Jensen sinks 51s late

In the first three games of the series, Reno center fielder Mitch Haniger hit five home runs against the 51s.

Monday, the 51s were able to hold Haniger in check.

But while they were doing that, first baseman Kyle Jensen went off for a pair of home runs of his own, sending the Aces to a 3-2 victory over the 51s at Cashman Field.

“He was basically their whole offense. Between him and Haniger, I think it it was Jensen’s … 24th RBI on the season against us and Haniger’s hit nine home runs,” manager Wally Backman said. “I mean that’s been the whole season against Reno.”

Jensen’s first home run of the night came off starter Ricky Knapp in the seventh inning and broke a 1-1 tie.

His second came against Paul Sewald in the ninth, breaking a 2-2 tie.

“They have a murderers row there in the middle of their order,” Knapp said. “I made a bad pitch to Jensen and he made me pay, just like what happened to Paul there at the end of the game.”

Knapp, who was called up from Class-A Advanced St. Lucie to make a spot start, limited one of the top lineups in the Pacific Coast League to just the two runs on six hits in seven innings.

Prior to Monday, he had made just one start above Class-A Advanced in his career — a spot start earlier in the season for Double-A Binghamton — and so when he found out Saturday that’d he’d be coming to Triple-A, he was a little shocked.

“I got a call from our pitching coach saying that I was going to be coming to Vegas and my first reaction action was like ‘No, this guy is just kind of messing with me,” Knapp said.

But with Sean Gilmartin in New York to see a doctor for his sore shoulder, Knapp got his chance and after it, Backman said he thought Knapp would stay with the 51s for the time being.

“He gave our offense an opportunity to score enough runs to win a ball game tonight,” Backman said.

The 51s scored in the first inning on a Dilson Herrera home run and then were held mostly silent with few opportunities until the eighth.

Shortly after a T.J. Rivera double drove in Eric Campbell to tie the game 2-2 in the eighth, the 51s had runners on the corner with just one out with Matt Reynolds at the plate.

Reynolds grounded back to the pitcher and didn’t run it out, allowing the Aces to turn a double play and ending the opportunity.

“When you’re struggling, you can’t let your struggles affect the way that you play the game and the one thing that every player in that clubhouse is supposed to do is hustle and that cost us a run and it was partly the reason that cost us the game,” Backman said.

After the 51s failed to score in the bottom of the eighth, Jensen’s home run in the next half inning provided the dagger in the loss.

The loss was their third in four games against Reno and sends the 51s out on a four-day, five-game road trip to Fresno just a game over .500 at 51-50.

“We’ve got to play better baseball,” Backman said.

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