Wednesday, April 9, 2003 | 9:31 a.m.
Edmonton manager Dave Huppert hadn't managed at the Triple-A level for even a week before he found himself fidgeting and scratching his head.
It took six tries, but the Trappers finally won a game Tuesday night by using 11 singles, seven walks and errorless defense to eke out a 5-4 victory against Las Vegas.
"I was starting to wonder when it would come, so was the ballclub," Huppert said. "If you start to get used to losing, it's tough to get out of that mode."
Huppert had forged a 1,115-959 record (.538) in 16 seasons as a minor-league skipper before this season.
Edmonton (1-5) opened the season by getting swept in four games in Tucson, with the lowlight being a 25-11 defeat Saturday. The Trappers committed 12 errors in the series against the Sidewinders.
They made four in a 9-7 loss to the 51s Monday.
Tuesday, before an announced crowd of 1,732 at Cashman Field, there were no throws in the dirt, botched catches or pick-off tosses that ended up in the stands.
"That's what I was most impressed with -- no errors," Huppert said. "The errors have been killing us late in the games, from the seventh inning through the ninth."
Las Vegas (4-2) tried to match last season's 5-1 start, but first baseman Larry Barnes ended the game by striking out with Eric Riggs on first.
Barnes had tied it, 2-2, by belting a two-run homer to right off a 1-0 pitch from Edmonton pitcher Brandon Agamennone (1-1) in the sixth inning.
The Trappers answered with three runs in the top of the seventh, with a walk by Termel Sledge and a single by Luis Figueroa factoring into the 51s' demise.
Sledge led off the game with a single, then drew walks in his next four at-bats. Over that stretch, he saw only three strikes among 19 pitches.
Figueroa went 4-for-4, and all were singles. He drove in a run in the second, off Las Vegas starter Rodney Myers, then scored in the seventh on Anthony Medrano's single to center.
Medrano scored the eventual game-winning run on Edwards Guzman's sacrifice fly to deep left-center field.
"It's been a long time since we won," Figueroa said. "But I knew it would come. It's a different league, so we have to see what the pitchers have and be patient."
In 2002, Figueroa and some teammates were the foundation of Montreal's Double-A team in Harrisburg of the Eastern League. When Minnesota ended its relationship in Edmonton, the Expos capitalized on shifting their Triple-A base to a city in Canada for the first time.
Edmonton has had a minor-league baseball franchise for 23 consecutive seasons.
"Now we're in the Pacific Coast League, and our pitchers have to be prepared for this league," Figueroa said. "The PCL has some great hitters. They get ready for every pitch, but we'll get better over the next couple of days."
Guzman turned an 0-1 pitch into an infield groundout, and Myers -- a late replacement for starter Troy Browhan, who was called up to the Dodgers on Tuesday -- left in pain.
"Initially, it looked worse than what it turned out to be," said 51s manager John Shoemaker. Myers, who spent time with the San Diego Padres last season, will undergo further evaluation this week.
Devey then went 3 1/3 innings against the Trappers, yielding three walks, two hits and two earned runs. He was the losing pitcher.
Rick Roberts, another lefty, was placed on the disabled list with soreness in his left shoulder. The Pacific Coast League mandates a stay of at least seven days on the DL.
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