Three Stars: July 8 vs. Nashville

With the help of a four-run third inning, a three-run fourth inning and a strong outing from starting pitcher John Ely, the Isotopes kept on rolling Thursday as they stopped the Nashville Sounds, 7-1, at Isotopes Park. The ‘Topes have won their last four games and five of their last six, as they continue to build momentum going into next week’s Triple-A All-Star break.

Here are your Three Stars of the game for your ‘Topes:

1. John Ely, P (7 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 H, 5 K)

Nashville’s lone run of the game in the fourth inning was the only blemish on an otherwise stellar night for the right-hander. In addition to his five strikeouts, Ely induced 11 ground-ball outs and allowed just one baserunner over his final three innings of work.

2. Jerry Sands, RF (1-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB, one run scored)

With one out and the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Sands helped the ‘Topes get some more breathing room with a base hit that plated Dee Gordon and Justin Sellers, making it 7-1, Albuquerque.

3. John Lindsey, 1B (1-for-1, 2 RBI)

Lindsey suffered a strained left hamstring seconds after ripping a two-out double in the third inning, but while he had to leave the game, his hit brought home two runs in what would be a four-run frame for Albuquerque.

For a full recap of tonight’s game, head over to AlbuquerqueBaseball.com!

Three Stars: July 7 vs. Nashville

The Isotopes have now won four of their last five after defeating the Nashville Sounds, 5-1, in tonight’s series opener at Isotopes Park. Unlike the last three nights against Round Rock, when the Albuquerque offense took center stage in winning two of three games from the Express, tonight’s victory was fueled by pitching as starter Randy Keisler (along with relievers Ramon Troncoso and Merkin Valdez) kept the Sounds’ bats silenced.

Here are the Three Stars of the Game for your Isotopes:

1. Randy Keisler, P (6.2 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K)

Ground balls were Keisler’s friend on Thursday, as the left-hander forced Nashville batters into 14 groundouts over his 6 2/3 innings of work– always a good thing to do in a hitter’s park like The Lab. The Texan improved to 5-4 on the season.

2. Trayvon Robinson, LF (2-for-4, HR, RBI, one run scored)

Just in case anyone was wondering why PCL All-Star Robinson was chosen to compete in Monday night’s Triple-A Home Run Derby, the L.A. native showed them he belongs with his 21st homer of the year, which came in the sixth inning and put the ‘Topes up, 4-1.

3. Justin Sellers, 2B (2-for-2, HR, RBI, BB, one run scored)

Sellers capped the ‘Topes offensive output tonight with his ninth big fly of the year, a solo shot that gave Albuquerque a 5-1 edge in the seventh inning. He also singled in the third.

For a full recap of tonight’s game, be sure to visit AlbuquerqueBaseball.com!

Three Stars: July 6 vs. Round Rock

Another night of double-digit output by the offense, as well as a stellar performance from staff ace Dana Eveland, helped the Isotopes clobber Round Rock, 11-3, tonight at Isotopes Park. The ‘Topes took two critical wins in the three-game set and are now within five games of the Express for first place in the PCL’s American Southern division.

Albuquerque now sets its sights on the Nashville Sounds for a four-game set that starts tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. at The Lab. But first, let’s give some props to the key players that helped the ‘Topes derail the Express tonight.

Here are your Three Stars of the game for your Isotopes:

1. Dana Eveland, P (8 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 7 K)

Eveland improved to 8-5 on the season with a great effort that saw him scatter just three hits over seven shutout innings before Round Rock finally hit the board with two runs on two hits in the eighth inning. He induced 12 ground outs and 74 of his 113 pitches were strikes.

2. Jerry Sands, RF (3-for-4, HR, 5 RBI, 2 runs scored)

Sands led the way for the ‘Topes offense tonight, driving in five runs via a two-run RBI double in the first inning, a solo home run in the second (his 13th big fly of 2011), a RBI single in the fourth, and a sacrifice fly in the fifth that capped a five-run burst for Albuquerque.

3. Justin Sellers, 2B (2-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 runs scored)

Sellers was part of the Albuquerque fifth inning that buried the Express, cranking out a double that brought home Jamie Hoffmann and J.D. Closser. He also scored runs in the second, fourth and fifth, when he was brought home on Sands’ sacrifice fly.

For a full recap of tonight’s game, be sure to head over to AlbuquerqueBaseball.com!

Three Stars: July 5 vs. Round Rock

The Isotopes struck back tonight against the Round Rock Express, taking a 13-4 victory largely on the strength of steady offense. The ‘Topes have now won two of their last three contests and sit six games back of the Express in the PCL’s American South going into tomorrow’s rubber game (7:05 p.m. MT) in the three-game set.

Here are tonight’s three stars of the game for your ‘Topes:

1. John Lindsey, DH (3-for-4, HR, two RBI, BB, three runs scored)

“Big John” was a big help to the ‘Topes offense on Tuesday night, hitting a solo home run during a three-run Albuquerque burst in the fifth inning that got them the lead for good. He also drove in another run on a base hit during a big five-run surge in the Isotopes seventh.

2. Jerry Sands, RF (3-for-5, HR, one RBI, three runs scored)

With the score tied 4-4 in the fifth inning, Sands blasted a 1-1 pitch from Round Rock’s Scott Feldman over the wall in right field to give Albuquerque a 5-4 lead. Sands also collected a single in the first and the lead-off double that triggered a monster seventh for the ‘Topes.

3. Ian Snell, P (6 IP, 4 R (4 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks)

Outside of a rocky fourth inning in which the Express put up four runs on four hits, Snell had an altogether solid outing. After the ‘Topes retook the lead in the fifth, Snell went through Round Rock 1-2-3 in the top of the sixth before handing off  the lead to reliever Travis Schlichting.

For a full recap of tonight’s game, be sure to visit AlbuquerqueBaseball.com!

Three Stars: July 4 vs. Round Rock

There were plenty of Independence Day fireworks after the game for Monday night’s record crowd of 16,059 at Isotopes Park, and there were also plenty of fireworks during the actual contest itself as the Albuquerque Isotopes and Round Rock Express combined for 23 runs and 36 hits.

But the American Southern division-leading Express put up two runs in the eighth inning and another pair in the ninth inning to spoil the Isotopes’ 4th of July celebration, winning 13-10.

Here are the three stars of the night for your ‘Topes:

1. Russ Mitchell (two-for-four, two RBI, three runs scored, one walk)

After losing the lead in the top of the sixth inning thanks to a five-run burst from Round Rock, the ‘Topes put up three in the bottom half of the inning to go up, 10-9. The biggest blow? Mitchell’s two-run homer to left field that gave Albuquerque their last lead of the night.

2. Jamie Hoffmann (two-for-four, two RBI)

With the ‘Topes clinging to a 4-3 lead in the third inning, Hoffmann’s single through the hole at shortstop drove in two runs and gave Albuquerque some breathing room for the time being.

3. Damaso Espino (three-for-four, one RBI, two runs scored)

Not normally known as a power hitter, Espino sent a solo big fly over the wall in left field to push Albuquerque’s edge to 7-4 in the fourth inning. It was his third home run of 2011.

For a full recap of tonight’s game, visit AlbuquerqueBaseball.com!