Grand slams are rare.

Inside-the-park grand slams, well, it’s like a Sasquatch sighting. You aren’t really sure what you are seeing.

Sean Doolittle on Saturday night became the first player in Sacramento River Cats history to accomplish the feat, unloading the bases and motoring all the way around them to score and help lead the River Cats to an 8-4 win over the Tacoma Rainiers at chilly Cheney Stadium.

The loss snapped the Rainiers’ three-game winning streak.

Doolittle’s rare slam probably shouldn’t have occurred. He was had opportunity because of a fielding error by Rainiers second baseman Chris Burke. Sometimes the softest-hit balls can be the most difficult to catch, as Burke learned.

With two outs and the River Cats leading, 2-1, Rainiers starter Andy Baldwin coaxed a half-bloop, half-pop off the bat of Jeff Baisley that looked like it would end the inning. The ball didn’t travel more than 90 feet in distance or reach more than 40 feet in height.

But because of that and the depth with which Burke was playing with two outs, just getting to the area on the infield where the ball was going to come down made the play difficult.

And then there was spin. The ball came off of Baisley’s bat with more than a fair amount of it. So when Burke reached the ball and tried to catch it cradle-style, it spun out of his glove. Burke was charged with an error that left the bases loaded with two outs and sent manager Daren Brown to the mound to pull Baldwin.

“Well, I think he would tell you it’s a play that he should have made,” Brown said.

It would prove costly when Doolittle ripped a hard liner to center field off Baldwin’s replacement, Doug Fister. Rainiers center fielder Freddy Guzman tried to make a diving stop but came up well short, and the ball rolled to the wall. Doolittle lumbered around the bases for a grand slam that staked the River Cats to a 6-1 lead.

“You can’t fault his effort,” Brown said of Guzman. “He thought he could make the play, and he’s certainly capable of making that play. We’ve seen him make catches like that before.”

Perhaps with fewer than two outs, Brown might have wanted to see Guzman play it safe.

“You know with two outs, if he makes that play, the inning is over and we’re only down 2-1,” Brown said. “But once it got by him, in this park, a guy can run for a while.”

A five-run deficit isn’t exactly overwhelming to a Rainiers lineup capable of putting up bunches of runs. But despite having bunches of baserunners, the Rainiers couldn’t convert them into bunches of runs.

“I felt like we had some chances,” Brown said. “But we just couldn’t get that big hit.”

Mike Morse had a solo home run and a sacrifice fly, and Prentice Redman was 3-for-4 with a walk and scored two runs. Jeff Clement also had an RBI single.

Billy Cramer picked up the win in relief for the River Cats. Baldwin took the loss, pitching 32/3 innings and allowing seven hits and six runs, two of them earned. He walked two and struck out two.

Short hops

Fister, who was called up from Double-A West Tennessee on Friday, pitched 3 innings in relief, allowing one run on one hit and striking out six. … Morse fouled a ball hard off the inside of his leg and seemed to be bothered by it, but stayed in the game. … Despite the futile dive that led to the grand slam, Guzman did make a brilliant leaping catch against the wall in left-center.

On tap

The Rainiers will send left-hander Jason Vargas (0-1, 5.40 ERA) to the mound, while Sacramento will go with Vin Mazzaro (0-0, 2.25 ERA) this afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on 850-AM.

Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483

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