Pitching betrays 51s in loss to Isotopes

At one point, the 51s were leading by four runs. They had scored at least a run in each of the first three innings and starter Adam Wilk was cruising.

But from there, it went downhill.

Wilk unraveled, giving back that lead and more, and the bullpen helped put the game out of reach as the Albuquerque Isotopes went on to win 11-7 on Thursday night at Cashman Field.

“The way the game started, I thought that we had a really good chance of winning that ballgame, but just unfortunately, our pitchers couldn’t stop the bleeding and paid for it,” Las Vegas manager Pedro Lopez said.

Wilk didn’t allow a hit until the third.

By that point, the 51s had staked themselves to a three-run lead with Travis Taijeron driving in the first run in the first and Desmond Jennings hitting a two-run homer in the second.

They added another run in the third on a Josh Rodriguez single to left, driving in Amed Rosario.

But in the fourth, Wilk gave up his first two runs on a Rafael Ynoa RBI triple and a Daniel Castro groundout that drove in Ynoa.

An inning later, Mike Tauchman reset the ballgame with a two-run homer to tie the score.

“I think he did a pretty good job the first three innings of keeping himself down, and he was down in the strike zone. The last two he kind of got away a little bit,” 51s catcher Xorge Carrillo said. “(He) got behind in the count, and they were able to capitalize on his mistakes, but I think he battled pretty good. He battled pretty good through a tough lineup and a tough day.”

The sixth started with a Ynoa single and Castro double to end Wilk’s night.

Lopez signaled for Beck Wheeler, who couldn’t limit the damage.

Wheeler gave up the inherited runner and two of his own in the inning. He gave up two more in the seventh.

“He was just inconsistent with his command,” Lopez said. “I think everybody that came out of the bullpen tonight was just too inconsistent and made too many mistakes against a good hitting club.”

From there, the 51s couldn’t come back from the sudden six-run deficit, though they did finish with 17 hits.

Carrillo led the offense with a 4-for-4 night. He scored two runs and hit a home run in the eighth while lifting his batting average 82 points.

Carrillo, who started the season as the team’s backup catcher, has seen consistent playing time since Kevin Plawecki was called up last week by the New York Mets and seems to be settling in at the plate.

“I think the fact that I’m getting a little more repetition, I’m getting an opportunity to play every day right now, that’s playing a big factor for me,” Carrillo said. “I’m feeling a little more comfortable, and I’m trying to grind it out while the opportunity lasts.”

Dominic Smith had three hits, and Jennings, Rosario and Rodriguez each had two, and though the offense scored a run apiece in the eighth and ninth, it couldn’t overcome the hole the pitching had put it in.

“At this level, you expect guys to go out there and perform, and they’ve got to execute their pitches, but we also have to keep in mind that we’re facing good competition. It’s not like we’re talking candy away from a kid,” Lopez said. “We’ve got to earn it. We’ve got to make good pitches, and the same way, when we’re hitting and we’re defending, we’ve got to make good plays and we’ve got to get good pitches in order for us to do some damage.”

Up next

Who: Albuquerque Isotopes at Las Vegas 51s

When: 7:05 p.m. Friday

Where: Cashman Field

Starters: Jeff Hoffman (0-2, 5.14 ERA), Isotopes, vs. Ricky Knapp (1-1, 4.91 ERA)

Next five

Saturday: Albuquerque at Las Vegas, 7:05 p.m.

Sunday: Albuquerque at Las Vegas, 12:05 p.m.

Monday: Albuquerque at Las Vegas, 7:05 p.m.

Tuesday: Tacoma at Las Vegas, 7:05 p.m.

Wednesday: Tacoma at Las Vegas, 7:05 p.m.

Update