Reno Aces Blank Albuquerque Again, Kelly Shines in Rehab Outing

LuJames Groover became the first Reno player this season to record a four-hit game, and Merrill Kelly cleared another hurdle on his road back to Arizona's rotation, as the Aces rolled past the Albuquerque Isotopes 8-0 Friday night for their second shutout of the series, pounding out 18 hits at the plate.

Kelly, working a rehab assignment for the Diamondbacks, faced just four batters over the minimum, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out two. The outing was brief by design but efficient by execution, keeping Albuquerque scoreless through his portion of the game and giving Arizona's player-development staff a clean look at where he stands as he ramps toward a return to the major-league rotation.

The offense behind him was relentless. Reno put at least two runners aboard in every inning, finishing with 18 hits, the club's highest single-game total since a 19-hit outburst last July. The fifth inning cracked the game open: Jacob Amaya delivered a two-RBI single to push the Aces ahead, with Jack Hurley extending the damage and giving Reno a comfortable cushion heading to the sixth.

That sixth inning was a showcase of lineup depth. Ryan Waldschmidt, Tommy Troy and Groover laced consecutive singles to pile pressure on Albuquerque's pitchers, and A.J. Vukovich cashed in with a wind-aided solo home run to right field, the lone extra-base highlight in an otherwise contact-driven outburst. Aramis García added a double later in the game. Groover finished four-for-the-night with an RBI, a milestone no other Aces hitter had reached this season.

The bullpen sealed the shutout without incident. John Curtiss, Philip Abner, Kade Strowd and Juan Burgos combined for four scoreless frames, surrendering just four baserunners between them. Curtiss made his Reno season debut in the process, allowing one hit while recording a strikeout.

At 8-0, the margin was Reno's largest shutout victory since they blanked Las Vegas by the same score on Sept. 14, 2025. For the Diamondbacks' front office tracking Kelly's progression, Groover's emergence at the top of the order, and a bullpen that converted four shutout innings with minimal drama, the night produced exactly the kind of stacked developmental evidence that shapes roster decisions heading into May.