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Contrary to what most of sports history has told the average fan, the Las Vegas Aviators may be more delighted to go out on the road than to host games in their $150 million Las Vegas Ballpark.
The Aviators have a 10-8 record on the road a far cry from their 11-13 home record.
Las Vegas will get a chance to add to it’s record away from LVBP during its six-game trip to Salt Lake to do battle with the Bees.
Last month, Salt Lake took four of six from Vegas in the valley.
This time around, the Aviators enter riding a three-game win streak while the Bees flirting with .500 over their last 11 games.
Las Vegas will return home to host the Sacramento River Cats for the 4th of July weekend.
Thursday, W, 8-6
The Aviators had to work around two blown saves in order to continue its win streak which is now up to four.
Second baseman Nate Mondou played hero in the ninth inning after serving as a pinch-runner in the fourth.
Mondou hit the game-winning two-run home run in the ninth inning before performing a highlight reel play in the bottom half of the frame for the second out.
He took a 0-2 deep to right field off relief pitcher James Hoyt for his third home run of the year, helping to preserve Las Vegas’ 22nd win of the season.
Mondou went 2-for-2 with a home run, three runs batted in, two runs scored and a walk.
He pinch-ran during a five-run fourth inning for the Aviators, opening the scoring after being driven in on an RBI single from right fielder Greg Deichmann.
Third baseman Jacob Wilson also hit his 12th home run of the season during that inning.
He has now hit home runs in back-to-back games and three of his last four.
In the bottom of the ninth, Mondou came out of the shift to go deep to his right to field a ground ball and deliver an on-target throw to first baseman Frank Schwindel.
Reliever Adam Kolarek was charged with the first blown save after allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits during his one inning of work.
He now has a 12.10 earned run average during his time in Las Vegas.
Fellow reliever Reymin Guduan was given the team’s second blown save of the night after allowing a run on a hit in his one inning pitched.
However, Guduan was the pitcher of record when Mondou hit his game-winning long ball.
Reliever Jordan Weems shut the door in the ninth for his first save of the year.
Friday, L, 10-9
For just the second time this season, the Aviators lost a game after scoring eight or more runs.
After surrendering four unanswered runs in the last third of the game, Las Vegas fell to Salt Lake, 10-9.
It was yet another blown save that came back to bite the team this time around.
The Aviators led 9-6 through six and a half innings before the Bees scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh and added another in the bottom of the eighth before shutting the door in the ninth.
Relief pitcher James Naile was charged with the blown save bringing an end to his stretch of brilliant performances out of the bullpen.
Naile pitched ⅔ of the seventh inning allowing a run to score on two hits while striking out one.
It was his second blown save of the year.
Fellow reliever Matt Blackham (0-1) was tabbed with the loss after giving up two hits and a run via a home run.
Center fielder Cody Thomas went 2-for-4 with a home run (12th), triple, three RBI (29th), two runs scored and a strikeout.
He now has five home runs in the last five games and was batting .171 just over a month ago but has now upped that to .288.
Third baseman Jacob Wilson went 2-for-5 with a home run (13th), RBI (38th) and run scored.
Wilson has now homered in three straight games and four of the last five.
Infielder Vimael Machîn was called up to the Oakland Athletics earlier in the day.
Saturday, L, 10-9
It was a ninth inning that unraveled quickly for the Aviators as the team lost 10-9 to the Bees for the second consecutive night.
Las Vegas led 9-7 heading into the bottom of the eighth before allowing two runs in the eighth to tie it and the game-winning run in the next inning.
Reliever Reymin Guduan recorded the first two outs of the ninth inning before serving up a double.
Immediately following, Guduan issued out a free pass via the intentional walk before walking another batter unintentionally.
He was lifted from the game in exchange for relief pitcher Jordan Weems.
It wasn’t long before Weems issued the game-ending walk with the bases loaded to extinguish any hopes of extra innings.
Thirteen of the combined 19 runs came in the first three innings of the game.
