Toledo Mud Hens 10, Louisville Bats 4 (Sunday)(box)
A nine-run second inning, punctuated by a Renato Nuñez grand slam carried the Hens over Louisville in Toledo. Cole Peterson’s RBI double was the other key hit in the inning, while Jacob Robson’s steal of second allowed JaCoby Jones to steal home in another key play in the second. Jones also hit a solo shot and drew a pair of walks in the contest.
Ricardo Pinto gave them a pretty good start, allowed two runs and punching out six in 5 1⁄3 innings of work. Angel De Jesus’ finally was scored on, allowing a two-run homer in the seventh. The Hens took the six-game set five games to one.
Toledo Mud Hens 3, Louisville Bats 2 (Saturday)(box)
The Hens walked this one off in unusual fashion. In the bottom of the ninth, with Chris Proctor on third, Aderlin Rodriguez struck out to end the inning, but the ball got away from the catcher for a dropped strike three and Proctor raced home to victory. Louisville had led 2-0 into the bottom of the seventh, but a two-run shot by catcher Dustin Garneau tied things up.
Wily Peralta, Henry Martinez, and Locke St. John each tossed three innings, with only Martinez holding the Bats scoreless. Peralta did strike out five in the process, allowing a run on four hits and a walk.
Jacob Robson doubled, as did JaCoby Jones, who had two hits and a walk in the contest. Garneau had a single to go with his seventh inning homer.
Toledo Mud Hens 10, Louisville Bats 6 (Friday)(box)
A sixth run second inning powered the Hens in this one, though they needed add on runs to hold off the Bats on Friday night. Nuñez and Kody Clemens singled to lead off the second, while Zack Short followed with a walk and Christin Stewart was hit by a pitch to score Nuñez. After Juan Centeno struck out, JaCoby Jones walked to drive in another run. That was followed by three straight singles by Robson, Rodriguez, and Yariel Gonzalez to make it a six-run frame.
Gonzalez singled home Robson in the fourth, and a Clemens triple keyed a two-run fifth inning for the Hens. Clemens also doubled and scored the Hens final run on a Zack Short single in the seventh.
Drew Hutchison went six innings in his start, allowing four runs late in his outing. he punched out five against four hits, including a three-run shot in the fifth, and three walks. Nolan Blackwood allowed a pair of runs in the seventh in relief.
Coming Up Next: The Hens travel to Columbus to tangle with the Clippers this week.
Somerset Patriots 2, Erie SeaWolves 0 (Sunday)(box)
A bullpen day went surprisingly well for Erie, but they only managed four hits and couldn’t capitalize on the five walks they drew on the night. Still, they held the upper hand in the series and took it four games to two over the Patriots. Max Green and recently promoted Yaya Chentouf combined for five scoreless innings between them, while Mark Leiter Jr. and Gerson Moreno were charged with a run apiece. Riley Greene singled and walked in the losing effort.
Erie SeaWolves 5, Somerset Patriots 0 (Saturday)(box)
Pedro Payano put together a fine start on Saturday, blanking Somerset for six innings on just three hits and two walks, while punching out eight. A two-run triple from the still hot 3B John Valente got the SeaWolves on the board in the second inning. Andre Lipcius tripled home Riley Greene in the fifth, while a Valente homer and an RBI single from Drew WArd in the seventh completed the scoring.
Somerset Patriots 5, Erie SeaWolves 2 (Friday)(box)
Elvin Rodriguez was set for a short outing on Friday, and it didn’t go well. He allowed a leadoff home run to start the game, while Somerset’s Oswaldo Cabrera doubled, moved to third on a ground out, and ultimately stole home for the second run of the frame.
The SeaWolves came right back, starting with a single from Greene to lead off the bottom half of the frame. Greene later scored on a Drew Ward double, and Kerry Carpenter then doubled to score Ward and tie the game. That was all they’d managed offensively, and Joe Navilhon allowed a three-run fourth inning that was the decider. Valente had three hits, including two doubles in this one, while Greene and Kreidler each singled.
Coming Up Next: With their newly turbocharged offense—seriously, give Tork and Dingler a month to settle in before even beginning to stress again—the SeaWolves will welcome in the Altoona Curve this week.
