Blackburn unstable against Isotopes in loss

West Sacramento, CA - The Sacramento River Cats (34-48) came into Friday night's game looking to win their fifth straight for the first time this season, but the Albuquerque Isotopes (31-50) had other plans. The Isotopes tagged River Cats' starter Clayton Blackburn for seven runs in the first three innings, putting Sacramento in a bind they couldn't escape. 

Blackburn (5-6, 5.01) came into tonight's game looking to bounce back from a rather forgettable last start in Las Vegas. The 23-year-old right-hander retired the first five he faced with little resistance, but an errant pitch caught Albuquerque's Alex Castellanos on the forearm and it was all downhill from there. The Isotopes scored three times with two outs in the second inning and added on another four in the third to jump out to a 7-0 lead.

For Blackburn, tonight marked his second straight start allowing at least seven runs and his third straight giving up at least seven hits. In just seven innings over his last two starts, he has allowed a combined 18 runs (16 earned) on 15 hits and five walks. The rough outings follow a stretch where Blackburn was in complete control on the mound. In his six starts prior to his last outing in Las Vegas, Blackburn had a 1.83 ERA in 39.1 innings. He was 4-1 over that span with a 33:7 K:BB ratio.

Taking over in the sixth inning, the River Cats bullpen combined for four scoreless innings. Romo pitched a perfect eighth inning, striking out one in his seventh appearance with the River Cats. He was originally placed on the disabled list by San Francisco on April 14 and has been rehabbing a right flexor strain for nearly two months.

After Romo, Tyler Rogers made his Triple-A debut, throwing a scoreless ninth inning. The submarine-throwing right-hander induced four weak groundballs - one that went for an infield single - on 14 pitches (10 strikes). Rogers had posted a 1-1 record with an 0.77 ERA in 35 innings for Double-A Richmond prior to being promoted. He struck out 24, walked eight, and recorded 10 saves in 11 opportunities.

The River Cats looked like they were going to turn the game into an offense-first affair in the bottom half of the third inning, loading the bases with nobody out. Ali Castillo singled on a groundball through the hole at shortstop to put the River Cats on the board, but a strikeout by Ryan Lollis, a pop up from Andrew Susac, and a fly out off the bat of Travis Ishikawa killed the rally. The offense struggled to maintain any kind of consistency in the contest, grounding into three double plays and going just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position whiles leaving seven men on base.

Game three will feature River Cats win-leader Ty Blach (7-5, 4.23) against Albuquerque's Shane Carle (3-6, 5.65). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (PT) and the game can be heard live online at rivercats.com and on the air on ESPN 1320.

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The Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the 2014 World Champion San Francisco Giants. The team plays at Raley Field in West Sacramento, consistently voted one of the top ballparks in America. River Cats Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the 2016 season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). For more information about the River Cats, visit www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.