AVIATORS WEEKLY

TOP 10 1. Late leads hold up

At 47-45 entering Saturday night’s game, the Aviators don’t always lead after eight innings. But when they do, they are 37-0. They did it the hard way Friday night, scoring three runs in the sixth, five in the seventh and one in the eighth to rally from a 7-2 deficit and go ahead 11-7 on their way to a 12-7 win over Albuquerque at Las Vegas Ballpark.

2. Winning streak stays short

Seeking their first four-game winning streak in exactly two months, the Aviators lost 10-6 to the Isotopes in the opener of a six-game series Thursday night. But the $2 beers still tasted cold.

3. Howe do you do?

In hockey, they refer to a goal, assist and fight in the same game as the Gordie Howe hat trick. Catcher Austin Allen put together a rough baseball equivalent in Thursday night’s game: Hit, homer (his 19th), ejection — the Aviators’ catcher was told to grab an early shower in the top of the ninth by home plate umpire Darius Ghani.

4. Khris still krushing

Former big-league outfielder Khris Davis, who hit 220 home runs for the Rangers, A’s and Brewers, hit his second since joining the Aviators on Thursday night. Really astute trivia buffs may recall that Davis hit the second walk-off grand slam in MLB history in 2016 — on a day he hit three homers for the A’s against the Rangers.

5. Tank still rumbling

Since being acquired by the Cubs last month, former Aviators first baseman Frank “The Tank” Schwindel is batting .365 with four homers and 15 RBIs. He had collected extra-base hits in seven consecutive games before going 0-for-4 Friday against the Royals.

6. Skye’s the limit

Fan and name favorite Skye Bolt is batting. 392 with an OPS of 1.171 in 46 games for the Aviators (he also has 23 appearances for the A’s and two for the Giants) and has two five-hit outings since Aug. 8.

7. Puk stops

Since being recalled by the A’s this month, former Aviators reliever A.J. Puk has not yielded a run in four outings with his fastball touching 97-99 mph, according to reports from Oakland — a few mph above what he was hitting on the radar guns during spring training.

8. Here and gone

A’s utility player Chad Pinder went 4-for-12 with a homer, double and three RBIs during a rehab assignment with the Aviators at Tacoma and played a game in Las Vegas on Thursday before being recalled by the A’s. He and Seth Brown, who hit 37 homers for the Aviators in 2019, changed places.

9. Buddy system

Aviators outfielder Buddy Reed has returned from a lengthy stint on the injury list (June 8) and went 8-for-17 with a homer in the recent six-game road trip at Tacoma before going hitless in three at-bats in Thursday’s loss to Albuquerque.

10. Aviators quick quiz

Which former Las Vegas broadcaster asked the question touching off an infamous profanitylaced tirade by Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda following a game in 1978? A: Colin Cowherd. B. Ken Korach. C: Tim Neverett. D: Paul Olden.

The answer is Paul Olden, who, while reporting for KLAC radio in Los Angeles, asked the Dodgers’ manager for his opinion of the Cubs’ Dave Kingman’s performance after he had hit three home runs to beat Lasorda’s team. The rest is !@#$% history.