Third straight series loss provides cloudy playoff view for Aviators

Las Vegas suffered another series loss this past week as the close the regular season continues with this downward slide. The team has now lost three straight series.

Most recently, the Aviators lost four of six games on the road to the Sacramento River Cats of the San Francisco Giants organization. In the six games, the team endured two walk-off losses with three one-run decisions coupled with a two-run difference in the finale on Sunday.

As part of the season-long 12-game road trip, Las Vegas dropped eight of those contests.

Now, the Aviators are 27-29 in the second half of the Minor League Baseball season, good for fifth in the Pacific Coast League. Sugar Land of the Houston Astros organization has already punched a ticket to the postseason after clinching the first half with the best record in the league.

Up next, Las Vegas will take on Round Rock of the Texas Rangers organization in a six-game series from Las Vegas Ballpark. That is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Sept. 3.

Tuesday, L, 8-2

A loss on Tuesday sent Las Vegas to a third straight loss in a series opener. The team didn’t score until the eighth inning and have now lost eight of its last 11 games.

Pitcher Gunnar Hoglund (0-3) stayed winless on the year following a five-run, six-hit effort over four innings with two strikeouts and three walks. The first run surrendered came across in the second inning on a force out.

Four Sacramento runs would cross in the fourth inning after the frame opened with back-to-back singles coupled with a stolen base. Runs would be driven in on consecutive at-bats via an RBI single and three-run home run.

The bullpen didn’t help matters much when reliever Danis Correa coughed up two more runs in the fifth on an RBI walk and a wild pitch. The River Cats would touch the bullpen for an additional run in the eighth inning on a one-out solo shot.

As that was happening, the Las Vegas offense picked up just one hit through the first four innings. Sacramento’s starter Kai-Wei Teng was removed in the seventh inning and that’s when the team recorded its second hit of the game.

Teng went six strong innings against Aviator batters, giving up just one hit while striking out seven. In addition, he earned his second win in his 17th appearance of the season.

Wednesday, W, 9-8

Las Vegas took a late lead to gather its first win of the series against Sacramento. Along the winning trail the team had to fight off a comeback from the home team.

The Aviators had to stage a comeback of their own after falling behind by five runs early in the contest. Shortstop Darell Hernaiz plated two runs on a single in the seventh inning after the bases were loaded with one out. Another run would score on an RBI groundout from designated hitter Jordan Diaz.

Sacramento would make a pitching change but first baseman Tristan Gray would launch a three-run homer on the second pitch he’d see immediately after. He made the statement in his Las Vegas debut.

Gray’s blast gave the visitors the lead at 7-6.

Diaz would provide a little more cushion with a two-run bomb in the top of the ninth. He went 2-for-5 with a single, a homer, three RBI and a run scored.

In the home half of the ninth, the River Cats were treated to back-to-back walks from reliever Pedro Santos. That set up a two-run double to cut the lead to just a run.

Fellow reliever Dany Jimenez would take over from there and retired three of the next four batters to get out with the win. He earned his second save of the season in the process.

Right-handed pitcher Austin Pruitt (4-3) got the win after working just an inning with one strikeout recorded.

Starting pitcher Brandon Bielak was bailed out by the late offense but it was tough sledding in his 3 ⅔ innings on the mound. He’d yield five runs on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks.

Bielak gave up an RBI double in the bottom of the second to tie the game at one. Earlier in the frame, catcher Carlos Perez gave the team the lead with his 18th homer of the season.

In the same home half of the second, Sacramento would plate two more runs to take the 3-1 advantage. From there, the home team would lift solo homers in three straight innings including two off Bielak.

Thursday, L, 3-2

It was a change of speed offensively as the Aviators suffered its second loss in three games to Sacramento, this time in walk-off fashion.

Right fielder Ryan Noda gave the team a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth on a leadoff home run. He didn’t swing for the first time until the fourth pitch of the at-bat which was his game-changing swing.

In the bottom half, reliever Will Klein sputtered out of the gates with a walk, single, run scored on a wild pitch, two more singles and a hit-by-pitch.

Right-handed Pedro Santos entered the game and proceeded to walk in the winning run after a challenge was deemed no good.

Klein (0-1) got the loss and was saddled with the blown save.

Starting pitcher Robert Dugger was dominant during his duration of the game. He walked a batter with two outs in the fifth inning which accounted as the River Cats’ third baserunner of the game.

That runner would eventually score on an RBI triple to tie the game at one apiece. The run-producing hit counted as the home team’s first hit of the game.

Dugger went six full innings with one run allowed on one hit with six strikeouts and five walks.

