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Positive outcomes as of late has propelled the Las Vegas Aviators into the top spot of the Pacific Coast League standings.
The club got its revenge for a three-game sweep at the hands of the Salt Lake Bees of the Los Angeles Angels organization with a 5-1 series win. The feat also came on the road in Utah.
Through 21 games played this season, Las Vegas now holds the advantage, 11-10.
It’s the second five-win series of the season for the Aviators while compiling a third straight series win.
Up next, the team will return home looking to keep pace in the standings. It will be greeted by the Oklahoma City baseball team for a six-game home series from Las Vegas Ballpark.
That series is scheduled to start Tuesday, Aug. 13 with first pitch slated for around 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday, W, 7-0
Las Vegas produced its fourth shutout win of the season as it ran its current win streak to four games following a series opening win over Salt Lake. It also ends a three-game losing streak to the Bees as the team allowed just three hits while racking up plenty of strikeouts.
Starting pitcher Joe Boyle worked around a leadoff walk in the second inning with three straight strikeouts to leave the runner stranded. By that point, he had already compiled six strikeouts through the first two innings.
Boyle opened the fourth inning by recording his 10th strikeout. He’d have 11 by the end of the frame before allowing his first hit on a one-out triple in the bottom of the fifth. That runner would be thrown out trying to reach home plate.
By the end of his outing, Boyle worked 5.2 shutout innings with one hit surrendered with 12 strikeouts and a walk.
Designated hitter Jordan Diaz followed up his red-hot week with a blistering Tuesday opener showing. He got his team on the board first with a two-run home run in the top of the first.
Diaz wasn’t done hitting dingers. He led off the top of the fourth inning with a solo shot for a 3-0 Las Vegas lead. On the night, he was 4-for-5 with two singles, two homers, four RBI and two runs scored while raising his season batting average to .311.
The rest of the Aviators offense came in the fifth inning off an RBI double from right fielder Logan Davidson and an RBI single from Diaz.
Wednesday, W, 6-1
Las Vegas is streaking after tallying a fifth straight win while only allowing just one run following the team’s fourth shutout of the season on Tuesday.
The Aviators packed a serious punch in the third inning, smacking three total home runs. Shortstop Nick Allen hit a second leadoff home run in the third to give the team a 2-0 lead all by himself.
Left fielder Colby Thomas and second baseman Max Muncy each hit a two-run blast in the same frame to push the visitors lead out to 6-0. The offensive onslaught forced a Salt Lake pitching change..
Allen’s first leadoff shot came in the game’s opening inning. A night ago, he opened the game with a ground-rule double before being driven in on teammate Jordan Diaz’s two-run bomb.
Allen went 3-for-4 with a single, two homers, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk.
Las Vegas pitching gave up its first run of the series in the bottom of the fourth following a leadoff single and two-out RBI double. Salt Lake had only mustered three hits through the first three innings.
Pitcher Hogan Harris (3-2) got the win after working seven full innings of one-run ball with eight hits, seven strikeouts and a walk. He’d be followed up by the bullpen pairing of Pedro Santos and Grant Holman who struck out two in their two combined innings of hitless ball.
In total, the Aviators bullpen has gone 5.1 innings over the last two games with just two hits allowed while compiling seven strikeouts to just three walks.
Thursday, L, 6-0
Las Vegas suffered its first loss of the series in the team’s third shutout defeat of the year. It’s the first time being shutout since April as the team had its five-game win streak snapped.
Salt Lake took its first lead of the series in the second inning of this one on the heels of a three-run homer off starting pitcher Gunnar Hoglund. He’d eventually get the loss after pitching five innings, giving up three runs on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
Las Vegas was essentially given a second starter when pitcher Aaron Brooks entered the ball game. He opened up the eighth inning by walking the leadoff man before following that up with back-to-back singles and then a two-run single as Las Vegas fell behind 5-0. It would soon be 6-0 after another run scored on an RBI single.
With one final chance to scratch something across the board, Las Vegas spoiled a chance with a leadoff single. After that single, the team was retired on a fielder’s choice and back-to-back groundouts.
The leadoff man was a real issue for the Aviators.
