Jul. 17—Ahh, the life of Triple-A baseball team.
The Albuquerque Isotopes on Thursday night won their sixth game in a row and were 10-2 in July.
Friday, news out of Denver went public that the parent-club Colorado Rockies would be without four of their regular players due to COVID-19 contact tracing protocols, not to mention the team playing without manager Bud Black and first base coach Ron Gideon.
What did that mean for the red-hot Isotopes down south in Albuquerque?
Four players — a middle of the lineup slugger in Sam Hilliard and three pitchers were sent north to Denver for Friday’s game against the Dodgers while the Isotopes saw their win streak come to an end in a 5-2 loss in the second game of a six-game series to the visiting Sugar Land Skeeters.
“They just have to step in a new role immediately,” Isotope manager Warren Schaeffer said of the rest of the roster when four guys get called up at once — something he made sure to say had no major impact on Friday’s game.
“But these guys are champing at the bit for better roles anyway. … You know, just next guy up,” he said.
The Rockies placed three pitchers and an outfielder into Major League Baseball’s COVID protocols, but would not confirm who may have tested positive or how long they may be out, which in turn means the Isotopes don’t yet have a firm idea on when they may be getting their players back.
Outfielder Sam Hilliard, who was in the lineup on Thursday night, has been on a surge the past month-plus, but wasn’t the big hit taken by the Isotopes in Friday’s roster moves as several Isotopes hitters have been tearing it up at the plate of late.
The primary blow was dealt to the Albuquerque bullpen, which saw three players called up who have appeared in a combined 41 games for the team and pitched a combined 51 2/3 innings this season in relief:
—LHP Zac Rosscup — 17 games, 17 1/3 innings, 0.52 ERA, team-high four saves.
—RHP Antonio Santos — 18 games, 28 2/3 innings, 7.85 ERA.
—LHB Ben Bowden — 6 games, 5 2/3 innings, 0.00 ERA.
Those relievers, Schaeffer said, knew they were going to Colorado on Thursday, meaning the Rockies must have found out about their pitchers, at least, then. Hilliard wasn’t informed he was going to Denver until Friday morning.
At least for Friday, the short-staffed bullpen wasn’t really the issue as three relievers combined to allow two runs off four hits in five innings of relief.
As Schaeffer sees it, this is a moment of opportunity for some of the roster’s relievers.
“In the course of a season, they all have opportunities in high leverage situations no matter what,” Schaeffer said. “Just now, I mean, they’re going to get more of them. That’s all in a short in a short amount of time. …
“We’ve got eight relievers (on the roster right now), and they’re all going to get opportunities. And I’m happy for them to get those opportunities.”
GOMBER: Colorado starter Austin Gomber made a rehab start on Friday night at Isotopes Park.
The 27-year-old lefty who has been out since leaving a game with left forearm tightness in a June 19 game in Denver, allowed five hits in 4 innings of work Friday, giving up three runs (all earned) while striking out four and walking none. He threw 62 pitches, 42 for strikes.
‘TOPES SATURDAY: Vs. Sugar Land
6:35 p.m., 610 AM/95.9 FM, abqisotopes.com
PROMOTION: Postgame fireworks
PROBABLES: Skeeters RHP Brett Conine (5-2, 3.58) vs. Isotopes RHP Dereck Rodriguez (2-2, 8.42)
FRIDAY: Bryan De La Cruz drove in three runs for the Sugar Land Skeeters, leading them to a 5-2 win to end the Isotopes win streak at six games. (Click here for the box score, here for Triple-A West standings.)
For Albuquerque, 2B Rio Ruiz and 1B Greg Bird each had a pair of hits and Ruiz hit his sixth home run of the season.
BREGMAN(?): There was no update as of Friday on if Albuquerque native and Houston star Alex Bregman would be making a rehab assignment this series with the Skeeters. Houston manager Dusty Baker said Bregman “has to cross some hurdles in the meantime to prove to everyone, including himself, that he’s doing pretty good.”