RENO, Nev. – After nearly taking each of the first two games, including a dominant 6-1 victory in game two, the Reno Aces could not keep up that momentum as the Tacoma Rainiers, Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, snatched a 5-1 series victory last week.
Reno had nearly snagged a 2-0 edge in the series after the first two games, dominating game two behind solid pitching and a pair of homers after nearly pulling off the comeback bid in the series opener. However, the Aces could score no more than three times in each of the following four games, all of which resulted in losses.
Despite having entered the series with a mark of 9-5 on the season, the 5-1 series margin in favor of Tacoma means that the Rainers captured the season series between the two teams for the fourth straight season, this year by an 11-10 margin.
During their series opener on Aug. 11, the Aces showed their muscle by hitting four homers but the Rainiers rallied with eight straight runs to eventually secure an 8-7 decision.
Reno raced out to an early 4-0 lead, scoring once in each of the first three innings including twice in the second. LuJames Groover got the action going with an RBI single in the first in front of a pair of homers, a two-run blast from Gavin Conticello in the second and a solo shot from Adrian Del Castillo in the third.
What allowed the Reno offense to build their lead was the starting effort from Yu-Min Lin, who had retired each of the first nine batters he faced including a trio of strikeouts.
Reno continued its power surge in search of a comeback bid, the first from Jose Fernandez with a solo shot in the seventh. One inning later in the eighth and it was Arizona’s No. 1 prospect Demetrio Crisantes leaving the yard for the first time at Triple-A, crushing a 2-1 fastball a total of 390 feet over the wall in left center.
Despite the four home runs, the third time this season that Reno has slugged four or more big flies, the Aces suffered the loss which drops them to 19-14 when hitting multiple homers and 39-34 when hitting at least one home run. It was just one shy of the season-best five homers that Reno has reached on two occasions, the last on July 24 against Tacoma.
Reno’s pitching staff kept the bats of the Tacoma Rainiers in check nearly all game on Aug. 12 while the Aces’ offense used a trio of two-run frames, including a pair of homers, to lock down a 6-1 win in game two of their series.
Pavin Smith struck first and broke the game’s scoreless tie in the third inning with a two-out homer, his third of the season. That blast ensured that Reno did not waste an inning-opening bunt single from Kristian Robinson, who was standing on second base after his 17th stolen base of the season.
The single also extended Robinson’s active on-base streak to 30 games, the second Ace this season to reach that mark this season along with LuJames Groover, who had a 36-game streak from April 3 through May 16. Robinson is just the 11th Ace in team history to record an on-base streak of 30 games or better, while he and Groover are the first pair of teammates to do it in over a decade since Tony Abreu and Cole Gillespie achieved the feat in 2011.
While the offense was building the lead, Reno starter Tommy Henry was dancing out of danger but ultimately made it through five run-free frames with five hits allowed, two walks and two strikeouts. Henry has been used to facing Tacoma as this outing marked his 13th career start against Tacoma, which is tied for third most of all pitchers since 2005.
For the third time in nine August games the Aces tallied a multi-home run game, as A.J. Vukovich added the other Reno blast when he slugged his ninth homer of the season with one out in the eighth inning. Scoring on the play was Gavin Conticello, who had doubled immediately in front of Vukovich.
For a second straight game the Aces launched two homers, but those dingers failed to bail Reno out of an early deficit as the Rainiers grabbed game three of their set by a 6-3 final on Aug. 13.
Reno hit the scoreboard for the first time in the fourth when they joined the home run party as Jose Fernandez capitalized on a two-out single from LuJames Groover by launching his seventh homer of the Triple-A campaign.
Dingers continued as the two teams traded solo shots starting with Lazaro Montes’ ninth homer of the year, but Gavin Conticello hammered the first pitch he saw with two outs in the top of the fifth for his sixth of the season.
The Reno offense was stymied and unable to overcome an early deficit from the long ball on Aug. 14, falling to Tacoma by a 6-1 final in game four of the series.
Offensively, the Aces struggled with only three hits in the loss as Kristian Robinson, Manuel Pena, and Danny Serretti each recorded singles. Jose Fernandez drove in the lone run of the game on an RBI groundout. This loss snapped g Reno’s nine-game streak of hitting at least one home run.
Manuel Pena’s RBI single helped the Aces avoid a shutout, but that lone run was all Reno could manage in a 5-1 loss to the Rainiers in game five of their series on Aug. 15.
For a second straight night the Aces were held to a single tally, scoring once in the top of the sixth courtesy of a Manuel Pena single into right with one out. Scoring on the play for Reno was Demetrio Crisantes, who had kicked off the frame with a triple.
Beginning a rehab appearance with Reno was former longtime Ace Drey Jameson, who struck out the side while allowing one hit in the bottom of the eighth.
Reno had the chance to end the series on a high note by taking a one-run lead into the bottom of the ninth, but a single and homer handed Tacoma a 4-3 walk-off victory on Aug. 16 in the set finale.
After entering the eighth down a run, Kristian Robinson quickly knotted things for the Aces with one out by crushing his 12th home run of the year in solo fashion. Anderdson Rojas kept the line moving with a single and promptly swiped second base, scoring on a two-out double from Demetrio Crisantes into left field to give Reno the lead.
Reno had taken the game’s initial lead in the top of the second when A.J. Vukovich, who had singled earlier with one out, was forced home on a bases loaded walk to Robinison.
All five Aces hits came from different bats, which included a trio of singles from Rojas, Vukovich and Danny Serretti in addition to the Crisantes double and Robinson home run.
The six hits from Robinson were the most on the Aces this week, three of which came during the Saturday night defeat on Aug. 15. He finished the week hitting .316 with a homer and two RBI. Christian Cerda’s .375 average was the best on Reno, though he had just eight at-bats and was 3-for-8 with a run scored. Each Conticello and Fernandez slugged a pair of homers, the latter driving in a team-best four RBI over the week.
Reno now continues its longest road trip of the season, as they remain on the road for one more week to battle the Salt Lake Bees in Utah beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 5:35 p.m. PT.