The Sacramento River Cats came up short on Saturday night as they lost their second game in a row, falling to the Las Vegas 51s 10-4 at Raley Field. River Cats fans showed up heavily for “Star Wars Night,” with fans dressing up as various Star Wars characters. 14,818 fans showed up in total, making it the third most-attended River Cats game in franchise history. The loss is Sacramento’s fourth in their last five contests. Las Vegas got to River Cats starting pitcher Bruce Billings early, racking up six of their 10 runs during Billings’ 4.0 innings of work. Billings finished the night with four innings pitched, allowing six earned runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out two.

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

The Sacramento River Cats were unable to continue their win streak as they fell to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox 5-3 on Monday night at Raley Field. The River Cats entered the game with a modest three-game winning streak but a late-inning rally fell short to give the River Cats the loss. River Cats starting pitcher Bruce Billings has been exceptional for much of the year, apart from his last two starts, which he lost. Although he struck out seven batters, he also gave up five earned runs on six hits in five innings of work for the River Cats. Billings started strong with a three-up-three-down first inning, but then the Sky Sox were able to get on the board in the second inning. Following

The Sacramento River Cats lost their third straight game as they fell to the Salt Lake Bees 10-3 on Thursday night at Raley Field. The Bees were able to attack River Cats starting pitcher Brad Peacock early, quieting the 6,428 fans in attendance. After getting the first batter of the game out, Peacock gave up a single and walked Bees left fielder Ryan Langerhans to put runners on first and second with just one out. Peacock was unable to get out of the situation, giving up another single that scored Kole Calhoun to put the Bees on the board first, for the second night in a row. River Cats Kila Ka’aihue, who usually plays first base but was playing left field for Thursday’s game, was test

The Sacramento River Cats struggled on Wednesday night as they dropped their second game in a row, falling to the Salt Lake Bees 7-2 at Raley Field. The River Cats began to struggle early in front of the 7,741 people in attendance, who accompanied a variety of canine fans brought to the park for Raley Field’s “Bark in the Ballpark” night. The promotion brought a wide variety of fans to the ballpark, from humans, to chihuahuas, to great big St. Bernards, one of which assisted in the throwing of the first pitch. Sacramento sent out right-handed pitcher Bruce Billings as the starting pitcher. Billings entered the game with a 2.86 earned run average, which was good for being second best in t

The Sacramento River Cats overcame adversity to defeat the Fresno Grizzlies 10-7 on Friday night at Raley Field. The 10,501 fans in attendance witnessed an offensive outburst that lasted nearly three hours and forty minutes. Fans were able to see a plethora of pitchers, with 11 pitchers seeing the mound throughout the game. Designated hitter Manny Ramirez was once again a last-minute scratch, being given the day off as a medical precaution for the tightness in his calf that kept him out of Thursday’s game as well. Adding to the adversity, starting pitcher Bruce Billings faced just two batters, giving up two singles before having to leave the game due to cramping in his left hamstring.

In the second day of veteran Manny Ramirez’s stint at Raley Field, it was third baseman Brandon Inge who shined in the River Cats 10-0 victory against the Reno Aces on the cold Saturday night. Inge fueled the River Cats offense, going 5-5 with two doubles, two home runs, three runs and seven runs batted in. Ramirez is currently playing a 10-game stint with the River Cats before being eligible to play with the Oakland Athletics following a 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy last year. Ramirez chose to retire last season with the Tampa Bay Rays instead of serving the suspension before coming back this year and signing with the Athletics. Ramirez is batti

The Sacramento River Cats extended their winning streak to three with a 6-1 victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Raley Field Thursday night. Starting pitcher Bruce Billings gave the River Cats another solid outing to bring his record to 2-1 with a 3.05 ERA. He provided seven innings of work, giving up no runs on five hits and striking out six. Sacramento was able to pounce on Sky Sox starting pitcher Brandon Hynick early, giving Billings two-run support in the first inning. Outfielder Jermaine Mitchell started the inning with a triple to deep center field. Mitchell then scored on a double from Collin Cowgill to give the River Cats their first lead of the game. First baseman Chri

Third baseman Josh Donaldson led the River Cats to a 7-1 victory against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Raley Field Tuesday night. Donaldson finished the game 3-4 and a walk, including a two-run double that gave the Cats the lead in the fifth inning. Donaldson finished the game with three runs batted in. Sacramento starting pitcher Graham Godfrey had another solid outing as he pitched six innings and struck out five batters while giving up six hits and one unearned run. Colorado’s only run came in the second inning when shortstop Brendan Harris reached base on an error by River Cats shortstop Adam Rosales. Harris then reached third on a hit-and-run play with right fielder Hernan Iribar

The Sacramento River Cats pounced all over the Tucson Padres to win 11-3 at Raley Field Sunday afternoon. The win earns the River Cats a split of the series, as they won the first and final games and the Padres won the two in between. It didn’t take long for the River Cats bats to come alive, quickly scoring two runs off of Padres starting pitcher Mark Pope. But the Cats weren’t done there. Sacramento was able to tally on another five runs in the second inning to bring the lead to 7-0. The five-run frame featured a three-run home run from catcher Josh Donaldson with two outs. It was Donaldson’s second home run of the season. Starting pitcher Brad Peacock was able to keep the Padres off

