RENO, Nev. – Feeling reenergized after a series at Greater Nevada Field that ended in a split, the Reno Aces now return to the road to face off against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, for the final time in 2026.
After dropping each of the first two games, Reno had swiped games three through five and were just three outs away from completing a series victory. However, a ninth-inning homer from Sacramento was able to erase their deficit and make sure that the set ended with both teams winning three games.
Tommy Henry’s relief performance in game five of last week’s series was so strong that it earned him weekly recognition from the Pacific Coast League as he was today named the PCL Pitcher of the Week. It is Henry’s first ever PCL weekly honor, and he is the third to earn it this season along with Kohl Drake and Jose Cabrera.
Gavin Conticello led the Aces in average for the week, hitting an astounding .556 with three runs scored, three doubles, four RBI, and a 1.278 OPS. Manuel Pena also hit the .500 point right on the dot, and Anderdson Rojas chipped in a pair of RBI to go with a .400 weekly batting average.
So far this season the two teams have played just once, with the Aces getting the better of the Space Cowboys back in Reno from April 28-May 3. All six games were decided by three runs or less, which included a trio of games that were separated by only one run.
In the grand scheme of things, these two teams have played each other only 48 times in their shared history, splitting those games evenly at 24-24 (.500). That is currently tied for the 11th fewest games in Reno history against any one opponent, and in that time, the Aces have logged a 4.80 ERA against the Space Cowboys which ranks seventh of the 19 total opponents they have played in history.
Reno’s hitting has sat more middle of the pack against Sugar Land as their .281 batting average is just minuscule points ahead of Memphis for 10th place, sitting directly in the middle of the Aces’ 19 total opponents. Despite such few games, the Aces have slugged 60 homers against Sugar Land which stands as 11th most in franchise history, and the Aces’ .833 OPS when playing the Space Cowboys stands as their seventh best in team history.
In 2026, the Aces are hitting .268 against Sugar Land, a mark which ranks eighth of nine opponents. However, their five homers stands as second fewest against any opponent while their 32 runs are ahead of only the 25 that Reno has scored against Albuquerque. However, their ERA has been much better as the 4.25 mark against Sugar Land is their second best of any opponent this season, as is their 1.25 WHIP.
After finishing the first half of the season in eighth place at 3242 (.432), just a half game ahead of Reno, the Space Cowboys have been the best team in the second half with a mark of 36-21 (.632). That record is good enough to hold a three-game lead over both Oklahoma City and Round Rock.
Since the second half of the season began on June 23, Sugar Land has posted the PCL worst batting average at .238, nearly 30 full points behind the .261 mark of El Paso in ninth place. Sugar Land has struck out 537 times, second in the PCL only to the 558 punchouts of Salt Lake.
Pitching has been what has kept the Space Cowboys afloat, logging a 3.92 ERA in the second half which trails only the 3.86 mark of Oklahoma City for the best in the PCL. Though they have allowed 58 total homers, Sugar Land’s 527 strikeouts is second to the 562 of the Comets while their 211 walks is second fewest to the 207 free passes of Round Rock.
Of the PCL hitters with at least 75 plate appearances in the second half, the top averaged belonged to Shay Whitcomb, though he is now with the River Cats in Sacramento. César Salazar now takes that mantle with a .313 average to go with four homers and 14 RBI in just 80 total at-bats. The Space Cowboys then do not own another player in the top 50 second half batting averages.
However, it is a different story when it comes to pitching as Josh Hendrickson has gone 4-1 with a 3.64 ERA and 39 strikeouts to only seven walks, the third-best ERA of PCL pitchers with seven or more starts in the second half. Next up is Ethan Pecko, who is 2-3 in this time with a 6.00 ERA.
After MLB Pipeline’s mid-season rankings adjustments, Sugar Land hosts five of Houston’s top-30 prospects, all of whom are led by the current No. 8 prospect in Bryce Mayer. So far, the right-handed tosser has worked to a 1-1 record in four starts with a 5.12 ERA. The top position player is outfielder and No. 12 prospect Lucas Spence who is batting just .203 in 37 games with five doubles, one triple, three homers, and 21 RBI.
This series gets underway tonight from Constellation Field at 5:05 p.m. PT.