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liberty-ca · 01-27-2026, 09:38 AM

BNN WEEK IN RETROSPECT – PRAYERS WEEKLY
SACRAMENTO PRAYERS: MAY 13–19, 1990
By Chad G. Petey and C.O. Pilot – Baseball News Network (BNN) and Gemmy Nay, Sacramento Sports Chronicle

Baseball seasons don’t move in straight lines. They twist. They correct. They reveal. And this week revealed plenty. For a club that spent April looking untouchable, the middle of May has begun to feel like a long hallway with the lights flickering. The Sacramento Prayers, once 25–8 and lording over the American League West, suddenly found themselves staring at a five‑game losing streak, a lineup running cold, and a bullpen stretched thin. And as the week continued, the road only got bumpier.

Baseball is a cruel mistress, and this week, she took the Prayers on a tour of the American League’s most unforgiving basements. From the dry heat of Arizona to the rain-soaked grass of Texas and finally to the gritty harbors of Baltimore, our boys lived a season’s worth of drama in seven days. We leave the week still clinging to the top of the AL West at 28-17, but the lead feels a lot thinner than it did a week ago.

★ ★ ★

SUNDAY, MAY 13 — Tucson 1, Sacramento 0
Crossley’s Quiet Masterpiece

Sometimes a game turns into a standoff where one mistake — or one missed pitch — decides everything. That was Sunday night in Tucson. The Prayers started the week desperate for a reset. Instead, they ran into Tony Crossley, who spent fine evening dismantling Sacramento’s offense with the calm of a man folding laundry.

CTony Crossley silenced the Sacramento Prayers over eight crisp innings, and Reynaldo Saldivar finished it off as the Cherubs edged Sacramento, 1–0. The Prayers managed just five hits and never pushed a runner across, despite a few quiet chances.

Bernardo Andretti deserved better. The right-hander scattered five hits over 6⅔ innings and didn’t allow an earned run, but he was haunted by a ghost in the third inning. A routine ball to third turned into a nightmare when Bret Perez's throw went wide, allowing Tucson to scratch across the only run they would need. Andretti struck out five, walked three, and left the game having allowed just one run total.

Sacramento’s best threat came off the bat of Eli Murguia, who went 3-for-3 with a walk and accounted for more than half of the club’s hits. But the rest of the lineup couldn’t move him along. Gil Cruz stranded five runners, including one in scoring position with two outs.

Crossley, meanwhile, worked efficiently and confidently, mixing his pitches and keeping the Prayers from stringing anything together. “Tony is good at sticking to his strengths,” Tucson manager Russ Barrett said afterward — a fair summary of a night where Crossley never looked rattled.

Sacramento turned a clean double play behind Andretti and kept Tucson from adding on, but in a 1-0 game, there was no margin for error.

“We’re pressing, no doubt,” Andretti admitted afterward. “But pressing doesn’t score runs. We’ve got to breathe again.”

They say pitching wins championships, but it also ruins Sunday afternoons. The losing streak hit six.

★ ★ ★

MONDAY, MAY 14 (Game 1) — Fort Worth 3, Sacramento 2 (10 innings)
A Walk-Off That Felt Inevitable

This was a game that didn't know how to die. Originally scheduled for April 1, this game was suspended in the 7th inning due to a severe thunderstorm with both teams locked in a 2-2 tie. Resuming today as a first part of a doubleheader after a weather suspension, the atmosphere at Spirits Grounds was eerie. In the beginning it had the feel of a game Sacramento used to win. Tight, tense, low-scoring — the Prayers thrived in these in April. But May has been a different animal.

Bernardo Andretti made his second start in as many days and was solid again, but this time the margin cracked. He allowed a two-run homer to catcher Steve Schultz in the fourth inning and worked into the seventh before turning it over to the bullpen.

Sacramento scratched out runs in the second and sixth. Edwin Musco doubled and later scored, while Eli Murguia delivered a two-out RBI to keep the game even. The Prayers collected nine hits — two apiece from Francisco Hernandez and Musco — but couldn’t land a knockout blow.

Luis Prieto took the loss after allowing the decisive hit in the tenth. Fort Worth starter Luca Pedrotti pitched seven steady innings and set the tone. “What an exhilarating win,” Pedrotti said, and for the Spirits, it certainly was.

