Indianapolis Indians 7, Toledo Mud Hens 5 (box)
Lael Lockhart Jr. had a tough outing and only a late rally kept this from looking like a beatdown in the box score.
The left-hander’s high-80’s fastball has zero room for error against better hitters and Indy proved it out by launching a pair of home runs and racking up five runs over 6 2⁄3 innings. Lockhart Jr. has the secondary stuff to get whiffs but he has to be precise overall and just didn’t have good command in this one. Still, a depleted pitching staff needs help as the Tigers will have to draw even more innings from the Hens in the next few weeks. Lockhart Jr. did succeed in saving the bullpen, stretching out to a season high 110 pitches.
The Hens lineup didn’t do their part either, struggling with Isaac Mattson and Indy’s bullpen. Toledo had only three singles and two walks heading into the top of the seventh. Riley Unroe led off with a double to give them only their second baserunner in scoring position. A pair of ground outs and a strikeout left him stranded anyway.
Angel Reyes allowed a double and a two-run shot in the eighth and it was 7-0 Indianapolis. A parade of singles and walks led to the Hens scoring five in the top of the ninth, but still no one came through with the big hit. Indy’s bullpen did their best to die by papercuts until they finally closed the door in time.
Unroe: 2-3, R, 2B, BB, K
Bigbie: 2-5, R, K
Torkelson: 0-3, RBI, 2 K
Lockhart (L, 1-4): 6.2 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 4 BB, 6 K
INF Trey Sweeney, acquired in the Jack Flaherty trade from the Dodgers, has been assigned to Triple-A Toledo. So has RHP Chase Lee. Outfielder Patrick Lee has reportedly been promoted to Triple-A Toledo as well.
Portland Sea Dogs 9, Erie SeaWolves 3 (box)
This one was pretty similar to the Mud Hens’ game. Wilkel Hernandez took much damage in the early part of the game to overcome, and the offense had a pretty quiet night.
Hernandez gave up five runs in the first three innings, spun a scoreless fourth, and then allowed another run before departing after five innings down 6-2. Chris Meyers and Brady Allen hit solo shots in the second inning to get Erie a one run lead, but it didn’t last long. The SeaWolves wouldn’t score again until the sixth, when Trei Cruz, Gage Workman, and Jake Holton singled in order to make it 7-3 at that point. Portland got three more runs against Michael Bienlien to pull away.
Hopefully Greg Gania is enjoying the fresh lobster at least. Tough start to the series otherwise.
Cruz: 2-4, R, K
Workman: 2-4, SB
Hernandez (L, 4-6): 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 11 H, BB, 7 K
RHP Eric Silva, acquired from the Giants for Mark Canha, is listed as assigned to the Erie SeaWolves.
West Michigan Whitecaps 6, Fort Wayne TinCaps 5 (F/11)(box)
The locus of fun in the Tigers system has definitely shifted to the High-A level. This was a tight pitching duel most of the night, and then a seesawing pair of extra innings finally tipped the Whitecaps way.
Joe Adametz was really sharp in this one, giving the Whitecaps five no-hit innings with a walk and five strikeouts recorded.
Seth Stephenson led off the third inning with a fly ball to left that turned into an inside the park home run. That was fun. Two batter later Max Anderson smoked a triple to left, and Kevin McGonigle lifted a sacrifice fly to score him for a 2-0 lead.
And that was it for the scoring in this one. The game proceeded rapidly through the middle innings. Matt Merrill took over in the sixth and allowed a run in the seventh. Chris Mauloni allowed a run in the eighth as Fort Wayne tied it up, and it ended up in extra innings.
Leading off the tenth with Jim Jarvis starting at second base, Josh Crouch immediately spanked a hot ground ball back through the box for an RBI single. Patrick Lee came on to pinch run for him, but then got picked off. With two outs, Max Clark singled and Max Anderson doubled him in to make it 4-2. McGonigle drew a walk to keep things going, but Eddys Leonard popped out to end the inning.
