Sports stats

PCL Reno Aces

Reno Aces Notes and Roster

May 14, 2021 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Reno Aces News Release


Home Sweet Home: Reno downed the Las Vegas Aviators, 8-5, in the team's home opener after a six-run eighth inning propelled the Aces to its second comeback win of the season. Blake Lalli's squad trailed by five through five and a half innings before Reno scored eight unanswered runs to cap off its sixth victory of 2021. With the win on Thursday, Reno snapped its seven-game losing streak to Las Vegas, a skid that began on June 30, 2019.

Offensive Prowess:

The Aces' bats have come out swinging to start the 2021 campaign, registering second-best marks in Triple-A West with 14 home runs, 82 hits, 21 doubles and 56 runs scored through seven games.

Leading the charge at the plate is Jamie Ritchie, who holds the best batting average (.529) in Triple-A West among players appearing in at least four games.

Domingo Leyba sits atop the home runs and hits leaderboards this season, smacking four of his division-leading 14 hits over the fence. Leyba is also sits in second with 12 RBIs.

Seth Beer and Ritchie have drilled five doubles to start the 2021 campaign, holding a six-way tie for the second in Triple-A West

Scouting the Competition - Las Vegas Aviators: The Aviators enter the series on a four-game winning streak after losing its first two contests to Sacramento. Las Vegas outscored the River Cats, 36-26, during their victorious stretch, including nine or more runs in three games. Reno will have to watch out for a pair of top-rated prospects in Luis Barrera and Greg Deichmann, who are ranked No. 7 and No. 9, respec- tively, in Oakland's system by MLB.com and Baseball America. The pair has been the best hitters in the Aviators' lineup with a combined 19-for-47 (.404 BA) and seven RBIs. Las Vegas' pitchers hold a 6.43 ERA through seven games, fourth-worst average in Triple-A West while its 30 walks rank fifth-most.

Late-game magic:

For the third time in as many games, the Aces have put up six runs late in the game to either tie the game or take a commanding lead. Thursday's effort did both as the team's six-run eighth inning against Las Vegas erased a five-run deficit and boosted the score to 8-5 in favor of Reno.

Over the last three contests, Reno has smacked 12 hits and scored 18 runs in the final two innings of regulation.

The Aces have scored 30 of their 56 runs in the seventh inning or later, including extra innings.

In consecutive games to end the series with the Salt Lake Bees, the Aces put up six runs and hit back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning.

Let's Go Streaking: Five players enter the first homestand with a hitting streak. Domingo Leyba has re- corded a hit in seven-straight with his single to right in the fourth. The Aces' shortstop has also registered two or more base knocks and at least one RBI in four-straight games with his RBI double in the sixth. Jamie Ritchie, who did not appear in Thursday's game, still holds a six-game hitting streak, recording at least one base knock in each appearance since Aug. 31, 2019. Josh Reddick extended his hitting streak to five in the bottom of the fourth, roping a single into left-center. Nick Heath has multiple hits in three- straight with his three-base knock performance on Tuesday.

New Skipper in Town: Blake Lalli was tabbed as the Aces' fifth manager in franchise history on Feb. 1, 2021. This came after former skipper Chris Cron was promoted to Field Coordinator on the Diamond- backs' staff. Lalli, 37, enters the season as the youngest coach in Aces' history and is the first former player to receive the managerial nod. Prior to his role in Reno, the Pittsburgh, Pa., native served as the manager for both Single-A Kane County Cougars and Double-A Affiliate Jackson Generals for one season. During his lone slate in Mississippi, Lalli coached the Generals to a 78-57 record and its second Southern League National Championship in as many years. As skipper, Lalli boasts a 155-124 record (as of 5/12/21) and has mentored top prospects such as Daulton Varsho, Jon Duplantier and Seth Beer. Lalli is off to the best start of his managerial career with a 5-1 record to open the 2021 campaign

Meet the Staff: Returning for his second season with Reno and 11th season with the Diamondbacks' organization will be pitching coach Jeff Bajenaru. The former World Series Champion with the Chicago White Sox had a six-year playing career, finishing with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006. He completed his Minor League career with a record of 20-18 and an ERA south of 3.00. Joining Lalli in Reno this season are two familiar faces from his Jackson staff in hitting coach Rick Short and extra coach Jorge Cortes. Short, a 12-year veteran of the D-Backs' franchise, served as the hitting coach on both of Lalli's squads since 2018 and led Jackson to a league-leading 128 home runs and third-best .713 OPS. Cortes, a lifetime .282 hitter during his career, will also enter his third season under Lalli.

Check out the Reno Aces Statistics



Pacific Coast League Stories from May 14, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Reno Aces Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central