The Sacramento River Cats’ six-game winning streak came to an end Monday night as they fell to the Nashville Sounds 5-3 at Raley Field. Sacramento looked to be on their way to another win when they scored the first two runs of the game in the bottom of the second inning. With runners on second and third base and two outs, left fielder Shane Peterson hit one up the middle to give the Cats an early 2-0 lead. The lead wouldn’t hold up as the Sounds were able to get to River Cats starting pitcher Graham Godfrey in the fourth inning. The Sounds were able to put up two runs in the fourth to tie the game at 2-2. Sacramento was opportunistic in the sixth inning, capitalizing on a couple of walk

Sacramento River Cats starting pitcher Daniel Straily continued his dominant year against the Pacific Coast League as he led the River Cats to a 6-0 victory against the Tucson Padres at Raley Field on Monday afternoon. Straily struck out another nine batters in six innings of work, giving him 171 strikeouts on the season. He allowed no runs on just three hits in his six innings of work en route to earning his fourth win for the River Cats. Unlike the Padres, Sacramento’s offense was able to figure out Tucson’s starting pitcher, Will Scott, early in the game. Jermaine Mitchell scored the first two runs of the game with a two RBI single in the second inning. Scott lasted just four innings

With all the pitching changes on the Oakland A’s staff that have already occurred this season, you don’t really know who may be called up from one level for good or get a one-time start on the roster. So when Dan Straily took the mound on Thursday evening to throw his first pitches against hitters at the Triple-A level, even though he had an incredible strikeout-hit ratio, no one, not even Straily, knew quite what to expect. Straily admitted that maybe he had to shake off a little case of the jitters early in the game. “I was a little nervous there early on,” said Straily. “It was nice I was able to watch a couple of games, and settled in that way. But going out there and towing the rub

Graham Godfrey is killing it in Triple-A. If he keeps up the numbers like he has so far at this level, he’ll easily be a pitcher of the year candidate. Problem is, that's a minor league award and Godfrey is determined to get back to the A’s and stay there. On Thursday evening, Godfrey did his part to increase his chances of being recalled and in hilding down the Fresno Grizzlies offense by only allowing one earned run in eight strong innings of work. This time, the bullpen let him down, as the usually reliable Fautino De Los Santos gave up three hits – all singles in the bottom of the ninth – as the Grizz knocked off the Sacramento River Cats 2-1 at Raley Field in front of 9,431 fans.

With their division rivals in town and the possibility of seeing Manny Ramirez and Yoenis Cespedes, the series opener against the Fresno Grizzlies promised to be an exciting one. In front of a solid Tuesday crowd of 8,729, Ramirez didn’t play (finished 10-game rehab stint), but it didn’t matter as the River Cats beat the division-leading Triple-A team of the San Francisco Giants 4-2 on great pitching and a walk-off home run by Brandon Hicks. It was relatively quiet until the bottom of the second inning when Cats first baseman Chris Carter led off with a walk. After he stole second, Anthony Recker, who was optioned back to Sacramento yesterday, ripped a line shot into left field that plat

Coming into Thursday night’s contest at Raley Field, the Sacramento River Cats were on a roll. As winners of four of their last five, the team’s confidence was riding high, especially considering the pitching staff had only given up seven runs in the last five games. All that changed with the Tacoma Rainiers in town. They brought their ace, Anthony Vasquez, who had a streak of nine consecutive quality starts on the line dating back to last July, pitched a gem and kept Sacramento’s bats confused by changing speeds often. The pitching performance allowed the Rainiers to win the game 1-0 on a beautiful 79 degree evening in front of 4,304 fans. For the River Cats, the action got started in t

The Sacramento River Cats (10-3) were able to extend their winning streak to four as they defeated the Tacoma Rainiers (4-8) 5-1 at Raley Field Tuesday night. Right fielder Michael Taylor continued his strong start to the season, recording two doubles and a walk on four at-bats. Taylor entered the game batting .413 with one home run and 11 runs batted in. Taylor's .413 batting average heading into Tuesday night's game was ranked seventh in the Pacific Coast League. “I feel good at the plate,” he said. “I feel comfortable with everything I’ve worked on in the offseason coming into this season, and I’ve stuck to that plan and process, and right now things are going well. I’m swinging the b

The River Cats lost to the Tacoma Rainiers 2-1 in final inning of Wednesday’s 10-inning game. This was the second game in the River Cats four-game series against the Rainiers. The River Cats won the previous game Tuesday 5-1. The sun shone off and on through the partially cloudy sky, and the 68-degree temperature made the stadium a comfortable place to sit and watch the game. Fans were smiling and cheering the entire time. The first inning appeared promising for the River Cats after Rainier shortstop Carlos Triunfel’s interference at bat caused the first out of the game. The interference also sent center fielder Trayvon Robinson back to first after his attempt to steal second and third.

In the first two series of the year the Sacramento River Cats won both of them by winning three of the four games played in each. In the third series of the year, it was a close one, but the Cats beat the Reno Aces 2-1 in a classic pitchers’ duel on Monday night at Raley Field. The Aces were the first to scratch a run onto the huge Raley Field scoreboard when Ryan Wheeler ripped a 3-0 pitch from Cats starter Jarrod Parker that went screaming over the right field fence on a rope for a solo home run. Parker was solid though three innings of work. One-third of the way through the game, he had four strikeouts, three hits and a walk. In the bottom half of the third, Cats left fielder Grant G

The Oakland Athletics came to town to beat their Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, 9-0 in a rain-shortened exhibition game on Saturday evening. More than 10,000 fans braved Raley Field for the much anticipated return of major league baseball to Sacramento – the first time in five years. The first six innings were perfect for A’s starting pitcher Tommy Milone, who retired each of the 18 batters he faced, including six strikeouts. Jarrod Parker took the mound for the River Cats, allowing nine runs on five hits. In each of the first three innings, Parker saw seven A’s come to the plate. He walked the bases full in the first inning, and a base-clearing double by right fielder Jo