For Sacramento, it was another night of narrow frustration. Yes, Bernardo Andretti pitched well again, but the bullpen couldn’t hold a 2–2 tie into extras. Felix Hernandez tried to spark the engine with his 17th stolen base, but the Prayers couldn't find the knockout punch. In the tenth, the air went out of the balloon when Robby Lillard poked a single through the gap, handing Sacramento its seventh straight loss. The clubhouse felt like a funeral.

Seven straight losses. A season-high.

★ ★ ★

MONDAY, MAY 14 (Game 2) — Sacramento 3, Fort Worth 1
Rubalcava Stops the Bleeding

Every losing streak ends somewhere. For Sacramento, it ended in the nightcap, courtesy of Jordan Rubalcava, who pitched like a man tired of bad vibes. With the streak threatening to swallow the season, Rubalcava stepped onto the mound and said, "Not today." Over eight innings, "Pluto" was a Venezuelan whirlwind, yielding just five hits.

Eight innings. Five hits. One run. No walks. Total command. Chris Ryan closed it out cleanly for his second save. “At the end of the day, it’s always about your starting pitcher,” Jimmy Aces said. And for one night, it was.

Eli Murguia provided the early spark with a solo homer in the seventh, snapping a 0-0 deadlock. But the story was Bret Perez. Still wearing the shame of his Tucson error, Perez stepped up in the eighth with one runner on and the weight of a city on his shoulders. His two‑run homer on a pitch from reliever Ramon Berrios — a towering shot that left his bat with the sound of a man exhaling frustration — put Sacramento ahead for good. He didn't just hit a home run; he exorcised a demon. The 3-1 win snapped the skid and let Sacramento finally breathe.

The streak was over. After days of one-run losses, Sacramento finally had a clean, controlled win. The season, mercifully, resumed.

★ ★ ★

TUESDAY, MAY 15 — Fort Worth 2, Sacramento 1 (10 innings)
A Familiar Script, an Unwanted Ending

If you like offensive fireworks, you weren't in Fort Worth on Tuesday. This was a gritty, grinding affair.

Robby Larson pitched beautifully — 7.2 innings, ten hits but only one run allowed, working out of jam after jam. Edwin Musco homered again, his tenth, a laser to left that briefly gave Sacramento hope. For a while, it looked like that lone blast would hold. But the bullpen couldn't keep the door bolted.

In the bottom of the tenth, Phil Hicks played the villain, lining a single that sent the Spirits fans home happy and the Prayers back to the hotel wondering what they had to do to catch a break in extra innings. Luis Prieto absorbed his second straight loss after surrendering the deciding hit.

Fort Worth starter Chris Aubin was excellent, striking out six while working around six walks in seven innings. “A pretty good win,” manager Chris Tanner said — understated, but accurate.

For Sacramento, it was the familiar feeling of being close without being rewarded. The Prayers fell to 26–16, and the road trip continued to feel cursed.

★ ★ ★

WEDNESDAY, MAY 16 — Fort Worth 4, Sacramento 3
Salt in the Wound

The Sacramento Prayers let another tight game slip away Wednesday night, falling 4–3 to the Fort Worth Spirits despite collecting ten hits. Ricky Gaias, the early-season ace, took the mound needing a bounce-back. Instead, he ran into Cesar Caballaro, who turned the third inning into his personal fireworks show — a two‑run blast that put Fort Worth ahead and set the tone.

Francisco Hernandez set the tone early with a solo home run in the first inning, his sixth of the season, but Sacramento never managed to fully capitalize. The Prayers scored again in the fifth on Hector Iniguez’s two-out RBI single and briefly pulled even in the eighth when Hernandez came home for the second time, but Fort Worth had already done enough damage.

That damage came largely from Cesar Caballaro. The Spirits designated hitter delivered the decisive blow, launching a two-run homer off Ricky Gaias that capped a three-run frame and put Fort Worth in front for good. Caballaro finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and was named Player of the Game.

Gaias worked 7⅓ innings and absorbed the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits. He settled after the third inning but couldn’t erase the early deficit. “This was a good win,” Caballaro said afterward, summing up a night where Fort Worth made its key swings count.

