Esmerlin Vinicio electric, erratic in Emeralds debut

It’s no secret the Emeralds have a far different team than they rostered 54 home games ago on Opening Day.

So it was very fitting that on Sunday, a day where Dylan Cumming or Nick Sinacola — both pitchers who have been called up to Triple-A — would certainly have been called upon with the team in dire need of a series-split, the Emeralds trotted out six-foot-two, 142-pound Esmerlin Vinicio with the team’s series on the line.

At first, no one knew what to expect, the hard-throwing Vinicio not exactly filling out his slender frame. But after two quick outs, both via strikeouts with his fastball touching 94, it was clear that the same recipe that saw him star in San Jose, would indeed, play at the next level.

One batter later though, and the Emeralds dugout sat in quiet dejection.

Rounding the bases before them was the club’s new No. 1 enemy, a fantastic MiLB slugger who, during trips to PK Park this season, has suddenly performed like a cross between Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth.

Once again, Kyle Karros had the Emeralds number.

For a second straight night, he hit a long ball to lead the Spokane Indians to a 2-0 rubber-match win at PK Park.

Less than 24 hours after Karros — who arguably shouldn’t be in High-A with a batting average over .320 and a hit total well over 100 — blasted two home runs, including the go-ahead shot against the Emeralds. He struck yet again, blasting a home run off the video board in left, and putting a damper on Vinicio’s otherwise strong debut.

On both nights, Karros’ blast was predictable, with a left-on-right matchup and positive counts setting the stage for his go-ahead blasts. But the likelihood of such hits still didn’t mask the disappointment of the league’s best hitter striking yet again.

After hitting two home runs in Saturday’s contest and then, one more in Saturday’s win, Karros should be pitched around going forward — like the Emeralds did for the rest of the game.

But — at least in the Emeralds’ stratosphere — it was Vinicio’s outing that provided the most signs for a positive rest of the season.

He struck out three, walked four and allowed just one other run in his debut, mixing pitches well and frequently throwing his offspeed pitches for strikes early in the count.

In fact, it was mostly in innings with Karros batting that Vinicio ran into the most trouble, with Spokane’s senior slugger walking once and lining out to first.

Short hops

Charlie Szykowny made a catch in the stairway while falling into the Indians’ dugout.