Prieto reprises starring role as member of 51s

Steve Guiremand

Friday, April 6, 2001 | 11:37 a.m.

It was a day of firsts for Chris Prieto on Thursday afternoon at Cashman Field.

The 28-year-old center fielder from Nevada-Reno picked up the first hit of the Las Vegas 51s era in the fourth inning with a single to right. A short while later he scored the 51s' first run on a Jeff Barry single.

And then with two outs in the bottom of the 10h inning, it was Prieto who walked across home plate with the first game-winning run for the 51s after designated hitter Brent Cookson got conked on an elbow by a Justin Kaye pitch with the bases loaded.

But it was hardly the first time Prieto had starred at Cashman Field.

Far from it.

Prieto had three different stints in Las Vegas as a member of the San Diego Padres' organization and spent the entire 1998 and 1999 seasons with the then-Stars.

He played most of last season with Albuquerque before spending two months with Mexcali in the Mexican League.

But thanks to Las Vegas' off-season switch in affiliation from the Padres to the Dodgers, Prieto found himself back in the familiar confines of the third base-side locker room in Cashman Field.

"I heard in the winter that the Dodgers were coming here," Prieto said. "But to be honest with you, I really didn't know where I was going to be this season when it came to my job."

That all changed on Jan. 17 when Prieto signed a free agent contract with the Dodgers again.

"I like the organization," Prieto said. "I like the players. We have a good group of guys here."

Las Vegas manager Rick Sofield said he has been impressed by his leadoff man and center fielder.

"He had a real good big league camp," Sofield said. "He made a real impression on (Dodgers manager) Jim Tracy.

"Chris is a real student of the game. He has some serious awareness. He's into positioning and knowing the opponent. He pays attention to every pitch and plays extremely hard. He's a key part of the team."

Now Prieto is keeping his fingers crossed for another first -- a promotion to the big leagues.

* HIATT PROMOTED: Las Vegas, which was ravaged by roster changes at times last season, lost its best power hitter just hours before its season-opener. Infielder Phil Hiatt was recalled by the parent Dodgers and played in Thursday night's game against Arizona. Hiatt replaced infielder Tim Bogar, who is expected to be out up to two weeks with a pulled hamstring.

* PEREZ GETTING CLOSER: Left-hander Carlos Perez, who was irate last week when he was informed he wouldn't begin the season with the Dodgers, allowed four runs on five hits and struck out three in four innings for the 51s on Thursday. Perez, who is trying to build strength in his shoulder after undergoing surgery last September to have a bone spur removed, had his fastball clocked at 88 mph. He threw 70 pitches.

* SLING THIS: Perhaps the highlight of opening day occurred between the first and second innings when 51s employees tried to slingshot free Dodger Dogs into the stands.

One problem: Most of the hot dogs came flying out of their wrappers and buns and exploded across the field and stands. Having apparently not learned their lesson, the 51s then tried to slingshot pretzels into the crowd later in the contest. They also crumpled apart in mid-air and landed in small pieces on the field and stands.

* GAME RECAP: Cookson was hit in the left elbow with a Justin Kaye pitch with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning to drive in Prieto with the game-winning run as the 51s edged Tacoma, 5-4, before an announced crowd of 5,013 at Cashman Field.

* UP NEXT: The 51s continue their four-game series with Tacoma with a 7:05 game tonight at Cashman Field. Right-hander Denny Stark (0-0) will start for the Rainiers against right-hander Giovanni Carrara (0-0).