Silver Sox settle for split

RENO - It was a bittersweet Saturday for the Reno Silver Sox.

The Sox (2-3) split their double-header with the Long Beach Armada, but may have lost center fielder Rich Giannotti to an ankle injury for at least a week in the process.

Marcus Jensen's two-out RBI single in the ninth snapped a 4-all tie and gave Reno a 5-4 win over Long Beach in the completion of Friday night's suspended game.

In the seven-inning nightcap, ex-Major Leaguer Bud Smith handcuffed the Sox on three hits and struck out four to win a 5-2 decision, his second victory in six decisions.

The loss of Giannotti is severe. He entered the game hitting .290 and only made one error in 23 games. He was on crutches when he left the clubhouse en route to getting his ankle X-rayed.

"I sprained it pretty good," he said of his injury in the first game on Saturday. "The guy was going for the ball, we bumped and my foot hit off the edge of the base."

The suspended game started with Reno leading 3-2 in the top of the fifth, and the Silver Sox extended their lead to 4-2 in the sixth when James Shanks walked, advanced to third on a double by Doug Gredvig and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bub Madrid.

Long Beach tied the game at 4 in the eighth when Randall Shelley and Jeff LaRue hit back-to-back homers off Mike McTamney, who pitched 3 2/3 innings in relief of James Johnson, who started on Friday night.

Nate Sevier, 5-0, retired the side in the ninth, facing just three batters.

Reno won the game in the ninth when C.J. Lang singled and came around to score on Jensen's game-winning blow with two outs.

The nightcap was the tale of two pitchers.

Reno's Chris Marini, now 5-4, gave up five runs and five hits in his five-inning stint.

Smith, who had rotator cuff surgery last July, worked ahead in the count most of the game and cruised through five of the seven innings.

"I'm not pitching the way I'm capable of," admitted Marini. "I'm not making the pitches I need to make. I threw a few balls up and they capitalized on it."

Long Beach scored a run in the first when LaRue doubled home Shelley, who had reached on a two-out single.

The Armada made it 2-0 in the third, as Adonis Harrison and Shelley hit back-to-back doubles, and added two in the top of the fourth on David Ramirez's one-out double that scored Jeremy Hernandez, who reached on a single, and Bobby Castro, who doubled.

That was more than enough for Smith, who did surrender a solo homer to Shanks, his first as a Silver Sox, in the fourth. Madrid's infield out in the sixth plated Reno's final run.

Madrid, Shanks and newcomer D.J. Stacey, formerly of Galena, were the only Reno players to hit safely. Stacey, who played at North Alabama, was signed between games of Saturday's double-header. He went 1 for 1 and scored a run.

Reno manager Les Lancaster wasn't awed by Smith's work, however.

"He left a lot of pitches up," Lancaster said. "The umpire gave him some pitches way outside, and he stayed with it."

Smith, who pitched a no-hitter for the St. Louis Cardinals against San Diego in 2003, hopes he can work his way back into affiliated ball. He was last in Minnesota's farm system, in 2005 and compiled a 1-0 record with a 4.76 ERA last season at Triple-A Rochester before undergoing surgery.

"I tried to hit spots," Smith said. "As long as a pitcher keeps hitting his spots, the umpires are happy."

Smith said he isn't in any hurry to leave Long Beach just yet.

"I had surgery 11 1/2 months ago," he said. "No reason to go anywhere now. I'm not 100 percent yet. I'm close; about 85 to 90 percent. I've still got some work to do. I don't mind staying around a little longer. I don't want to go up to Double-A or Triple-A right away and get hammered because I'm not quite ready."

He was more than ready and able enough to subdue the Silver Sox.

Notes: Ben Thurmond (4-2, 4.61) opposes Ryan Claypool (3-0, 2.20) in tonight's series finale at 5:05 ... Samone Peters was ejected in the top of the fifth by plate umpire Jason Hutchings after objecting too strenuously when Hutchings ruled that Peters swung at strike three. Peters tossed his bat several feet in the air, and will be fined for his actions ... Reno's reserve catcher Jason Dewey has been placed on the suspended list, but Lancaster refused to go into the reason for the suspension or how long it would last... Jose Canseco didn't play because of back spasms ... The Yuma Scorpions come to town for a four-game series starting Monday night.