51s blow six-run lead, lose in 10th inning at El Paso

The 51s finished one game out of first place a season ago.

If that happens again in September, they will have two losses from May to look back on as games that got away.

For the second straight game, the 51s staked themselves to a large lead. And for the second straight game, they saw it slip away and turn into an ugly loss.

On Thursday in El Paso, Texas, Las Vegas watched a six-run lead disappear before losing 7-6 to the Chihuahuas in 10 innings on a walk-off wild pitch by Chasen Bradford.

A day before, it was a five-run lead that turned into a disastrous 17-6 blowout.

“(I’m) disappointed in the pitching tonight,” 51s manager Wally Backman said. “That’s two nights in a row we’ve given them a big lead.”

The 51s (13-13) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on Brandon Nimmo’s first home run of the season.

In the sixth, they capitalized on a missed El Paso double play, scoring four runs as part of a five-run inning that gave them a 6-0 lead.

But the 51s gave part of the lead back in the bottom half, when Carlos Asuaje led off and reached second on a throwing error by shortstop Matt Reynolds.

The Chihuahuas (12-14) capitalized on their opportunity, tagging starter Seth Lugo for four runs in the inning to cut their deficit to 6-4.

After Reynolds’ error, Lugo gave up hits to three of the next four batters — including a two-run homer to Hunter Renfroe — before he was yanked.

“When you’re given a lead like that and you go out and give up four runs — if you put a zero up, it just knocks all the wind out of the other (team), but you’ve got to want to be out there in that situation,” Backman said. “I’m not saying guys don’t want to be out there, but I think we’ve got to be a little more competitive in those situations.”

In the seventh, the Chihuahuas tied the score 6-6 with two runs off Jeff Walters.

“I know it’s a long season, but you look back at these games and we win the first two games and then we have … big leads where (when) we get to our bullpen, we’re supposed to be able to close it out and we couldn’t do it,” Backman said.

He didn’t like it, either.

“We could have swept the series on the road, and to be 2-2 on this road trip, I’m totally dissatisfied,” Backman said.

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