51s can’t rattle Tacoma pitcher

The Las Vegas 51s had three baserunners in the first inning, two in the third and two more in the fourth -- and all reached with no outs.

But Tacoma starter Justin Lehr worked out of the jams, giving up only one run and the Rainiers defeated the 51s, 3-1, Sunday at Cashman Field.

Tacoma's Mike Morse drove in the decisive runs with a two-run homer off D.J. Houlton in the sixth inning.

Morse went 9-for-17 in the four-game series in which the Rainiers won three times.

Lehr (2-0) got the win, allowing one earned run on three hits, striking out two and walking four in 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander retired 10 straight batters between the fourth and seventh innings.

"We had the chance to tack on a couple of runs early in the ballgame," said Las Vegas manager Lorenzo Bundy, whose team stranded nine runners. "We had Lehr on the ropes and we let it get away. And then he kind of settled into a groove and pitched into the seventh inning.'

''We're impatient and trying to make things happen right now, and I think everybody is trying to be the hero.''

The Rainiers (11-13) took a 1-0 lead on Bryan LaHair's RBI double after Wladimir Balentien drew a two-out walk in the first against 51s starter Hong-Chih Kuo.

The 51s (11-11) tied it in the bottom of the inning. Tony Abreu reached base on shortstop Morse's error, stole second and scored on James Loney's single.

Kuo allowed one earned run on one hit, struck out three and walked one in two innings.

Houlton allowed two earned runs on five hits, struck out five in five innings.

"It was Kuo's first time out and he only made one mistake, when he hung the ball to LaHair," Bundy said. "And D.J. Houlton pitched very well. There were some positives out there today."

* NOTES: Nicholas LoTempio, 8, of Las Vegas was the Las Vegas (Stars and 51s) franchise's 8 millionth fan. He received four tickets to an upcoming Los Angeles Dodgers' game, a 51s season pass and a gift bag. The 51s entered Sunday's game 951 fans short of the mark. ... Larry Bigbie reached base six consecutive times via hit or walk in Saturday's and Sunday's games. The streak ended when he popped out to third base in the fifth inning.