Sacramento left eight men on base and went hitless in several key spots, including multiple chances with runners in scoring position and two outs. Mark Kaplan closed the door in the ninth for his ninth save as the Prayers dropped to 26–17.

The scoreline was bad, but the visual was worse. In the eighth inning, Gil Caliari pulled up lame, clutching his shoulder with a look of agony that usually means a long stint on the shelf. We lost the game, and more importantly, we lost a key arm in the pen.

“We’re taking punches right now,” Aces said. “But we’re still standing. That matters.”

★ ★ ★

FRIDAY, MAY 18 — Sacramento 7, Baltimore 1
The Charm City Correction

After a bruising, bewildering stretch in which Sacramento dropped nine of eleven and watched a once‑comfortable division lead shrink to a nervous two games, the Prayers arrived in Baltimore looking like a team in need of a reset. The clubhouse wasn’t panicked, but it was tight — the kind of tension that hangs in the air after too many late‑inning heartbreaks and too many long flights home with the lights off.

The flight to Baltimore must have been a productive one. The Prayers emerged from the dugout at Sinners Grounds looking like a different ballclub. Bernardo Andretti turned in one of his sharpest outings of the season Friday night, leading the Sacramento Prayers to a 7–1 win over the Baltimore Satans.

Andretti went eight strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits while walking one and striking out five. He threw 112 pitches and never allowed Baltimore to mount a serious rally. “It feels good,” Andretti said afterward, exhaling like a man who’d been holding the whole team on his shoulders. “Just a great win all around. We needed this.”

Sacramento jumped ahead immediately, scoring three times in the first inning. Bret Perez drove in two of those runs and finished the night 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Edwin Musco added a solo home run in the fifth — his 11th of the year — and later drove in another run as the Prayers steadily widened the gap.

Gil Cruz provided a boost from the designated hitter spot, knocking in two runs, while Alex Velasquez scored twice and chipped in with a hit. Sacramento totaled 11 hits and struck out 11 times, but consistently delivered in run-producing spots.

Baltimore managed only four hits, with designated hitter Domingo Hernandez accounting for three of them. Danny St. Clair worked a clean ninth to close it out as Sacramento improved to 27–17.

★ ★ ★

FRIDAY, MAY 19 — Sacramento 6, Baltimore 4
Cruz Sparks, Musco Delivers, and Sacramento Steals One Late

This was the game of the week. The Prayers led early, stumbled in the middle innings, and then — for the first time in nearly two weeks — punched back.

Baltimore’s three‑run sixth, capped by Victor Sanchez’s no‑doubt three‑run homer off Jordan Rubalcava, could have sent Sacramento spiraling again. Instead, the dugout stayed calm. Jimmy Aces walked the length of the bench, clapping shoulders, reminding his hitters that the game wasn’t over.

“I told them, ‘We’re not folding today,’” Aces said. “Not after the week we’ve had.”

The comeback started with Alex Velasquez, who has been streaky but dangerous. He crushed a solo homer in the seventh — his fourth of the year — to pull Sacramento within one. An inning later, Bret Perez tied it with a laser to left, his fifth homer, punctuating a weekend in which he looked like the player who carried the club in April.

But the moment of the night belonged to Edwin Musco, because of course it did.

With the game tied 4–4 in the ninth and two men aboard, Musco stepped in against Baltimore reliever Zach Plowden. The Satans shifted slightly right, expecting him to pull. Musco didn’t care. He stayed inside a cutter and shot a clean, clinical two‑run single into center.

Just like that, Sacramento led 6–4. Just like that, the losing streak was a memory.

“Winning never gets dull,” Gil Cruz said afterward with a grin, having homered earlier and watched Musco’s hit from the on‑deck circle. “But tonight? Tonight felt like we earned one back.”

Luis Prieto closed it out with his usual calm, securing save No. 13 and sealing a sweep that felt bigger than two wins in the standings. The victory moved the Prayers to 28–17 and maintained their hold atop the American League West.

★ ★ ★

THE WEEK IN CONTEXT
A Team Searching for Its April Self

The numbers tell the story:

- Record this week: 2–5
- Runs scored: 12
- Runs allowed: 21
- Losing streak: 7 games
- Injuries: Caliari (shoulder, 60‑day IL)

But numbers don’t capture the mood. The Prayers aren’t unraveling — they’re grinding. They’re frustrated, not fractured. And they’re still in first place.

