SEATTLE AT SACRAMENTO — “A STATEMENT, THEN A STING”
By Chad G. Petey, Baseball News Network (BNN) and Gemmie Nye,Sacramento Sports Chronicle
The first weekend of July opened with the kind of night Sacramento fans have come to expect — loud, decisive, and rooted in pitching dominance — before closing with a reminder that even the league’s standard-bearer can be made uncomfortable.
The Prayers took the opener emphatically, then absorbed a sharp counterpunch Saturday afternoon as the Lucifers salvaged momentum and left a bruise that lingered.
FRIDAY — PRAYERS 7, LUCIFERS 1
- Rubalcava sets the tone; Hernandez delivers the blow
For five innings, it felt like Seattle was probing, waiting for an opening. It never came.
Jordan Rubalcava authored another calm, efficient performance, scattering seven hits across seven innings and conceding just one run. He worked quickly, pounded the lower half of the zone, and kept Seattle grounded — 12 groundouts to just five fly balls — as Sacramento’s defense did the rest.
The game turned, decisively and permanently, in the second inning.
With two aboard and Sacramento already holding a 3–0 edge, Francisco “Slicker” Hernandez jumped on a Ryan Miller sinker and launched it into the Sacramento night. The three-run shot — his eighth — detonated the contest and lifted the crowd to its feet. By the time the inning ended, the Prayers led 7–0, and Seattle’s bullpen was already active.
From there, the game settled into Rubalcava’s rhythm. He never walked a batter, needed just 86 pitches, and exited to a standing ovation — though the applause was muted by concern after he appeared to tweak something while throwing late in the game. The club later acknowledged discomfort, casting a small shadow over an otherwise flawless evening.
“I like seeing our guys get a return on what they’ve put in,” manager Jimmy Aces said. Friday night felt like that return on investment made tangible.
SATURDAY — LUCIFERS 8, PRAYERS 4
- A ninth-inning gut punch flips the script
Saturday unfolded far differently — slower, tighter, and increasingly tense as missed opportunities piled up.
Fernando Salazar was excellent through eight innings, allowing three earned runs and keeping Sacramento within striking distance despite limited offensive support. Duncan Templeton matched him pitch for pitch, locating well and forcing soft contact while navigating traffic.
With the score knotted and the bullpen door swinging, the ninth inning proved to be disastrous. Luis Prieto (4.46 ERA), in his second appearance since his rushed return, allowed a huge 3-run home run to Heriberto Morales, blowing the game open to 8-2. Prieto was charged with four earned runs in just 0.1 innings, raising serious questions about his recovery and usage.
Sacramento's offense chipped away but couldn't keep pace. Sam Strauss (.270 AVG) hit an RBI double in the 6th, and Camden Liston (.184 AVG) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. The team scored two runs in the ninth, but it was too little, too late.
THE TAKEAWAY
While the club's depth continues to produce runs, the injury to Rubalcava and the poor outing by a returning Prieto raise alarms about the pitching staff's stability moving forward.
At their best, the Prayers overwhelm early and suffocate late. On Friday, they were unassailable. On Saturday, they were human — leaving runners stranded, absorbing a rare bullpen stumble, and learning again how thin the margin can be against a contender.
The bigger concern may be Rubalcava’s health, not the loss itself. The standings cushion remains generous. The dominance remains real. But July has a way of asking harder questions, and Seattle left town having asked one. The Prayers answered half of it. The rest will come soon enough.