Guthrie, Chihuahuas shut down 51s in win

El Paso starter Jeremy Guthrie came into Wednesday’s game sporting an 0-5 record and an 8.40 ERA.

His counterpart, 51s starter Duane Below, entered the day 1-2 with a 6.04 ERA.

But despite the ugly numbers, the duo settled into a nice pitcher’s duel Wednesday at Cashman Field with Guthrie’s Chihuahuas ultimately getting the best of the 51s in a 4-1 victory, snapping their four-game winning streak.

“I thought Duane, our starter, threw a very good ball game,” manager Wally Backman said. “The other pitcher seemed to pitch better.”

The 51s scored off Guthrie immediately when second baseman Dilson Herrera homered to left on the first pitch he saw.

But after that home run, the 51s didn’t get another hit off Guthrie until the fifth inning and managed just four hits off him in seven innings.

“He threw fastballs away to lefties, and that’s how he got ahead of them,” Backman said. “I’ve gotta give him credit. I mean he located the ball pretty well tonight.”

Below, too, got hit a bit early, giving up a run on a pair of hits in the second and another in the third after a two-out walk, balk and double.

Backman said he didn’t think Below balked, having seen him use the same move to effectively pick off runners in the past, but he said he didn’t think it got to Below, though the next batter doubled.

That would be all Below gave up in his seven innings. Wednesday’s start was his longest of the season and it was his first quality start.

And with Below keeping the game close, the 51s had two good chances to get back in it after falling behind.

Down by one in the fifth, Ty Kelly singled to lead off the inning and Below bunted him over. A Herrera single to right gave the team runners on the corners, but a Brandon Nimmo double play ended the threat.

And in the eighth, after the Chihuahuas had tacked on an insurance run, Herrera and Nimmo walked to begin the frame before T.J. Rivera struck out on a 99-mph-fastball, Herrera was easily thrown out trying to steal third and Travis Taijeron eventually struck out to end the inning.

Herrera said he didn’t see a sign to run with Johnny Monell, a left-handed hitter in the box.

“I know maybe I (didn’t) have to do that. I don’t know what I was thinking in the moment,” Hererra said. “Now I know for next time.”

The caught stealing changed the complexion of the inning, Backman called it a poor decision. He said it was something they’d talk about, though he did laud Herrera for his aggressiveness.

“He’s the type of player that will try to make things happen and I tip my hat to guys like that,” Backman said. “(But) his run didn’t mean anything. It’s 3-1 in the eighth and you’ve got first and second and (one out), ball in the gap, you score two, you tie the game. A home run, you go ahead but after he gets thrown out at third base, now you’ve gotta have the home run to tie the game.”

He also pointed to what he called a “mental mistake” by Nimmo later in the inning, not running from second as the lead runner with two outs on a 3-2 count.

That didn’t turn out affecting the 51s, as Taijeron struck out, but it could have if he had made contact.

“A couple baserunning mistakes late in the game, I can’t say that it cost us the game, but we had chances to come back and win in that … eighth inning, but the baserunning didn’t help us out very much tonight,” Backman said.

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