Edwin Musco continues to hit like a man possessed (.315, 11 HR, 30 RBI). Bret Perez is heating up. Eli Murguia is finding his stroke again. And the rotation, despite the losses, remains the backbone.

This is a team in a valley, not a collapse.

★ ★ ★

Injury Report:

* Gil Caliari (RP): The diagnosis is in: shoulder inflammation. He’s on the 60-day IL and won't be seen until August.
* Fernando Salazar (P): Making progress on that elbow, but he's still over a month away.

★ ★ ★

FAN MAIL: Questions From The Front Pew

Dear Gemmy,
Is it just me, or does Bret Perez only hit home runs when I’m in the bathroom? I’ve missed three of his four homers this week because of overpriced stadium sodas. Should I stop drinking, or is my bladder the team's secret weapon?
— Hydrated in Section 104

Gemmy:Listen, pal, the team is 28-17. If your frequent trips to the porcelain throne are what’s fueling Bret’s power surge, you better start ordering the Jumbo Size. For the sake of the pennant, stay hydrated and stay away from the field. Your sacrifice is noted.

Dear Gemmy,
I saw Gil Cruz hit that homer in Baltimore and I nearly choked on my crab cake. Is he finally waking up, or was that just a lucky swing from a guy hitting .167?
— Baltimore Believer

Gemmy: Careful with those crab cakes, friend! Cruz has been a enigma wrapped in a slump all season, but that swing in Baltimore was pure muscle. When he connects, the ball stays hit. His average is an eyesore, but Jimmy Aces keeps him in the lineup for that exact reason: the threat of the long ball. Let’s hope he’s finally found his timing, or at least found a way to hit the ball where they aren't.

★ ★ ★

Gemmy’s Take

The road trip continues in Baltimore, then the Prayers finally return home to face the Los Angeles Saints. A softer landing? Maybe. But nothing feels soft when you’re trying to stop a skid. Still — this club has earned the benefit of the doubt. They’ve shown us who they can be. Now they need to remember it. And if baseball teaches anything, it’s that the next big moment is always one inning away.

If you wanted a week that explained the 1990 Prayers in miniature — not the mythology, not the record book, but the actual lived experience of this team — this was it.

Wednesday in Fort Worth was the kind of game that gnaws at you. Ten hits, no breathing room, one bad inning, and suddenly you’re staring at a loss that doesn’t feel earned or unearned — just missed. Those are the games that don’t show up in standings explanations but absolutely show up in clubhouse conversations. You could feel it in how tightly that game was played and how quiet it ended.

Then Baltimore happened — and that’s where you learn something.

Andretti on Friday didn’t just pitch well; he pitched like someone who knew the week could go sideways if he didn’t. Eight innings, three hits, one walk — that’s not flash, that’s authority. That’s the kind of start that tells a team, we’re not spiraling. And the offense listened. Perez, Musco, Cruz — simple swings, early runs, no nonsense.

Saturday was even more telling. Because that’s a game Sacramento doesn’t always win in April. Back-and-forth, a starter grinding, the other team landing a punch in the middle innings — those used to tilt the wrong way. Instead, Musco waits until the ninth and does what stars have done in this league since before half these teams existed: he shortens the game to one swing.

There’s a historical echo here, too. The great Prayers teams of the ’70s and early ’80s weren’t defined by blowouts. They were defined by answers. Somebody always answered. Sometimes it was a starter, sometimes a reliever, sometimes a shortstop with a bat that felt heavier than the moment.

This team? It’s answering more often than not.

Is it perfect? No. The bullpen is carrying a load. The division isn’t forgiving. And May doesn’t care about reputation. But weeks like this — where you absorb a frustrating loss, then calmly take two on the road — those are the weeks that quietly add up to something real.

And if you’re wondering whether that matters in May? Ask anyone who’s ever won 100 games. They’ll tell you it starts exactly here.

There is a fine line between a 'slump' and a 'collapse.' For a few days there in Texas, the Prayers were dancing on that line like a drunk on a tightrope. We survived the road trip, but our bullpen is now thinner than the plot of a B-movie. If Jimmy Aces doesn't find a way to replace Caliari's innings, we're going to be asking our starters to throw until their arms fall off.

