Baseball Game Preview: Vela Sabercats vs. Sharyland Rattlers

For the second straight game, Vela will face off against Sharyland. The Sabercats will take on the Rattlers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Vela managed to slip by Sharyland the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Sabercats lost 14-0 to the Rattlers on Tuesday. Considering the last time the Sabercats couldn't score was back in February, the team can't take the result too hard.

For Sharyland's part, Fabrizio Salinas made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Salinas has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run was his first of the season.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nic Valdez, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Luis Cienfuegos, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.

Sharyland always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .588. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Vela only posted an OBP of .062.

Sharyland has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-5-2 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Vela, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-11.