Isotopes erupt in seventh, rout 51s
Chin-lung Hu hit a three-run homer and Russ Mitchell had a two-run shot in Albuquerque's seven-run seventh inning Friday night as the Isotopes routed the 51s 10-4 in a Pacific Coast League game in Albuquerque, N.M.
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jesse Litsch was making his third minor league rehabilitation start and first with the 51s. Litsch, a 13-game winner in 2008 who had elbow ligament replacement surgery in June, gave up eight runs on 11 hits and no walks in 6 2/3 innings.
Jay Gibbons' two-run homer in the first accounted for all of the runs for the Isotopes (20-19) until the seventh.
Jesus Merchan and Brett Wallace had RBI hits in the fifth for Las Vegas (18-24), and Chris Aguila and Jarrett Hoffpauir had run-scoring hits in the 51s' sixth.
James McDonald (3-1) held Las Vegas to four runs on nine hits and no walks in seven innings. He struck out eight.