01-27-2026, 09:38 AM	#184
liberty-ca Major Leagues Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: New Westminster, BC Posts: 331	BNN WEEK IN RETROSPECT – PRAYERS WEEKLY SACRAMENTO PRAYERS: MAY 13–19, 1990 By Chad G. Petey and C.O. Pilot – Baseball News Network (BNN) and Gemmy Nay, Sacramento Sports Chronicle Baseball seasons don’t move in straight lines. They twist. They correct. They reveal. And this week revealed plenty. For a club that spent April looking untouchable, the middle of May has begun to feel like a long hallway with the lights flickering. The Sacramento Prayers, once 25–8 and lording over the American League West, suddenly found themselves staring at a five‑game losing streak, a lineup running cold, and a bullpen stretched thin. And as the week continued, the road only got bumpier. Baseball is a cruel mistress, and this week, she took the Prayers on a tour of the American League’s most unforgiving basements. From the dry heat of Arizona to the rain-soaked grass of Texas and finally to the gritty harbors of Baltimore, our boys lived a season’s worth of drama in seven days. We leave the week still clinging to the top of the AL West at 28-17, but the lead feels a lot thinner than it did a week ago. ★ ★ ★ SUNDAY, MAY 13 — Tucson 1, Sacramento 0 Crossley’s Quiet Masterpiece Sometimes a game turns into a standoff where one mistake — or one missed pitch — decides everything. That was Sunday night in Tucson. The Prayers started the week desperate for a reset. Instead, they ran into Tony Crossley, who spent fine evening dismantling Sacramento’s offense with the calm of a man folding laundry. CTony Crossley silenced the Sacramento Prayers over eight crisp innings, and Reynaldo Saldivar finished it off as the Cherubs edged Sacramento, 1–0. The Prayers managed just five hits and never pushed a runner across, despite a few quiet chances. Bernardo Andretti deserved better. The right-hander scattered five hits over 6⅔ innings and didn’t allow an earned run, but he was haunted by a ghost in the third inning. A routine ball to third turned into a nightmare when Bret Perez's throw went wide, allowing Tucson to scratch across the only run they would need. Andretti struck out five, walked three, and left the game having allowed just one run total. Sacramento’s best threat came off the bat of Eli Murguia, who went 3-for-3 with a walk and accounted for more than half of the club’s hits. But the rest of the lineup couldn’t move him along. Gil Cruz stranded five runners, including one in scoring position with two outs. Crossley, meanwhile, worked efficiently and confidently, mixing his pitches and keeping the Prayers from stringing anything together. “Tony is good at sticking to his strengths,” Tucson manager Russ Barrett said afterward — a fair summary of a night where Crossley never looked rattled. Sacramento turned a clean double play behind Andretti and kept Tucson from adding on, but in a 1-0 game, there was no margin for error. “We’re pressing, no doubt,” Andretti admitted afterward. “But pressing doesn’t score runs. We’ve got to breathe again.” They say pitching wins championships, but it also ruins Sunday afternoons. The losing streak hit six. ★ ★ ★ MONDAY, MAY 14 (Game 1) — Fort Worth 3, Sacramento 2 (10 innings) A Walk-Off That Felt Inevitable This was a game that didn't know how to die. Originally scheduled for April 1, this game was suspended in the 7th inning due to a severe thunderstorm with both teams locked in a 2-2 tie. Resuming today as a first part of a doubleheader after a weather suspension, the atmosphere at Spirits Grounds was eerie. In the beginning it had the feel of a game Sacramento used to win. Tight, tense, low-scoring — the Prayers thrived in these in April. But May has been a different animal. Bernardo Andretti made his second start in as many days and was solid again, but this time the margin cracked. He allowed a two-run homer to catcher Steve Schultz in the fourth inning and worked into the seventh before turning it over to the bullpen. Sacramento scratched out runs in the second and sixth. Edwin Musco doubled and later scored, while Eli Murguia delivered a two-out RBI to keep the game even. The Prayers collected nine hits — two apiece from Francisco Hernandez and Musco — but couldn’t land a knockout blow. Luis Prieto took the loss after allowing the decisive hit in the tenth. Fort Worth starter Luca Pedrotti pitched seven steady innings and set the tone. “What an exhilarating win,” Pedrotti said, and for the Spirits, it certainly was. For