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The road hasn’t been so kind to the Las Vegas Aviators and was at the helm of the team’s latest series loss, its third of the season.
Las Vegas lost two of three to the Round Rock Express this past week where the team mustered five total hits in the last two games.
The Aviators are now 17-18 on the road this year before beginning another series with the Express, this time from the friendly confines of Las Vegas Ballpark.
That series is set to start Friday in Las Vegas with first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m.
Even with the series loss, Las Vegas still sits atop the Pacific Coast League West division despite having a -10 run differential for the season.
Currently, the Reno Aces of the Arizona Diamondbacks are the closest team in the division, three games behind. Followed by the Salt Lake Bees of the Los Angeles Angels, who sit seven games back.
Tuesday, W, 6-1
A four-run seventh was the difference in a five-run win in the series opener by the Aviators in a 6-1 win over the Express.
Four Round Rock errors paced Las Vegas to the victory however, five of the six runs were earned.
The first run of the game came off a throwing error by the home team on a lineout from center fielder Luis Barrera that allowed second baseman Nate Mondou to score on the mistake.
It was originally an error that allowed Mondou to reach.
With the game tied at one apiece, first baseman Dermis Garcia’s RBI sacrifice fly that drove in right fielder Skye Bolt to give the Aviators the advantage.
Both Barrera and Garcia turned in back-to-back singles in the seventh inning before both came around to score on a single from designated hitter Matt Davidson.
Davidson just made his way back to Vegas after clearing waivers after being designated for assignment.
He went 1-for-4 with a single, RBI, run scored and two strikeouts.
Left fielder Christian Lopes hit his 10th double of the year to push across two more runs including Davidson and catcher Shea Langeliers.
Lopes went 2-for-4 with a single, double, RBI and two strikeouts.
Starting pitcher Zach Logue pitched into the seventh inning, going 6 2/3 innings, yielding a run on five hits.
He also turned in eight strikeouts which tied a career-high to go against three walks.
Logue (3-1) has now won back-to-back starts and has a 4.89 earned run average on the year.
Wednesday, L, 10-1
A big Round Rock first inning spelled trouble for Las Vegas as the team found itself down nine runs before scoring.
Starter Parker Dunshee opened with a strikeout before things became shaky. He offered up a walk, single and three-run home run to put the Aviators down 3-0 just four batters into the game.
Three batters later, the Express hit their second home run of the first inning.
Las Vegas was down 5-0 before coming up to bat for the second time on the night.
Dunshee gave up two more home runs in the third inning, a solo and another three-run blast.
Reliever Grant Holmes also gave up a longball during his outing. Last series, Las Vegas pitching served up 18 home runs against Albuquerque.
Dunshee (1-7, 7.88 ERA) went three innings, allowing nine runs on nine hits with a strikeout and a walk.
In June, Dunshee went 0-3 with a 9.27 ERA with eight home runs allowed. This season, he has given up 18 dingers.
He hasn’t won a game since May 4.
Aviator batters went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and were only able to carve out four hits.
A home run from left fielder Skye Bolt led off the top of the sixth inning on a 1-1 count proved to be the only Las Vegas run of the night.
Bolt went 1-for-2 with a home run, RBI and run scored before being pinch-hit for by utility player Drew Jackson.
Bolt is hitting .395 during his major-league rehab assignment.
Thursday, L, 3-0
Round Rock was able to string together runs in the middle innings and it meant a second straight loss for Las Vegas, falling 3-0.
The Aviators were only able to scratch out one hit during the nine-inning outing, suffering their second shutout in the last month.
A night after going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, Las Vegas went hitless in another three at-bats for a 0-for-11 finish over the last two contests.
Over the course of the game, the Aviators were only able to get three runners on-base with two coming in the first two innings.
Las Vegas was without a hit until shortstop Drew Jackson hit a leadoff single to open the top of the sixth inning. He served as the final baserunner of the night for the road team.
Of the last nine Aviator batters, seven struck out, six of which went down swinging. By the end of the night, Las Vegas struck out 16 times.
On the other hand, Aviator pitching only gave up five hits the other way paced by an eight-inning complete game effort from starter Collin Wiles.
Wiles gave up three runs on those five hits on two home runs, both solo shots. He also struck out four while failing to walk a Round Rock batter.
In fact, Wiles hasn’t walked a batter in his last three games started.
Wiles is now 5-6 on the year with a 5.77 ERA and had won two straight decisions before this loss.