Modesto Nuts’ slump continues – sixth straight loss

The Modesto Nuts are trying everything, short of recruiting a few Colorado Rockies, to stop their late-season free fall.

They even donned their black jerseys, usually reserved for road games, against the Stockton Ports on Wednesday night at Thurman Field. No matter. Stockton turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 win, plunging Modesto to its season-worst sixth consecutive loss.

Ashley Graeter’s bid for a dramatic three-run walk-off win was caught by Brett Vertigan at the wall in center field. That thump is missing from the Modesto attack. The Nuts have scored only 12 runs during their losing streak.

Stockton tied it 2-2 in the seventh on Melvin Mercedes’ 15-foot roller to no-man’s land near the mound. Nuts starter Konner Wade could do nothing more than pick it up and question the baseball gods as the Ports’ B.J. Boyd raced home.

“You just have to be professional about it and keep your chin up,” said Wade, who gave up only three hits but walked five. “That’s the way it’s going for our team.”

The Ports took charge against reliever Rayan Gonzalez (1-3) in the eighth. Tyler Marincov singled up the middle to drive in Yairo Munoz, and Marincov eventually scored from second when Boyd’s chopper skipped off the glove of Modesto third baseman Ryan McMahon and into shallow left.

Only a few weeks ago, the Nuts rolled to eight straight wins and into first place in the California League’s North Division. Today, they trail first-half champion Visalia by two games with 25 to go. They’ve also been caught by Stockton, winner of four straight and five of six, for the wild card.

“We’re sputtering a little,” Wade said. “We just need one good outing, one good hit to bring us out of it.”

Modesto found some offense in the third to take a 2-1 lead off Stockton starter Raul Alcantara.

Correlle Prime, smarting from his bases-loaded game-ending double play Tuesday night, responded with a double to left-center. Emerson Jimenez, the 20-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic, drew Modesto even with a single up the middle. Michael Benjamin Jr. gave the Nuts the lead by one-hopping an Alcantara 95-mph fastball off the wall in left-center for a triple.

Modesto narrowly missed a big inning when, after a walk to Rosell Herrera, McMahon lined out to right.

Outside that inning, Modesto stranded only two baserunners in scoring position.

“Our pitching is keeping us in games, but we’re having trouble scoring runs,” manager Fred Ocasio said before the game. “Everyone goes through streaks like this.”

Sadly for the Nuts, that streak continued.

Notes – Kyle Freeland (0-0), coming back from elbow surgery in April, makes his third start for the Nuts on Thursday night against the Ports’ Kyle Finnegan (6-7) to finish the three-game series. The teams meet for four games in Modesto starting Aug. 20. ... Pitcher Zach Jemiola suffered a shoulder spasm, which limited his start to 31/3 innings Tuesday night. He had shut out the Ports to that point, and his exit eventually led to a 2-1 Modesto loss. The injury is not considered to be serious. Ocasio said Jemiola will miss at least one start. Johendi Jiminian will take Jemiola’s scheduled start Sunday against Bakersfield.

This story was originally published August 12, 2015 at 10:42 PM with the headline "Modesto Nuts’ slump continues – sixth straight loss."