River Cats bounce back in game two to split doubleheader

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - following a 12-5 loss in the first of two games on Tuesday night, the Sacramento River Cats (50-46) bounced back in the nightcap for an 8-6 victory over the Salt Lake Bees (41-55) to earn a doubleheader split.
River Cats' starter Enderson Franco struggled through five innings in game one of the twin bill, allowing eight runs on 11 hits with three punch outs. Newly promoted right-hander Rodolfo Martinez then came on to make his Triple-A debut in relief, but was roughed up in the sixth inning of the 12-5 loss. Catcher Aramis Garcia and outfielder Mike Gerber each homered in the contest, but Sacramento was unable to keep up with the Bees offensive display.
In game two, the River Cats turned to the bullpen to cover the seven innings, beginning with submariner Tyler Rogers. While Rogers surrendered four runs in the first inning, he bounced back with a clean second inning. Sam Selman, Jandel Gustave, Fernando Abad, and Sam Coonrod would then piece together the final five innings while allowing just two additional runs and scattering six hits.
The offense showed a lot of fight in game two, working their way back from down 4-0 to take the lead in the third. Abiatal Avelino blasted his ninth home run of 2019, and Chris Shaw followed up his five-hit game with a four-hit doubleheader. The big swing of the bat, however, came from Garcia, whose second home run of the day broke a 6-6 tie and proved to be the difference.
Right-hander Yoanys Quiala (4-5, 6.56) will get the start for the River Cats in game four of this five game series, and Salt Lake will counter with right-hander JC Ramírez (1-2, 7.47). First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. (PT). Catch all of the action live online at rivercats.com, on the MiLB First Pitch app, on Money 105.5 FM (PT).
Additional Notes

• The Sacramento pitching staff has stumbled somewhat in July after a solid start to the 2019 campaign. For much of the season, the Sacramento pitching staff has been near the top of the Pacific Coast League, and are currently fourth with a 5.01 ERA. In the month of July, however, the River Cats hold the sixth worst ERA at 6.17.
• Sam Selman continued his dominance out of the bullpen on Tuesday night, tossing two scoreless frames in game two of the doubleheader to lower his ERA to 1.47. The lefty has not surrendered an earned run since May 29 against Las Vegas, a run of 16.2 innings.

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The Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the three-time World Champion -San Francisco Giants. The team plays at Raley Field in West Sacramento, consistently voted one of the top ballparks in America. Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the River Cats' 20th season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). The only place to guarantee official River Cats tickets is at www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.