The Hillsboro Hops' seven-game winning streak is gone. So is most of their margin for error.

Hillsboro split its six-game series at Tri-City last week, winning the first three games before dropping the final three to the Dust Devils at Gesa Stadium in Pasco, Washington. The Hops now sit 5.5 games behind first-place Eugene in the Northwest League's second-half standings, according to MiLB.com, with the second half winding down.

The remedy arrives Tuesday, Aug. 11, when the Hops open a three-game homestand against the Eugene Emeralds at Hops Ballpark. The series shifts to Eugene for three more beginning Friday, Aug. 14. Six games head-to-head against the team they're chasing is as close to a playoff series as the regular season offers.

A tale of two halves

The week started brilliantly. Hillsboro scored 26 runs in its first three games in Pasco, extending a win streak to seven and pulling within four games of first place. Then the bats went cold: just seven runs over the final three contests, according to the Hillsboro News Times.

Despite the collapse, the Hops outhit, outscored, outhomered and outpitched Tri-City over the full series, posting a 4.04 team ERA against the Dust Devils' 4.67.

Saturday's game was called after seven innings due to wildfire smoke, an 8-2 loss. The series finale Sunday ended 4-2 after Tri-City starter Chase Shores threw six scoreless innings.

Standout performers

Outfielder Jakey Josepha led the offense with a .389 batting average across five games. Avery Owusu-Asiedu hit .313 with two home runs and three RBI, including his team-leading 12th homer of the season during a franchise-record five-homer night on Wednesday, Aug. 5.

On the mound, Junior Ciprian continued to flash elite stuff. In his third High-A start on Tuesday, Aug. 4, Ciprian took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, finishing with one hit allowed over six scoreless frames while striking out five. Through three starts with Hillsboro, the right-hander owns a 3.18 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 16.2 innings, though 12 walks remain a concern.

Jacob Steinmetz made his first start of the season after returning from injury on Wednesday, Aug. 5, throwing four hitless, scoreless innings. Reliever Joe Ariola, called up from Single-A Visalia, tossed two perfect innings with four strikeouts across two appearances.