After rapping out 11 hits to score 11 runs Thursday, Las Vegas lost the next two games of the series against Oklahoma City scoring just 7 runs over the two games. In Friday night’s game, starter Tyler Pill gave up 3 in the second on 3 hits and a walk. The 51s came back with 2 in the bottom of the inning, funnily enough, also on 3 hits and a walk, but couldn’t get the tying run in. In the top of the third, Pill surrendered a tw0-out home run to Dodgers center fielder Chris Heisey, which was matched in the bottom of the inning by an Alex Castellanos solo shot, also with two-out. Pill gave up a two-run home run to first baseman Andy Wilkins before leaving the game after 6 innings of work. The 51s managed only two singles over the last 6 inning of the game.
On Saturday night, Matthew Bowman started strong, giving up just one unearned run in the second due to a throwing error by shortstop Wilfredo Tovar. Bowman was charged with a questionable balk which drew protest from Vegas catcher Dan Rohlfing and manager Wally Backman. Bowman gave up one more run in the 5th, via a double and a single.
The Vegas offense put some hits together in the bottom of the 5th, scoring 3 times to take a 4-2 lead. Tovar led off with a walk, and Bowman hit a slow ground ball to short and ran it out for an infield hit. T.J. Rivera drove in a run with his third hit of the night. Matt Reynolds followed with an RBI groundout, and then Brandon Allen came up with a two-out single to plate the 4th run.
Things got out of hand in the 7th though when Bowman allowed 4 consecutive batters to reach base. Two singles, a walk and a wild pitch led up to pinch hitter Brian Burgamy doubling in 2 to tie the game at 4-4. Bowman departed after 6.1 innings and John Church came on in relief. A passed ball by Rohlfing allowed the go-ahead run to score before second baseman Darnell Sweeney skied a ball to right for a sac fly to drive in the final run. The final was OKC 6, Vegas 4.
T.J. Rivera is 5-8 in the series so far with 2 hits on Friday and 3 on Friday. He is hitting at a .400 clip going 10-25 since he was called up from Binghamton a week ago.
Las Vegas will send Darin Gorski to the mound on Sunday to try to even the series at two games apiece.