Toledo Mud Hens 9, Nashville Sounds 6 (box)
The Hens have come out mashing. After scoring eight runs in the opener, they went one better on Wednesday night to make it 2-0 on the year.
Veteran right-hander Drew Hutchison got the start, and he quickly took a little damage, giving up a two run double to the Sounds’ Zach Green. The Hens struck right back in the bottom of the second though. Derek Hill cracked a three-run shot with Christin Stewart and Dustin Garneau aboard, and then the Hens proceeded to score again in the third and fourth frames to take a 6-3 lead into the late innings.
Beau Burrows tossed a scoreless sixth inning, but was replaced by Locke St. John after allowing a one out single. St. John promptly surrendered a two-run shot to Chad Spanberger. Hens’ right-hander Drew Carlton allowed a run in the eighth, and suddenly the game was tied. Shortstop Zack Short untied it a few minutes later, smoking a three-run shot to left, and Robbie Ross closed it out for the save.
Hill had a home run, single, three RBI, and two walks to lead the way. Isaac Paredes also doubled and collected three hits total, while Nomar Mazara had a single and an RBI in his rehab start in right field.
Coming Up Next: Teams are playing long series this season to help limit travel, so game three of this six-game home stand against the Sounds will feature our old friend Blaine Hardy. He’ll get the start on Thursday night. The Hens will counter with right-hander Logan Shore, who is set to throw the first pitch at 6:35 pm ET.
Erie SeaWolves 14, Reading Fightin Phils 2 (box)
The SeaWolves were not to be outdone in the mashing department. Riley Greene closed this one out with a ninth inning grand slam, but it was Josh Lester who initially broke it open with a third inning grand slams. Suffice it to say this one was a beatdown. Erie racked up 16 hits and six walks, while on the other side, starter Pedro Payano, most recently of the Texas Rangers system, threw five innings of one hit ball for the SeaWolves. He walked three and punched out five, while Gerson Moreno closed it out with a pair of punchouts in the ninth.
Greene had two hits and a walk to go with the grand slam, striking out once. Lester also had a pair of hits and a walk with his salami. Ryan Kreidler went 0-for-6 and was the only SeaWolf without a hit.
Coming Up Next: No starters have been announced for Thursday night’s 7:05 pm ET game.
Thanks to our friends at Tigers Minor League Report for the clips.
Fort Wayne TinCaps 4, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (box)
Starter Hugh Smith was scratched late and was replaced by Gerrit Hill, but the Whitecaps didn’t do too badly for a bullpen day. The Whitecaps struck first, with catcher Dillon Dingler drilling his first pro home run to the opposite field in the second inning to make it 1-0 Whitecaps. Hill ran into trouble in the third, allowed a run to tie the game up, and was replaced by Yaya Chentouf, who snuffed out any further trouble.
Spencer Torkelson collected his first pro hit in the top of the fourth, pulling a hard ground ball through the left side for a single. Dingler followed with a single of his own to move Torkelson to third, and he scored on a Daniel Cabrera ground out. Unfortunately, Chavez Fernander couldn’t hold the slim lead, as a throwing error from shortstop Trei Cruz kicked off a three run frame for the TinCaps and they cruised to victory.
The Whitecaps struck out 16 times in this one, with 10 punchouts total from the first four hitters in the lineup. Cruz and Torkelson had three apiece. Dingler led the way with the solo shot and a single, while Cabrera and Andre Lipcius picked up a single apiece.
Coming Up Next: The TinCaps will send a good Padres pitching prospect in Anderson Espinoza to the mound on Thursday at 7:05 pm ET. The Whitecaps are still considering a starter.
Clearwater Threshers 13, Lakeland Flying Tigers 11 (box)
Seems MLB sent the old juiced balls down for minor league use this year, as we had another slugfest in Clearwater on Wednesday. Jimmy Kerr, Nick Quintana, and Kingston Liniak all homered for the Flying Tigers, while catcher Cooper Johnson had four hits in the losing effort. The game was tied at six apiece after Jose De La Cruz’s two-run single in the fifth inning. The two clubs would trade the lead back and forth the rest of the way.
Lakeland took the lead in the seventh on a Johnson RBI single to score Quintana. Luke Sommerfeld then walked the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, and Gabriel Sequiera had to come on to bail him out. Sequiera promptly threw a wild pitch and two runs came around to score. The Flying Tigers were down to their final out in the top of the ninth when Nick Quintana delivered a game tying shot to left center field.
No one scored in the tenth, but Lakeland put up three runs in the 11th on a Jimmy Kerr RBI single and Liniak’s two-run shot. Jack Dellinger couldn’t close it out, allowing a walkoff grand slam to the Threshers’ D.J. Stewart.
Coming Up Next: Carlos Guzman will be a name worth watching this year in the Tigers system. He’ll take the mound against Clearwater’s Eduar Segovia on Thursday night at 7:00 pm ET.