Columbus Clippers 9, Toledo Mud Hens 5 (box)
The Hens once again had their starter blown up by the Clippers to lose their third straight in this series.
Dylan File was torched for five runs in the second and one more in the third before departing the game. The Hens actually pounded out 12 hits despite the loss of Max Clark, but the deficit was too much for them to make up.
The Hens got it going in the fifth when Andrew Navigato led off with a double. Trei Cruz singled through the right side, and Jace Jung blasted his 17th homer. Max Anderson,
wondering if the Tigers forgot about a Max, followed with a rocket to center field for a solo shot, his 11th on the season.
So it was 6-4 Clippers at that point. Scott Effross alloweda solo shot in the sixth to make it 7-4. Troy Waton gave up another in the seventh. Carlos Pérez cracked a solo shot for the Hens in the eighth, and that was his fifth homer in four games with the Mud Hens. The veteran backstop seems to like playing with the Hens. Watson leaked one more run before this one ended.
Jung: 4-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, BB
Perez: 2-4, R, RBI, HR, K
Cruz: 3-5, R, 2B
Anderson: 1-5, R, RBI, HR
Workman: 0-5, 5 K
File (L, 6-7): 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 K
Erie SeaWolves 9, Akron RubberDucks 2 (box)
Hayden Minton put up a great start, continuing to move into at least dude adjacent territory, and the SeaWolves won again on Thursday.
The SeaWolves got out to a hot start. Seth Stephenson singled to leadoff the bottom of the first, but was cut down trying to steal second. That’s a rare event. Still, with two outs, Briceño was hit by a pitch and Justice Bigbie walked. Andrew Jenkins singled and an error allowed both runners to score for a 2-0 lead.
Minton had it from there. The right-hander fired five innings of one-hit ball, blanking the Ducks while punching out eight on the day.
Johan Simon took over from Minton and allowed a run in the top of the sixth, but the SeaWolves seized control in the bottom half.
Stephenson led off with another single and this time stole second successfully for his 49th of the year. Peyton Graham drew a walk, but was forced on a Briceño ground ball. Bigbie doubled in Stephenson and Jenkins singled in Briceño. Max Burt later singled in Bigbie as well for a 5-1 lead.
In the eighth, Bigbie led off with a double and Jenkins walked. They advanced on a wild pitch and Burt singled in both. Patrick Lee reached on an error, and Burt and Lee both scored on a Stephenson double.
Tyler Owens gave up a run in the ninth.
Jenkins: 4-4, R, 2 RBI, BB
Bigbie: 2-4, 3 R, RBI, 2 2B, BB, K
Stephenson: 3-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B, K, SB, CS
Minton (W, 1-0): 5.0 IP, 0 R, H, 3 BB, 8 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Friday night.
West Michigan Whitecaps 10, Beloit Sky Carp 6 (box)
Lucas Elissalt spun another solid game, and the Whitecaps took advantage of their 10 hits and 9 walks drawn to win comfortably on Thursday.
Things started off with an Izaac Pacheco-sized bang. Woody Hadeen walked to leadoff the bottom of the first, and the rehabbing third baseman crushed a two-run shot to center field.
Elissalt gave up the first run of his outing in the second inning. He allowed one more in the sixth before departing, but he allowed just three hits and a walk, striking out five. He threw 51 of 75 pitches for strikes. The tall right-hander has been on a nice run that may set him up to see Double-A in August.
In the fifth, Hadeen led off with a walk, continuing to set the table for the Whitecaps. Pacheco struck out, but Edian Espinal singled to center and Hadeen scored on a Jackson Strong ground out.
So it was 3-2 ‘Caps through six, but in the bottom of the seventh they put the pedal to the floor. Hadeen led off with a double and stole third base. Espinal singled him in and Juan Hernandez and Beau Ankeney drew walks. Samuel Gil singled in two runs, and then Andrew Sojka doubled in two more. It was 8-2 at that point, and Ankeney later tripled in Caleb Shpur and Hernandez in the eighth.
CJ Weins gave up four runs in the ninth and Logan Berrier had to close it out.
Hadeen: 2-3, 3 R, 2B, 2 BB, K, SB, CS
Espinal: 2-5, R, RBI
Ankeney: 1-2, R, 2 RBI, 3B, 3 BB, K
Pacheco: 1-2, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, K
Elissalt (W, 3-4): 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Friday, with the Whitecaps up 2-1 in the series.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 9, Tampa Tarpons 3 (box)
Cale Wetwiska was very good again in this one, and you should remember his name because the guy has the potential to be one heck of a pitcher in time. He fired four scoreless innings, allowing two hits, and no walks, with four strikeouts. He averaged 95.7 mph and 19 inches of induced vertical break on his fourseamer with above average extension. Wetwiska is a clear supinator, like Troy Melton, and will probably never have a circle change or much that moves to his armside, but he’s a good candidate for a split. His cutter, slider, and curveball are all good pitches by the metrics, but he has to command them better. There is plenty of time to do so.
Angel de los Santos reached on a throwing error in the top of the first, and scored the game’s first run on a Nolan McCarthy double. Jesus Pinto followed with a single, but Zach MacDonald, back in Lakeland after a brief stint in West Michigan, struck out to end the inning.
In the fourth, Pinto walked and MacDonald cranked his 16th homer of the season for a 3-0 lead. It was a mammoth shot that left the bat at 110.4 mph and went 443 feet to center.
Enderson Delgado doubled to lead off the top of the fifth and moved to third on a Jude Warwick single. De Los Santos singled in Delgado and then stole second base. Nick Dumesnil walked and the Tarpons went to the bullpen. It didn’t help, as the new reliever walked McCarthy to force in a run. MacDonald was hit by a pitch to force in another, and it was 6-0 Lakeland.
Pinto mashed a solo shot to left in the seventh, and MacDonald followed him with his second homer of the game. This was a more routine shot, but it was 8-0 Lakeland. Javier Osorio followed with a double and took third on a wild pitch, and Hunter Dobbins walked. Delgado singled in Osorio to complete the Flying Tigers scoring in this one.
Luke Hoskins allowed three late unearned runs.
MacDonald: 2-3, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR, BB, K
Pinto: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB, K
Delgado: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB, K
Wetwiska: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start in Tampa on Friday with the Tarpons up 2-1 in the series.
