COLUMBUS, OH.: Detroit Tigers pitchers Tyler Alexander and Will Vest began their rehab assignments and star prospect Riley Greene made his first start of the season for the Toledo Mud Hens on Monday evening at Huntington Park, but the Columbus Clippers bats were hot throughout in a 9-1 triumph.
Greene
COLUMBUS, OH.: Detroit Tigers pitchers Tyler Alexander and Will Vest began their rehab assignments and star prospect Riley Greene made his first start of the season for the Toledo Mud Hens on Monday evening at Huntington Park, but the Columbus Clippers bats were hot throughout in a 9-1 triumph.
Greene contributed immediately to Toledo’s lineup, notching an infield single in the opening stanza against Clippers starter Tobias Myers. He went 1-4 and has now hit safely in 32 of his 41 career Triple-A assignments.
Alexander (0-1) has been out of the Tigers rotation since the end of April with a left elbow sprain. He made his first appearance in a Mud Hens uniform since August 31, 2019, throwing three innings of five-run baseball, yielding six hits, a walk, and mixing in two punch outs. He worked around a single in the first and set down the Clippers in order in the third, but ultimately was saddled with the losing end of the decision.
Columbus sent nine to the plate in a busy bottom of the second, building a 5-0 advantage in the process. After a Bobby Bradley leadoff knock, Bryan Lavastida blasted his third long ball of the season. Alexander retired the next two batters before Gavin Collins singled and Will Benson walked to place two men on. Consecutive RBI hits by Tyler Freeman and Will Brennan accounted for the rest of the damage in the frame.
After being placed on the 10-day Injured List on May 20, Vest started his rehab assignment with the Mud Hens on Monday. He relieved Alexander and tossed a scoreless fourth frame with a strikeout.
Collins continued his 2-4 day for the Clippers with an RBI double in the sixth inning opposite Angel De Jesus. Mike Rivera singled in a run in the seventh versus Logan Shore, but Trayce Thompson threw out an additional runner trying to score on the play to hold the score at 7-0.
After his strong defensive play concluded the seventh frame, Thompson began the eighth with a double to put himself into scoring position. Jamie Westbrook drove him in with a base hit against Justin Garza, bumping his hitting streak to six games as a result and making it 7-1 Clippers. He has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 Mud Hens games and is maintaining a .260 batting average over his 15-game on-base streak. He also was issued two free passes on Monday, climbing aboard a total of three times.
Benson smoked his eighth home run of the year, a two-run shot off Shea Spitzbarth in the home half of the eighth, to cap the scoring at 9-1.
Myers received a no-decision for the Clippers, giving up three hits and four walks with two strikeouts over four innings. Aaron Pinto (2-1) secured the win by keeping Toledo off the board in the fifth and sixth. Tim Herrin and Ian Gibaut twirled scoreless stanzas in the seventh and ninth, respectively.
NEXT UP: After taking Tuesday off, the Mud Hens and Clippers will resume their series at Huntington Park on Wednesday evening at 7:05 p.m.