Sacramento, it was another night of narrow frustration. Yes, Bernardo Andretti pitched well again, but the bullpen couldn’t hold a 2–2 tie into extras. Felix Hernandez tried to spark the engine with his 17th stolen base, but the Prayers couldn't find the knockout punch. In the tenth, the air went out of the balloon when Robby Lillard poked a single through the gap, handing Sacramento its seventh straight loss. The clubhouse felt like a funeral. Seven straight losses. A season-high. ★ ★ ★ MONDAY, MAY 14 (Game 2) — Sacramento 3, Fort Worth 1 Rubalcava Stops the Bleeding Every losing streak ends somewhere. For Sacramento, it ended in the nightcap, courtesy of Jordan Rubalcava, who pitched like a man tired of bad vibes. With the streak threatening to swallow the season, Rubalcava stepped onto the mound and said, "Not today." Over eight innings, "Pluto" was a Venezuelan whirlwind, yielding just five hits. Eight innings. Five hits. One run. No walks. Total command. Chris Ryan closed it out cleanly for his second save. “At the end of the day, it’s always about your starting pitcher,” Jimmy Aces said. And for one night, it was. Eli Murguia provided the early spark with a solo homer in the seventh, snapping a 0-0 deadlock. But the story was Bret Perez. Still wearing the shame of his Tucson error, Perez stepped up in the eighth with one runner on and the weight of a city on his shoulders. His two‑run homer on a pitch from reliever Ramon Berrios — a towering shot that left his bat with the sound of a man exhaling frustration — put Sacramento ahead for good. He didn't just hit a home run; he exorcised a demon. The 3-1 win snapped the skid and let Sacramento finally breathe. The streak was over. After days of one-run losses, Sacramento finally had a clean, controlled win. The season, mercifully, resumed. ★ ★ ★ TUESDAY, MAY 15 — Fort Worth 2, Sacramento 1 (10 innings) A Familiar Script, an Unwanted Ending If you like offensive fireworks, you weren't in Fort Worth on Tuesday. This was a gritty, grinding affair. Robby Larson pitched beautifully — 7.2 innings, ten hits but only one run allowed, working out of jam after jam. Edwin Musco homered again, his tenth, a laser to left that briefly gave Sacramento hope. For a while, it looked like that lone blast would hold. But the bullpen couldn't keep the door bolted. In the bottom of the tenth, Phil Hicks played the villain, lining a single that sent the Spirits fans home happy and the Prayers back to the hotel wondering what they had to do to catch a break in extra innings. Luis Prieto absorbed his second straight loss after surrendering the deciding hit. Fort Worth starter Chris Aubin was excellent, striking out six while working around six walks in seven innings. “A pretty good win,” manager Chris Tanner said — understated, but accurate. For Sacramento, it was the familiar feeling of being close without being rewarded. The Prayers fell to 26–16, and the road trip continued to feel cursed. ★ ★ ★ WEDNESDAY, MAY 16 — Fort Worth 4, Sacramento 3 Salt in the Wound The Sacramento Prayers let another tight game slip away Wednesday night, falling 4–3 to the Fort Worth Spirits despite collecting ten hits. Ricky Gaias, the early-season ace, took the mound needing a bounce-back. Instead, he ran into Cesar Caballaro, who turned the third inning into his personal fireworks show — a two‑run blast that put Fort Worth ahead and set the tone. Francisco Hernandez set the tone early with a solo home run in the first inning, his sixth of the season, but Sacramento never managed to fully capitalize. The Prayers scored again in the fifth on Hector Iniguez’s two-out RBI single and briefly pulled even in the eighth when Hernandez came home for the second time, but Fort Worth had already done enough damage. That damage came largely from Cesar Caballaro. The Spirits designated hitter delivered the decisive blow, launching a two-run homer off Ricky Gaias that capped a three-run frame and put Fort Worth in front for good. Caballaro finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and was named Player of the Game. Gaias worked 7⅓ innings and absorbed the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits. He settled after the third inning but couldn’t erase the early deficit. “This was a good win,” Caballaro said afterward, summing up a night where Fort Worth made its key swings count. Sacramento left eight men on base and went hitless in several key spots, including multiple chances with runners in scoring position and two outs. Mark Kaplan closed the door