It was a back-and-forth game that saw Salt Lake tie or take the lead in every frame that the Aviators scored first in.
Six players recorded two or more hits led by a three-hit night from right fielder Greg Deichmann.
He went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a walk and a strikeout.
Catcher Austin Allen and second baseman Nate Mondou turned in identical performances with 2-for-5 nights with three RBI apiece.
Allen also scored two runs.
Starting pitcher Daulton Jefferies had his first rough outing of the season as he was knocked around in his two innings of work.
In those two innings, he allowed six runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out two.
The eight hits allowed tied a season-high for Jefferies while the six earned runs mark was one away from tying a season-high.
Sunday, W, 5-3
The Aviators scored first but needed a come-from-behind effort to beat the Bees in game four of six in Salt Lake.
Las Vegas tied the game at three in the ninth inning and took a two-run lead in extra innings to oust their division rival.
Third baseman Jacob Wilson drove in a run via a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning, tying the game for the first time since the fourth inning.
Wilson went 1-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored.
An inning later, with first baseman Frank Schwindel on second base to start the frame, left fielder Cody Thomas smacked a two-run home run to give the Aviators the 5-3 lead.
It was his 13th home run of the year.
To that point, Thomas was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts.
Reliever Zach Jackson shut the door in the bottom of the 10th after being forced to pitch from the stretch with a runner on third with one out.
Jackson got designated hitter Matt Thaiss to popup for the second out of the inning before getting outfielder Jo Adell to strike out swinging to end the game.
He finished the game with his first win of the year after allowing two hits in two innings pitched while striking out two.
Starter Jesus Luzardo got his second start after being sent down from the big-league ball club as an Aviators this season.
Luzardo pitched 3 ⅓ innings, giving up three runs on six hits while striking out three and walking two.
Monday, L, 3-1
Relief pitcher Jordan Weems had a tough ending to the night for the second time in three nights.
The Aviators were beaten by the Bees on a walk-off home run in game five of six in Salt Lake.
So far this series, all games have been decided in the eighth inning or later.
Weems walked home the game-winning run Saturday in the team’s 10-9 loss.
This time around, he came just one strike away from getting out of the inning and into extras.
Weems (0-2) was taken deep by second baseman Jack Mayfield bringing home the final two runs of the game.
He finished with ⅔ innings pitched, allowing two runs on two hits, recording a strikeout in the process.
Las Vegas tied the game at one apiece in the seventh inning on a run scored off catcher Francisco Peña’s double play groundout.
The game was knotted at zero before starter Brian Howard had a rough going in the fourth inning.
He opened the inning allowing the first two batters to reach base on a double and walk respectively.
Both teams combined for 11 hits with Salt Lake getting the better of Las Vegas by one.
Tuesday, L, 4-2
It was an unfortunate ending to a series opened with a win for Las Vegas as it lost four of the last five games to the Bees.
The Aviators failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities resulting in the team leaving nine runners on-base with everyone in the lineup leaving at least one.
This comes on the same day that first baseman and team-leader in home runs and RBI, Frank Schwindel, was called up to the Athletics big-league club.
Las Vegas sent six hitters to the plate in the first inning in the midst of Salt Lake starter Jake Buchanan leaving the game due to injury.
Despite the favorable half to the first frame, the Aviators only led 1-0 heading into the bottom of inning No. 1.
Soon after the game would be tied at one on a solo home run by the Bees.
Home runs followed in each of the next two innings for Salt Lake resulting in a 4-1 lead.
Catcher Austin Allen drove in a run in the seventh inning via a groundout but it was not enough to mount a comeback effort from the team.
Allen went 1-for-4 with two RBI.
Shortstop Pete Kozma was the only Las Vegas player to record two hits, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
Pitcher Miguel Romero dropped to 0-3 on the year after allowing four runs on four hits in his four innings pitched.
He also struck out four while issuing the game’s only walk for the Aviators.
Two of Romero’s three losses have come since moving to the starting rotation and he now has an earned run average of 8.34.
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