51s win opener on Marc Krauss’ walk-off homer
By the time the ninth inning rolled around Thursday, the Cashman Field opening night crowd had thinned out considerably.
But those that did stick around saw the 51s mount a late comeback, striking back against the Fresno Grizzlies with home runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings for a 6-4 victory in a game manager Wally Backman described simply as “51s baseball.”
With two outs in the ninth, first baseman Marc Krauss connected on a 2-and-1 pitch, hitting the ball to center field for a walk-off home run over the defending Triple-A champions.
“We got big hits when we needed (them),” Backman said.
Krauss’ home run, on his first day in a Las Vegas uniform, was the 51s’ fourth of the night.
Matt Reynolds hit a homer in the fourth, Travis Taijeron hit one in in the seventh and Roger Bernadina in the eighth.
Cashman Field long has been thought of as a hitters’ park, but the 51s also have their fair share of power dispersed throughout the lineup.
“We only have one big power hitter — Travis Taijeron — but all those other guys, they’re 10 to 15 home run hitters. That’s we way I foresee it, and so you have the speed, but you’ve got power up and down the lineup,” Backman said. “It’s a well-balanced team, I think.”
The late inning homers brought the 51s back after a home run in the sixth inning from Fresno’s Danny Worth broke open a tight game and put them in a two-run hole.
Two days before the season started, Backman praised his bullpen, calling it the best he has had in his four seasons in Las Vegas.
And while the first two relievers out of the bullpen Thursday — Dario Alvarez and Chase Huchingson — had some trouble, it did combine for four scoreless innings after Worth’s home run to keep the game within reach.
Las Vegas native Chasen Bradford picked up the win with a scoreless ninth inning.
The 51s got five solid innings from starter Rafael Montero, who gave up two runs — one earned — on three hits in five innings.
Backman said Montero, who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, was capped at 85 pitches. He wound up throwing 80, 48 for strikes.
“His velocity was back up. That was the one thing before he got hurt, when he got hurt, the velocity was never there,” Backman said. “He was touching 94 tonight, so that was exciting to see.”
And now, Backman is happy to move past opening day, especially for some of the younger players who might have had some nerves.
“Overall I thought we played a good game,” Backman said. “We did miss a couple signs, but it was Day 1 and now the jitters are over. I expect these players to be a little more consistent.”
Betsy Helfand can be reached at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @BetsyHelfand