Outlaws outslug Flamingos to move to 9-3 after the break
The Las Vegas Flamingos were sitting at .500 as they hosted the Flagstaff Outlaws, but they still only were one game out of first place behind the Benes Division-leading South Loop Furies. Vegas had managed a split in their first series in Flagstaff and were looking forward to trying to make up some ground when hosting those same Outlaws.
Game 1: Sale v. Straily – Flagstaff jumps out to a 3-0 lead when Khris Davis launches his 20th homer of the season in the third inning. Las Vegas gets single runs in the third and fourth on a Matt Scuzur RBI single and a solo bomb from Robinson Chirinos.
Davis steps to the plate his next at bat in the fifth and pops a solo homer, the second homer off of Dan Straily in the inning, to push Flagstaff back out to a three-run lead.
But Vegas gets those runs right back in the bottom of the frame when Francisco Lindor homers and Andrew McCutchen hits an RBI sac fly.
Flagstaff pulls the see-saw back in their direction when George Springer doubles in two in the top of the sixth to put Flagstaff up, 7-4. Chris Sale puts two runners on in the bottom of the sixth, but gets out of the jam, ending his night with the lead.
From there, Flagstaff tacks on a couple of insurance runs late and the Outlaws open with a 9-4 victory.
W: Sale (14-3)
L: Straily (5-11)
Sv: None
HRs: FLG – Davis (20, 21), Panik (3); LVF – Chirinos (12), Lindor (20).
Game 2: Wacha v. Liriano – Francisco Liriano could not find the strike zone today. He throws 128 pitches over five innings, giving up seven hits and eight walks over that time, but left the game only down 4-2.
The Outlaws got RBI from Enrique Hernandez and Aaron Judge in the first to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Then Caleb Joseph puts up a two-run homer in the third to push that lead to 4-0.
Vegas rallies in the bottom of the third with a bases-loaded walk drawn by Lindor followed by a Mark Reynolds RBI single. But a 3-2-3 double play gets Michael Wacha out of that jam.
Wacha goes six and keep the Flamingos at bay, but in the seventh, Lindor cranks a two-run shot of Sam Tuivailala to even the game at 4-4.
In the 10th, Springer manages a solo homer off of Drew Steckenrider with two outs. Jake McGee walks Derek Dietrich to get a little trouble stirring, but Blake Parker gets an around the horn double play to erase that runner. Trey Mancini grounds weakly back to Parker and Flagstaff escapes with the 5-4 extra innings win.
W: Goody (7-1)
L: Steckenrider (1-2)
Sv: Parker (32)
Game 3: Ramirez v. Cueto – Elvis Andrus puts the Outlaws on the board with a solo homer to start the third.
J.C. Ramirez gets through the first three innings, allowing a lone walk. But the fourth was a different story. Vegas sends 11 Flamingos to the plate, scoring seven times. Dietrich had a clutch two-run triple while Curtis Granderson’s three-run bomb sends the Vegas fans into fits of delight with a 7-1 lead.
But the Outlaws immediately respond with a two-spot with RBIs from Panik and Paul Goldschmidt to signal that the Outlaws still had some fight left in them.
Ramirez keeps his pitch count low enough to get through six innings with that same 7-3 deficit, but then the Outlaws go to work on the Vegas bullpen.
Joe Panik breaks through with second homer of the series, a three-run job, off of Craig Stammen that gets Flagstaff within one after seven.
In the eighth, Dan Jennings and Greg Infante immediately put two runners on and then plunks Cale Joseph to load the sacks. Springer comes off the bench to single in the tying run while Andrus grounds into a go-ahead run-scoring double play. Lane Adams adds on with another RBI single and just like Flagstaff has erased a 7-1 deficit to lead 9-7.
Blake Parker enters the ninth and strikes out the first two batters he sees. Then Granderson gets the home crowd fired up again with a solo HR that pulls Vegas within one. McCutchen follows with a single to get the stands to a deafening roar. Lindor hits a laster to right, but Judge is able to charge it and catch it as his knees and Flagstaff wins, 9-8.
W: Shaw (3-2)
L: Infante (4-2)
Sv: Parker (33)
HRs: FLG – Andrus (13), Panik (4); LVF – Granderson (22, 23).
Game 4: Wood v. Mejia – At some point, the Outlaw luck had to run out. Alex Wood was chasing his 10th victory, but the lefty crushing lineup of the Flamingos bangs out 11 hits over 5 1/3. Five runs scored and the Flamingos hold a 5-1 lead after six.
McCutchen drove in three on a sac fly and two-run double. Todd Frazier and Mancini each added RBIs as well.
Adalberto Mejia limited the Outlaws to four hits and four walks over 6 1/3, striking out seven. The Vegas bullpen scatter two hits over the final 2 2/3 and the Flamingos avoid the sweep with a 5-2 decision.
W: Mejia (3-6)
L: Wood (9-2)
Sv: Cishek (17)
HRs: FLG – none; LVF – none.