RENO – Like the dreams of a destitute gambler down to his last dollar, the Tacoma Rainiers’ playoff hopes are hanging by a thread.
The Reno Aces knocked the Rainiers 71/2 games out of first place with a 4-2 victory Sunday afternoon. Reno’s magic number to clinch the Pacific North division is nine.
It was the sixth consecutive loss for Tacoma, and it played out in an eerily similar fashion as the previous five: Tacoma’s offense was unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities, wasting yet another strong pitching performance.
Nate Robertson held Reno to four runs before leaving with two outs in the seventh inning. Against the top scoring team in all of minor league baseball, at high elevation in Reno, that qualifies as a good outing.
“Nate did a good job,” Tacoma manager Daren Brown said. “If you can go into Reno and hold them to four runs going into the seventh inning, you have a good chance to win.”
But Tacoma managed just two runs, both coming early against Reno starter and winner Zack Kroenke (9-2).
Johan Limonta singled home Greg Halman in the first, giving Tacoma a short-lived 1-0 lead.
Kroenke walked the bases loaded in the second inning before escaping unscathed.
Tacoma had three hits in a row to begin the third inning, with Michael Saunders singling in Alex Liddi to give Tacoma a 2-1 lead and leave runners at first and third with nobody out. But Kroenke escaped that jam with no further damage.
Kroenke cruised through the middle innings, going seven and allowing two runs on six hits.
“We had some opportunities and didn’t do anything with them,” Brown said. “That was basically it.”
Tacoma was limited to three singles after the third inning, and the Rainiers put just one runner in scoring position. That came in the eighth inning, before Sean Kazmar grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Sam Demel worked a clean ninth inning to earn his first save for the Aces.
Despite Tacoma’s recent struggles and its bleak outlook, Brown refuses to give up on the division title.
“I always think there is a chance,” said Brown. “Is our back against the wall? I think we need to win a couple of games here the next two days.”
SHORT HOPS
Tacoma has scored just 18 runs during the six-game losing streak, for an average of three runs per game. … The losing streak matches Tacoma’s longest of the year. The Rainiers lost six in a row from April 14-19. … Mike Wilson was 1-for-4 with a double, and he his 10-for-22 over the past five games.
ON TAP
The third game of the series is tonight at 7:05. Tacoma is scheduled to start Anthony Vasquez (4-3, 3.21 ERA) against Reno’s Gaby Hernandez (4-6, 6.49).
Mike Curto is the radio broadcaster for the Tacoma Rainiers.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.