STATEN ISLAND, NY- There will be days like this. That’s what Staten Island manager Mike Gillespie lamented after his team’s disappointing 3-1 loss to the Jammers before 2,828 at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

They also fell the night before 4-3 to conclude a lost weekend after it started out well with Friday night’s 3-0 shutout. The Baby Bombers will now hit the All-Star break tied for the wildcard with Vermont who prevailed 10-4 over Batavia to put the two teams in a deadlock at 30-22.

With Mahoning Valley a game and a half back and Lowell two off the pace, the crowded race for the final playoff spot should heat up when teams return to action later this week.

“I don’t have an acceptable explanation for what went on today,” the skipper pointed out after holding a team meeting directly after the game. “You’d like to think when you give up three, you got a chance to win. … I would’ve expected that we would’ve been a little more competitive at the plate today.”

Jamestown used a two-run first along with six splendid shutout innings from victorious starter Alejandro Sanabia (1-4) to post the two-run win and take the rubber match of the series.

“We came out kind of slow,” expressed leadoff man Justin Snyder who finished with two hits and scored the team’s only run in defeat. “The past few days have been rough and like [Gillespie] said ‘there are no excuses about it’ but we’ve been traveling and I think it might’ve caught up to us today and plus their pitcher threw pretty good.”The Jammers got out quickly against losing Staten Island starter Chris Farley (1-1), who settled down to toss the next three scoreless before giving way to reliever Craig Heyer in the fifth.

After Farley beaned Ryan Curry to start the game, he allowed a Marcus Crocket run-scoring double which plated Curry for the game’s first run. Three batters later, Thomas Hickman delivered a two out RBI single which increased their lead to two.

Though only down a couple, the problem for the Bombers was they couldn’t solve Sanabia. The 18 year-old righthander from San Diego entered winless with over a 6.00 ERA. But none of that mattered as he kept the Staten Island batters guessing striking out eight while allowing just two hits and a walk en route to his first win.

“Just mixing pitches and spotting up really well,” Snyder noted. “I mean his changeup is good and his fastball he wasn’t throwing consistent like 88, 88, 88. He was mixing and it was like 84 and 91 a few times. It had a little bit of movement on it and it was just tough to get a good swing on it.”

Unable to mount a rally against Sanabia, they tried their luck against Jamestown reliever Andrew Alsup in the home seventh and nearly broke through. The problem was Alsup and his defense weren’t cooperating.

After Braedyn Pruitt ledoff with a single, left fielder Matt Morris hit a hard comebacker which looked headed for center but Alsup snagged it and turned it into a 1-4-3 twin killing. Unfortunately for them, Dave Williams and Jose Gil then singled. So it turned out to be a huge play because it could’ve meant a different inning. Instead, centerfielder Austin Krum flied out to deep left stranding both runners to end it.

Carlos Piste would tack on some insurance with one out in the eighth when he took Heyer deep to right center which gave Jamestown a three-run cushion.

The Bombers finally got on the board in the home half of the frame thanks to a two out RBI double by second baseman Damon Sublett to the opposite field which scored Snyder after he singled to start it. But the tying run at the plate, Pruitt bounced out to second against reliever Corey Madden.

Staten Island would get the tying run to the plate again in their last licks when Williams was hit by a pitch with an out but Madden got Gil looking and Krum grounded to second which ended it.

Now they’ll get a couple of days off to regroup.

“Definitely. I mean everybody can,” Snyder said at his locker about the much needed rest. “We’ll see on our first game back that if we come out a little slow but I think we’ll be well rested to make a run for the rest of the season.”

Notes: The game took a fan friendly two hours and 40 minutes to play. … Staten Island left 12 runners on base. … With another RBI, Sublett raised his season total to 37 with 11 of those coming in the past six contests. He also swiped his sixth base as did Williams in a losing effort. … Heyer allowed just a home run and three other hits in four effective innings in relief before giving way to Nick Chigges, who tossed a scoreless ninth, lowering his ERA to 2.85 with a .212 batting average against. … Piste finished three-for-four with a homer, run scored and two RBI’s for Jamestown along with some solid D. … Snyder and SP Zach McAllister will take part in the third annual NYPL AS Game with festivities beginning later today in Hudson Valley. … When they return to action Thursday, Staten Island visits Aberdeen twice before a crucial three-game weekend series against the Verrazano rival Cyclones in which they’ll host Game 2 next Sunday.