Toledo Mud Hens 3, Nashville Sounds 2 (box)
It was a short outing from starter Joey Wentz on Wednesday, but the bullpen picked him up and the Hens walked off Nashville in the end.
The Sounds struck immediately against Wentz, using a leadoff walk, a single, and a ground out to push across the game’s first run. The big lefty settled in with a strikeout and a flyout to snuff any further trouble, but quickly got into trouble in the second inning as well.
Wentz got ahead of the first two hitters in the second inning and let them both back in the count trying too hard to get them to chase strike three. Things started fairly innocuously with a seeing eye ground ball single from Mario Feliciano past a diving Zack Short, followed by Weston Wilson line drive over a leaping Short that tipped off his glove into left field for a single. Wentz struck out the next hitter, but Ryan Lavarnway failed to block a pair of breaking balls, allowing the baserunners to advance twice. He was charged with two wild pitches but both pitches were down in the dirt but still in the box and should’ve been blocked.
Wentz retired the final two hitters in the second with a strikeout and a flyout to Robson in center field, but his outing wouldn’t last much longer. In the top of the third, the first batter he faced, shortstop prospect Brice Turang, lined a comebacker off of Wentz’s left leg for a single. He tried a few test pitches off the mound, but had to come out of the game. Didn’t look too serious as it appeared to hit him in the thigh but we’ll have to wait for word on his status. Either way, he’s still appears to be pitching too tentatively, with fringy command, to really help at the major league level just yet.
Zack Short finally got the Mud Hens’ offense sparked in the fourth, leading off with a double. Josh Lester and Kody Clemens followed with singles to score Short, and Trayce Thompson’s double play ball pushed Lester across as well to tie the game at two apiece. Nolan Blackwood and Bryan Garcia took over from Wentz and each tossed three scoreless frames to get the Hens into the late innings.
Neither team mounted any offense until Brendon Davis was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the eighth. Jamie Westbrook followed with a single and the Hens were in business. Davis then got backpicked at second base and tagged out, and a pair of routine outs ended the inning.
Miguel Diaz got three quick outs in the top of the ninth, and Zack Short started things off again with a leadoff single. Lester flew out and Clemens struck out, but Thompson came though with a single to move Short to second base. Sounds’ reliever Thomas Jankins then hit Lavarnway and walked Davis, pushing the game winner across in literal walk off fashion.
Short: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, SO
Clemens: 1-4, RBI, 2 SO
Wentz: 2.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 3 SO
Coming Up Next: RHP Nivaldo Rodriguez (1-3, 5.70 ERA) takes on Nashville RHP Dylan File (2-1, 4.10 ERA) on Thursday night.
Erie SeaWolves 6, Bowie Baysox 4 (F/10)(box)
Wilmer Flores second Double-A start didn’t go as well, largely due to a long second inning in which he struggled with his control. However, the offense had enough to make a comeback and eventually took this one with a two-run 10th inning.
Kerry Carpenter still has a strikeout rate near 30 percent, but he remains absolutely red hot. He opened the scoring in the first with a solo shot to the opposite field for an early lead. The left-handed slugger now has five homers in his last six games and is riding a seven game hitting streak and has hit in 16 of his last 17 games.
Flores was pretty good other than the second inning, and struck out seven and walked two over 4 1⁄3 innings of work. Bowie took advantage of a hit batsman and an error, scoring three in a long second inning where Flores struggled to command his stuff out of the stretch. He got the first two outs despite a lot of traffic, but Gunnar Henderson came up with a two-run double for the Baysox and then scored on a double from Hudson Haskin. After the minor meltdown, Flores turned his outing right back around, but it was too late to salvage a good start.
However, the SeaWolves came right back with three of their own in the third. Andrew Navigato started things with a one-out double, and Dylan Rosa mashed a two-run shot to make it 3-3. Dillon Dingler followed with a single, and two batters later Andre Lipcius doubled Dingler home. 4-3 Erie.
Flores’ outing ended after allowing a single in the fifth, and reliever Dario Gardea came in, eventually allowing the run to score. 4-4 Bowie.
In the top of the 10th, Parker Meadows was the extra innings runner, and Gage Workman led off with a single. Daniel Cabrera struck out, but Navigato singled home Meadows, and after a wild pitch moved up the runners, Rosa came up with a single to score Workman. Yaya Chentouf blanked Bowie in the 9th and 10th to record the save.
Carpenter: 1-4, R, RBI, HR, BB, 2 SO
Rosa: 2-5, R, 3 RBI, HR. 2 SO
Navigato: 3-4, R, RBI, 2B
Flores: 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 7 SO
Coming Up Next: RHP Zach Peek (0-1, 3.71 ERA) starts for the Baysox on Thursday evening at 6:35 p.m. EDT. The SeaWolves are still in TBD mode.
West Michigan Whitecaps 0, Dayton Dragons 0 (suspended)
This one came to a halt in the bottom of the second inning. Austin Murr led off the bottom of the second with a walk, and Ben Malgeri grounded out. Rain intensified with Jose King at the dish, so they’ll turn Thursday night’s schedule contest into a double bill.
Tampa Tarpons 7, Lakeland Flying Tigers (Gm 1)(F/7)(box)
Wilkel Hernandez rehab outings went well, as he spun four scoreless innings with nine strikeouts as he continues his return from Tommy John surgery. There wasn’t much else to report. An Izaac Pacheco single was the Flygers only hit, and the Tarpons blew up the bullpen with a seven run sixth inning to win this one easily.
Tampa Tarpons 4, Lakeland Flying Tigers 0 (Gm 2)(F/7)(box)
You thought the offense struggled in game one? Lakeland was no hit for seven innings by the Tarpons’ Yorlin Calderon, who struck out seven and walked two. Manuel Sequera and Pacheco were the only Flying Tigers to reach base, each via walks. Nick Davila got the start and leaked a pair of runs in a shaky five inning outing with two walks and two strikeouts.
Next.
Coming Up Next: RHP Juan Carela (2-0, 2.43 ERA) starts for Tampa on Thursday night at 6:35 p.m. EDT. Lakeland is still TBD.