Hader sharp in rehab, Isotopes top Space Cowboys 7-5 in extras
Shay Whitcomb’s first-inning blast put Sugar Land up early, but Albuquerque answered late and won on a 10th-inning homer. Josh Hader’s clean rehab inning still stood out.
Shay Whitcomb gave Sugar Land the kind of first-inning jolt that usually changes a night, but the Space Cowboys could not finish it. Albuquerque hung around, erased a three-run deficit, and left Constellation Field with a 7-5, 10-inning win Tuesday night in the opener of a six-game homestand.
Whitcomb set the tone immediately with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Sugar Land kept the pressure on with an aggressive start that included Kellen Strahm working a walk and stealing his ninth base of the season. The Space Cowboys built a 4-1 lead and looked in control early, but Albuquerque kept chipping away until the game was tied 4-4 in the fifth.
From there, the contest turned into the kind of Pacific Coast League grinder that exposes every inning. Sugar Land, which played its eighth extra-inning game of the season, finished with eight hits and eight walks but could not cash in enough late chances. Albuquerque had only four hits, yet drew 15 walks and eventually made the biggest swing of the night count when Warming Bernabel Fulford launched a two-run homer in the 10th to break the game open.
The loss dropped Sugar Land to 17-17 and left it in third place in the PCL East, while Albuquerque improved to 19-15. First pitch came at 6:09 p.m., and the crowd of 2,951 saw the game last 3 hours, 32 minutes.
The biggest big-league subplot belonged to Josh Hader, who threw one hitless inning in his first Major League rehab appearance. He struck out one and walked one, a clean enough line for Houston to take notice and for Sugar Land to get a reminder of what late-inning impact can look like when the Astros’ left-hander is ready to move back up.
For Sugar Land, the opener showed both sides of Triple-A baseball at once: a roster capable of jumping out early and a bullpen game that still ended in frustration. For Houston, Hader’s inning was the kind of useful sign the organization wanted from a rehab stop, even if the home club still walked away with the loss.
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