51s blow late lead, then early one in dropping doubleheader
The first doubleheader of Las Vegas’ season could have gone better for the 51s. They dropped both games to the Albuquerque Isotopes, blowing a late lead in Game 1 and unable to hold an early lead in Game 2.
The 51s lost 9-8 and 5-3 before 4,756 Friday night at Cashman Field.
“Tonight was a tough night,” manager Wally Backman said.
Game 1
The 51s had a chance. When Travis Taijeron broke a 7-7 tie in the sixth inning with an RBI single, it looked as if Las Vegas would steal Game 1. Instead, the 51s had it stolen from them.
Scheduled doubleheaders are seven innings in the minor leagues, so the 51s needed three outs for the victory. Josh Edgin couldn’t get even one before Tom Murphy tied the game with a home run over the right-field fence.
Three batters later, Rafael Ynoa’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly gave the Isotopes the lead they would not give up. Brian Schlitter shut the door with a scoreless seventh, and Albuquerque headed back to the clubhouse with Game 1 in the books.
Backman said he had only four pitchers available in the bullpen, and if he had brought in Paul Sewald after Edgin threw a scoreless sixth, he would have had only one pitcher for the second game.
“It’s tough on a team when you can’t go to your bullpen and use matchups,” Backman said. “It showed tonight.”
Gabriel Ynoa started Game 1 for Las Vegas, lasting just four innings and giving up five runs on 10 hits.
Since the calendar page flipped to June, Ynoa has been tough to figure it out. On one hand, he has three outings in which he has gone at least 6 2/3 innings and allowed no more than two earned runs.
On the other, when he has been bad in that stretch, he has been really bad. Four times, including Friday, he has allowed five earned runs or more, including a nightmare outing June 13 against Reno in which he went five innings and allowed 10 earned runs.
Since June 1, he is 3-2 with a 6.65 ERA and 1.63 WHIP. He had a 2.40 ERA at the end of May.
“There’s a concern; he could be getting tired,” said Backman, referencing Ynoa’s 109 2/3 innings pitched, second in the Pacific Coast League entering Friday. “There’s always a concern when your No. 1 guy goes out and gives up 10 (hits).”
Game 2
The 51s scored first in the nightcap, but allowed four runs in the third inning and were unable to recover.
Ben Paulsen and Dustin Garneau got it started for the Isotopes in the third, cranking back-to-back homers. With two outs and no one on, Las Vegas had a chance to escape with just the homers allowed, but three singles and a double scored two more runs.
Josh Zeid, called up before the game to pitch the second game, was not particularly sharp, but by PCL standards he wasn’t particularly bad, either. He went five innings and allowed four runs on nine hits while walking three. He struck out six on 108 pitches, but only 58 for strikes.
“He kept us in the ballgame,” Backman said. “He gave us a chance, we just didn’t click offensively, and we had some opportunities.”
Left-hander Josh Smoker relieved Zeid, and despite allowing a run, looked strong. He went two innings, striking out the side in his first inning and tying his season high with four strikeouts.
Up next
Who: Albuquerque Isotopes at Las Vegas 51s
When: 7:05 p.m. Saturday
Where: Cashman Field
Starters: Christian Bergman (0-2, 4.15 ERA), Isotopes, vs Robert Gsellman (0-1, 15.00 ERA)
Next five
Sunday: Off
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: Triple-A All-Star Game
Thursday: Las Vegas at Iowa, 5:08 p.m.
Justin Emerson can be reached at jemerson@reviewjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @J15Emerson