It was the last regular season game of the year. A chance for the team to thank the fans for being such great guests all year long and an equal chance for the River Cats diehards to cheer one last time during a great campaign. From the Sacramento players greeting loyal guests at every entrance to Raley Field to the pre-game fireworks booming from center field to the River Cats own regular season player awards - all of it took place before the contest in front of the fifth sellout of the year - 14,014 roaring fans. Everything fell into place on Thursday evening for the Cats to win their last home game of the regular season 7-1 against the Las Vegas 51’s. The game started out as a pitcher

Usually, Cats’ starter Travis Banwart pitches well during the first few innings of a contest. Banwart’s quietly had a very good season. His numbers put him near the top of several Pacific Coast League pitching categories. He ranks fourth in strikeouts, third in WHIP and third in batting average against while being the team leader in all of those areas. On Tuesday evening at Raley Field, things went in a different direction for Banwart when he got off to a rough start as five of the first six batters got on base and the River Cats found themselves down 4-0 after one. But after the shaky start, Banwart settled in and pitched well as he set down 13 of the next 14 batters he faced and helpe

The Sacramento River Cats held their winning streak against the Reno Aces, killing with a final score of 10-1. With a turnout of 9,342 fans for the last of the five-game set, the I-80 rivals started off with an easy three-up, three-down and no on-bases for the first three innings. The first excitement of the night happened when River Cats left fielder Michael Taylor walked, making it the first on-base of the evening, but Aces turned around and scored the last out of the third inning by throwing Cats first baseman, Anthony Recker, out at first. The fourth inning was when things got intense. Aces right fielder Cole Gillespie made the first earned base, hitting the ball foul along the fir

This was one to remember. On a beautiful afternoon at Raley Field on Saturday, one rare occurrence seemed to open the door for several more as the day went on and the Sacramento River Cats split a rare double header against their bitter rivals, the Reno Aces. The Aces won the first contest 3-2 and the Cats won the nightcap 5-4 in a game that had just about everything but the proverbial kitchen sink. How about both managers being ejected during the same at-bat, a foul ball that found it’s way into the press box, a guy being about a foot short of hitting for the cycle and a walk-off homer run all occurring during the crazy second game? We'll save that for later.  How about the first game

Even though half of the River Cats starting lineup began their season with Oakland, it was a former River Cat that helped make the difference in the game. Steve Tolleson and the other top three hitters in the batting order in the Tucson Padres lineup collected 12 of their 18 hits in a 12-7 win over the River Cats on Thursday evening at Raley Field. Tolleson’s not sure about the Padres plans for him. Whether he gets the call or not, he’s just happy to be playing everyday. “I don’t really know too much,” said the 27-year old from Spartanburg, South Carolina. “At the time of the trade, they were struggling up there as a team with their utility players, but I’m just here having a good time

Despite a solid defensive effort and a strong start, the River Cats were defeated by the Reno Aces in the final third game of a four game series at Raley Field Monday night, with a final score of 9-2. The night was off to a good start for the River Cats, with short stop Eric Sogard scoring off a single from center fielder Matt Carson and bringing the score to 1-0 at the top of the second. But the Aces answered back quickly. Short stop Cody Ransom made it to second base off a fly ball to left fielder Adrian Cardena, and right fielder Cole Gillespie hit a single to send Ransom home, tying up the game in the second inning. The teams remained tied throughout the uneventful third inning, but

The River Cats will return home this Saturday to face the Reno Aces, who are managed by former Giants and Dodgers start Brett Butler. After a day off, Sacramento then welcomes the Tucson Padres to town for Independence day Weekend. Here are notes entering the series. Extra comfort: Sacramento improved to 4-0 in extra-innings games with a 4-3 win Tuesday night. Last season, the River Cats went 5-2 in extra-inning games, and in 2009 Sacramento was 15-4. This gives the River Cats an astonishing 24-6 record in extra innings over the last three seasons. Dig Doug: In his first start with Sacramento, Doug Mathis looked strong Tuesday night against Tucson. The right-hander tossed 6.0 innings, a

Get to know your River Cats outfielder Michael Taylor as I ask him pop culture questions, from Jersey Shore, Oprah's retirement to The Hangover. Also, Michael talks about what he would like to be if he wasn't a baseball player and if he has any bromances on the team. Watch to find out his responses.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIxemdlxKlg     Disclosure:  Cassie Kolias is an intern for the Sacramento River Cats.  

Oakland A’s second baseman Adam Rosales was itching to get back on the field, so much so that he just arrived in town to begin his rehab stint with the River Cats and found himself in the starting lineup. After he collected a single, double and triple by the sixth inning, one had to wonder — after he got pulled in the eighth — if he was even a little upset at not getting a chance to go for the cycle in his first game since August. “No, it’s just fun to get out there and play,” said Rosales, who has been out for nine months rehabbing a broken bone in his ankle. “It’s fun to bump elbows with these guys and to enjoy playing at this level again.” He got a chance to do more than bump elbows,

After a slow and grueling game, the Sacramento River Cats lost 4-3 in the first of the four-game home series against the Salt Lake City Bees. There were more balls than strikes and more outs than runs for the River Cats, who didn’t make it on the scoreboard until the bottom of the sixth inning. The game started off with a walk for the Bees, as River Cats starting pitcher Marti Yadel threw consecutive balls, surprising because usually he is successful on the mound with a 4.86 ERA. A bystander in the crowd shouted “There goes the perfect game.” The game was far from perfect. The loss for the River Cats, who had a first place standing in the league, watched their record drop to 19-11. The