Since the River Cats pushed Josh Outman’s start back one more day, a spot came open for another player from Oakland’s outstanding minor league system to make an appearance before the 5,327 in attendance at Raley Field Tuesday evening.

This time it was Graham Godfrey’s number that was called. Godfrey, a player whom Cats Manager Darren Bush has had the pleasure of managing at several of the A’s farm clubs, got the spot start. Even though Godfrey pitched well enough to win, he gave up three runs in the first inning that crippled the Cats’ chances of pulling off the win.

In the end, the River Cats lost a tough one, 5-3 in the ninth inning to the Las Vegas 51s.

For the third consecutive game, the River Cats pitchers allowed the visiting team to score in the first inning.

After Las Vegas center fielder Darin Mastroianni led off the game with a strikeout, the 51s had back-to-back singles by Mike McCoy and Brett Lawrie. After left fielder Eric Thomas walked to load the bases, first baseman David Cooper, who came into the game hitting .409, ripped a line-drive single that plated two runs and gave the 51s an early 2-0 lead after one inning of play.

That brought on a quick trip to the mound by Cats pitching coach Scott Emerson in an effort to settle down his freshly called up starter Godfrey. Godfrey allowed another run-scoring single before getting right fielder Adam Loewen to ground into the ever-popular 6-4-3 double play.

After facing seven batters in the opening frame, it looked like an early hook was in the making for the 26-year-old right-hander.

That didn’t happen as Godfrey settled in and, after a rough start, pitched four scoreless innings before being replaced by Danny Farquhar, who started the sixth.

For the Cats, after going down quietly in the first inning, center fielder Jai Miller opened the second with a walk. Steve Tolleson then stroked a single that dropped well in front of Las Vegas left fielder Eric Thames. Miller tried to stretch an extra base out of Tolleson’s single but was caught in a close play at third on the superb throw by Thames.

Once Wes Timmons grounded into a 5-3 ground out, it was time for the Cats’ hottest batter to come to the plate in the form of Tuesday’s designated hitter, Adrian Cardenas.

Cardenas entered the contest with a team-high .467 batting average and is showing a great eye early this year. Cardenas took a four-pitch walk to bring the 0-for-the-early-season (15 at-bats) Josh Donaldson to the plate. Donaldson, who played a bit with the big club last year filling in for an injured Kurt Suzuki, has been eager to rip his first meaningful shot into the Raley Field outfield. With two outs, Donaldson torched the second pitch he saw for a line drive into center that scored Tolleson from second base, allowing the scorekeeper to put the first Cats runs on the big board.

That seemed to open the flood gates, at least temporarily, as Adam Heether stroked a ground ball into center field that scored. Cardenas quickly followed by leadoff hitter Jemile Weeks’ single that plated Donaldson.

Shortstop Eric Sogard concluded the second inning with a groundout to the first base that left the score tied at 3-3.

Onto the fifth, where in between a couple of singles, Godfrey closed his strong performance with striking out the side.

With the scored still tied at 3-3, things got interesting in the eighth when Tolleson walked, and then Anthony Recker, pinch-hitting for Timmons, smashed a double into left field. With two on and two outs, Donaldson struck out to end the Cats threat.

Cats reliever Trystan Magnuson entered the game to start the eighth and promptly shut down the 51s in 1-2-3 fashion.

Jason Lane, who had been hitless in the game and was batting well under .100 early this season, led off the ninth with a bang by taking a 1-2 pitch on a rope into center field for a clean single.

The ninth hitter in the order, Brian Jeroloman, took the sixth pitch from Magnuson into left field. The ball curled toward the line and Cats outfielder Chris Carter just couldn’t catch up to it as it dropped in for a seeing-eye single, allowing pinch runner Manny Mayorson to race his way to third on the play.

Moments later, Lane scored on a wild pitch from Magnuson that also put Jeroloman on second base. After back-to-back strikeouts by Magnuson, Brett Lawrie punched a single to right that scored Jeroloman to make it a 5-3 advantage for the visiting 51s.

Heether led the ninth with a walk for the River Cats, but 51s reliever Josh Roenicke struck out the side, with Weeks swinging while Sogard and Carter went down looking. The 51s pulled off the late inning rally to win, 5-3.

Even though Godfrey got off to a rough start, he knew it would just take a bit to settle in again at Raley Field.

“That first inning, their hitters are pretty good,” Godfrey said. “They didn’t try to over-swing, and they just took what they got and put the ball in play. But I adjusted and got with Donaldson, and we reworked our game plan and went back to work, and it worked out.

“Emo (pitching coach Scott Emerson) came out to give me a breather and said, ‘Keep throwing strikes,’” he said. “My stuff was there. I just had to work on the sequences and I felt like I finished strong.”

Getting a change to show his wares at the AAA level last season, Godfrey now feels like he belongs and thinks he knows much better how to stay here this time.

“This year I feel like I belong here”, Godfrey said. “I feel like I’m good enough to be here. There are still a couple of things that I’m trying to work on, but I felt really comfortable out there tonight, and I’m looking forward to a strong season.” 

Images are of pre-game warmups and festivities at the ballpark