Topes notes: Isotopes in home stretch with some numbers to hit, some to avoid

With just two homestands left in the 2025 season, the Albuquerque Isotopes are chasing down a few magic numbers, and trying to avoid some others.

The Colorado Rockies Triple-A franchise has 18 games left in the season, including 12 at Rio Grande Credit Union Field, beginning with a six-game homestand Tuesday against the Round Rock Express. Here’s a look at some of those figures to know heading into the home stretch.

Powered by a couple highly-anticipated giveaways — a Duke City 505 hat giveaway on Friday and a Bugs Bunny “should’ve taken a left turn in Albuquerque” jersey giveaway on Saturday — the Isotopes are hoping to close the deal on leading the Pacific Coast League in actual and average attendance for the third consecutive season.

That’d be quite the feat for a franchise locked into its 11th consecutive losing season.

Albuquerque currently leads the PCL in average home attendance at 6,753 fans per game through 61 openings (doubleheaders count as two games, but one opening). The team is third in overall attendance at 411,917 in those 61 openings, but the two teams ahead of them in total attendance have had more home games (Las Vegas has 442,785 through 69 openings and El Paso is at 430,039 through 67 openings).

So, with 12 more home games, the ‘Topes have their sights set on both the average and overall attendance figures.

Entering this year, six Triple-A players have had 25 doubles, 10 triples, 15 home runs and 10 steals in a season since 2005.

OF Sam Hilliard has already reached that mark to become the seventh. OF Sterlin Thompson already has 25 doubles and needs two triples, one home run and one stolen base to become the eighth.

The Isotopes have committed 119 errors in 131 games (0.908 per game). The team’s season record is 145 errors in 150 games (0.967), set last year, and the team’s record for errors per game was set in 2007 — 144 over 142 games (1.014).

The Isotopes won’t likely set a new error record, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility if they get sloppy.

Albuquerque has 54 wins, already ahead of the franchise low 52 wins, set in 2021, but that within 120 games. The team needs to get four more wins to match last year’s 58-win low for the current schedule makeup of 150 games.

Know the foe

The Isotopes host a six-game PCL series against the Round Rock Express Tuesday through Sunday:

• Isotopes, Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, 54-77 overall, ninth place; 23-34 second half, ninth place.
• Express, Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, 65-65 overall, sixth place; 31-24 second half, fourth place.

Three up, three down

Lookin’ good:

1. 3B Aaron Schunk drove in a pair of runs Sunday, giving him 51 RBIs on the season. He’s the fifth Isotopes player to break 50 RBIs this season, joining Hilliard, Thompson, IF Keston Hiura and IF Ryan Ritter.

2. Thomson went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks on Sunday, extending his on-base streak to 21 games. In that streak, he’s hitting .388 with five doubles, a triple and four home runs.

3. In the 50 games since OF Braiden Ward joined the team on July 1, the Isotopes have stolen 79 bases, the third most in the PCL. Ward has 26 of those stolen bases. The team had 56 stolen bases in their first 80 games.

Look away:

1. The Isotopes went 11-17 (.393) in August, their second worst month of the season behind a 7-18 (.280) record in June. They had two five-game losing streaks in August, tied for worst of the season (they also had one five-game skid in June).

2. Albuquerque’s pitching staff is in the bottom three in the PCL in opponent batting average (.287), earned runs allowed (743) and WHIP (.166).

3. The Isotopes committed three errors in Saturday’s 8-3 win over Sugar Land, the team’s 12th game of the season with at least three errors. Albuquerque has committed a Triple-A worst 119 errors this season.

Fast food

This is getting hot, but Taco is hoping it’s chile roasting season and he can burn up the competition in the final 12 races of the season.

Through 62 races:

17 wins — Salsa jar

17 wins — Green chile

15 wins — Taco

13 wins — Red chile

Homestand highlights

THURSDAY: Women in sports night celebrating women who continue to make a positive impact in the local sports community with a pregame ceremony.

FRIDAY: City Roots game with a Duke City hat giveaway to the first 2,000 fans; Pregame concert from the outfield berm from 5:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. (gates open at 5 p.m. for usual 6:35 p.m. start)

SATURDAY: Game starts at 6:35 p.m., which is a change from previously reported game times earlier in the season; Looney Tunes Night; Bugs Bunny jersey giveaway for first 2,000 fans; Gates open at 5 p.m.

SUNDAY: Bark in the Park (bring your pup to the ball park and enjoy some baseball).

You can reach Geoff at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.