After the Las Vegas 51s’ (6-9) recent offensive woes, things seemed to be looking up in the bottom of the first inning Saturday night against Albuquerque. The 51s racked up four consecutive hits, three singles and a double, and plated three runs before an out was recorded. First baseman Ty Kelly and second baseman Matt Reynolds each singled before Centerfielder Roger Bernadina opened the scoring, driving in Kelly with another single. Right fielder Travis Taijeron doubled in Reynolds and Bernadina before the next three batters flied out.

Stolmy Pimentel started on the mound for Vegas and pitched well, giving up one run on four hits over the first five innings. But his offense failed to add on to their lead, letting several run-scoring opportunities go to waste. Reynolds singled and stole second to lead off the third. Bernadina walked and Taijeron singled to load the bases with no one out. Frustratingly, all three were stranded as a fly ball, a strikeout, and a pop up ended the inning.

Pimentel gave up a lead-off double to Isotopes first baseman Cody Decker in the sixth, but was able to coax a ground out and a pop up to retire the next two batters.  Manager Wally Backman opted to bring in lefty Dario Alvarez to face left-handed hitting shortstop Joey Wong, but Alvarez walked him on five pitches.

Backman then summoned righty Chase Bradford to face Albuquerque second baseman Jeff Bianchi. Bianchi singled up the middle scoring Decker.  Then a deep fly ball to center by pinch-hitter Tim Smalling was misplayed at the wall by centerfielder Brandon Nimmo. Two runners scored and Smalling ended up on third on the error. Bradford was able to get out of the inning, but the 51s now trailed 4-3. After the offense wasted two more hits in the bottom of the sixth, Bradford pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to keep it close.

In the bottom of the seventh, walks to Kelly and Bernadina gave Vegas two on and one out when pinch-hitter Nevin Ashley came up to hit for Bradford. With Ashley batting, Kelly got picked off second, but then Bernadina moved up on a steal. Ashley came through with a bouncer up the middle to drive home Bernadina with the tying run.

Josh Smoker came in to pitch the eighth and gave up a one-out double, followed by a walk and a single to load the bases. Smoker struck out pinch-hitter Chris Nelson, but uncorked a wild pitch allowing the go-ahead run to score, despite striking out three in the inning.

The 51s led off the bottom of the eight and ninth with a Gavin Cecchini double, and a Kelly single respectively, and in each case moved the runners up with well-executed sacrifice bunts by position players (Nimmo and then Reynolds). But each time the following batters struck out, and the offense failed to manufacture the tying run, as Las Vegas fell to the Isotopes by a final score of 5-4.

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Pimentel turned in a solid outing in what is likely his last start before the return of Rafael Montero to the rotation. His final line was two earned runs on five hits in 5.2 innings with three walks and three strikeouts. Kelly, Reynolds and Taijeron each had two hits and Bernadina was 1-3 with two runs scored. The first four batters in the order accounted for all but one of the hits and RBI, and all four runs scored.

Injury Note: RHP Seth Lugo was placed on the 7-day disabled list

(photos by Jennifer Nieves)