Yosber Sanchez is one of the best pure relief prospects in the system, but he struggled a bit in this one. He gave up an RBI single to start the bottom half of the tenth, then dialed it in to strike out the next two hitters. He then got wild, issuing a walk and then two wild pitches that scored the tying run. Sanchez then punched out the final hitter to send it to the eleventh inning.
Leonard started on second, and Roberto Campos drew a walk to lead things off. Luke Gold flew out, advancing both runners, but Jarvis struck out, and down to their final out, Jose Sibrian pulled a grounder to third, and the TinCaps third baseman threw it away. Leonard and Campos scored, and then Sibrian was thrown out trying to get to second.
Tanner Kohlhepp took over in the bottom half and while he was a bit wild and and had to pitch around a Gold error at first, he allowed the unearned run, but then struck out the last two hitters swinging to earn the save.
Anderson: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, 3B, BB
Stephenson: 2-4, R, RBI, HR
Adametz: 5.0 IP, 0 R, BB, 5 K
The two top prospects Scott Harris added to the system at the trade deadline will both be assigned to the High-A Whitecaps. C/1B Thayron (think Tie-Ron) Liranzo and RHP Joseph Montalvo should join the team shortly.
Tampa Tarpons 3, Lakeland Flying Tigers 2 (Gm1)(F/7)(box)
Lakeland Flying Tigers 12, Tampa Tarpons 5 (Gm2)(F/7)(box)
Zack Lee struggled a bit in his Game 1 outing, and the bats were quiet for the Flying Tigers. They did score first, getting a run in the third when David Smith walked and an Izaac Pacheco single was misplayed in right field, allowing Smith to score from first.
Lee allowed a triple and then a sacrifice fly in the fourth as the Tarpons tied things up. In the bottom half, Brett Callahan singled and then stole second and third. Unfortunately he was thrown out at home by George Lombard Jr. on a Samuel Gil ground ball. Roderick Arias hit a two-run shot for the Tarpons in the fifth, and they led 3-1.
There were two outs in the bottom of the ninth when things got interesting. Dom Johnson singled and Smith drew a walk to bring John Peck to the plate. Peck slapped a single up the middle to score Johnson, and the tying run was on second for Izaac Pacheco, who grounded out to end it.
Callahan: 2-3, 2B, 2 SB
Peck: 1-3, RBI
Zack Lee (L, 3-4): 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K
Game 2 was a whole different story as Andrew Sears struck out 11 Tarpons and the offense pounded out 14 hits and drew 8 walks.
The game was delayed by some lightning in the area, but it was the Flying Tigers who came out sizzling in the bottom of the first. John Peck led off with a triple and Dom Johnson singled him home. A passed ball moved Johnson to second and he scored on an Andrew Jenkins double. Jose De La Cruz tripled home Jenkins and then scored on an Archer Brookman single for a quick 4-0 lead.
Jose De La Cruz then doubled in the third and scored on a Clayton Campbell sacrifice fly. In the fourth inning, they piled up five more runs to run away with this one. Tampa’s pitching staff just melted down, issuing walks and hitting batters while the Flying Tigers stole bases and advanced on wild pitches. Jose De La Cruz had another RBI knock, as did Clayton Campbell, but most of the damage was self inflicted by Tampa.
So, lefty Andrew Sears had a lead to work with the whole outing and he carved up the Tarpons badly for most of his outing. They didn’t have a baserunner until a walk in the fourth inning. In the fifth, he finally allowed a run, and then Cristian Santana booted a ball at third that should have ended the inning. The Tarpons got two unearned runs to make it 10-3.
Brett Callahan singled in Santana and Alvaro Gonzalez in the sixth. CJ Weins allowed a pair of runs in the top of the seventh before closing it out.
Jose De La Cruz: 3-5, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2B, 3B, K
Johnson: 2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, K, SB
Brookman: 2-2, RBI, 2 BB
Sears: 4.2 IP, 3 R, ER, 4 H, BB, 11 K