Erie SeaWolves 6, Chesapeake Baysox 0 (box)
Joe Miller put together an excellent start and the SeaWolves overpowered the Baysox to take this first of six at UPMC Park.
The veteran left-hander fired five no-hit innings, blanking the Baysox with just a walk allowed against five strikeouts. The SeaWolves offense was a little quiet early on, but they got it going in the bottom of the fourth.
Brett Callahan drew a one-out walk to get things started, and John Peck followed with a rocket to the center field wall for an RBI triple. Thayron Liranzo struck out, but Andrew Jenkins came through with a single to score Peck. Chris Meyers followed with a double to plate Jenkins, and Izaac Pacheco blasted a two-run shot to right field to make it 5-0.
Liranzo has been really hot of late and he led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo shot for his sixth round tripper after a late start to his season.
Trevin Michael worked through some trouble in the sixth, punching out a pair of hitters to strand the bases loaded. Luke Taggart had no difficulty handling the seventh and eighth. Wandisson Charles handled the ninth.
Meyers: 2-3, R, RBI, 2B
Peck: 1-3, R, RBI, 3B, BB, K
Jenkins: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B
Miller (W, 2-1): 5.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: It’s an 11:05 a.m. ET start on Wednesday for Game 2 of the series.
Lansing Lugnuts 2, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (box)
Like their parent club, the Whitecaps are doing just enough to lose night after night.
Starter Hayden Minton did his part at least, turning in another quality outing. The right-hander scattered three hits and two walks, blanking the Lugnuts for 4.2 innings of work. He struck out four. Ryan Harvey cleaned up the final out of the fifth and spun a scoreless sixth as well.
The offense scored on their first opportunity and never really threatened much again. Andrew Sojka led off the game with a walk and Garrett Pennington singled him third. Jackson Strong came through with a two-out single that was lined right off Lansing’s pitcher to plate Sojka, but Pennington was trying to score from second and was cut down at the plate.
After that the Whitecaps went in order for three innings before Samuel Gil singled in the fifth. Pennington led off the top of the sixth with a double, and Ricardo Hurtado drew a walk to give them another chance finally. Instead, Bryce Rainer struck out swining and Pennington got picked off trying to take third.
In the bottom of the seventh, Zack Lee took over from Harvey and gave up singles to the first two hitters. He managed to simmer things down, allowing just one run, but the offense couldn’t add anything on. In the top of the ninth, Clayton Campbell tripled with one out, and Andrew Shpur pinch-ran for him. Strong lifted a routine fly ball to center field for an out, and Shpur was thrown out trying to tag and score.
Thomas Bruss came on for the bottom of the ninth and immediately walked the leadoff hitter. A passed ball on Hurtado followed to get the runner to second, and a grounder to third was enough to walk off the Whitecaps. I’m not sure, but this feels like the 10th time this month the Whitecaps have been walked off.
Pennington: 2-4, 2B, K
Campbell: 1-4, 3B, K
Rainer: 0-3, BB, K
Minton: 4.2 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: It’s an 11:05 a.m. ET start on Wednesday.
Palm Beach Cardinals 5, Lakeland Flying Tigers 4 (box)
Grayson Grinsell was a little off his game in this one, and while the offense rallied back from an early deficit, their bullpen followed suit with the Whitecaps and got walked off as well on Tuesday. How good your minor league teams are doing frankly means nothing at all. It’s just annoying on top of the Tigers debacle of a season to date.
Grinsell didn’t get teed off on, he just wasn’t very sharp. He allowed a run in the bottom of the first, then two more as he departed in the third inning.
Nick Dumesnil, only recently returned off the IL, smoked a solo home run to left to open the fourth inning. That made it 3-1 Palm Beach.
In the top of the sixth, Trei Cruz struck out to lead off the frame, but Dumesnil and Zach MacDonald both walked. Jesus Pinto popped out, but a still red hot Jude Warwick launched an opposite field three-run shot to seize a 4-3 lead. That was the shortstop’s fourth this month.
Eliseo Mota and Donye Evans got Lakeland to the sixth inning, where Charlie Christensen took over. He allowed a game tying run in the bottom of the seventh. Luke Hoskins gave up a parade of hits in the ninth to give up the walkoff loss.
Dumesnil: 1-2, 2 R, RBI, HR, 2 BB, SB
Yost: 1-3, 2 BB
Warwick: 1-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, K
Salas: 1-3, 2B, BB, K
Grinsell: 2.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.
