River Cats lose steam, fall to Express 6-1
River Cats lose steam, fall to Express 6-1
Offense falls flat, Sacramento splits series in Round Rock
Round Rock, TX - The Sacramento River Cats (40-55) fell 6-1 in the fourth and final game of their series with the Round Rock Express (48-47). After winning the previous two games behind timely hitting and strong pitching, the River Cats got neither Sunday night in the decisive final game, splitting their 10th series this season.
The Express came out steaming, pushing two runs across in the first inning against starter Joan Gregorio. The right-hander threw 24 pitches in the first frame, giving up two hits, walking one and committing his third balk in as many games. In the series, the team that scored first won each time.
In the first three games of the series, Sacramento starters had given up only four earned runs over 18.2 innings pitched, whereas as the bullpen had allowed eight runs in 10 innings. Tonight, however, the Express jumped on Gregorio early and the River Cats could not keep up.
Gregorio would toil through his next four innings, allowing five runs on five hits while striking out four. The San Francisco Giants 19th ranked prospect according to MLB.com, Gregorio struggled getting ahead in the count, allowing a season-high five walks tonight. The right-hander finished the night throwing a total of 95 pitches, 51 going for strikes (54%), his lowest percentage of any outing this year.
The River Cats tried to keep pace with the Express, but despite getting four men on base in the first two innings, were unable to drive any of them in. First baseman Travis Ishikawa knocked in the lone run for the River Cats tonight, his 17th of the year and eighth this month.
Center fielder Gorkys Hernandez extended his hitting streak to eight games in the losing effort and is now hitting .300 (10-for-30) with six RBI and six runs scored over that span. Second baseman Ali Castillo came into tonight one for his last 11, but was able to break out of his slump finishing 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored.
After averaging more than 11 hits in the first three games, Sacramento struggled tonight, registering seven base hits and finishing 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. This marks the fourth time in which the River Cats have gone on to split a series after holding a two games to one advantage.
The River Cats will hit the road tomorrow to open up the one and only series against the New Orleans Zephyrs. On the hill for Sacramento will be left-hander Ty Blach (9-5, 3.50), looking to earn his seventh road win. New Orleans has yet to announce their starter. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m. (PT) and 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.