Omaha Storm Chasers 11, Toledo Mud Hens 8 (box)
Justyn-Henry Malloy had a huge night at the plate, but Spencer Turnbull and Jack O’Loughlin were both clobbered by the Storm Chasers’ lineup on Tuesday.
Turnbull gave up six runs over the first two innings, then settled in to throw three scoreless frames as his offense closed the gap in the bottom of the third. Donny Sands singled with one out and Parker Meadows tripled him home. Malloy stepped to the dish and cracked home run number 18 on the year. 6-3 Omaha.
Colt Keith popped out, but Tyler Nevin singled and took second on a wild pitch. Wenceel Perez followed with an RBI double and then scored on an Andre Lipcius single to make it 6-5 Omaha.
The Hens tied it in the fifth when Nevin led off with a double and later scored on a Lipcius single. Finally, in the seventh, Malloy led off with a double and scored on a Nevin single. 7-6 Hens. However, the comeback was short lived. O’Loughlin took over in the sixth and finished out the game, but he ran into a buzzsaw in the eighth, allowing five runs in a series of five batters to lose the lead and ultimately the game.
Malloy: 3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2 2B, BB
Nevin: 3-5, 2 R, RBI, 2B, K
Perez: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B, K
Turnbull: 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: RHP Keider Montero (0-1, 9.00 ERA) makes his second start at Triple-A on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. ET. He’ll be throwing to Dillon Dingler in the catcher’s first Triple-A appearance. LHP Drew Parrish (4-4, 7.81 ERA) throws for the Storm Chasers.
Akron RubberDucks 4, Erie SeaWolves 2 (box)
The bullpen did a pretty good job without a starting pitcher, but the offense couldn’t provide enough to overcome Akron on Tuesday.
Jace Jung got the SeaWolves on the board first, hitting his 19th home run of the season to take the organizational HR lead. Austin Bergner allowed a run in the fifth to tie it, but in the sixth, Chris Meyers was hit by a pitch and took second on a passed ball. A Ben Malgeri single scored him and gave the SeaWolves a one-run lead again. Unfortunately, Yaya Chentouf allowed a run in the bottom of the sixth and RJ Petit allowed a pair of runs in the eighth as Akron took control.
Jung: 2-4, R, RBI, HR, BB
Bigbie: 2-5
Cruz: 1-4, 2B, BB, K
Bergner: 3.0 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start from Akron on Wednesday. RHP Ty Madden (3-3, 3.58 ERA) starts for the SeaWolves, while the RubberDucks have yet to announce.
West Michigan Whitecaps 3, South Bend Cubs 1 (box)
The Whitecaps took advantage of some wildness from Cubs pitchers for a comeback victory on Tuesday night. Starter Wilkel Hernandez allowed a solo shot in the second inning, but settled in to go five innings with only that run allowed. The bullpen then stepped up to blank the Cubs for the final four frames.
Four straight two-out walks in the bottom of the fifth pushed across the ‘Caps first run and tied the game. In the seventh, Josh Crouch singled with one out and Dom Johnson drew a walk. A Gage Workman ground ball was turned into an error on the South Bend first baseman and Crouch raced around to score on the play. They got one more in the eighth when Crouch singled in Eliezer Alfonzo from second to reach the final score.
Crouch: 3-3, R, RBI, BB, SB
Alfonzo: 2-4, R
Hernandez: 5.0 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: A 6:35 p.m. ET start will feature RHP Troy Melton (3-1, 2.05 ERA) for the Whitecaps. South Bend goes with RHP Connor Noland (1-6, 3.91 ERA).
Bradenton Marauders 14, Lakeland Flying Tigers 13 (box)
Well this was a wild one. Bradenton scored all 14 runs in the first three innings and then just barely hung on as the Flying Tigers stormed back.
Edgardo Ibarra got the start, and he was rocked for nine runs and unable to finish the second inning. Chris Williams Jr. couldn’t do a whole lot better, but the bullpen eventually silenced the Marauders in the fourth and kept it that way.
2023 first overall pick Paul Skenes made his pro debut in this one, so there were plenty of eyes on this game. Seth Stephenson greeted him with a line drive single to start the game. Cristian Santana was frozen for strike three as Stephenson stole second base and then reached third on the catcher’s throwing error. Jim Jarvis struck out swinging, while Stephenson got caught in a run down after getting picked off third.
2023 second rounder Max Anderson smacked a solo shot in the fourth for his first home run with the Flying Tigers. That made it 14-1. Mike Rothenberg followed with a walk and Jose De La Cruz went oppo for a two-run shot. 14-3.
In the fifth, Lakeland scored seven runs, punctuated by a massive three-run shot from Cristian Santana. 14-10 Bradenton. In the sixth, Jim Jarvis walked and took third on a two-base error on a pickoff attempt. He scored on an Anderson ground out. 14-11 Bradenton. David Smith was hit by a pitch in the seventh and later score on a Seth Stephenson single. 14-12 Bradenton.
Lakeland didn’t score in the eighth, finally going in order, but De La Cruz kept the dream of a wild comeback alive with a one-out double in the top of the ninth. David Smith walked, and the go-ahead run was at the plate in the form of Bennett Lee. Lee, the Tigers’ sixth rounder out of Wake Forest, singled in De La Cruz, and then J.D. McLaughlin drew a walk to load the bases. 14-13 Lakeland.
Unfortunately, Stephenson struck out swinging. Bradenton went back to the pen for the final out of the game, calling on RHP Elijah Birdsong. As you’ll see below, Cristian Santana just missed crushing a grand slam that would’ve completed a truly epic comeback.
Cristian Santana leaves the stadium with this massive 3-run blast. It’s his 10th home run of the season. No distance, but the announcer says it’s the longest he’s seen all year. pic.twitter.com/4BVhIJfwpO
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 16, 2023
Absolutely bonkers game in Bradenton. The Marauders held a 14-0 lead after three innings, but the Flying Tigers rallied back to make it 14-13 with the bases loaded and one out in the 9th. But Seth Stephenson struck out and then Cristian Santana just missed this pitch. pic.twitter.com/mc3tHftAhe
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 16, 2023
Anderson: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, K
Stephenson: 3-5, R, RBI, K, SB, CS
De La Cruz: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2B K
Lee: 2-5, 2 RBI
Coming Up Next: Lakeland looks to even the series tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET. Bradenton is the only Florida State League team to broadcast regularly on MiLB.tv, so you can check out a decent chunk of the 2023 draft class again tonight, though Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle, and several others are playing Complex League ball for now.
FCL Tigers 3, FCL Yankees 2 (box)
RHP Jatnk Diaz made his pro debut on Tuesday for FCL Tigers on Tuesday. He allowed one hit and no more in his inning of work. Max Clark went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.