oklahoma City Friday, Aug. 27.
After trailing 3-0, the Aviators were able to score four straight runs to reach their longest win streak since winning nine in August 2019.
As he did in the series opener, first baseman Francisco Peña homered in the fourth inning to open the scoring for Las Vegas.
It was his 20th home run of the year, tying catcher Austin Allen for second on the team.
Left fielder Carlos Perez added to his team lead with a solo home run in the ninth inning after entering the game as a defensive replacement in the fifth inning.
He now has 22 on the season.
Peña went 2-for-5 with a single, home run, RBI, strikeout and run scored.
Designated hitter Khris Davis followed Peña’s lead yet again as he hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning facing two strikes.
He has now homered in five straight games for the Aviators.
In addition, he has six home runs in the last five games and eight home runs in 12 games with Las Vegas this year.
Davis ended the night 1-for-2 with a home run, three RBI, three walks, a strikeout and a run scored.
His home run knocked Dodger starter, Vidal Nuño, from the game.
Nuño received his first loss of the season after starting the year 5-0.
Aviator starter Kyle Friedrichs (1-0) went six innings in his first win of the year allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four and issuing one walk.
Reliever Aaron Brown got his second save of the year despite allowing a run off two hits and a walk in the ninth inning.
Las Vegas used three pitchers in the win with relief pitcher Adam Kolarek logging two innings in between Friedrichs and Brown.
Kolarek struck out three and allowed one hit during his outing.
Saturday, W, 10-9
After falling behind 9-4, the Aviators used a six-run eighth inning to regain control en route to a 10-9 win over the Dodgers.
An Oklahoma City grand slam in the seventh inning took a close game to a five-run deficit for Las Vegas.
However, the Aviators tallied seven hits (four extra-base hits) in the eighth inning to complete their comeback effort.
Third baseman Mickey McDonald drove in shortstop Pete Kozma, who singled to open the inning, on an RBI single.
McDonald reached home plate along with right fielder Marty Bechina on a two-run double from catcher Aramis Garcia.
Designated hitter Khris Davis scored Garcia on an RBI double later that inning.
Davis sent a solo shot over the fence in the second inning, marking six straight games where he hit a home run.
He has seven home runs over that six-game span.
First baseman Francisco Peña doubled in Davis before he was driven in by center fielder Luis Barrera.
Las Vegas pitching scattered two hits the rest of the way.
Starter Brian Howard went 5.1 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits while striking out 10 and walking one.
Reliever Reymin Guduan (3-3) got the win after allowing five hits and four runs in his one inning of work. He also walked one.
Reliever Ben Bracewell got his first save of the year after pitching one inning, yielding one hit while striking out two.
Sunday, L, 5-4
A late Oklahoma City push halted Las Vegas’ eight-game win streak in its tracks following a 5-4 final score.
Three of the first four Aviator players reached base resulting in a 2-0 tilt to start the game.
First baseman Carlos Perez singled home a run before catcher Francisco Peña’s RBI groundout.
However, two runs in the bottom of the second by the Dodgers tied the game at two apiece while two more runs were added in the third inning.
Starting pitcher Miguel Romero allowed three runs on six hits in five innings of work to go along with five strikeouts and a walk.
Third baseman Nate Mondou’s RBI single in the fifth inning cut the lead down to one.
Perez added another run in the seventh on a single but with right fielder Mickey McDonald at third base, designated hitter Khris Davis struck out.
Relief pitcher Sam Moll’s seventh pitch of his outing was a home run ball off the bat of third baseman Deacon Liput.
Moll (1-1) would never make it out of the inning, allowing one run off one hit with two walks in his ⅔ of an inning.
Monday, W, 6-4
Las Vegas jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in the team’s 6-4 win over Oklahoma City.
Right fielder Luis Barrera hit a two-run home run in the second inning to put the Aviators up 2-0.
It was his third home run of the year.
Barrera went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBI and a run scored.
Las Vegas added two more runs in the fifth inning on a first baseman Carlos Perez’s RBI fielder’s choice and catcher Aramis Garcia’s RBI double.
Garcia finished the game 3-for-4 with two singles, a double and a RBI.
Perez hit a two-run home run later in the seventh inning en route to his 1-for-5 day with a home run, three RBI and a run scored.
Two Oklahoma City runs in the fifth inning and two more in the ninth weren’t enough to stage a full-blown comeback for the Dodgers.
Pitcher Brady Feigl got his first career Triple-A start and turned in 4.2 innings of work, yielding two runs on four hits while tallying five strikeouts and two walks.
Reliever Zack Erwin (2-0) got the win after going 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout and a walk.
Tuesday, W, 5-1
Designated hitter Khris Davis started the power swing early in Las Vegas’ 5-1 win over Oklahoma City.
Davis hit a two-run home run in the first inning after being named MiLB’s Player of the Week.
He now has 10 home runs in 16 games with the Aviators this season.
Davis went 1-for-2 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored.
Catcher Carlos Perez hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to put Las Vegas up 4-1 on the road.
In the top of the seventh, Perez hit another home run, this time a solo shot.
Perez went 2-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored.
In addition, he has three home runs in the last two games and now has 25 on the season, five more than No. 2 on the team.
The only Dodger run was scored off a wild pitch from starting pitcher Homer Bailey, who pitched four innings, allowing a run on two hits while striking out six and walking one.
Reliever Argenis Angulo (3-1) got the win out of the bullpen after giving up one hit in his two innings of work tallying a strikeout and a walk in the process.
Relief pitchers Reymin Guduan, Aaron Brown and Ben Bracewell all pitched an inning apiece following Angulo.