Las Vegas looking for better luck with upcoming home stretch

Las Vegas is looking for a fresh home start following a recent cold stretch and the road back begins by facing the first place team in the Pacific Coast League Eastern Division.

The Aviators are getting ready to embark on a six-game home series against the Albuquerque Isotopes of the Colorado Rockies organization. Game one of six will take place Tuesday, May 19 from Las Vegas Ballpark.

Last year, the team took eight of its 12 meetings against Albuquerque.

This year’s Las Vegas club is 4-2 against the East while currently sitting two games behind Sacramento for the top spot. Earlier this season, the team had two games against the River Cats cancelled due to weather.

Most recently, the Aviators won their last two games and four of their last five including the series win on the road versus the Reno Aces.

However, when last seen at home Las Vegas lost five of its six games with its last win coming back on May 7th.

Tuesday, W, 16-8

A 10th comeback win this season counts as the series opening win for the Aviators over the Isotopes. They scored 15 of the final 17 runs of the game en route to the win.

Two RBI were driven in and four runs were scored by the leadoff guy for Las Vegas beginning with center fielder Denzel Clarke, who participated in his first rehab game. After being replaced by backup Brayan Buelvas, the success continued at the top of the lineup. Clarke reached base on an error to leadoff the home half of the first before being driven in on an RBI single by Joey Meneses.

Buelvas drove in a run on a single in the fourth inning to bring the home team within a run of tying the game at six apiece. Soon after, he’d be tossed out at home plate trying to score the game-tying run.

Ultimately, the Aviators tied the game on a solo home run by Meneses in the fifth inning. With two RBI in this one, his season total is now 37 which leads the team. Later in the same frame, teammate Cade Marlowe added a solo home run of his own to give Las Vegas its first lead of the game following six consecutive runs.

That stretch of Las Vegas runs began back in the third inning behind back-to-back singles to open the frame. Second baseman Joshua Kuroda-Grauer plated those two runs with a double ahead of designated hitter Tommy White’s two-out RBI triple.

It was an eight-run seventh inning that saw the Aviators send 12 players to the plate that really broke the game open to build a 10-run lead. Catcher Brian Serven drove in one of the runs while four runs scored on three different fielder’s choice attempts.

Relief pitcher Ben Bowden saved the bullpen’s effort highlighted by him striking out the side in the top of the sixth. That counted as the team’s first 1-2-3 inning in the eventual win. Fellow reliever Michael Kelly struck out the first batter of the seventh inning to go down as the team’s fourth straight strikeout.

With right-hander Yunior Tur on the mound, Albuquerque had three of its first four batters in the third inning walk to load the bases. A two-run single would break the 1-1 tie before Tur walked a fourth batter which led to manager Fran Riordan snatching him from the mound.

All of those walks would burn Tur as he was charged with all the runs including the three-run double that came after he left the contest. Before Tuesday, he had walked just five batters in 18 innings pitched this season.

Las Vegas visited the mound twice in that third inning while its opponent sent 11 men to the plate with five scoring.

Pitcher Geoff Hartlieb made his second spot start of the year and was sharp though his outing was short. After surrendering a one-out double in the first inning, he’d allow the runner to score on an error.

By the second inning, the Isotopes had tallied three doubles with the final one being left stranded. Hartlieb struck out the next three batters he faced after yielding that extra-base hit.

After working just two innings, Hartlieb gave up just one unearned run on three hits with four strikeouts to show for it.

Wednesday, L, 6-5

An unbelievable collapse led to a one-run loss for Las Vegas that undid eight innings of work. It lost a five-run lead in the ninth inning leading to the club’s first loss when leading after the first eight innings of the game.

Relief pitcher Luis Morales quickly found himself floating in trouble after coughing up a one-out single, walk and back-to-back RBI singles to trim the 5-0 lead to 5-2 before being taken out of the game.

Morales gave up four runs on four hits in 1.1 innings pitched with a strikeout and a walk. He has now allowed three or more earned runs in three of his last six outings.

Fellow reliever Wander Suero struck out the first guy he faced ahead of an RBI single and game-changing three-run homer to give Albuquerque its first lead of the game. Not only did he get the blown save but he earned the loss to fall to 1-1 on the year.

Suero gave up two runs on two hits in 0.2 of an inning despite two strikeouts.

That finish blew a fantastic start by left-hander Gage Jump, who tallied two straight 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth inning. By then, he had retired nine straight including five of his six strikeouts to that point.

Jump’s powerful stretch would continue into the fifth inning when he tallied his third straight 1-2-3 inning for a 12-person total. Before leaving the game for good, he recorded his ninth strikeout of the game and has now accumulated at least six strikeouts in five straight starts.