Lansing Lugnuts 6, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (Sunday)(box)
In their final game with Spencer Torkelson and Dillon Dingler on the roster, the Whitecaps offense just couldn’t capitalize on their chances. With the win, the Lugnuts forced a split of the six-game set in LMCU Park. Starter Jesus Rodriguez wasn’t bad, but a hit by pitch to lead off the game came around to score, and Rodriguez’s own throwing error cost him a run in the second. He leaked two more runs before departing after the fifth.
The Caps’ came back with two in the third to tie it up, sparked by a Wenceel Perez leadoff double and capped by a Torkelson sacrifice fly. Unfortunately that was all the offense they’d muster despite eight walks and three hits in the game. Torkelson also doubled in the contest, while Daniel Cabrera had a pair of singles. Trei Cruz has been a nice little run since returning from the injured list as well. He posted a single and two walks, while scoring once and driving in a run.
West Michigan Whitecaps 9, Lansing Lugnuts 0 (Saturday)(box)
Starter Beau Brieske, who we profiled recently, threw a really good game on Saturday, but the offensive outburst was the story. Brieske went 6 2⁄3 innings of scoreless ball with seven punchouts to five hits and a walk allowed, keeping the game deadlocked until the offense blew it open in the fifth.
Eric de la Rosa started the big inning with a double and scored on a Wenceel Perez single. Daniel Cabrera and Spencer Torkelson followed a walk to Trei Cruz with RBI hits, Torkelson’s a screaming double up the left center field gap. Bryant Packard came through with an RBI single to score Cabrera and Torkelson, and the lead was 5-0. The duo of Cabrera and Torkelson came right back in the sixth and did it again. Cabrera’s RBI single plated one, while Torkeson rifled another double to center field for a pair of RBI.
West Michigan Whitecaps 9, Lansing Lugnuts 4 (Friday)(box)
Starter Chance Kirby allowed three runs, two earned, in the first two innings on Friday night, but settled in to limit the damage. The offense got a run back in the fourth on a Torkelson triple and a Dingler ground out. They scored two more in the fifth, and then blew the doors off the place with a six run sixth inning that put this one on ice. Torkelson’s three-run shot to straightaway center field was the centerpiece of the outburst, and he was followed by a solo shot from Dingler as well. Jose King had a double in the inning, while De La Rosa chipped in an RBI single.
Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps travel to take on the Lake County Captains starting on Tuesday.
Lakeland Flying Tigers vs. Dunedin Blue Jays (Sunday)(postponed)
They were rained out in Lakeland today, which might be for the best after Dunedin won four straight. The series end four game to one for the Blue Jays, with Sunday’s contest rescheduled for August 25th.
Dunedin Blue Jays 17, Lakeland Flying Tigers 2 (Saturday)(box)
We won’t be spending much time on this one. The Blue Jays scored in every inning but the sixth to absolutely drub the Flying Tigers. Naswell Paulino started for Dunedin and punched out nine in five innings of work with just two singles and a walk allowed. Ted Stuka started for Lakeland and absolutely lost the plot, walking eight batters in an inning and two-thirds. Colt Keith and Gage Workman each walked in the contest, while Kingston Liniak had a walk and a single out of the leadoff spot. Teenaged outfield prospect Jose de la Cruz continues to look well overmatched in A-ball just yet, striking out four times to lower his OPS to a measly .330. Yes, his OPS.
Dunedin Blue Jays 8, Lakeland Flying Tigers 7 (Friday)(F/10)(box)
Joey Wentz’s command remains a work in progress as he builds up from a year lost to TJ surgery. He punched out seven in this one, but lost his release a few times with the Blue Jays taking advantage to tag him with five earned runs in four innings of work.
The Flygers fought back all night, scoring in the first on an RBI single from Jimmy Kerr to score Gage Workman, who had singled and stolen second. Alvaro Gonzalez doubled with one out in the second, advanced on a balk, and scored on a groundout in the second. At that point it was 3-2 Blue Jays. Unfortunately, Wentz allowed two runs in the fourth and the Blue Jays scored single runs in the sixth and seventh as well.
At that point it was 7-3, but the Flygers came back with a four run seventh to tie the game. Jose de la Cruz’s two-run shot, his first of the year, was the big blow in the inning. That got them to extras, but reliever Isrrael de la Cruz couldn’t hold the runner at second in the top of the tenth, and the Flying Tigers failed to score in the bottom half of the frame.
Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers will send LHP Adam Wolf (2-2, 3.90 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday as they kick off a road set against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.