Bart, Davis power River Cats to victory in Kazmir’s return

West Sacramento, CA. — On the night of their 2019 Triple-A National Championship celebration, the Sacramento River Cats had everything working, downing the visiting Salt Lake Bees on a 103-degree Friday night.

Catcher Joey Bart, right fielder Jaylin Davis, and third baseman Mitchell Tolman powered the offense, combining to go 6-for-11 with 7 RBIs.

Bart started the scoring in the second with his seventh home run of the season. Four batters after the solo shot, Tolman singled past diving Salt Lake shortstop Jack Mayfield to plate first baseman Joe McCarthy. Bart made it 3-0 the next inning with an RBI single to score shortstop Thairo Estrada.

One swing by Davis turned a close game into a blow out. After two singles and an error loaded the bases, Davis cleared them with a shot to left-center for his third homer of his rehab stint, and the River Cats’ fourth grand slam of the season.

Left-hander Scott Kazmir was solid in his return to Triple-A. The three-time AL All Star struck out four across 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing two walks and three hits.

Right-hander Gerson Garabito (0-1, 4.50 ERA) pitches in his second Triple-A game on Saturday. He’ll take on Salt Lake righty Jaime Barria (1-1, 3.20 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (PT). Listen to all of the action live online at rivercats.com, and on the *MiLB First Pitch app. *

Additional Notes

• Tolman was a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk and RBI, his first three-hit game for Sacramento.
• McCarthy had his 18-game hitting streak broken with an 0-for-2 day. The mark tied infielder Kelby Tomlinson’s 2018 record for the River Cats’ best as an affiliate of the Giants.
• Salt Lake put pressure on Sacramento in the middle innings with a run in the sixth off righty Camilo Doval (1-0), and two in the seventh on Matt Thaiss’ home run against left-hander Luis Gonzalez.
• Sacramento reliever Jay Jackson had a solid 2021 debut. The 33-year-old struck out two of three batters in a perfect eighth inning.