In total, Jump went seven scoreless innings on just four hits to go along with those nine strikeouts versus zero walks. He has now gone back-to-back starts without allowing a walk following a five-walk effort against St. Paul a couple of weeks ago.

Originally, designated hitter Michael Stefanic got Las Vegas on the board after scoring on a wild pitch on the heels of a leadoff single. He’s back with the team as of May 16th after being designated for assignment by the franchise earlier this month.

In the third inning, No. 4 and No. 5 hitters Joey Meneses and Cade Marlowe added runs on an RBI sacrifice fly and RBI double respectively. Shortstop Joshua Kuroda-Grauer kept the seventh inning alive via a two-out double before being driven in on an RBI single by teammate Tommy White.

Kuroda-Grauer went 2-for-5 in the loss with a single, double and two runs scored.

Lastly, Las Vegas added another run an inning later on an RBI double by catcher Brian Serven. White, Marlowe and Serven all recorded RBIs for a second consecutive night.

Thursday, W, 12-1

Though it missed out a shutout, the Aviators picked up a big win via a 12-1 Thursday finish over the Isotopes. The victory came after a second straight strong start by the pitching staff while the offense threw its hardest punch in the eighth inning.

Starting pitcher Kade Morris had lost back-to-back games to fall to 3-3 on the year but was looking for a bounce back game. He relied on his defense heavily and induced six groundouts through the first four innings of the contest including two double plays.

Morris went six scoreless innings of two-hit ball with six strikeouts and four walks while picking up the win. It’s the second time this season that he has gone at least six scoreless innings pitched this season.

Immediately after Morris left the mound, Albuquerque tallied two hits in its first three at-bats off reliever Matt Krook. In total, five batters reached for the visitors in the last three innings of the game.

The Isotopes lone run of the game came on a leadoff homer to begin the ninth.

Center fielder Cade Marlowe continued to tear up Albuquerque pitching while continuing to do it in a variety of ways. In the bottom of the first, his RBI double with two outs opened up the scoring. He did it again in the fifth inning, this time plating two runs.

Marlowe had his biggest swing of the night in the Aviators’ biggest inning of the night. As part of a six-run eighth inning, he whacked a three-run home run to put the home team up, 12-0.

That big eighth inning also featured an RBI double by first baseman Tommy White and an RBI single by third baseman Brett Harris, who extended his hitting streak to six consecutive games.

Teammates Joey Meneses and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer also extended their hit streaks to five and six games respectively. This specific duo combined to go 5-for-9 with two singles, two doubles, a triple, two RBI, five runs scored and a walk.

Kuroda-Grauer actually found himself a home run-shy of hitting for the cycle.

Friday, L, 7-2

Las Vegas walked right into trouble and found itself in a deep hole just three innings into a, 7-2, loss Friday night.

Starter Mason Barnett had endured four straight no-decisions but was still perfect on the year with a 2-0 record combined with a 3.41 ERA. Moreover, he had a 2.18 ERA at home.

Barnett ran right into trouble in the first inning beginning with two runners on and one out. He’d surrender a two-run single and an RBI double as the Aviators fell behind, 3-0. Moments later, the Isotopes would add another RBI single to go up, 4-0.

By giving up four runs in the first inning, it’s the third time this season Barnett has had four earned runs or more in a start. Things really went array in the second when he issued three straight two-out walks before walking in the run for a fourth consecutive free pass.

It’s the third time this season that Barnett has allowed four or more walks including walking a career-high six in his last outing.

For a third straight inning, Albuquerque found the scoreboard after Barnett walked the leadoff guy and then coughed up a two-run homer. After walking another batter with one out on the board, he was lifted from the game.

Barnett yielded a season-high seven runs (one off of his career-high) on six hits in 2.1 innings of work with one strikeout versus six walks which tied his career-high. Of his 70 pitches, only 31 were strikes as he took his first loss of the season.

Those walks were contagious as best shown with back-to-back one-out walks with a runner on first base to load the basepads. Reliever Nick Hernandez got out of danger with a strikeout and a flyout. That scoreless fourth inning was the first inning without Isotopes runs with the team’s first 1-2-3 inning coming in the seventh frame.

By the sixth inning, Las Vegas pitching gave up its 10th walk. Hernandez offered up three walks while fellow reliever Yunior Tur gave up one free pass.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Aviators recorded just three hits through the first five innings of the eventual loss. Former Las Vegas pitcher Domingo Acevedo hurled those five scoreless innings of three-hit ball with nine strikeouts and one walk.

