Sean Gilmartin’s stellar pitching sparks 51s over Aces
Sean Gilmartin wanted to get all 27 outs Tuesday.
He came close — closer than any Las Vegas starter has this season — but had to settle for 8 2/3 innings of one-run ball to lead the 51s to a 2-1 victory over the Reno Aces at Cashman Field. He allowed nine hits and one walk and struck out seven.
“Obviously I wanted to go complete game, but 8 2/3 is still pretty good, and we were able to get the win,” Gilmartin said. “That’s something that a starting pitcher should be able to do, is pitch deep in the ballgame and throw 100-plus pitches if need be.”
He threw 120 pitches, 80 for strikes. It was the longest outing by a 51s pitcher this season, besting the previous high of eight by Gabriel Ynoa on May 12 vs. El Paso.
Offensively, it was a starter on what was supposed to be his day off that delivered the eventual game-winning hit.
Gavin Cecchini did not start at shortstop as he usually does, but entered as a pinch runner when T.J. Rivera came up lame with a hamstring injury in the third inning. Two innings later, Cecchini gave Las Vegas the 2-1 lead by sending a two-out, two-strike pitch over the left-field wall for a solo home run, his third homer this season.
“As you play this game longer and longer, you realize that things can happen throughout the game, so you always have to be ready,” Cecchini said. “When he got hurt, I was ready to go in, and I went in and I was just ready to go. He hung a slider right there, and I put my best swing on it.”
51s manager Wally Backman said Rivera probably is headed for the disabled list.
Gilmartin’s performance had the added benefit of saving a bullpen in desperate need of relief. The unit pitched 22 1/3 innings over the past five games, and Gilmartin getting all but one out meant only Josh Edgin was used, keeping the rest fresh for Wednesday’s game.
“The bullpen is in tough shape right now,” Backman said. “Definitely the biggest game of the year for us to save the bullpen. We needed to save those guys.”
Up next
Who: Reno Aces at Las Vegas 51s
When: 7:05 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Cashman Field
Starters: Edgar Garcia (2-3, 6.10 ERA), Aces, vs Rafael Montero (2-3, 5.08 ERA)
Next five
Thursday: Reno at Las Vegas, 7:05 p.m.
Friday: Las Vegas at Salt Lake, 6:05 p.m.
Saturday: Las Vegas at Salt Lake, 5:35 p.m.
Sunday: Las Vegas at Salt Lake, 6:05 p.m.
Monday: Las Vegas at Salt Lake, 6:05 p.m.
Key stat
With a first-inning double, outfielder Brandon Nimmo extended his hit streak to seven games. He is 16-for-33 during that stretch with five multihit games. He has raised his average from .297 on May 31 to .330.
