51s miss chances to rally past Aces
Needing an arm to fill out their rotation after two recent call ups, the 51s turned toward a familiar face Darin Gorski, who came over from the Somerset Patriots, an independent league team.
But that plan didn’t work out like the 51s would have wanted as Gorski put the team in a hole it never recovered from — despite having opportunities to do so — in its 9-4 loss to Reno at Greater Nevada Field. The loss snapped the 51s’ six-game winning streak, but the team will return back to Cashman Field on Saturday after a successful road trip, winning six of eight.
“We fell behind right out of the shoot,” manager Wally Backman said. “And we just never rebounded. We got close at the end, but the bullpen couldn’t keep us where we were at.”
The Aces ran Gorski’s pitch count up in the first inning, making him throw 37 pitches and jumping out to a four-run lead, doing most of their damage on a Kyle Jensen three-run home run.
Gorski pitched for the 51s in past seasons, but Friday was his first game back in affiliated ball this season and Backman said he thought the starter was nervous early on.
“I asked (catcher Kevin) Plawecki … I said “What do you see out there?” He said “Wally, I’m setting up outside, he’s throwing the ball inside,” so he was probably overthrowing a little bit and after that first inning, I think he settled down,” Backman said. “I think he was able to locate his pitches a little bit better.”
Las Vegas (40-34) had a chance to get right back in the game in the second, loading the bases with no outs. But they came away with just one run, which scored on a double play.
The 51s cut Reno’s lead to just 4-3 in the fourth with a pair of runs, but the Aces tagged Zack Thornton for two runs in the sixth and Chase Huchingson for three more in the seventh and eighth, putting the game out of reach.
Perhaps their best chance came in the eighth when the 51s, down 7-3, loaded the bases and Gavin Cecchini hit a long fly ball that appeared to be heading out before right fielder Mitch Haniger got his glove on it and brought it back, preventing the potential game-tying grand slam.
“It would have been a home run. The guy jumped and pulled it back in and kind of threw it out of his glove,” Backman said.
Only one run scored on the play, though Backman said right fielder Travis Taijeron should have scored from second, which would have made it a two-run game rather than a three-run game.
“They ended up scoring more runs so we would have lost anyways, but it’s the little things that get you closer that gives you a better chance,” Backman said.
Betsy Helfand can be reached at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @BetsyHelfand