A leadoff single in the top of the third was turned away as part of a double play. Similar opportunities arose in the fifth and eighth innings but nothing came of it in both cases.
Las Vegas went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position while leaving seven runners on base.
Friday, W, 2-1
Three wins in the last four games for the Las Vegas Aviators in this most recent series with the Salt Lake Bees. That means the team has claimed at least a split after having been swept by the team in the three-game series prior.
In the process, Las Vegas has held Salt Lake to just two runs in its three wins.
Originally, the Aviators took the lead without tallying an RBI. Shortstop Max Muncy was hit by a pitch to lead off the top of the third with the team’s first hit coming soon after.
Muncy would score on a double play. Two innings later, he hit a solo home run off former Las Vegas pitcher Adam Kolarek. Over the last five games, he’s been able to launch five long balls.
Starting pitcher J.T. Ginn continued to come up big in key spots as part of his winning effort. After surrendering a one-out double in the first inning, he induced back-to-back flyouts. In the third inning, he served up a one-out single but would get out of the inning on a strikeout and a caught stealing.
Ginn ran into more trouble in the bottom of the seventh when the frame opened with back-to-back singles. Reliever Francisco Perez entered and would get out of the inning while leaving runners stranded on first and third.
Salt Lake scored its only run of the game in the eighth inning off relief pitcher Pedro Santos.
Saturday, W, 7-0
Another win against the Bees, means a third straight series win for the Aviators. Saturday, the team notched its second shutout win of the series and the fifth of 2024.
Salt Lake is averaging less than a run a game in the four losses this series.
On several occasions, Las Vegas had the bases loaded with just one out recorded. In the second inning, right fielder Logan Davidson and second baseman Nick Allen both secured back-to-back RBI singles to get the team on the board. Another run would cross home plate on a wild pitch.
The team missed out on its second loaded bases chance with one out, this time in the third inning. However, a mulligan in the sixth inning came around and three more runs would score including two runs on a single by first baseman Drew Lugbauer.
Third baseman Brett Harris added an RBI single of his own for the final Las Vegas run of the night. On the night, he went 3-for-5 with three singles, an RBI and a run scored.
Pitcher Brady Basso was masterful again for manager Fran Riordan and company. At one point during his outing, he turned away 10 straight Bees batters.
Basso also got around a potential dangerous situation with a leadoff single coupled with a stolen base in the bottom of the sixth. He’d avert runs by punching out two batters with strikeouts and getting one to groundout.
In six innings on the mound, Basso didn’t give up a run on three hits with six strikeouts as he improved to 4-2 on the year.
Salt Lake ultimately came 90 feet away from scoring its first run of the game but couldn’t get it done. A one-out single moved up to second on a stolen base and would eventually get to third on an error by catcher Yohel Pozo.
Making the move to reliever Brandon Bielak, he’d walk the first guy he faced but get out of the inning with a strikeout.
Las Vegas’ bullpen worked three scoreless innings of one hit baseball while tallying four strikeouts and two walks.
Sunday, W, 10-6
Another three-game win streak for the elevating Aviators as it put the finishing touches on yet another series win. Six runs were scored in the eighth and ninth innings after the game was tied in the seventh.
Las Vegas took the lead in the eighth inning behind an RBI double from left fielder Logan Davidson. Not long after, teammate Hoy Park would plate another run on an RBI single. He’d later score another run for the team on an RBI sacrifice fly in the ninth inning.
Two batters after Park’s eighth inning RBI, third baseman Brett Harris smacked a three-run homer. That dinger was part of his 3-for-6 night with two singles, a homer, three RBI, a run scored and a strikeout.
Designated hitter Jordan Diaz and shortstop Nick Allen combined to go 5-for-10 with five singles, four RBI, a run scored, a strikeout and a walk.
Pitcher Robert Dugger struck out the side in the bottom of the first inning to start a relatively productive outing on the mound. He’d go 4 ⅓ innings, with two runs allowed on six hits with six strikeouts and a walk.
Fellow pitcher Grant Holman would go on to get the win but would be credited with the blown save as well. He is now 4-0 this season.
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