51s hold on as Bradford records save

Las Vegas 51s manager Wally Backman didn’t expect Chasen Bradford to pitch Sunday.

But when things got dicey in the ninth inning, the right-hander got the call and responded, recording the final two outs to save a 7-5 victory over the Albuquerque Isotopes at Cashman Field.

Bradford, a Silverado High graduate, came on with the bases loaded and one out to face the middle of the Isotopes’ order. He retired Joc Pederson on a sacrifice fly to left field and struck out cleanup hitter Clint Robinson to end the game and pick up his fourth save.

“Chase has had some tough situations for us, and he’s done a great job without a doubt,” Backman said. “This kid, I don’t know if he’s on the fast track, but he’s opened a lot of eyes, not only here, but at the major league level, too. He’s done a great job for us.”

Las Vegas (69-54) led 7-3 entering the ninth, but reliever Zack Thornton struggled with his control, walking two and allowing two hits in just one-third of an inning.

Backman turned to Bradford to face Pederson, one of the top prospects in the Dodgers’ farm system and a player who entered the game tied for the Pacific Coast League lead in homers with 26.

“He’s probably the best player in the league by far,” Backman said of Pederson.

Bradford retired the left-handed batter on a fly ball that Brandon Allen tracked down in foul territory, then got Robinson to chase a pitch in the dirt to end the game.

The 51s were sluggish offensively until finally breaking through in the fifth inning. Las Vegas had managed just an infield single through four innings and was unable to take advantage of Albuquerque starter Matt Magill’s wildness. Magill walked five in three innings but didn’t allow a hit and struck out four.

“We chased some balls out of the zone early in the game,” Backman said. “The guy threw a lot of balls that we chased. But they finally started rolling in the fifth and started getting some big hits.”

Daniel Muno started the rally with a single to center, and Matt Reynolds reached on a bunt that hugged the third-base line. The floodgates opened after Allan Dykstra ripped a two-run double off the fence in left-center field.

“It’s funny, because hitting becomes contagious sometimes, and that’s what it looked like after Dykstra’s hit,” Backman said. “That was a big hit for us, too.”

Taylor Teagarden added a two-run homer in the inning, and Anthony Seratelli had a run-scoring single as the 51s scored six runs to take a 6-2 lead.

Teagarden added an RBI single in the sixth for Las Vegas, and that was enough for starter Logan Verrett, who pitched seven strong innings to run his record to 10-4.

Verrett allowed two runs on two hits in the top of the first but settled in from there, giving up just two more hits the rest of the way.

“His stuff plays,” Backman said. “He’s not a power pitcher, but he’s 90, 91, 92 (mph). He can locate his fastball, sink it, cut it. He’s got a real good swing-and-miss slider at times, and he’s got a good change-up. This kid’s going to pitch in the big leagues, too.”

Las Vegas now has won three in a row and closes out the five-game series with Albuquerque at 7:05 tonight before heading out on the road. Backman said the wins are especially nice since they’ve come without center fielder Matt den Dekker, who was leading the league in hitting when he was called up by the Mets on Thursday.

“We’ve made so many changes this year, and then losing den Dekker was a huge loss for us,” Backman said. “To bounce back and win three in a row with den Dekker being gone has been big for us, because he was our catalyst.”