Javier Strikes Out Six In Second Rehab Outing With Sugar Land

RHP Cristian Javier recorded six strikeouts, but the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (30-39) fell 8-3 to the Albuquerque Isotopes (36-34) in the opener of a six-game series on Tuesday night at Rio Grande Credit Union Field.

Sugar Land jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. Trenton Brooks worked a walk and Shay Whitcomb followed with a single, putting runners on the corners. CJ Alexander then lined an RBI single to right field to open the scoring. After Zach Dezenzo drew a walk, Pascanel Ferreras came to the plate and was hit by a pitch, forcing in the second run of the contest for Sugar Land. Carlos Pérez then lifted a sacrifice fly to left, extending the Space Cowboys lead to 3-0.

Cashing in early🚀 Space Cowboys take the early lead! pic.twitter.com/7QaPFGDOU9

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) June 17, 2026

Javier turned in 3.1 innings in his rehab outing, facing one over the minimum in his first two frames while striking out five. Following a 1-2-3, Javier surrendered a double and a homer before a one-out walk ended his outing. The right-hander recorded his highest strikeout total across any level this season, fanning six total batters

Javier wraps up the first with his second punchout🌬️ #Ascend pic.twitter.com/YpPflCMi6Q

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) June 17, 2026

A two-RBI double later in the fourth helped the Isotopes move in front 4-3 after four frames. Albuquerque added two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, pushing their advantage to 8-3.

The Space Cowboys received a strong effort out of the bullpen from RHP Sam Carlson, who tossed 2.0 perfect innings, striking out four. Sugar Land was able to make one final rally in the ninth, loading up the bases with three walks, putting the potential tying run on deck, but a groundout ended the game.

NOTABLE:

• RHP Cristian Javier tossed 3.1 innings on Tuesday night, allowing four hits and three runs while striking out six. Javier threw 63 pitches, 37 for strikes and topped out at 94.0 mph.
• Pascanel Ferreras went 1-for-3 with a walk, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Since June 1, Ferreras ranks second in the Pacific Coast League in both batting average (.447) and on-base percentage (.523). He also ranks seventh in slugging percentage (.658), sixth in OPS (1.181) and fifth in hits (17) during that span.
• Zach Dezenzo went 2-for-3 with a walk on Tuesday night recording consecutive multi-hit games for the first time with Sugar Land this season. Over his last two games, Dezenzo is 4-for-6 with two walks and a run scored.
• RHP Sam Carlson tossed multiple innings for the third time this season and for the first time since April 23 against Round Rock. Carlson has now posted scoreless outings in back-to-back appearances.

The Space Cowboys will look to bounce back in game two of their six-game series on Wednesday night as Sugar Land will throw LHP Colton Gordon while Albuquerque will throw RHP Valente Bellozo, with first pitch set for 7:35 pm CT. The game can be seen on the Bally Sports Live app and MiLB.TV and can be heard online anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com/Listen.

ABOUT THE SUGAR LAND SPACE COWBOYS:

The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros and compete in the Pacific Coast League. They began play as the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021 and began playing under the Space Cowboys brand in 2022, winning their first Triple-A title in 2024 by clinching both the Pacific Coast League Championship and Triple-A National Championship. The Space Cowboys play at Constellation Field, located at the corner of Hwy-6 and US-90 Alternate in Sugar Land, Texas. Follow the team on Twitter (@SLSpaceCowboys), Instagram (@slspacecowboys), Facebook (SLSpaceCowboys) and their official website (slspacecowboys.com). Season ticket plans for the 2026 season are available now and can be purchased at slspacecowboys.com/tickets.