Acevedo plunked designated hitter Brett Harris on the hand in the first inning, who entered the game on a six-game hit streak. Harris would head straight to the dugout and would later be lifted from the game.

Earlier this season, Harris missed time with an oblique injury.

Entering the game for Harris was new designated hitter Bryan Lavastida who played in his 30th game of the season. Lavastida was responsible for the only Aviator runs of the night on a two-run blast in the bottom of the eighth.

Lavastida has now tallied a hit in 23 of the 30 games he’s played this year.

Saturday, L, 13-11

Thirty-one total hits including 15 extra-base hits which featured eight home runs boiled down to a, 13-11, loss for the Aviators. They will now need a win in the series finale tomorrow afternoon to salvage a split this week.

Albuquerque tagged Las Vegas starter Joey Estes in a big way and it used the aforementioned longballs to do so. The right-hander gave up back-to-back dingers with two outs in the first inning. An inning later, the visitors added two more runs on an RBI single and an RBI sacrifice fly.

Estes avoided trouble in the third but ran into it again in the fourth after offering up two solo home runs to the first three batters he faced in the frame. Those two blasts tied the game at six apiece before a two-out RBI single to break the tie.

Despite the rough start, Estes pitched into the fifth inning but it began with a leadoff single, RBI triple and then a two-run homer. In this one, he gave up a career-high 11 runs on a career-high 12 hits including five home runs in 4.1 innings of work with a strikeout and two walks. Before Saturday, Estes had never allowed more than three homers in a game.

It became a party pack of runs after Estes left the mound with reliever Ben Bowden giving up an RBI single and a stolen base at home plate. The latter run was charged to Bowden while the first run went to the former.

Fellow reliever Geoff Hartlieb entered in the seventh inning and promptly served up a leadoff round-tripper.

Even with all the runs scored by the Isotopes, the Aviators had plenty of offense of their own. In the bottom of the second, left fielder Jared Dickey launched a two-run dinger after teammate Drew Swift’s two-out RBI double.

Dickey’s blast was his first hit of the series after starting the week 0-for-15. In the loss, he ended up a triple-shy of the cycle while going 3-for-4 with a single, double, home run, two RBI and three runs scored.

First baseman Joey Meneses cranked a three-run long ball an inning later to give Las Vegas its first lead of the game at 6-4. He now has 43 RBI this season after also adding another run on an RBI sacrifice fly.

With the two-run finish, there were plenty of lead changes including an RBI double by designated hitter Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and an RBI single by center fielder Cade Marlowe which counted as the game’s third lead change.

Kuroda-Grauer now has an eight-game hit streak and Marlowe has 11 RBI in this week’s series as part of that third straight three-run inning.

The final two runs of the game came on an RBI single from catcher Bryan Lavastida and second baseman Michael Stefanic, who is now 6-for-13 in the series.

Sunday, W, 6-5

Las Vegas picked up a Sunday finale win to avoid a third straight loss and earn a series split this week against Albuquerque. Through 12 day games this year, the club has claimed 10 of them.

Center fielder Cade Marlowe tied the game at five apiece on an RBI single with two outs. He’d later score as teammate Tommy White reached on a fielder’s choice coupled with an error.

White extended his hit streak to 16 games in the sixth inning with a one-out RBI single to break a 1-1 tie. That swing scored the aforementioned Marlowe. An inning later, Marlowe cashed in on a two-out walk to teammate Michael Stefanic with an RBI double to put the home team up two runs.

Even with the late offense, the Aviators didn’t record their first hit until a leadoff single by second baseman Drew Swift to start the third inning.

Las Vegas tallied double-digit hits for the fifth time in this six-game series.

Reliever James Gonzalez was thrown into an unfavorable position in the ninth inning as part of his first appearance with the club. As a staff, Las Vegas pitching gave up four runs in the ninth and nearly lost the game which would’ve mirrored Tuesday’s loss.

Gonzalez got the win as a result of the offensive success in the bottom of the ninth.

That ninth inning began with right-hander Wander Suero on the mound. Upon entering the game, he gave up a single, a walk and an RBI single in order. Suero would serve up two more RBI singles before being yanked from the mound.

Normally a reliever, lefty Brady Basso (1-0, 5.54 ERA) made a spot start for Las Vegas in what would be his 12th appearance this season. Throughout his minor league career, he has started 12 games with his last Triple-A start coming in 2024.

Basso got out of a sticky situation with two runners on with one out in the second inning with a strikeout looking and a groundout. Previously, his season-high in innings pitched was just two frames before going three full in this one.

During the outing, he went a season-high three innings with one hit allowed while striking out a season-high three batters versus just one walk. He also induced six groundouts in the eventual win for the group.