On the offensive end, there were just too many missed chances for Las Vegas. A leadoff double in the fourth inning equaled the team’s third hit of the game, all of which went for extra bases. The runner would be left stranded following a strikeout, groundout and lineout.

An inning later, the team would have two-on with one out. It would only scratch across one run on an RBI sacrifice fly to take the 1-0 lead.

For the third straight inning, the leadoff man reached in the sixth this time via a triple. Another would reach on a one-out walk but all would go for not after an inning-ending double play.

One more chance arose in the eighth inning when pinch-runner Hoy Park was thrown out going for home on a double from first baseman Tristan Gray.

Friday, W, 9-5

A scheduled six-game series between Las Vegas and Sacramento is split down the middle through the first four games following a 9-5 win by the former Friday night.

The Aviators’ offense was boosted by eight runs in the last three innings of the game as well as a player hitting for the cycle.

Heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, Las Vegas had built a 5-0 lead on hits from center fielder Ryan Noda, designated hitter Jordan Diaz and left fielder Colby Thomas. Another run scored on a balk by Sacramento pitching.

The River Cats got back into the game quickly with a five-run eighth inning building an early advantage with the bases loaded with nobody out. Two runs would score on back-to-back RBI walks with another crossing home plate on a force out.

The game would ultimately be tied behind the home team’s first RBI single of the night and an RBI sacrifice fly.

Las Vegas would counter that five-run home eighth with a four-run top half of the ninth. Third baseman Brett Harris broke the tie on an RBI ground-rule double. Right after, teammate Logan Davidson blasted a three-run home run.

Davidson starred on the night by hitting for the cycle as part of his 5-for-5 night with two singles, a double, a triple, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored.

Starter Brady Basso surrendered a hit and a walk in the first inning but would settle in immediately after. He’d sit down 14 straight Sacramento batters on the way out.

Basso pitched five scoreless innings of one-hit ball with six strikeouts and a walk.

Reliever Gerardo Reyes was credited with the blown save but would tally his third win of the year after giving up two runs (one earned) on a single hit in his one inning of work to go along with three walks.

Saturday, L, 4-3

Las Vegas will need a win in the series finale Sunday after its second one-run loss of the series. Overall, it’s the third one-run decision through the first five games of this six-game series.

Starting pitcher Kyle Muller had a quality start but fell into a hole early. Sacramento hopped all over him with a single, double and two run double before the first out of the bottom half of the first was recorded.

That 2-0 lead would be pushed to 3-0 with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the third. Muller would suffer the same fate in the sixth inning as the lead was stretched to 4-1. He was saddled with the loss for his first decision of the year after working six innings with four runs allowed on seven hits to go along with four strikeouts and two walks.

On the offensive end, the Aviators had just five hits with nine total baserunners. They’re first run of the game came in the fourth inning on an RBI single from shortstop Darell Hernaiz.

Left fielder Logan Davidson smacked a solo homer with Las Vegas down to its final out of the game to trim the deficit down to just a run. Last night, he went 5-for-5 as he hit for the cycle.

It would get no closer than that.

Sunday, L,11-9

Another close loss provides more heartbreak for a Las Vegas Aviators team that can’t keep affording this outcome. It counted as the team’s second walk-off loss of the series following a seven-run ninth from the home team.

It also secures another series loss for Las Vegas.

Things began to spiral in the home half of the ninth inning big time as it consisted of back-to-back doubles to drive in two runs. Manager Fran Riordan would yank reliever Wander Guante off the mound only to see fellow reliever Dany Jimenez give up a three-run homer on his second pitch tossed from the mound.

That longball tied the game at nine apiece. Three batters later, the home team would send its home fans away from the ballpark happy on the heels of a walk-off two-run home run.

Jimenez (1-1) was credited with the loss and a blown save after he only recorded a single out in his outing where he gave up three runs on two hits with a strikeout and a walk.

Pitcher Blake Beers started the contest and yielded three runs on seven hits in four innings of work with three strikeouts and two walks.

Despite the loss, the Aviators held the lead early. Catcher Carlos Perez got the team on the board with a leadoff homer in the top of the second inning. In that same frame, teammate Logan Davidson would tie the game at two apiece on an RBI single.

Davidson went 9-for-14 in the series with five singles, a double, a triple, two home runs, five RBI, four runs scored and a strikeout while recording a cycle at one point.

Perez would strike again in the third inning, this time on a three-run dinger to give Las Vegas its first lead of the game at 5-2. He went 3-for-5 with three home runs in the game including a ninth inning blast, five RBI and three runs scored.