Albuquerque Isotopes vs Las Vegas Aviators

The Las Vegas Aviators erased a 3-0 deficit with a four-run sixth inning and added an unearned run in the eighth to beat the Albuquerque Isotopes 5-3 on Tuesday night at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park.

James Gonzalez (5-2) earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, and Geoff Hartlieb worked a perfect ninth for his second save. Ryan Miller (2-3) took the loss and was charged with his fourth blown save.

How It Unfolded

The game stayed scoreless through four innings as Isotopes starter Patrick Weigel (2 IP, 1 H, 2 K) and veteran left-hander Dallas Keuchel traded zeroes. Albuquerque broke through in the fifth.

Drew Avans singled and stole second. Roc Riggio singled to put runners on the corners, and Bryant Betancourt drove in Riggio with a ground-ball single to centre. After Edouard Julien was hit by a pitch — the first of two Keuchel HBPs on the night — Julien lined a two-run double to right field, scoring Betancourt and Avans to make it 3-0.

The lead evaporated in the top of the sixth. Reliever Eiberson Castellano walked Luke Mann, then Colby Halter — pinch-hitting for Denzel Clarke — drew a walk of his own. Brayan Buelvas struck out, but Michael Stefanic lined a two-run double to right, scoring Mann and Halter to cut the deficit to 3-2. After a Dickey walk, Joey Meneses crushed a two-run home run on a line drive to left field off Miller, scoring Stefanic and putting the Aviators ahead 4-3.

Las Vegas added an insurance run in the eighth when a fielding error by first baseman Vimael Machín allowed a runner to score unearned, making it 5-3. Hartlieb closed it out with a 1-2-3 ninth on 16 pitches, striking out one.

The Turning Point

Castellano's control deserted him in the sixth. Through 3.1 innings of relief he had held the Aviators scoreless on two hits, but he walked two of the first three batters he faced in the inning. Stefanic's game-tying double on the first pitch from Miller swung win probability by +18.5%, per MLB Gameday data. Meneses followed with the decisive blow, a two-run homer that turned a 3-3 tie into a 5-3 Las Vegas lead (+26.3% win probability).

Key Performers

• Joey Meneses (LV): 1-for-3, HR (14), 2 RBI, 2 R, BB. His go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth was his 98th RBI of the season and the game's decisive moment.
• Michael Stefanic (LV) — Player of the Match: 1-for-3, 2B (25), 2 RBI, R, BB. His bases-clearing double tied the game and triggered the rally.
• James Gonzalez (LV): 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K (W, 5-2). Entered with a runner on in the fifth and stranded him, then pitched into the seventh to bridge to Hartlieb.
• Colby Halter (LV): 2-for-2, R, BB as a pinch-hitter and right fielder, sparking the sixth-inning rally.
• Edouard Julien (ABQ): 1-for-2, 2B (1), 2 RBI, 2 HBP. His two-run double was Albuquerque's only extra-base hit.

By the Numbers

The Isotopes managed just five hits — all singles except Julien's double — and went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Las Vegas drew seven walks, scored four runs on their 2-for-8 RISP day, and struck out nine times. The Aviators' bullpen (Gonzalez, Ben Bowden, Hartlieb) threw 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. Albuquerque's 2-for-10 with RISP tells the story of a lineup that could not sustain its lone productive inning.

Keuchel lasted only 4.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts on 81 pitches. The Isotopes' bullpen combined for five earned runs over seven innings.

What It Means

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Las Vegas and moved the Aviators to 66-52 in the PCL West Division. Albuquerque dropped to 61-59, falling below .500 on the homestand. The two teams meet again Wednesday evening in the second game of the six-game series at Isotopes Park.

Verdict

Albuquerque's offense went quiet after the fifth — zero runs and two hits over the final four innings. Las Vegas, a playoff contender, took full advantage of Castellano's walk trouble in the sixth and never looked back. One bad inning undid three hours of solid pitching from both sides.

WP: James Gonzalez (5-2) | LP: Ryan Miller (2-3, BS 4) | SV: Geoff Hartlieb (2) HR: Joey Meneses (14) | Att: 7,935 | Time: 2:56 Venue: Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park, Albuquerque, NM Umpires: HP: Jen Pawol, 1B: Jacob Metz, 2B: Ty Krauss, 3B: Elliott Melton