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 Sacramento River Cats fell to the Omaha Storm Chasers 11-6 Friday night at Raley Field, completing Omaha’s sweep for the Pacific Coast League Championship and ending the River Cats season. It in Omaha’s first PCL Championship in franchise history. After dropping the first two games in Omaha, the River Cats hoped to overcome the deficit just as they did against the Reno Aces in the Pacific Conference Championship Series. The River Cats sent out right-hander Travis Banwart to the mound. Last series, against the Reno Aces, Banwart also pitched in an elimination game and pitched 6.0 innings pitched, two earned runs on five hits with three strike outs and one walk. Banwart looked to be c

The Sacramento River Cats again avoided elimination from the postseason as they defeated the Reno Aces 8-2 at Raley Field on Saturday night. The River Cats were able to bring the series to 2-2 and force a game 5 after falling behind in the series 0-2 to the Aces earlier in the week. “After dropping two games in Reno, we are just fortunate enough to have put ourselves in a situation to play tomorrow,” said River Cats second baseman Wes Timmons. “There’s no pressure now, in reality, the pressure is on them now. Nobody wants to go up 2-0 and then lose.” The River Cats quickly pounced on Reno’s starting pitcher Gaby Hernandez. Starting center fielder Jermaine Mitchell hit a lead-off triple

The Sacramento River Cats won their sixth game in a row, defeating the Las Vegas 51s by a final score of 4-3 on Wednesday night at Raley Field. Las Vegas got on the scoreboard first when starting right fielder Adam Loewen doubled to left field and scored shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, who was on second base after a single and a walk to Jayson Nix. It didn’t take long for the River Cats to respond and get on the scoreboard as well. Jai Miller hit his 31st homer of the season to lead off the second inning and give the River Cats their first run. Then with designated hitter Josh Donaldson on second, center fielder Jermaine Mitchell doubled to score Donaldson. Wes Timmons came up to bat next,

The Sacramento River Cats pounced early on the Las Vegas 51s en route to a 13-1 victory on Monday night at Raley Field. Sacramento first baseman Chris Carter started the scoring with a two-out solo homerun deep over the left field wall. Sacramento continued their attack on Las Vegas starting pitcher Kyle Drabek in the second inning. With runners on first and third, Sacramento shortstop Adam Rosales lined a single to left field to score another run and load the bases with only one out. Drabek then walked three consecutive batters to give the River Cats a 5-0 lead. Drabek finally got out of the inning after getting third baseman Josh Donaldson and left fielder Michael Taylor out. The Rive

The red hot Sacramento River Cats continued their dominance by defeating the Colorado Springs Sky Sox 12-4 Sunday afternoon at Raley Field. The River Cats used a seven-run second inning en route to winning their fourth game in a row, also making it their eighth win in the last ten games. River Cats first baseman Chris Carter started off the scoring in the first inning. With right fielder Jai Miller on first after a one-out walk, Carter sent his ninth home run of the season soaring over the center field wall to give the Cats the first two runs of the game. The Sky Sox came right back in the top of the second inning with two runs of their own. Sox left fielder Mike Paulk led the inning of

The Sacramento River Cats ended their home losing streak on Sunday at Raley Field, defeating the Fresno Grizzlies 8-7 in a thrilling fashion with a walk-off home run from center fielder Jai Miller. The River Cats avoided being swept by the Grizzlies by overcoming a five run deficit after the Grizzlies added four runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 7-2 lead. Sacramento’s Miller led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a walk and was moved to second when shortstop Adam Rosales singled to center. After both Josh Donaldson and Andy LaRoche failed to advance the runners, outfielder Michael Taylor doubled to right field, scoring Miller and advancing Rosales to third. Left fiel

Olympians from all over northern California joined Sacramento River Cats fans Monday afternoon at Raley Field to celebrate Olympic Day and see the final game in the four-game series against the Fresno Grizzlies. While the Cats claimed the first run of the day, the Grizzlies soon came back with two homers of their own in the top of the fifth. By the second half, it appeared the Cats might be in for another loss, but the team turned its offensive game on high, scoring once to tie during the eighth and once more at the bottom of the ninth for the big win and a final score of 3-2. The game started off slowly. Though Cats first baseman Chris Carter gave the Grizzlies a scare in the second, tr

Though coming high off an 11-4 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers Saturday evening, the Sacramento River Cats were unable to repeat the strong lead needed to keep the visitors from getting their third win in the fourth and final game, losing 4-0. The sun was shining brightly Sunday afternoon and with the slight breeze, the 80-some-degree weather felt pleasant, especially when compared to the recent gray and rainy fits. Fans wore smiles and seemed to be enjoying themselves, as were a number of dogs out that day for Raley Field’s Bark in the Ballpark event, some of whom pranced in a pre-game dog parade around the field. Post-parade, River Cats pitcher A.J. Griffin made his first start at the