Offense springs to life for 51s

Terry Tiffee and John Lindsey have pretty much carried the 51s on offense this season, but several teammates joined the party Sunday.

John-Ford Griffin and George Lombard had three hits and two RBIs apiece, Xavier Paul drilled a three-run double and A.J. Ellis belted a two-run triple for the 51s, who finished with 17 hits in a 13-5 romp over the Sacramento River Cats at Cashman Field.

Las Vegas (8-9), which pulled within a game of defending Triple-A and Pacific Coast League champion Sacramento (9-8) in the Pacific Southern, has exploded for 22 runs and 35 hits in two victories over the River Cats after mustering only four runs in three losses at league-leading Salt Lake.

The 51s are 0-7 against Salt Lake and 8-2 against the rest of the PCL.

"We're not hitting a lot of home runs or anything, but we're doing the little things right now," 51s manager Lorenzo Bundy said. "It's good to see some other guys contribute other than Terry Tiffee and John Lindsey."

Ellis said, "We were just attacking the (strike) zone the whole time."

Tiffee, who went 4-for-5 with the winning RBI double in Saturday's 9-8 victory over Sacramento in 10 innings, was 1-for-5 Sunday as his league-leading average dropped from .533 to .508. Lindsey went 3-for-5 to lift his average to .345.

Big league journeyman Jason Johnson (1-2, 9.87 ERA) got his first win for the 51s, allowing two solo homers, six hits and three walks in six innings while striking out four.

The 6-foot-6-inch right-hander, who escaped a bases-loaded jam during a 29-pitch first inning, was rocked in his first three starts, allowing 17 runs on 23 hits in 11 1/3 innings.

"Jason went out with the mentality he was going to be aggressive today," Bundy said. "He stayed hard most of the game and threw a lot of fastballs. We knew he was a lot better pitcher than we've seen in his first three starts."

Ellis' second-inning triple staked Johnson to a 2-0 lead. Griffin hit a two-run double over first base in the third to make it 4-0. He raised his average from .170 to .212.

"I've been trying to press too hard to get back in a groove," Griffin admitted. "With the lineup we've got, it's a lot easier for me to relax and be more selective with pitches.

"We've got guys in our lineup, one through nine, who can hit .300 at any level. When we click, it's a dangerous sight."

Paul, the team's top positional prospect in center field, doubled to clear the bases during a five-run fifth inning that gave the 51s a 9-1 lead.

"I'm starting to feel a little bit more comfortable at the plate," said Paul, who is hitting .186 but has four hits in his last two games. "That's big for me right now. I really need that, not just for my average but to give me a little boost mentally."

Lindsey added an RBI single in the fifth and Lombard had a two-run double in the seventh.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.