River Cats ninth-inning rally comes up short against 'Topes

Albuquerque, NM - The Sacramento River Cats (32-51) were unable to produce any late-inning fireworks in their 2-0 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes (41-43) as they were shutout for the fifth time this year.

Jose Flores made his 2017 season debut for Sacramento and was sensational, striking out a career-high 10 Isotopes hitters over his seven innings. The right-hander had Albuquerque's number tonight as he did not allow a hit until the fourth inning and yielded his one and only walk in the seventh. Right-hander Tyler Rogers relived Flores in the eighth but surrendered both runs, snapping his streak of five consecutive scoreless outings.
Isotopes' starter Sam Howard was just as effective however, racking up 10 strikeouts himself while allowing just three River Cats hits. Sacramento got things going in the ninth thanks to a pinch-hit single by Carlos Moncrief and a base knock by Juan Ciriaco but was unable to capitalize as Chris Shaw grounded into a game-ending double play.
The River Cats will send right-hander Roberto Gomez (1-5, 6.54) to the mound for his sixth start of the season. Albuquerque will counter with right-hander Thad Webber (1-3, 6.97). First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. (PT) and the game can be heard live on the air on ESPN 1320 and online at rivercats.com.  
Postgame Notes
Flores fantastic: Jose Flores made his first ever start with Sacramento…he made 24 appearances with the River Cats in 2014 but never started…needed just 86 pitches to get through his seven innings (61 strikes) and faced 22 batters…his 10 strikeouts were also a team-high.
Shaw: Left-fielder Chris Shaw extended his hitting streak to seven games after going 1-for-4 tonight…hitting .483 (14-for-29) over that span.
Rogers: Submariner Tyler Rogers surrendered just his sixth earned run on the road tonight over his 24.2 innings…also gave up his first home run of the season.
Moncrief: Carlos Moncrief collected his sixth hit off the bench tonight…now 6-for-17 (.353) as a pinch hitter with three doubles and one RBI…owns six of the team's 17 pinch hits.
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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. River Cats Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the 2017 season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). For more information about the River Cats, visit www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.