51s take advantage of Hultzen’s first-inning woes, drop Rainiers
The 51s scored four times in the first inning, and four pitchers made it stand up in a 4-2 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers in a Pacific Coast League game Friday at Tacoma, Wash.
It was the second straight win for Las Vegas (75-58), which moved to within 5½ games of Sacramento in the Pacific South Division.
The 51s chased Tacoma starter Danny Hultzen (1-3), the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 draft, after two-thirds of an inning. Ricardo Nanita knocked in the first run with an RBI single before Hultzen issued bases-loaded walks to Danny Perales and Paul Phillips. Brian Sweeney replaced Hultzen and walked Brian Bocock to push Las Vegas’ lead to 4-0.
Luke Hughes had two of the 51s’ five hits. Starter Bill Murphy (6-5) went six innings, allowing five hits and one run.