The Sacramento River Cats ended their home losing streak on Sunday at Raley Field, defeating the Fresno Grizzlies 8-7 in a thrilling fashion with a walk-off home run from center fielder Jai Miller. The River Cats avoided being swept by the Grizzlies by overcoming a five run deficit after the Grizzlies added four runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 7-2 lead. Sacramento’s Miller led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a walk and was moved to second when shortstop Adam Rosales singled to center. After both Josh Donaldson and Andy LaRoche failed to advance the runners, outfielder Michael Taylor doubled to right field, scoring Miller and advancing Rosales to third. Left fiel

The Sacramento River Cats sought revenge Thursday from the Fresno Grizzlies, who pummeled the Cats four games in a row a week ago, but fell short, losing 3-2. “They threw the ball well,” said Cats shortstop Eric Sogard. “The pitcher was hitting their spots well. They had a few errors, but we couldn’t really capitalize on them.” “We made a few ourselves, and they capitalized on them. So you know, it was a close game, a battle. They got this one,” Sogard said. With less than half the season remaining, the River Cats lead the Pacific Southern Division with 54 wins and 36 losses, while Fresno trails Sacramento by 15.5 games. The cool 73-degree weather Thursday night attracted a crowd of 10

The River Cats made the first and last run at Friday's game against the Fresno Grizzlies, giving them a close win (6-5) in the first game of the four-game homestand. The smell of hot dogs, beer and popcorn filled the air. What better way to spend a Friday night than in the summer sun cheering on your favorite baseball team? This was the first time the River Cats have hosted the Grizzlies this season at Raley Field, and 12,211 fans were present. Having recently lost 5-1 to the Grizzlies, made this win that much sweeter. The River Cats got the ball rolling with center fielder Jai Miller's home run, the first score of the game. However, in the fourth inning, the Grizzlies took the lead in

The River Cats are now sitting atop the Pacific Coast League South Division with slightly more cushion between them and the Fresno Grizzlies after defeating the visiting Las Vegas 51s 3-2 on Monday night in front of 8,019 fans at Raley Field. Prior to Monday night, the River Cats were involved in a heated five-game battle against division rivals, the Fresno Grizzlies. The Cats managed to take four out of five games, allowing them to clinch the playoff tiebreaker. With visibly less enthusiasm than seen in recent games, fans filed into the stadium. The Cats didn’t give fans much to cheer about until the top of the fourth inning when 51’s pitcher Zach Jackson walked Travis Buck and Michael

 It was a playoff atmosphere at Raley Field on Saturday evening.   The ballpark was full to bursting, over 14,000 souls braving the 50-degree near-Candlestickian weather in anticipation of an an epic battle between the top two teams in the PCL South.   Problem is, only one showed up.   For the second night in a row, the Fresno Grizzlies were totally outclassed by your Sacramento River Cats, losing 12 to 4.   After Clayton Mortenson (13-6) set down the Grizzlies in order in the top half of the first, the River Cats went to town on Fresno starter Matt Yourkin (7-8) in the home half of the inning.   In a brilliant homage to Barry Zito's performance mere minutes earlier for the paren

              Red Sox/Yankees.                            Giants/Dodgers.               Cardinals/Cubs.               River Cats/Grizzlies?                 Is it crazy to compare the Highway 99 Showdown, taking place this week at Raley field, to the fiercest rivalries in professional baseball?  Maybe, but all the pieces are in place for the Fresno/Sacramento rivalry to become the AAA equivalent of these major league grudge matches.               In addition to being natural geographic rivals vying for Central Valley bragging rights, the two teams are division rivals who entered last night just a game apart in the standings, fighting for a single playoff berth.               And to t

It was hot and steamy. The weather, that is. With the temperature soaring above 100 degrees on Wednesday, I headed over to Raley Field in West Sacramento to attend Infuze Marketing’s Wine in the Park event. Sponsored by Classic Party Rentals, Wine in the Park features a wine tasting from participating family-owned wineries an hour and a half before the Sacramento River Cats game taking place that night. Attendees were able to try some unique wines, watch the ball game and support a great cause. A portion of the proceeds from Wednesday’s event will benefit a local nonprofit, Stanford Home for Children. Stanford Home for Children’s mission is “Strengthening children and families: to drea

The rivalry between the Fresno Grizzlies and the Sacramento River Cats will culminate when the teams face off for a five-game series starting Wednesday. With Fresno leading Sacramento by one game in the PCL South Division standings entering play Monday, the rare five-game series will go a long way in determining the division winner. Not only are the Grizzlies and the River Cats division rivals, but their Major League affiliates, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A's, have also been locked in a rivalry ever since the two teams moved to the Bay Area. Adding extra pressure to the rivalry is an intense Playoff race that will be decided by the showdown at Raley Field. For many River C

With the River Cats’ win over the Iowa Cubs Wednesday night, Sacramento was able to move within one game of first place. While Sacramento handled business at Raley Field Wednesday night, the division-leading Fresno Grizzlies fell to Omaha. After his short stint in Oakland, Chris Carter was able to join the Cats to start the series against Iowa. While he was gone, the River Cats went 3-4, scoring two or less runs in three of those games. On Tuesday, Carter hit his 28th homer of the season, putting him in third place for home runs, third in RBIs, and tied for third in runs scored. Carter is also fourth in strikeouts with 126, and that part of his game is what brought him back to Sacrament

Neither Rickey Henderson's presence nor a sellout crowd of 14,014 was enough to inspire the Sacramento River Cats to win Saturday. Having won the first two games of a three-game series against the Fresno Grizzlies, who are leading in the Pacific Coast League South Division, the River Cats lost game three 5-1. The River Cats remain six games behind the Grizzlies in the standings. Before the game, River Cats second baseman Eric Sogard said that winning and making up all three games in one series would be huge, but that the team is satisfied it has won the series already taking two out of three. "We've been playing good, we have a solid squad right now," said Sogard. "We're not where we wan

The Sacramento River Cats’ play has paralleled with the heat in the last week, with the team winning five straight games. The Tacoma Rainiers came into town Saturday and were on pace to leave Sacramento winless, but fortunately for them, the River Cats found themselves down early and were unable to show off any of the late magic that was displayed the night before. The Tacoma Rainiers were 40-38 coming into the mid-day game against the River Cats, who have found themselves 41-38 and seven games out of first place in the PCL South Division. On the mound the Rainiers had the early advantage, as their starter Luke French was currently 8-2 with a 2.27 ERA. French leads his team in wins a

 Looking for an explosive way to spend your Fourth of July? Well, look no further. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best Fourth of July events in the Sacramento area. Sacramento Cal Expo will once again host an Independence Day Celebration sponsored by Coca-Cola and Miller Lite at the Miller Lite Grandstand near the East Gate entrance. The festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a performance from Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers. State Fair mascot Poppy will also be there to entertain the crowds. Cal Expo’s media partner, radio station 107.9 The End, will provide music to the spectacular fireworks show, starting at 9:30 p.m. Parking for the event is $10, and general admission to

The Sacramento River Cats began their final four-game set in June the same way they opened the month – by hosting the Tacoma Rainiers. In the earlier series, the River Cats dropped three of the four games, but they have bounced back to record 13 wins and 11 losses entering Saturday night. River Cats starting pitcher Kyle Middleton entered the game having thrown 18 scoreless innings, and he extended that streak to 21 innings before surrendering a Rainiers home run in the fourth inning Saturday. Middleton completed six innings before the bullpen took over to finish the game and get Middleton his fifth win against five losses for the season. In the second inning, the River Cats took an ear