Civale perfect in rehab start as Aviators top Storm Chasers 5-2

Aaron Civale made his strongest argument yet for a quick return to Oakland’s rotation, carving through Omaha with 4 1/3 perfect innings and seven strikeouts in a rehab start that looked far more like a big-league tune-up than a minor league assignment. The right-hander, who had been on the Athletics’ injured list since May 26 with right shoulder tendinitis, did not allow a baserunner and left little doubt about his sharpness ahead of an expected June 17 return date and a projected next start against the Pirates.

Las Vegas backed Civale with enough offense to finish off a 5-2 win over the Storm Chasers at Werner Park, improving the Aviators to 38-26 while Omaha fell to 29-36. The official wrap credited Las Vegas with 12 hits to Omaha’s four, and the Aviators’ bullpen finished the job after Civale departed by allowing just one hit over the final innings. Suero picked up the win, Andrew Pérez took the loss, and Kelly earned the save.

Omaha starter Aaron Sanchez gave the home club a chance early, opening with a perfect first inning, then working around a scoreless second before escaping the third after two singles while striking out three over three shutout frames. But the game turned once Las Vegas finally solved Pérez. A single and a double opened the door, then a run-scoring wild pitch put the Aviators in front 1-0. Las Vegas added another run in the sixth on an RBI single to stretch the lead to 2-0, and a three-run homer in the seventh broke the game open.

The Storm Chasers showed some fight late. Brett Squires scored on a sacrifice fly by John Rave in the seventh, and Luca Tresh followed with an RBI double after the Aviators’ big inning trimmed the gap to 5-2. Anthony Gose kept Omaha within reach with a clean eighth and Eric Cerantola handled the ninth without allowing a run, but the early deficit was too steep once Civale had already shut the door on the first 13 outs.

The win came in the middle of a six-game series at Werner Park from June 9-14, Las Vegas’ first trip to Papillion since August 2019. For Oakland, the bigger storyline was obvious: Civale looked ready to force the next rotation decision, and he did it by missing bats, filling the zone and turning a Triple-A lineup into a nonfactor.