Suarez strikes out eight in debut, but River Cats drop opener

The Sacramento River Cats (26-41) welcomed prospect Andrew Suárez to their staff Saturday night, and the lefty was quite impressive. The new addition was not enough to earn the team the win though, as the River Cats fell to the Albuquerque Isotopes (34-34) 8-4 at Raley Field.

The 24-year-old Suarez made the start for Sacramento in what was his Triple-A debut. The lefty looked sharp early and got through the first four innings allowing just one run. In the fifth, however, the Isotopes strung together four singles against Suarez to push across three runs. He left with two outs in the sixth after giving up five runs on 10 hits and one walk. He matched his season high with eight strikeouts.
The River Cats got on the board in the first inning when Chris Shaw singled home Orlando Calixte, but the Isotopes answered back and did not let up. Sacramento put up single runs in the third, seventh, and eighth innings, but it was not enough to keep pace with Isotopes. The loss is the team's seventh in their last 10 games.
The River Cats will look to bounce back tomorrow night in a Sunday matinee. Sacramento expects to reinstate left-hander Michael Roth (4-4, 4.44) from the Disabled List to make the afternoon start. The Isotopes will counter with lefty Tyler Anderson (0-0, no ERA) who will be with Albuquerque on a rehab assignment. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. and the game can be heard live online at rivercats.com and on the air on ESPN 1320.
Postgame Notes
Suarez Debut: Left-hander Andrew Suárez was promoted from Double-A Richmond this week and made his Triple-A debut on Saturday night…the 24-year-old was drafted in the 2^nd round of the 2015 June Amateur Draft by the San Francisco Giants, and was their 10^th ranked prospect coming into the season according to MLB.com…before being promoted, Suarez compiled a 4-4 record in 11 starts in the Eastern League with a 2.96 ERA, 55 strikeouts, and just 15 walks.
Leading-off: Orlando Calixte was a great catalyst for the River Cats tonight, leading off both the first and third innings with base hits…went 2-for5 with a triple, a single, and a run scored, and is now hitting .304 on the season…over his last four games, Calixte is hitting .409 with six runs scored, a double, and three triples…the jack-of-all-trades is among the team leaders in nearly every offensive category.
Hwang RBI: Jae-Gyun Hwang collected his 40^th RBI tonight with a sacrifice fly in the third inning…the infielder currently leads the team, and has 10 more RBI than second-place RBI-man Ryder Jones (30).
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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.