Sacramento's comeback falls short against El Paso

The Sacramento River Cats (38-56) fell 7-3 to the El Paso Chihuahuas (48-47) in the first game of their four-game set as they returned home to Raley Field Monday night for the first time since the All-Star break.

Trailing 6-0, Juniel Querecuto highlighted the comeback effort in the seventh, smacking a two-run homer to ignite the rally. A couple batters later, Carlos Moncrief singled up the middle, scoring Ali Castillo and bringing Sacramento within three. That would be it for the Sacramento offense however, as they collected four of their seven hits in the frame before going quietly in the eighth and ninth innings.
Andrew Suárez got the start for the River Cats and threw a season-low 4.1 innings before giving way to reliever Collin Balester. The southpaw allowed five runs over the 4.1 innings while striking out five and walking three. Balester allowed one run over his 2.2 innings. Kraig Sitton was charged with an unearned run in the ninth, keeping his streak of no earned runs allowed alive at 10.1 innings (eight games).
Albert Suárez (0-0, 0.00) will make his first start for Sacramento tomorrow night and will face El Paso's Zach Lee (2-3, 6.80). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (PT) and the game can be heard live on the air on ESPN 1320 and online at rivercats.com.
Postgame Notes
Suarez: Andrew Suarez tied his season-high by allowing five earned runs tonight…of the seven hits he allowed tonight, four went for extra bases (two doubles and two triples)…has now thrown 599 pitches (376 strikes) over his six outings (99 per game)…in four home games, is now 1-3 with a 6.85 ERA (22.1 IP, 12 ER).
Querecuto: Shortstop Juniel Querecuto hit his first home run of the season tonight…marked his first long ball since July 31, 2016 with Double-A Montgomery…is now slugging .309 this year with 17 RBI.
Castillo & Moncrief: Second baseman Ali Castillo and center fielder Carlos Moncrief each had two-hit nights…was Castillo's sixth two-hit game and Moncrief's ninth…Moncrief also stole his fourth base of the season tonight…is now 5-for-10 with four RBI over his last two games.
One Shy: Sacramento snapped their three-game win streak tonight…have won four straight just once this year (6/2-6/5).  
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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.