in the ninth for his ninth save as the Prayers dropped to 26–17. The scoreline was bad, but the visual was worse. In the eighth inning, Gil Caliari pulled up lame, clutching his shoulder with a look of agony that usually means a long stint on the shelf. We lost the game, and more importantly, we lost a key arm in the pen. “We’re taking punches right now,” Aces said. “But we’re still standing. That matters.” ★ ★ ★ FRIDAY, MAY 18 — Sacramento 7, Baltimore 1 The Charm City Correction After a bruising, bewildering stretch in which Sacramento dropped nine of eleven and watched a once‑comfortable division lead shrink to a nervous two games, the Prayers arrived in Baltimore looking like a team in need of a reset. The clubhouse wasn’t panicked, but it was tight — the kind of tension that hangs in the air after too many late‑inning heartbreaks and too many long flights home with the lights off. The flight to Baltimore must have been a productive one. The Prayers emerged from the dugout at Sinners Grounds looking like a different ballclub. Bernardo Andretti turned in one of his sharpest outings of the season Friday night, leading the Sacramento Prayers to a 7–1 win over the Baltimore Satans. Andretti went eight strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits while walking one and striking out five. He threw 112 pitches and never allowed Baltimore to mount a serious rally. “It feels good,” Andretti said afterward, exhaling like a man who’d been holding the whole team on his shoulders. “Just a great win all around. We needed this.” Sacramento jumped ahead immediately, scoring three times in the first inning. Bret Perez drove in two of those runs and finished the night 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Edwin Musco added a solo home run in the fifth — his 11th of the year — and later drove in another run as the Prayers steadily widened the gap. Gil Cruz provided a boost from the designated hitter spot, knocking in two runs, while Alex Velasquez scored twice and chipped in with a hit. Sacramento totaled 11 hits and struck out 11 times, but consistently delivered in run-producing spots. Baltimore managed only four hits, with designated hitter Domingo Hernandez accounting for three of them. Danny St. Clair worked a clean ninth to close it out as Sacramento improved to 27–17. ★ ★ ★ FRIDAY, MAY 19 — Sacramento 6, Baltimore 4 Cruz Sparks, Musco Delivers, and Sacramento Steals One Late This was the game of the week. The Prayers led early, stumbled in the middle innings, and then — for the first time in nearly two weeks — punched back. Baltimore’s three‑run sixth, capped by Victor Sanchez’s no‑doubt three‑run homer off Jordan Rubalcava, could have sent Sacramento spiraling again. Instead, the dugout stayed calm. Jimmy Aces walked the length of the bench, clapping shoulders, reminding his hitters that the game wasn’t over. “I told them, ‘We’re not folding today,’” Aces said. “Not after the week we’ve had.” The comeback started with Alex Velasquez, who has been streaky but dangerous. He crushed a solo homer in the seventh — his fourth of the year — to pull Sacramento within one. An inning later, Bret Perez tied it with a laser to left, his fifth homer, punctuating a weekend in which he looked like the player who carried the club in April. But the moment of the night belonged to Edwin Musco, because of course it did. With the game tied 4–4 in the ninth and two men aboard, Musco stepped in against Baltimore reliever Zach Plowden. The Satans shifted slightly right, expecting him to pull. Musco didn’t care. He stayed inside a cutter and shot a clean, clinical two‑run single into center. Just like that, Sacramento led 6–4. Just like that, the losing streak was a memory. “Winning never gets dull,” Gil Cruz said afterward with a grin, having homered earlier and watched Musco’s hit from the on‑deck circle. “But tonight? Tonight felt like we earned one back.” Luis Prieto closed it out with his usual calm, securing save No. 13 and sealing a sweep that felt bigger than two wins in the standings. The victory moved the Prayers to 28–17 and maintained their hold atop the American League West. ★ ★ ★ THE WEEK IN CONTEXT A Team Searching for Its April Self The numbers tell the story: - Record this week: 2–5 - Runs scored: 12 - Runs allowed: 21 - Losing streak: 7 games - Injuries: Caliari (shoulder, 60‑day IL) But numbers don’t capture the mood. The Prayers aren’t unraveling — they’re grinding. They’re frustrated, not fractured. And they’re still in first place. Edwin Musco continues