St. Paul Saints 8, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)
Toledo’s three-game winning streak came to an ugly end Saturday. Dylan File surrendered three home runs, including a fifth-inning grand slam, and the Mud Hens’ offense struck out 12 times.
Saturday also marked Riley Greene’s first game since a right hamstring strain sent him to the injured list Aug. 12. Greene led off as Toledo’s designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. None of Greene’s three balls in play was hard hit, averaging just 78 mph.
The trouble started for File right away. A pair
of singles and a walk loaded the bases, and Bennett Lee bailed him out by backpicking off the runner at first. St. Paul got to him in the second, though. Kala’i Rosario led off the inning with a homer, and David Bañuelos added another two outs later to make it 2-0.
The Hens didn’t get on the board until Cal Stevenson led off the fifth with his eighth home run of the year. Lee and Trei Cruz added singles later in the inning, putting runners on the corners, but Max Anderson struck out to end the threat.
That momentum disappeared quickly. File hit Bañuelos with one out in the bottom half before loading the bases with consecutive singles. Matt Wallner cleared them with a grand slam to right, giving St. Paul a 6-1 lead.
File’s day ended after he got out of the inning. He finished with six earned runs allowed on eight hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out just one and generated only two whiffs on 33 swings. St. Paul produced 10 hard-hit balls against him, averaging 92.6 mph when putting the ball in play. Not great, Bob.
Toledo threatened again in the sixth after Jace Jung led off with a double and James Outman singled to put runners on the corners. Stevenson and Max Burt struck out to strand both runners. Outman’s single was Toledo’s final hit of the night. The Hens produced only five hard-hit balls on 20 balls in play.
Beau Brieske handled the sixth on six pitches, all strikes. He allowed a one-out single before inducing an inning-ending double play.
Brant Hurter took over in the seventh. He nearly got out of the inning cleanly, but a two-out walk and a wild pitch set up an RBI single.
Enmanuel De Jesus pitched the eighth and surrendered Rosario’s second home run of the game. He struck out two and generated five whiffs on nine swings, but the homer left the Saints with an 8-1 lead.
Stevenson: 1-4, HR (8), R, RBI, 2 K
Cruz: 2-3, BB
Outman: 2-4, K
File (L, 6-9): 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, BB, K, 3 HR
Coming Up Next: The series concludes Sunday at 3:07 p.m. ET. Toledo leads 3-2.
Erie SeaWolves 8, Altoona Curve 3 (box)
Erie followed three straight losses to open the series with its second consecutive win. Patrick Lee highlighted a six-run second inning with a three-run homer, while Woody Hadeen collected four of the SeaWolves’ 14 hits.
Altoona struck first against Joe Miller. Keiner Delgado led off the bottom of the first with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly from Murf Gray.
Erie’s offense erupted in the second. Luke Shliger and Clayton Campbell singled with one out, and Lee launched a 3-0 heater over the wall in right for his fifth Double-A home run.
The SeaWolves weren’t done yet. After Lee’s homer, Peyton Graham and Hadeen both singled. Zyhir Hope walked to load the bases, and E.J. Exposito drove in two with a single to left. Izaac Pacheco added another RBI single after a pitching change to make it 6-1.
Altoona got one back in the third when Ivan Brethowr scored on Delgado’s second double of the game. Miller stranded Delgado and preserved a four-run lead.
Hadeen doubled with one out in the fourth. He stole third and scored on an Exposito sacrifice fly. Callan Moss homered in the bottom half to bring Altoona within four again.
Miller settled in for his final inning of work, completing five frames on only 61 pitches and throwing 46 for strikes. He allowed three earned runs on four hits without issuing a walk, striking out five and generating a game-high 10 whiffs.
Zane Barnhart worked around two walks in a scoreless sixth, striking out a pair. Luke Taggart took over and dominated in his return to Erie’s bullpen, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out five across two scoreless innings.
The SeaWolves added their final run in the eighth. Hadeen collected his fourth hit and second double before Hope drove him home with a single to center.
Moises Rodriguez finished the victory with a scoreless ninth. He walked one but struck out two and generated five whiffs.
Hadeen: 4-5, 2 2B (3, 4), 3 R, 2 SB
Hope: 2-2, R, RBI, 3 BB
Exposito: 1-3, 3 RBI, HBP, SF
Lee, P: 1-4, HR (5), R, 3 RBI, K
Miller (W, 3-1): 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
Coming Up Next: The series concludes Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. Altoona leads the series 3-2.
Peoria Chiefs 13, West Michigan Whitecaps 10 (box)
West Michigan erased deficits in the sixth, eighth and 10th innings, but the bullpen finally broke in a six-run 11th. The Whitecaps launched three home runs in the final six innings but couldn’t complete the comeback in a 13-10 loss.
Connor Fenlong worked around three baserunners in the second but gave up three runs in the third. Caden Ferraro and Cade McGee singled before Tristan Bissetta hit a three-run homer to right.
Fenlong settled down after that, holding Peoria scoreless over his final three innings. He completed six frames, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out eight. Fenlong generated 11 whiffs on 36 swings.
The Whitecaps finally got to Brian Holiday in the sixth, securing a no-decision for Fenlong. Juan Hernandez singled, and Bryce Rainer walked before Cristian Santana tied the game with a three-run homer to left.
Preston Howey worked around a leadoff single and a walk in a scoreless seventh, and West Michigan took its first lead in the bottom half. Samuel Gil walked, and Carson Rucker reached on an error before Hernandez singled in the run.
Peoria answered in the eighth. Howey walked Bissetta before Brayden Smith hit a two-run homer, restoring the Chiefs’ lead. Howey struck out three and generated 10 whiffs over 1 2/3 innings, but the homer left him responsible for two runs. Logan Berrier got the final out of the eighth.
The Whitecaps tied the game again in the bottom half. Santana walked, Gil singled and Andrew Sojka drove Santana home with a two-out single. Berrier retired all four batters he faced to set up a walk-off opportunity, but Ricardo Hurtado stranded Rainer and Santana on the bases, forcing extra innings.
Juanmi Vasquez surrendered a two-run homer to McGee in the top of the 10th, but West Michigan answered again. Sojka drove in the automatic runner with his second RBI single, and Rucker brought Gil home with a groundout, tying the game at seven.
Vasquez couldn’t escape the 11th. A single and a walk loaded the bases before Andrew Williamson drew another walk to force in the go-ahead run. Ryan Harvey inherited the jam and surrendered a grand slam to Ferraro. Smith added an RBI single later in the inning, giving Peoria a six-run lead.
The Whitecaps made one final push. Rainer hit a two-run homer, his 17th of the season, and Ricardo Hurtado followed with a solo shot. Stephen Hrustich grounded out to end the game before West Michigan could get the tying run to the plate.
Santana: 2-4, HR (13), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, K
Rainer: 1-4, HR (17), 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Sojka: 2-5, 2 RBI
Hurtado: 1-6, HR (9), 2 R, RBI, K
Fenlong: 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, BB, 8 K, HR
Coming Up Next: The series concludes Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Peoria leads 4-1.
Clearwater Threshers at Lakeland Flying Tigers — Canceled
Saturday’s game was canceled because rain and inclement weather left Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium unplayable. No makeup date was announced.
Coming Up Next: The series concludes Sunday at noon ET. Clearwater leads the series 3-2.
