51s’ bats stay hot in 7-4 victory over Rainiers

For the fifth straight game, the 51s scored six or more runs.

And for the fifth straight game, the 51s went home with a win.

The 51s beat Tacoma 7-4 on Saturday night at Cashman Field, securing a series victory and moving their record to 11-10.

“The offense is alive right now,” manager Wally Backman said. “The guys are really starting to play together well as a team, and this is what we expect from them.”

Las Vegas scored two runs apiece in the second and third inning.

In the second, center fielder Brandon Nimmo doubled in two runs, and in the third, back-to-back singles from Travis Taijeron and Johnny Monell helped the 51s pad their lead.

Before that, right-hander Seth Lugo was cruising, striking out five in the first three innings, and it looked as if four runs might be enough.

But the Rainiers battled back with two-run innings in the fourth and fifth, scoring all four runs off Lugo.

Saturday marked Lugo’s first start since April 19. In between, he went on the disabled list with a sore forearm, and Backman said it looked as if he started tiring in the fourth inning.

“He started to elevate balls. When balls start getting up in the zone, you tend to think that it’s because a guy’s starting to get tired,” Backman said. “I thought he was real good in the first three innings.”

After Lugo left, four relievers kept the Rainiers in check.

Three — Dario Alvarez, Jeff Walters and Josh Smoker — didn’t allow a hit, and closer Paul Sewald pitched over two hits in the ninth for his second save of the season.

The 51s scored three runs in the fifth, capped by a two-run homer from first baseman Marc Krauss — his second home run in two days.

“(Rainiers reliever Steve Johnson) was pounding me with fastballs, and I couldn’t catch up to them. He finally threw one that I kind of got the head out a little bit more than I was, got the barrel out and I was able to connect,” Krauss said.

Krauss had two hits and is 7-for-10 in the series against Tacoma, improving his average to .277.

Krauss, a new addition to the organization, was one of many guys on the 51s who spent an extended amount of time in big league camp at spring training.

With so many players staying up for a prolonged period, the 51s didn’t have a chance to play together as a team in March, but now Backman said he thinks Krauss is more comfortable in the new situation.

“It’s a new team, it’s a new organization, the season’s new and I really believe that’s what happened with Krauss,” Backman said. “I think he’s fell into his comfort zone, because if you read the back of the baseball cards, he’s hit before and he struggled early and now he’s hitting.”

It’s a trend seen recently among many on the team.

The 51s struggled earlier in the season with runners in scoring position, but they’ve been hitting much better lately, sparking the winning streak.

“I think everybody was trying to do too much in those situations,” Krauss said. “We had a couple discussions, everybody started settling in and understanding just a little single will do the job and it’s kind of been contagious.”

And now, nearly a month into the season, Backman is happy with how the team has come together.

“I think they legitimately have gotten to know each other better, the new guys, and they’ve blended well together,” Backman said. “I think that the chemistry of the team is starting to come together. And chemistry to me is huge.”

Betsy Helfand can be reached at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @BetsyHelfand