Pitching, home runs highlight Beavers 6-2 victory

This is a press release courtesy of the Portland Beavers

Craig Stansberry fell a single short of the cycle and Drew Macias tallied a pair of RBIs on three hits to lead the Portland Beavers to a 6-2 victory over the Albuquerque Isotopes Wednesday night at Isotopes Park.

Stansberry hit a lead-off homer in the first and scored three runs, and Macias and Val Pascucci both went long in the third for the Beavers (49-63), who won three straight games for the first time since July 8.

Josh Geer (2-1), making his first start with the Beavers since being recalled by San Diego on April 19, gave up one run (0 earned) on a pair of hits and struck out five in six innings of work.

Scott Patterson yielded two hits and fanned two batters in the seventh inning, and Eulogio De La Cruz (6) pitched a perfect eighth before giving up a solo shot in the ninth to record the save.

Isotopes starter Giancarlo Alvarado (9-9) allowed seven hits and three solo home runs in six innings to take the loss.

Stansberry blasted the second pitch of the game over the left-field fence to put the Beavers up 1-0 in the first inning.

Tony Abreu initially tied the game at one run apiece in the bottom of the fifth frame with an RBI double. However, the Beavers won their appeal claiming that Abreu did not step on the first base bag and he was instead ruled out, nullifying the game-tying run and ending the inning.

Macias made the Isotopes pay for their base-running folly, hitting the first pitch of the following inning out of the park. Pascucci, in his first game back in Albuquerque since being released by the organization on June 18, hit a home run two batters later to give the Beavers a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.

Jamie Hoffman scored the first run of the game for the Isotopes (61-51) on a throwing error by third baseman Peter Ciofrone in the sixth.

Portland took a 4-1 lead in the seventh after Stansberry reached base on a triple and then scored on a single by Macias, his second RBI of the game.

Stansberry took a walk to start the ninth inning, stole second and then reached home on two wild pitches by Albuquerque reliever Brent Leach. Following a pitching change, Pascucci drove in his second RBI of the game with a run-scoring single as the Beavers extended their lead, 6-1.

Jason Repko hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to bring the Isotopes to within four runs, but De La Cruz induced a double play two batters later to secure the win.

The Beavers take on Albuquerque again at 6:05 p.m. (Pacific) Thursday night.

NOTES: Padres catcher Nick Hundley was transferred to Portland for a major league rehab assignment and appeared in his first game for the Beavers this season, going 0-2 before being replaced by Yamid Haad in the sixth inning … left-hander Cesar Ramos was reinstated from the disabled list and transferred to Class A Lake Elsinore and infielder Matt Antonelli re-joined the Beavers after a stint on the disabled list … infielder Seth Johnston was transferred to Class AA San Antonio.