Alvarez Grand Slam Propels Cats to Victory 

SALT LAKE CITY – The Sacramento River Cats scored all their runs on Thursday in grand fashion, as Armando Alvarez clubbed a grand slam that provided just enough juice for Sacramento to snatch a win from the Salt Lake Bees by a 4-3 final.

Neither team got much going through the first two frames, but the River Cats (66-80) broke through in a big way during the third starting with a single from Wade Meckler and a Casey Schmitt walk. A second free pass from Bees (68-78) starter Robinson Pina (1-2) loaded the bases, setting the stage for Armando Alvarez to crush his 18th homer of the campaign to left field on a 2-2 pitch for the 4-0 advantage.

That blast was the first grand slam of the season for Alvarez but the ninth by Sacramento, which is tied for their second most in a single season since 2005 along with the nine they crushed in the 2012 season. However, they remain two shy of the 11 they totaled during the 2006 campaign.

Though the River Cats tallied just one more hit from that point forward, the pitching picked up the slack by warding off big innings and keeping Salt Lake to just a single run in each of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Sacramento starter Mason Black (3-4) carried the team through the fifth, allowing his only run on consecutive extra-base hits in a triple by Chris Okey and an RBI double by Preston Palmeiro. Black left in line for the win despite that tally, allowing four hits while striking out four.

The duo of Darien Nunez and Melvin Adon combined to get through the sixth but allowed a run, while Juan Sanchez and Parker Dunshee each worked a complete clean frame in the seventh and eighth. All four collected a hold for their outings.

Last in line was Erik Miller, who had to work for his save after he had punched out two of the first three hitters he faced. A single after a defensive indifference produced the only run Miller allowed, as he was able to come back and induce a groundout to preserve the 4-3 win for the River Cats. It was the 13th time that Miller locked down a victory, the most Sacramento saves since Fernando Abad generated 13 in 2019.

Doing all the damage on the night was Alvarez with his grand slam, but he otherwise finished 1-for-3. Logging a multi-hit game was Meckler from the leadoff spot, as he was 2-for-4 with a run and a walk.

Sacramento will look to make it two in a row when they line up across from the Bees for game four of this series on Friday, with first pitch at Smith’s Ballpark at 5:35 p.m. PT.