Aviators Top 5: Barrera walks off another victory

1. Late heroics: Former A’s top prospect Luis Barrera began the current home stand at Las Vegas Ballpark the same way he ended the first one — by hitting a walk-off home run and receiving a Gatorade bath at home plate, this one after a 9-7 win over El Paso.

2. Stiff upper lip: Even more impressive is that the game-winning blast Barrera hit Tuesday night came a day after the 26-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic cleared waivers and the A’s designated him for assignment — i.e., removed him from their 40-man roster.

3. One for the mantel: Nick Allen collected his first major league hit — a hustle double to right field in the A’s 6-4 victory over the Orioles Thursday — after Oakland recalled the infield prospect from the Aviators on Monday. Allen also made his first MLB error Thursday on an errant throw to first base though he probably won’t remember that as much as the double.

4. Blasts from (recent) past: Six of the 10 players in the A’s starting lineup Friday night — third baseman Sheldon Neuse, DH Sean Murphy, first baseman Seth Brown, catcher Austin Allen, right fielder Mickey McDonald and second baseman Allen — have played for the Aviators at Las Vegas Ballpark since it opened in 2019. The A’s lost 8-1 to Texas, but the Aviators are still proud of those guys.

5. Photobomb: McDonald and Allen, who were drafted by the A’s in 2017 and came up through the minors together, made their MLB debuts one day apart this week. Allen’s dad posted a social media photo of the pals standing side by side at Oakland Coliseum.

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.