Tony Contini / Tahoe Onstage
New faces helped the Reno Aces top the Albuquerque Isotopes 5-1 on Friday night at Greater Nevada Field.
Aces catcher John Ryan Murphy went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in the sixth inning. Second baseman Andrew Young was 1-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base. Carlos Asuaje made his Reno Aces debut, going 0-for-1 with an at-bat in the seventh.
Murphy, who was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks and sent outright to Triple-A Reno on June 1, has homered twice in five home games with the Aces. He took a hanging fastball to left-center field, giving the Aces a 4-1 lead.
Young’s first Aces hit was a bases-clearing, three-run triple in the bottom of the eighth inning of Thursday’s 6-4 win over the Isotopes.
A call-up from Double-A Jackson, Young has started three games at second base with Reno. The 25-year-old hit .260 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs in 65 games with the Generals this season.
Young’s emergence in the starting lineup has kept infielders Domingo Leyba and Juniel Querecuto switching at shortstop. Leyba was the starting shortstop on Thursday.
“JQ” took over starting duties on Friday, going 1-for-2 with a triple.
Asuaje subbed in the sixth inning for 2017 MLB All-Star Jake Lamb, who is on a rehab assignment with the Reno Aces.
A native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Asuaje signed a minor league free agent deal with the Dbacks Friday morning. Asuaje, 27, was an 11th round selection by the Boston Red Sox in the 2013 MLB Draft.
Over seven seasons, Asuaje has appeared in 175 games with the San Diego Padres. The infielder totaled 125 hits, six home runs and 42 RBIs with the padres. He’s bounced between San Diego and its Triple-A affiliate, the El Paso Chihuahuas through 2017-18.
Reno had 13 hits. Cody Decker laced a pinch-hit RBI double to left-center in the eighth. Abraham Almonte and Travis Snider each had two hits.
The Aces have 125 homers on the season, third-most in the Pacific Coast League.
Braden Shipley picked up his second win. The right-hander surrendered one earned on four hits with four strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work. Shipley’s four-seam fastball painted the corners and his effective changeup tied opposing batters up at the hands.
The Isotopes plated the first run of the contest in the third. The Aces scored their first run in the fifth. Reno jumped out to a comfortable lead with three runs in the sixth and one more in the eighth.
The Aces bullpen took care of the rest. Lucas Luetge shut the door in the ninth.
Notes: 6,648 attended the game. … Former Reno Aces pitcher Taylor Clarke pitched surrendered six earned runs over three frames for Arizona against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday. Dbacks’ top pitching prospect Jon Duplantier was placed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation on June 12. … The Aces won their first Copa de la Diversión game in team history on Thursday. … Former Reno High School graduate and Isotopes’ right fielder Garrett Hampson went 2-for-4 with a double against the Aces on Thursday.
On Deck: Reno, 31-42, face Albuquerque for the third game of the five-game series. Alex Young is expected to take the hill for the Aces. Left-hander Pat Dean is the probable starting pitcher for the Isotopes.
— Isaiah Burrows
