Positive sightings in first series showing for Las Vegas

Las Vegas took two of three games from rival Reno to open a new year this past weekend. It was two straight wins to start the new campaign before the club dropped the Sunday finale.

The outcome is a stark difference from last year’s start which opened with three straight losses to the in-state rival Aces. In 21 total meetings, the Aviators dropped 11 to their Pacific Coast League foe.

“We played really good baseball actually,” manager Fran Riordan said. “We had a couple of rough innings in game three of the series but other than that, it was a really clean series. Good way to start the year.”

It all began with pitching as starter J.T. Ginn was tabbed as the opening night starter and did not disappoint. He worked five scoreless innings of one-hit ball with eight strikeouts and a walk. Even after leaving the mound, the bullpen would only allow three additional hits.

“I think he’s gotten more comfortable and more knowledgeable about who he is as a pitcher,” Riordan said. “He’s using his arsenal more effectively, he’s using it more intelligently, he’s throwing more strikes, he’s got a little uptick in velocity this year. All those things speak to the fact, he worked really hard in the offseason to get better.”

In the opening series, the Las Vegas bullpen allowed seven earned runs in more than 15 innings pitched. In addition, it allowed just 14 hits while compiling 14 strikeouts versus just five walks. Reliever Elvis Alvarado recorded the team’s first save of the season.

“We have some great arms down there,” Riordan said. “Some guys that have experience from other organizations or guys coming up from Double-A that have really, really good stuff and a really good mix of pitches. We’re just deeper. We have better stuff and better arm talent down there.”

Infielder Darell Hernaiz went 2-for-3 in the, 3-2, win in the opener with a single, home run, RBI, run scored and a walk. He kept his hot bat going the following night as part of a big outing for the hitters one through three in the lineup.

“The guys that have been around me two, three years I like that they set the tone,” Riordan said. “They let guys who are new to the organization know my expectations. Just having guys that are good leaders in that clubhouse and know what good baseball looks like and what work ethic looks like.”

The top third of the lineup went a combined 8-for-12 in a, 10-3, win on Saturday. Four of those hits went for singles while three doubles and a home run accompanied it in addition to six RBI, nine runs scored and three walks. Interestingly enough, the trio failed to strike out in any of the 12 at-bats.

First-year Aviator Nick Kurtz made his Triple-A debut in the opener after playing in just 12 minor league games prior. He was the No. 4 overall pick by the Athletics out of Wake Forest in last season’s MLB Draft.

Not only did he record his first Tirple-A hit and home run during the series, he appeared as one of the brightest stars for the team. At the conclusion of the three-game series, Kurtz was riding a three-game hit streak to go along with a .455 batting average.

“I felt good – had a pretty good start first couple of games,” Kurtz said. “I’m grateful in my first at-bat, [the pitcher] threw the first two pitches nowhere near the zone so I could kind of settle myself in and get those Opening Day jitters out.”

It wasn’t just the offensive numbers where Kurtz turned some heads. In his first game at first base, he flashed the leather on multiple occasions including a fielded popup near the mound that landed him on his backside.

“Overall, I’m pretty comfortable,” he said. “Everyone always says, ‘It’s the same game when you move up.’ That’s kind of what I took and I just tried to run with it.

Las Vegas didn’t trail in the series until the third inning of the Sunday series finale. In that game, the team grounded into eight groundballs while going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. As a result, the team left eight runners on base in a, 9-4, loss.

Even with the outcome, a pair of newcomers hit their first Las Vegas home runs. Former Kansas City Royal property C.J. Alexander went yard along with former Los Angeles Dodger property Drew Avans.

“Our organization as a whole is more talented and it keeps getting better,” Riordan said. “That does help breed consistency and I’m hoping for a little bit more stability here but I’m also hoping for a lot of our guys to go up and perform well there.”

This past weekend marked the start of a nine-game homestand for the Aviators to start the new season. It continues Tuesday, April 1 against the Sacramento River Cats.

Gametime will run semi-simultaneously as the second game for the parent club Athletics’ second “home” game from Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park.