Luke Mann did the heavy lifting at the plate and the Las Vegas Aviators kept rolling Friday night, while Donny Troconis turned in the kind of outing that made Stockton’s win look easy.
Las Vegas blasted past Sugar Land, 11-3, for its fifth straight victory behind Mann’s 4-for-5 night. The 26-year-old third baseman homered, doubled and drove in four runs, and he’s now batting .360 with three home runs in eight games since joining Las Vegas.
Cole Conn added a huge all-around line of his own, tripling, doubling, singling twice and scoring four runs. Jack Winkler chipped in three hits, a stolen base, a walk, an RBI and two runs scored, while Denzel Clarke went 1 for 3 with a triple, a walk and an RBI.
Joey Estes took the mound for Las Vegas and allowed three runs in 2 2/3 innings. Jared Johnson followed with 2 1/3 scoreless frames and got the win in relief.
In the Texas League, Tulsa edged Midland, 5-3, with Domingo Robles taking the loss for the RockHounds. Logan Sauve reached twice on walks, doubled, stole a base and scored a run, while Nate Nankil went 2 for 3 with a walk and Devin Taylor added a hit, a walk and a run scored. Jackson Finley worked 2.2 innings and allowed one hit and one earned run, Shohei Tomioka struck out three over two scoreless innings, and Robles gave up four earned runs in 2.1 innings.
Great Lakes got by Lansing, 3-2, as Tzu-Chen Sha was tagged with the loss. Jake Reinisch drew two walks, scored a run and went 1 for 2, Myles Naylor finished 2 for 4 with a double, and Tanner Marsh went 1 for 3.
Jose Dicochea started for Great Lakes and held Lansing to one hit and two earned runs over five innings. Riley Huge threw one-third of an inning without allowing a baserunner, and Sha surrendered one earned run in 2.2 innings.
Stockton blanked Ontario, 6-0, with Troconis leading the way on the mound. He worked 6.1 scoreless innings, giving up five hits with two walks and six strikeouts to earn the win.
Drew Burress was everywhere at the top of the lineup, going 3 for 4 with a walk, four stolen bases and two runs scored. Roman Martin reached twice, doubled, was hit by pitch twice, stole two bases, drove in two runs and scored once, and Bryan Andrade added a hit, two walks, an RBI and a run.
Mason Patel covered 1.2 innings and allowed three hits, while Kade Brown finished with a scoreless inning.
Saturday’s schedule has Sugar Land at Las Vegas at 7:05 p.m. PT, Tulsa at Midland at 5:00 p.m.
PT/7:00 p.m. CT, Lansing at Great Lakes at 4:05 p.m.
PT/7:05 p.m. ET, and Ontario at Stockton at 7:05 p.m.
PT.
In Other News...
As Let Another Home Opportunity Slip Away In Painful Loss
The Athletics kept hanging around Tuesday night at Sutter Health Park, and for a while it looked like they had found a way to turn a frustrating script into something better. Baltimore scored early and held the lead through much of the night, but Oakland got a lift from catcher Jonah Heim's home run and a strong start from Jacob Lopez, then pushed all the way back to even in the late innings.
By the time the game reached extra innings, the As had already shown enough fight to make the loss sting a little more. They tied it in the eighth and gave themselves a chance to cash in on a home field opportunity, only to come up short in a 4-3 defeat that fit too neatly into a pattern Oakland has been trying to escape. [Read more 🡒]
As Battered Pitching Staff Just Got A Needed Boost
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To open the roster spot, Oakland sent left-hander Drew Rom to Triple-A Las Vegas, a reminder of how quickly the back end of the staff has been shuffled. The A's are also weighing a possible return for Shea Langeliers, though there is little incentive to push him given where they sit in the AL West, so the immediate focus remains on surviving the stretch run with enough healthy depth to finish the season. [Read more 🡒]
As Loss Still Left One Encouraging Trend Hard To Ignore
The Athletics had enough fight to force extras against the Orioles, but not enough to finish the job in a 4-3 loss that still offered a few reasons to keep watching. Lawrence Butler pulled them level in the eighth, Jacob Lopez gave them a solid five-inning start after his return from Triple-A, and Max Muncy added a two-hit night during his third stint with the club this season.
Oaklands bullpen then kept the game within reach through four scoreless innings before the pressure finally shifted in the 10th. Even in a defeat, the broader picture around Lopez and the lineups ability to scratch back late was hard to miss, especially for a team still trying to sort out which parts of this roster can carry into the second half. [Read more 🡒]
