They call this a streak.
It’s just a modest four-game win streak for the Albuquerque Isotopes after Thursday’s 8-6 win over the visiting Salt Lake Bees, but for a team still five games below .500 (they are 29-34), meeting one another in a postgame handshake line four games in a row is very much a welcome feeling.
“It’s just been good to have going,” Isotopes manager Warren Schaeffer said of the recent hot streak, especially at the plate, for his team. “The guys keep fighting. It’s a good character group of guys.”
The four consecutive wins — Sunday in El Paso and the first three of their current six-game home series versus Salt Lake — matches the team’s longest streak of the season (at home April 13-16 over Tacoma).
A team that had only won three in a row twice over its first 59 games has now outscored opponents 44-23 in this short run of success — something even more remarkable considering the Isotopes were down 8-1 in Sunday’s win and down 6-1 on Wednesday before erupting for a record-setting 20-8 win that included a franchise-record eight home runs and season highs in runs (20), extra-base hits (9) and runs in an inning (7 in the bottom of the fourth).
“The boys have been like that all season long,” said Schaeffer of the team’s ability to keep fighting back even in games they’ve fallen behind in early. It’s happened frequently as the ‘Topes have the Pacific Coast League’s worst statistical starting pitching.
“You can’t expect them to come back all the time, and you don’t want to be put in that situation so often, but it’s just been good to see how they continue to keep fighting,” Schaeffer said. “But that’s what these guys are about. They’re working hard.”
SPEAKING OF STREAKING: Designated hitter Carlos Perez on Thursday went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI and extended his team-leading and longest-active PCL on-base streak to 28 consecutive games. He’s hitting .306 during the streak (31 of 101) and has drawn 15 walks.
THE BEES’ E’S: Entering the week, Salt Lake was third in the PCL with 40 errors. In three games in Albuquerque, the Bees have committed five errors — one Tuesday, two Wednesday and two more on Thursday.
Three errors — both on Wednesday and one of Thursday’s two — were committed by shortstop Jake Palomaki, who had just two prior this season.
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The Bees are now tied for fourth in the 10-team league with 45 errors through Thursday night’s games. The Sugar Land Space Cowboys had an error Thursday at Round Rock and also sit at 45 heading into Friday’s action, both through 63 games (0.71 errors per game).
League-leading Reno has 33 errors. The Isotopes are seventh in the league with 55 errors (0.87 per game).
GONE WITH THE WIND: Home plate umpire Alex MacKay ejected Bees manager Lou Marson after right fielder Jo Adell was called out on a third strike without a pitch being thrown for not being back in the batter’s box in time.
The confusion, and Marson’s protest on his player’s behalf, stemmed from the fact there had been a series of wind gusts in the at-bat that led to dust in the air and MacKay had even called for time at one point earlier in the at- asked When Adell was called out, it was windy again, but MacKay had not granted a timeout.
The next batter, David MacKinnon, sent a laser shot home run to left field off Isotopes starter Zach Neal — a shot that brought about plenty of reaction from the visiting dugout.
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