Reno Aces Ride 11-Game Win Streak Behind Clutch Offense, Pitching

The Diamondbacks' Triple-A squad is in the midst of a blazing hot stretch.

Andres Chaparro during photo day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Feb. 21, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

The Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate Reno Aces walked off Saturday night's game by a score of 7-6, as infielder Bryson Brigman charged home on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning.

The victory was their 11th win in a row, completing the six-game sweep of the Sacramento River Cats, and was their third straight walk-off victory.

The Aces begin the second half of the minor league season 11-1 and in a commanding lead of the Pacific Coast League West division. Reno began a six-game set with the Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate Oklahoma City Baseball Club with a loss on June 25th, and haven't looked back since.

The streak is the longest win streak in Aces history, as they won the next five games against OKC before sweeping Sacramento.

It's been a combination of excellent pitching and clutch hitting for Reno, with solid or excellent starts from the likes of Tommy Henry, Chris Ellis and Logan Allen.

But most notable of Reno's pitchers was right-hander Yilber Diaz' incredible 13-strikeout start, spanning six brilliant hitless innings. Diaz has been a dominant force at both the Double- and Triple-A levels, pitching to a 3.27 ERA in the hitter-friendly PCL.

Diaz was just named PCL Pitcher of the Week by Minor League Baseball, and will make his first major league start tonight against the Atlanta Braves.

Reno's bullpen has been able to hold on to some tight, late leads as well. Seven of their 11 wins have been by three or fewer runs, five of which were save situations.

But the PCL is known for offense, and Reno had plenty of it. Andres Chaparro was named Player of the Week across from Diaz, as his phenomenal week saw him hit 15-for-24, with three doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI.

Chaparro delivered the walk off hit on back-to-back nights, the first of which came on July 4th as the infielder was 3-for-3 on the night with five RBI. The next night he went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI and was the ninth inning hero once more.

He's slashing .328/.407/.572 on the year, and is a part of a stellar Aces infield crew.

Alongside him is the ever-powerful Deyvison De Los Santos. De Los Santos has homered five times over the course of the win streak, and while his bat has gone a little cold in the last week, he was a driving force of their series win against OKC, with 21 total bases in the series, along with two multi-homer games and 14 RBI.

He's hitting at a .296/.339/.611 rate, and could begin to push the issue at his third base slot if his defense can make some strides.

Catcher prospect Adrian Del Castillo has been a force as well, as he's made positive changes both defensively and at the plate. He's continued his excellent season going 9-for-25 (.360), with five walks against five strikeouts and two homers in the month of July.

His slash is another excellent .327/.405/.606, and with the recent DFA of Tucker Barnhart, might be in a position to force his way onto the big league roster sooner than one may think. Be sure to check out Jake Oliver's exclusive interview with Del Castillo HERE.

Reno has smashed their previous franchise record of eight straight wins, and has had two days off, as they get set to try and extend their streak with a six-game set against the Texas Rangers' afilliate Round Rock Express.