Stauffer gem, Taijeron homers lift 51s
Tim Stauffer pitched a two-hitter, and Travis Taijeron hit two home runs and drove in five runs to power the 51s to a 7-1 win over the El Paso Chihuahuas in a Pacific Coast League game Wednesday in El Paso, Texas.
Stauffer (2-0), making his third start for Las Vegas (66-52) since signing a minor league contract with the New York Mets on Aug. 1, threw 70 of his 104 pitches for strikes in the 51s' eighth complete game of the season.
Taijeron hit a two-run homer in the second inning and a three-run shot in the ninth as Las Vegas increased its lead on the second-place Chihuahuas (60-56) to 5½ games in the Pacific South Division.
A 10-year major league veteran who spent nine seasons with the San Diego Padres, El Paso's parent club, the 33-year-old Stauffer struck out five, walked three and hit one batter, lowering his ERA to 2.53.
Alex Dickerson had the Chihuahua's first hit, a second-inning single, but was erased on a double play. Stauffer allowed one baserunner from the third through the seventh innings, on a fourth-inning walk to Ramiro Pena, and Stauffer promptly picked him off.
Pinch hitter Jake Goebbert ruined Stauffer's shutout bid with a leadoff home run in the ninth.
El Paso starter Jason Lane (8-8), who played 217 games with the 51s from 2009 to 2011 as an outfielder/first baseman, gave up four runs on four hits and one walk and struck out four in 7 1/3 innings.
Brandon Allen led off the second inning with his 13th home run of the season. After a walk to Eric Campbell, Taijeron belted his 18th homer.
That trio struck again in the ninth, when Allen led off with a double, Campbell walked and Taijeron went deep.
Dilson Herrera had three singles to pace the 51s' eight-hit attack.
The teams combined to leave just six runners on base, two by El Paso. Each team had one runner left on base through seven innings.
The teams conclude their four-game series with 6:05 games today and Friday.
