Diaz Punches Out 13, Reno Drops Series Opener to Albuquerque

Reno Aces (30-21, 65-61) 2, Albuquerque Isotopes (24-28, 50-77) 6

W: C. Adams (4-4) L: B. Hughes (1-1)

First pitch: 6:22 p.m. PST | Attendance: 8,070 | Time: 2:30 ( :47 delay)

Albuquerque, New Mexico – Rio Grande Credit Union Field

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Next time out: @ Albuquerque, 8/28/24 at 5:35 p.m. (PST)

(RNO) RHP Humberto Castellanos (5-1, 4.17 ERA) vs. (ABQ) LHP Carson Palmquist (1-0, 4.95 ERA)

Albuquerque, New Mexico. – Yilber Diaz delivered a dominant 13-strikeout performance on the mound, but it wasn’t enough as the Reno Aces (30-21, 65-61) fell to the Albuquerque Isotopes (24-28, 50-77), the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, in a 6-2 loss in Tuesday’s series opener at Rio Grande Union Field.

Diaz tossed 6 2/3 frames while matching a season-high in punchouts. The promising prospect was lights out, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits without walking a batter. Notably, he sat down the first 10 batters he faced before allowing a double to Sean Bouchard in the fourth. The 24-year-old has enjoyed an efficient month of August, posting a 2.82 ERA with an incredible 29:4 K: BB in 22 1/3 innings of work.

Yilber Diaz: Simply Spectacular pic.twitter.com/xKNHbs47cw

— Reno Aces (@Aces) August 28, 2024

Blaze Alexander came through with a huge two-RBI double that hit off the wall in centerfield in the eighth inning to tie the ball game at 2-2. Alexander has started to turn it on, going 5-for-11 with three RBI in the past two matchups.

Neyfy Castillo, who made his Triple-A debut tonight, collected his first hit as a member of the Aces, a line-drive single into centefield off Ty Blach in the top of the third. Castillo slashed .215/.285/.376 with five home runs and 19 RBI 149 at bats with Double-A Amarrillo before his promotion.

Reno will look to bounceback in Wednesday’s matchup against the Albuquerque Isotopes, with the first pitch scheduled for 5:35 p.m. PT.

Aces Notables

• Blaze Alexander: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
• Yilber Diaz: 6/2 IP, 2 R/ 1 ER, 0 BB, 13 K

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