RENO, Nev. – The Reno Aces will take the field for the final time in 2026, set to close out the campaign with six games against their closest regional rival in the Sacramento River Cats, Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, beginning on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. PT.
Last week the Albuquerque Isotopes were able to snag the first two games, both by three runs or less including a one-run win in game one, but the Aces returned the favor and leveled the set with victories of 3-2 and 6-5 in games three and four. However, Albuquerque controlled the final two games, winning by five runs or more in both outings.
The seven total hits by A.J. Vukovich led the way for Reno on the week, though he batted just .280 after taking 25 at-bats with two doubles and a pair of RBI. Trent Youngblood was a combined 3-for-6 in the first two games of his Triple-A career, while Pavin Smith had the highest average of those with 10 or more at bats by batting .462 with five runs scored, a double, a homer, and two RBI.
This season, the Aces and River Cats have met in three prior series, splitting the first and third six while Sacramento snatched a 4-2 series win in their second set of the season. The first series between the two came back in Sacramento from May 5-10 before the River Cats grabbed the set victory in Reno from May 26-31. The season series advantage thus sits in favor of the River Cats at 10-8, who also hold the edge in the all-time series by a 162-153 margin.
Since these two teams last met from Aug. 25-30, Sacramento has logged just a 3-9 record in their subsequent 12 games. That is the worst mark in the PCL in that time, sitting one game behind the Sugar Land Space Cowboys who have gone 4-8 in the past two weeks.
Pitching has not been the issue for the River Cats, as their 3.93 ERA is the third best in the league over that span. Though their 100 strikeouts ranks just fifth best in the league, they have limited their walks leading them to post the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio at 2.63.
Sacramento also has a top half batting average in the league over the past two weeks with their .261 average ranking fourth, two spots ahead of Reno in sixth at .244. Despite that average, it has failed to generate runs as the River Cats have scored only 47 runs, last in the PCL. Part of that issue is the face that Reno has grounded into 14 double plays, three more than any other PCL squad.
Of the PCL players with 25 or more plate appearances over the past two weeks, outfielder Bo Davidson is leading the way by hitting .355 with 11 hits, six runs scored, two doubles, two homers, and five RBI. That average stands as the 11th best in the PCL in these two weeks, with no other River Cat sitting in the top 20.
Joe Whitman has been one of the best pitchers in the PCL these past two weeks, making three starts and holding opponents to a pair of runs on 16 hits with 12 strikeouts to a duo of free passes over 21.0 innings. His 0.86 ERA ranks fourth of pitchers with two or more starts in the PCL.
Sacramento boasts three of San Francisco’s top-30 prospects even after the system re-rankings by MLB Pipeline, all of whom are led by former undrafted free agent turned No. 7 organization prospect in Davidson. For the season, Davidson is hitting .301 with 33 runs scored, 13 doubles, nine homers, 37 RBI, and a .907 OPS. Whitman checks in as the top pitcher at No. 23, sitting at 4-4 with a 3.65 ERA and 67 strikeouts for the season.
This six-game series begins on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. PT from Sutter Health Park.
Sacramento boasts three of San Francisco’s top-30 prospects even after the system re-rankings by MLB Pipeline, all of whom are led by former undrafted free agent turned No. 7 organization prospect in Davidson. For the season, Davidson is hitting .301 with 33 runs scored, 13 doubles, nine homers, 37 RBI, and a .907 OPS. Whitman checks in as the top pitcher at No. 23, sitting at 4-4 with a 3.65 ERA and 67 strikeouts for the season.
This six-game series begins on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. PT from Sutter Health Park.