RENO, Nev. – Coming off a series split in the border battle, the Reno Aces return home for round two of the Silver State Showdown, presented by America250 Nevada, against the Las Vegas Aviators, Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics this week.
The final three games of the Sacramento series were decided by just two or fewer runs in what was a well-pitched series overall. The Aces, down two-games-to-one pulled off back-to-back ninth inning victories on Friday and Saturday to ensure the split before falling in the finale.
The storyline of the week once again is LuJames Groover. The Georgia native reached base safely in all six games at Sacramento and extended his team-leading streak to 32 consecutive games, a mark that is also tied for the best in Minor League Baseball and tied for seventh-best in Aces franchise history.
On the pitching side, it’s a fellow Triple-A rookie grabbing the headlines in Mitch Bratt. The southpaw turned in another dominant start last week and has lowered his season ERA to an impressive 2.48 through seven starts.
The two of them will lead the Aces into their second series of the season with Las Vegas, looking for revenge from dropping the first meeting in mid-April. The Aviators came to Greater Nevada Field winning four of the six games and outscoring Reno, 38-32, in what was a closer series than the wins/losses reflect.
Reno outhit Las Vegas in that series, slashing .261/.357/.726 but failed to get the big hits when it mattered, leaving 49 runners on base. On the pitching side, Reno failed to prevent the big hits posting a team ERA of 5.89 despite just a 1.27 WHIP.
The BLC-Nine has had plenty of success against Vegas over the years, owning a 76-51 (.598) record against them since the start of 2021 and have won every season series over the Aviators.
Las Vegas enters the week on a three-game losing streak after dropping four of six at home against the St. Paul Saints of the International League. They are currently fourth in the PCL standings, just a single percentage points head of Reno with a 19-18 record.
The Aviators hit .286 with a team OPS of .804 last week but struggled mightily on the mound pitching to an 8.83 ERA, the worst in all of Triple-A. The pitching staff allowed a total of 56 runs in 54 innings, including three games of double-digit runs.
Individually, it is hard to argue there is a hotter hitter in the league than OF Henry Bolte. The fifth-ranked A’s prospect hit .556 with a 1.919 OPS last week including a stretch where he recorded a hit in 12 consecutive plate appearances. For the season, he is slashing .348/.418/.658 with a league-leading 12 home runs.
On the mound, the A’s 17th-ranked prospect RHP Mason Barnett has been the star, recording a 3.07 ERA and .213 opponent batting average in six starts this season. He is also coming off a start in which he tossed six shutout frames with six strikeouts last week.
Overall, the Aviators roster includes eight of the Athletics’ Top 30 prospects, per MLB Pipeline, and three of the Top 10 following the addition of recently promoted INF Tommy White.
This week’s series starts on Tuesday at Greater Nevada Field, with game one of the set getting underway at 6:05 p.m. PT.
Single-game and season tickets are currently on sale for the 2026 season. For more information, fans can visit RenoAces.com or call the ticket office at (775) 334-7000.
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