51s drop slugfest to Sacramento 14-10
If Monday night was a pitcher’s duel, Tuesday afternoon was just the opposite. Las Vegas and Sacramento traded blows early before the River Cats pulled away and out-slugged the 51s to a 14-10 victory Tuesday afternoon at Cashman Field.
Every position player in the starting lineup had a hit for the River Cats, and T.J. Bennett made sure the pitcher’s spot was not excluded with a pinch-hit double in the sixth inning. Robbie Garvey, Miguel Olivo and Rando Moreno had three hits apiece.
The River Cats won the series 3-1 and the season series 9-7.
“To lose three out of four to a last-place team, I don’t accept it,” 51s manager Wally Backman said. “The defense wasn’t very good today and the pitching wasn’t very good today.”
Sacramento jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, but a Travis Taijeron double, one of three hits on the afternoon, in the bottom half of the inning tied it up before Las Vegas scored three more to make it 5-2 after one inning.
The Las Vegas lead was short-lived. Sacramento plated three in third and after allowing a 51s run in the fourth, blasted back-to-back home runs by Travis Ishikawa and Myles Schroder in the fifth to seize control of the game. It was 9-6 and the 51s never got back in it.
Down 12-7 in the eighth, the first three 51s reached base to load the bases with nobody out. It was Las Vegas’ best opportunity to get back in the game, but could only score twice, on a Nevin Ashley sacrifice fly and Roger Bernadina single.
Sacramento got those two runs right back in the top of the ninth and allowed just one in the bottom half to seal the victory.
Las Vegas starter Gabriel Ynoa had an outing he would rather forget: five innings and nine runs allowed (six earned) on 11 hits.
The short outing is uncharacteristic of Ynoa, who just twice this season had gone only five innings: his first start of the season and June 13 against Reno, a game in which he allowed 11 runs on 14 hits.
“We had our best guy on the mound today so I guess I have to tip my hat to their offense,” Backman said. “Once (Ynoa) came out of the game, we couldn’t hold them either.
The 51s were unable to truly capitalize on five Sacramento fielding errors, the most by an opponent this season. They scored three unearned runs off the River Cats’ mistakes. Las Vegas made four errors, one shy of the season high.
The 51s left 11 runners on base, but Backman thought the offense was good enough regardless.
“The offense fought back, they tried, they played hard so it has nothing to do with that,” Backman said. “When your offense has to fight so hard it makes it tough.”
Second baseman Dilson Herrera came up lame running down the line in the seventh inning and was removed from the game as part of a double switch for the eighth.
Backman said he cramped up and will get treatment Wednesday. He is not expected to miss too much time.
Herrera was named to the World Team for the MLB All-Star Futures Game July 10 at Petco Park in San Diego.
Justin Emerson can be reached at jemerson@reviewjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @J15Emerson