Toledo Mud Hens 9, Iowa Cubs 1 (box)
Once again, left-hander Jackson Wolf delivered for the Mud Hens on Thursday night. He tossed five innings of one-run ball, allowing just two hits and three walks, striking out five.
His teammates took advantage in the top of the third. Justice Bigbie led off with a single and eventually scored on a Cal Stevenson triple with two outs. Max Anderson struck out, but it was 1-0 lead for the Hens.
In the fourth, Jace Jung singled with one out and rode home on a Carlos Pérez homer to make it 3-0.
A pair of singles and a wild pitch from Wolf led to a run in the bottom of the fourth, but that was all he’d allow.
They got that run right back in the fifth. Max Burt singled and stole second with one out. Another triple from Stevenson scored him to make it 4-1 Hens. This time, Anderson singled him in to make it 5-1.
Enmanuel de Jesus took over for a scoreless sixth. He got in a spot of bother in the seventh, but Hayden Minton shut that down to send this to the eighth.
Singles from Corey Julks and Jace Jung were followed by a walk to Bennett Lee to load the bases with no outs in the top of the eighth. The Cubs then walked James Oatman to force in a run. Justice Bigbie then ripped a double, scoring Jung, but Lee was thrown out at home, and Outman was caught trying to score and tagged out as well. So only one run scored, but Michael Siani then blasted a two-run shot to right field, and it was 9-1 Hens.
Minton handled the eighth without much trouble, though his velocity, which has peaked up to 95-96 mph in relief, was down in the 92 mph range.
In the top of the ninth, Julks walked and Lee was hit by a pitch with two outs, but Outman struck out.
Tyler Mattison took over from Minton and closed it out, though it’s worth nothing that his velocity, already well off the 95-96 mph he used to have, has fallen all the way down to 91-92 mph.
Bigbie: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B
Stevenson: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, 2 3B, K
Burt: 3-4, R, K, SB
Wolf: 5.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: It’s an 8:08 p.m. ET start time on Friday night in Des Moines.
Reading Fightin Phils 11, Erie SeaWolves 10 (box)
Kenny Serwa was mauled badly in this one, though the SeaWolves piled up plenty of offense of their own. In the process, they established a new team Eastern League stolen base record, with 273 and counting.
The 29-year-old knuckleballer doesn’t strike out many, and this time the balls in play were finding the grass. He gave up four in the second, single runs in the third and fifth, and then one more before departing in the sixth.
The SeaWolves got a quick run when Woody Hadeen led off the game with a single, stole second, and scored on an E.J. Exposito single. Finally, in the fifth they broke through again. Viandel Pena drew a leadoff walk but was forced by a Woody Hadeen grounder. Zyhir Hope singled through the right side, and he and Hadeen pulled off the double steal. Hadeen scored on an E.J. Exposito ground out.
At that point it was 5-2 Reading, but three straight hits off of Serwa started the fifth, producing a 6-2 lead.
In the top of the sixth, Luke Shliger stayed hot with a leadoff double. Roberto Campos drove a two-run shot the opposite way to pull Erie within two runs. Seth Stephenson followed that blast with a single and a stolen base. Pena doubled him in and later scored on a balk to tie the game.
Serwa gave up a one-out walk in the sixth and was replaced by Eric Silva, who crumbled, allowing three runs to score for a 9-6 Reading lead.
Izaac Pacheco launched his 21st homer of the season in the seventh.
Unfortunately Johan Simon was wild in the eighth, and eventually allowed a two run single to make it 11-7 Reading. Chris Meyers and Pacheco walked to start the top of the ninth. Campos came through again with a one-out double to score both runs. So it was 11-9 Reading, and there was still only one out in the inning. The bullpen was cracking. A wild pitch got Campos to third, and an error on a Stephenson ground ball scored him to make it 11-10 Reading. But right there, with victory within reach, Pena grounded into a game ending double play.
Campos: 2-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2B, HR, BB, K
Stephenson: 3-5, R, RBI, 2B, SB
Pacheco: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB, 2 K
Hope: 1-4, BB, K, SB
Serwa (L, 9-9): 5.1 IP, 7 ER, 9 H, 4 BB, K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:45 p.m. ET start on Friday.
