Sky Sox drop pair to Sacramento
The Sky Sox would have been better off with more rain Sunday.
In a quasi-doubleheader that included the completion of Friday’s game and a regularly scheduled game shortened to seven innings, Colorado Springs lost 6-3 and 7-4 to Sacramento in a wet-blanket finish to a precipitation-plagued series.
“Ah, that’s just baseball,” second baseman Eric Young Jr. said. “We had 21 hits in the first game against them and today we couldn’t seem to get anything going. You’ve got to take the good and the bad – that’s what makes the game perfect.”
Technically, Sunday’s first loss took place Friday – at least that’s where it will live in the stat books. The game was picked up where it left off in the third inning with Sacramento leading 1-0.
Carlos Gonzalez quickly accounted for all three Sky Sox runs. He gave his team the lead with a two-run double in the third inning and padded it when he stole home as part of a double steal in the fifth.
The River Cats tied the score with a Yung-Chi Chen home run and blew the game open in the 10th when reliever Randy Flores threw what looked like a sure 1-2-3 double play over catcher Paul Phillips’ head.
In an instant, the Sky Sox went from escaping a bases-loaded situation to opening the gates for a three-run inning.
“We just didn’t execute,” said manager Tom Runnells, whose team fell to 14-8 after matching the best start in club history. “The fundamentals don’t change. You should be able to throw the ball, play catch.”
The balance of the second game also tipped on miscues from pitchers. Starter Franklin Nunez threw wild to first on a bunt attempt in the second inning, which led to an unearned run. Reliever Joel Peralta contributed to the mess, surrendering a run on a wild pitch.
Sacramento’s first four runs each started as walks.
“You can’t walk people,” Runnells said. “You’ve got to give our defense a chance because we’ve proven that we’re going to make most of the plays. You can’t defend the walks.”
Mike McCoy collected three hits in the second game and Gonzalez added two more in his first game in right field, though he failed to drive in a run for only the second time in his past nine games.
“He’s got to learn to play the corners as well as he can play center field,” Runnells said. “When he goes to the big leagues, I don’t want him to go up there not playing a game in right field or left field and then have him do it there.
“It’s my job to move them around.”
Young stole a pair of bases in the first game for the Sky Sox, taking his Pacific Coast League-leading total to 16. He was caught for only the second time in the second game.
The River Cats, an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, improved to 14-9.
Saturday’s game, which was postponed because of rain and fog, will be made up when Sacramento returns to Colorado Springs in late July.
Major League Moment
After hitting a double and stealing a base, Carlos Gonzalez put yet another skill on display when he threw a blur from center field to third, catching Sacramento leadoff man Chris Denorfia as he tried to advance from first on a single.
Eric Young Jr. of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox dejectedly stands on the second base bag after getting caught stealing early in the game against the Sacramento River Cats during the second game of a double header at Security Service Field on Sunday, May 3 Photo by BRYAN OLLER, THE GAZETTE
Colorado Springs Sky Sox pitcher Randy Flores walks off the field after giving up three runs in the tenth inning against the Sacramento River Cats during the first game of a double header at Security Service Field on Sunday, May 3, 2009. The Sky Sox los Photo by BRYAN OLLER, THE GAZETTE
Christian Colonel, right, of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox tosses his bat after striking out as the last batter of the game against the Sacramento River Cats during the first game of a double header at Security Service Field on Sunday, May 3, 2009. Sacra Photo by BRYAN OLLER, THE GAZETTE