Gage Workman sparks Whitecaps over Cubs

Lehigh Valley IronPigs 9, Toledo Mud Hens 2 (box)

Bryan Sammons threw a pretty good game, but once again the offense was quiet and the bullpen came unglued on Thursday.

The Hens had an early lead when Tyler Nevin doubled and later scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the second inning. Otherwise they couldn’t do anything much with Drew Hutchison. However, Sammons tossed five innings of scoreless ball with five strikeouts, and at the end of five, the Hens still led 1-0.

In the seventh, Sam Clay allowed a solo shot that tied the game, but heading into the ninth things were still deadlocked at 1-1. Miguel Diaz and then Rony Garcia were lit up for eight runs in the top half, without even allowing a home run. Johan Camargo singled home Joe Rizzo in the bottom half, but this one was already over.

Colt Keith did have a double in this one, but struck out three times while Parker Meadows went 0-for-4 with a pair of punchouts.

Camargo: 2-4, RBI

Valente: 2-4, 2B, 2 SO

Sammons: 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 7 H, BB, 5 SO

Coming Up Next: LHP Zach Logue (2-7, 6.51 ERA) gets the start for the Hens on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies 8, Erie SeaWolves 6 (box)

On the one hand, Wilmer Flores has built his velocity back up to the 95-97 mph we came to expect last year. On the other, he’s still struggling with commanding his three main offerings. He wasn’t really hit hard in this one other than a home run, but he struggled to stop an inning from unraveling in the second.

The SeaWolves took an early lead in this one. With one out in the first, Justice Bigbie and Wenceel Perez singled, and Andrew Navigato walked. A passed ball scored Justice Bigbie, and another scored Perez. A ground ball to first scored Navigato, and it was 3-0 Erie. Flores struck out the side in the bottom half, and things were looking pretty good.

Unfortunately, Flores allowed a pair of seeing eye singles to lead off the second and then fell behind Agustin Ruiz 2-0. The next pitch got launched to right center field and it was a 3-3 game. A walk, a throwing error on a pickoff, and a single later, and Binghamton had a 4-3 lead. A leadoff double in the third led to another run, and it was 5-3. Just like that, Flores flipped the switch, finishing strong with a couple strikeouts and just a single allowed over the final 2 ²⁄₃ innings of his outing, but the damage was done.

In the top of the fifth, Erie came back with RBI hits from Trei Cruz and Wenceel Perez to tie the game at 5-5, but the bullpen leaked three more runs in the late innings. Julio E. Rodriguez hit a solo shot in the ninth, but that was as close as Erie would get.

Perez: 3-5, R, RBI, SO, SB

Rodriguez: 2-3, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB

Cruz: 1-4, R, 2B, BB

Flores: 5.0 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 SO

Coming Up Next: LHP Lael Lockhart (2-0, 1.57 ERA) goes for Erie on Friday night. RHP Tyler Stuart (0-0, 1.50 ERA) starts for Binghamton.

West Michigan Whitecaps 7, South Bend Cubs 6 (box)

A bullpen day for the pitching staff didn’t go particularly well, but Gage Workman, newly demoted from Erie, helped spark a good day for the Whitecaps’ offense.

Workman made an impact right away in this one. A one-out single from Roberto Campos in the top of the first led to a run when Workman pulled a ground ball through the right side.

The Cubs tied it up in the second, but in the fourth, the Whitecaps put together a five-run inning. Workman doubled with one out and a wild pitch moved him to third. Eliezer Alfonzo struck out, but a two-out single from Luis Santana scored Workman. The Cubs went to their bullpen and reliever Angel Gonzalez started off by hitting Lazaro Benitez and walked Dillon Paulson to load the bases. A two-run single from Dom Johnson followed and then Izaac Pacheco drew a walk. Campos dumped a single into right field and Paulson and the speedy Johnson scored on it to make it 6-1 Whitecaps.

The Cubs put up two-run innings in the bottom of the fourth and the sixth, but in the seventh Workman cracked a solo shot to right field to make it 7-5. Elvis Alvarado allowed a run in the bottom of the ninth but held on for the save.

Workman: 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2B, 2 SO

Campos: 2-5, R, 2 RBI

Reyes: 3.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 SO

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps have yet to announce a starter for Friday’s 7:05 p.m. ET start. The Cubs will send RHP Brandon Birdsell (1-5, 2.78 ERA) to the mound.

Dunedin Blue Jays 5, Lakeland Flying Tigers 1 (box)

This was a scoreless game until the fifth, and neither offense was particularly effective in this one. Dunedin’s pitching held up a little better.

Joe Miller got the start and battled his control quite a bit. He held the Blue Jays scoreless through four innings, but allowed four runs in the fifth, courtesy of four walks. Cristian Santana hit a solo shot, his fifth home run, in the top of the fifth for a brief lead until Miller’s meltdown. The Blue Jays cruised from there while the Flying Tigers mustered just three hits.

Stephenson: 1-3, BB, 2 SO

Jenkins: 1-3, BB, SO

Miller (L, 1-3): 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 2 SO

Coming Up Next: Friday night will be a 6:30 p.m. ET start in Dunedin.