Robaina Steller in Triple-A Debut As Space Cowboys Walk To 12-4 Victory

In a game that featured 19 combined walks, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (6-4) overpowered the Albuquerque Isotopes (2-8) 12-4 on Tuesday night at Isotopes Park.

The Space Cowboys got off to a hot start on back-to-back base hits from lead-off man David Hensley and Corey Julks. A Joey Loperfido walk loaded up the bases, setting the stage for Will Wagner, who grounded a ball to Isotopes third baseman Aaron Schunk on the left side. Schunk bobbled the grounder, allowing Hensley to cross home plate while Wagner reached first safely. Cooper Hummel then knocked a hit through the left side, scoring two and giving Sugar Land a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

Julio Robaina excelled in his Triple-A debut, pitching 4.2 innings, allowing five hits and two runs while walking two and striking out four. His only two runs allowed came in the third inning on RBI singles by Isotope batters Coco Montes and Sam Hillard.

Sugar Land extended their lead in the top of the fifth when Albuquerque starter Noah Davis (L, 0-2) loaded the bases full of Space Cowboys. Pedro León tapped one to shortstop Julio Carreras, and a throwing error scored Julks. A wild pitch later in the frame brought Loperfido home to push the score to 5-2 Space Cowboys.

The Space Cowboys took advantage of a wild sixth inning against the Isotopes. After loading the bases once again on three straight walks, Trey Cabbage worked another free pass to score César Salazar, and León dribbled a single to the third baseman to bring in another. Wagner capped the scoring when he was hit by a pitch, forcing in Sugar Land’s eighth run of the night.

Sugar Land tacked on four more in the seventh on a sac fly by Julks, a two-RBI base hit by Loperfido and another bases-loaded walk for Hummel. The Space Cowboys offense drew a franchise record 14 walks with 8 hits against Albuquerque pitching, with a Cabbage’s double serving as the only extra-base knock. Of Sugar Land’s 12 runs, six of the runners that scored had reached via a walk.

Sugar Land continues their six-game series against the Albuquerque Isotopes Wednesday night at Isotopes Park at 7:35 pm Central. The game can be heard on ESPN 92.5 FM or online here and seen on MiLB.TV, MLB.TV or Bally Live.

ABOUT THE SUGAR LAND SPACE COWBOYS:

The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros and compete in the Pacific Coast League. They began play as the Astros Triple-A affiliate in 2021 and began playing under the Space Cowboys brand in 2022. The Space Cowboys play at Constellation Field, located at the corner of Hwy-6 and US-90 Alternate in Sugar Land, Texas. Follow the team on Twitter (@SLSpaceCowboys), Instagram (@slspacecowboys), Facebook (SLSpaceCowboys) and their official website (slspacecowboys.com). Fans can purchase full-season and partial-season plans, as well as single-game tickets, by visiting slspacecowboys.com/tickets.