to hit like a man possessed (.315, 11 HR, 30 RBI). Bret Perez is heating up. Eli Murguia is finding his stroke again. And the rotation, despite the losses, remains the backbone. This is a team in a valley, not a collapse. ★ ★ ★ Injury Report: * Gil Caliari (RP): The diagnosis is in: shoulder inflammation. He’s on the 60-day IL and won't be seen until August. * Fernando Salazar (P): Making progress on that elbow, but he's still over a month away. ★ ★ ★ FAN MAIL: Questions From The Front Pew Dear Gemmy, Is it just me, or does Bret Perez only hit home runs when I’m in the bathroom? I’ve missed three of his four homers this week because of overpriced stadium sodas. Should I stop drinking, or is my bladder the team's secret weapon? — Hydrated in Section 104 Gemmy:Listen, pal, the team is 28-17. If your frequent trips to the porcelain throne are what’s fueling Bret’s power surge, you better start ordering the Jumbo Size. For the sake of the pennant, stay hydrated and stay away from the field. Your sacrifice is noted. Dear Gemmy, I saw Gil Cruz hit that homer in Baltimore and I nearly choked on my crab cake. Is he finally waking up, or was that just a lucky swing from a guy hitting .167? — Baltimore Believer Gemmy: Careful with those crab cakes, friend! Cruz has been a enigma wrapped in a slump all season, but that swing in Baltimore was pure muscle. When he connects, the ball stays hit. His average is an eyesore, but Jimmy Aces keeps him in the lineup for that exact reason: the threat of the long ball. Let’s hope he’s finally found his timing, or at least found a way to hit the ball where they aren't. ★ ★ ★ Gemmy’s Take The road trip continues in Baltimore, then the Prayers finally return home to face the Los Angeles Saints. A softer landing? Maybe. But nothing feels soft when you’re trying to stop a skid. Still — this club has earned the benefit of the doubt. They’ve shown us who they can be. Now they need to remember it. And if baseball teaches anything, it’s that the next big moment is always one inning away. If you wanted a week that explained the 1990 Prayers in miniature — not the mythology, not the record book, but the actual lived experience of this team — this was it. Wednesday in Fort Worth was the kind of game that gnaws at you. Ten hits, no breathing room, one bad inning, and suddenly you’re staring at a loss that doesn’t feel earned or unearned — just missed. Those are the games that don’t show up in standings explanations but absolutely show up in clubhouse conversations. You could feel it in how tightly that game was played and how quiet it ended. Then Baltimore happened — and that’s where you learn something. Andretti on Friday didn’t just pitch well; he pitched like someone who knew the week could go sideways if he didn’t. Eight innings, three hits, one walk — that’s not flash, that’s authority. That’s the kind of start that tells a team, we’re not spiraling. And the offense listened. Perez, Musco, Cruz — simple swings, early runs, no nonsense. Saturday was even more telling. Because that’s a game Sacramento doesn’t always win in April. Back-and-forth, a starter grinding, the other team landing a punch in the middle innings — those used to tilt the wrong way. Instead, Musco waits until the ninth and does what stars have done in this league since before half these teams existed: he shortens the game to one swing. There’s a historical echo here, too. The great Prayers teams of the ’70s and early ’80s weren’t defined by blowouts. They were defined by answers. Somebody always answered. Sometimes it was a starter, sometimes a reliever, sometimes a shortstop with a bat that felt heavier than the moment. This team? It’s answering more often than not. Is it perfect? No. The bullpen is carrying a load. The division isn’t forgiving. And May doesn’t care about reputation. But weeks like this — where you absorb a frustrating loss, then calmly take two on the road — those are the weeks that quietly add up to something real. And if you’re wondering whether that matters in May? Ask anyone who’s ever won 100 games. They’ll tell you it starts exactly here. There is a fine line between a 'slump' and a 'collapse.' For a few days there in Texas, the Prayers were dancing on that line like a drunk on a tightrope. We survived the road trip, but our bullpen is now thinner than the plot of a B-movie. If Jimmy Aces doesn't find a way to replace Caliari's innings, we're going to be asking our starters to throw until their arms fall off. Last edited by liberty-ca; 01-27-2026 at 10:52 PM.