Iowa Cubs 6, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)
Reese Olson was knocked around again, and the offense couldn’t get anything going as the Mud Hens dropped the first of six in Iowa.
Olson was extremely inefficient, or wild to be more accurate, in this one. He allowed seven hits and four walks, striking out just four, and four runs in his 3 2⁄3 innings of work. At least he didn’t give up a homer.
The bullpen leaked two more runs in the fifth, and the Hens didn’t score until the eighth when Parker Meadows singled, Andre Lipcius grounded into a force of Meadows at second, and then took second base in time for Justyn-Henry Malloy to single him home.
Malloy: 1-4, RBI, 2 SO
Sands: 1-3, 2B, BB
Olson (L, 1-3): 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 4 SO
Coming Up Next: It’s a 1:08 p.m. ET start in Iowa on Wednesday. RHP Ashton Goudeau (1-2, 6.66 ERA) takes on Cubs RHP Ben Brown (0-0, 1.59 ERA).
Erie SeaWolves 10, Richmond Flying Tigers 1 (box)
The SeaWolves dealt out a paddlin’ on Tuesday evening as they welcomed the Richmond Flying Squirrels in for six. Dillon Dingler launched his sixth homer in his last nine games, and Keider Montero was excellent in his second Double-A start.
Richmond scored first, with a pair of errors on Andrew Navigato setting up a scoring opportunity that they cashed in with an RBI single. That was all they’d get. Keider Montero is ticking into breakout territory this season, and while his first start with Erie showcased some wildness, he was back on point in this one. The 22-year-old right-hander scattered six hits over five innings, allowing just the unearned run. He walked one and struck out eight.
Montero has always had the 3000+ rpm breaking balls, but he’s really honed the curveball and slider into more distinct offerings and is commanding both more consistently. The real improvement is just maturity, as he’s shown the ability to reach back for 96-97 mph on his fourseamer and locate it with runners on base. He’s doing a much better job going in and out of the stretch and dialing up his focus when he’s in trouble.
The SeaWolves took control with a four-run third inning. Ben Malgeri was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Luis Santana immediately doubled him over to third. A Navigato ground out scored Malgeri and moved Santana to third. A sac fly from Colt Keith plated Santana, and Wenceel Perez, who has settled in after early season back trouble and is running hot now, lined a single to left. Dillon Dingler stepped to the dish and crushed a 3-1 fastball onto the roof beyond the left field wall. 4-1 SeaWolves.
The SeaWolves lineup was just getting started. In the fourth, a pair of singles started their half of the inning, and Malgeri took revenge for getting hit by mashing a three-run shot to left center.
In the seventh, Navigato led off with a double and moved to third on a Keith ground out. Perez walked and stole second base. Grant Witherspoon walked as well, forcing in Navigato, and catcher Julio E. Rodriguez singled in Perez. Dingler scored on a Diego Rincones’ ground out, and it was 10-1 SeaWolves, where it stayed.
Dingler: 1-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, SO
Perez: 1-4, 2 R, BB, SO, SB
Malgeri: 1-2, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, BB, SO
Montero (W, 1-0): 5.0 IP, R, 6 H, BB, 8 SO
Coming Up Next: RHP Ty Madden (0-1, 3.00 ERA) gets the ball at 11:05 a.m. ET on Wednesday. The Flying Squirrels will oppose him with RHP Mason Black (0-2, 5.60 ERA).
West Michigan Whitecaps 14, Lansing Lugnuts 5 (box)
The SeaWolves weren’t the only team issuing a beatdown on Tuesday. The West Michigan Whitecaps welcomed in the Lugnuts by churning out 17 hits and drawing five walks to crush them in game one of the series.
LHP Jack O’Loughlin, somehow still only 23 years old, put together a nice start in this one. He scattered a pair of hits and a walk with four strikeouts, but the Lugnuts were no doubt demoralized and tired from chasing down Whitecaps’ hits.
The scoring opened in the bottom of the second inning, as Izaac Pacheco drew a leadoff walk and Roberto Campos followed with a single. A wild pitch moved them up 90 feet, and Chris Meyers poked a ground ball to shortstop Max Muncy, who went home with it but couldn’t cut down Pacheco at the plate. Dillon Paulson singled off the pitcher, and Justice Bigbie ripped a two-run double to make it 3-0.
Catcher Eliezer Alfonzo cracked a solo shot in the third. Jace Jung tripled in Paulson and Austin Murr in the fourth. Chris Meyers tripled in Pacheco in the fifth and then scored on a Bigbie single. Pacheco doubled in Jung in the sixth, and Campos followed with a two-run single. Finally, in the seventh, the Lugnuts halted them at five straight innings with a run scored, and they scored all five of their runs in the top of the eighth. The Whitecaps got three of those back courtesy of a Pacheco RBI double, and another Campos RBI single as the romp continued.
Pacheco: 3-4, 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, BB
Jung: 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3B, 2 BB
Campos: 3-5, 3 RBI, SO
Bigbie: 3-4, 3 RBI, 2B
O’Loughlin (W, 1-3): 5.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, BB, 4 SO
Coming Up Next: RHP Williander Moreno (2-0, 0.00 ERA) takes on Lansing’s LHP Brady Basso (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. ET.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 7, Bradenton Marauders 6 (F/10)(box)
The Flying Tigers cranked out 13 hits in this one, downing the Pirates affiliate with a come from behind victory in 10 innings.
The Flying Tigers got their first run in the fourth when Mike Rothenberg doubled home Manuel Sequera to knot the game at a run apiece. Bradenton re-captured the lead in the fifth with a pair of runs, while the Flying Tigers had plenty of chances and couldn’t come up with the hits until late.
Finally in the top of the ninth, Moises Valero drew a one-out walk and Seth Stephenson singled him to second. Dom Johnson followed with an RBI single to score Valero, and the two speedsters took an extra base on a throwing error by the Marauders’ right fielder. Peyton Graham lined a single to left to score Stephenson and move Johnson to third, where he tagged and scored on a Sequera fly out. Just like that they’d seized a 4-3 lead in the final frame.
Unfortunately, reliever Cleiverth Perez allowed a game-tying run in the bottom half to send this to extras.
Things didn’t start with much promise in the 10th. A wild pitch sent the automatic runner, Carlos Pelegrin, to third, but he was cut down trying to score on a Mike Rothenberg ground ball to first. A passed ball moved Rothenberg to second, and Jose De La Cruz singled him home to make it 5-4 Lakeland. Luke Gold singled, and after Valero struck out, Stephenson tripled to left field to make it 7-4.
Perez allowed a pair of run in the bottom half, but Cameron Brown took over with one out and shut the door.
Graham: 3-4, RBI, 2B, BB, SB
Stephenson: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, 3B, 2 SO
De La Cruz: 2-5, R, RBI, 2 SO
Patten: 4.0 IP, 2 R, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 SO
Coming Up Next: First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.