Gabriel Reyes spins a gem for Lakeland, while Luke Gold walks one off in West Michigan

Indianapolis Indians 12, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (Mon)(box)

The Hens started their home series with Indianapolis on Monday, and it didn’t go well.

Andrew Vasquez held things together through the first three innings. The lefty allowed a pair of runs, but did better than some that followed him out of the bullpen.

Wilmer Flores took over in the fifth in his return from a rehab assignment. He gave up a leadoff walk, then a double, then a hit by pitch. Back-to-back doubles followed before he settled down and collected three straight flyouts, but the Indians had already scored five runs in the inning for a 7-1 lead. This has been a lost year for Flores, and he’s still building himself back up after the shoulder sprain, but the stuff remains good and if he can find the top shelf velocity he had back this spring, he could be a weapon for the bullpen next year.

The lone Hens run came in the bottom of the third when Anthony Bemboom drew a leadoff walk. Riley Unroe doubled him to third, and Bemboom scored on a Ryan Vilade ground out. The Hens would only collect six hits though they drew seven walks and had traffic on the bases all game long.

Jack Anderson settled Indy down for two scoreless innings after Flores left the gave, but Austin Schulfer, after a clean eighth inning, was rocked for five runs in the ninth and Miguel Diaz had to come on to get the final two outs. A quite depleted Hens pitching staff is going to have their work cut out for them over the final weeks of the season.

Leonard: 1-4, 2B, K

Vasquez (L, 7-3): 3.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K

Reading Fightin Phils 4, Erie SeaWolves 2 (box)

The SeaWolves offense struggled a bit in this one while the Phils just kept chipping away.

Liam Hicks gave the SeaWolves an early lead when he drew a walk in the second inning and Eliezer Alfonzo singled him to second. Luis Santana was hit by a pitch, and Patrick Lee put together a really good AB to draw an RBI walk.

Austin Bergner actually threw a pretty solid game, but some mistakes in the field cost him. He allowed a single in the third, and then threw away a Justin Crawford bunt. A ground out scored an unearned run, but it was on Bergner’s error. The Phils added a run in the fourth, and again in the fifth when Bergner allowed a single and a walk and gave way to Brandon Seelinger. A ground ball to Gage Workman at SS was thrown away to allow a third run and it was 3-1 Reading.

In the sixth, Chris Meyers singled with one out. Liam Hicks lined out, but Alfonzo and Ben Malgeri singled back-to-back to make it 3-2 Reading.

Tim Naughton allowed a run in the seventh, and the SeaWolves couldn’t put together a late comeback.

Workman: 1-3, BB, 2 K, SB, CS

Alfonzo: 2-4

Malgeri: 2-4, RBI

Bergner (L, 3-2): 4.2 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 5 K

West Michigan Whitecaps 5, Lansing Lugnuts 4 (F/11)(box)

The Whitecaps got a really good start from Joe Adametz on Tuesday, but they still had to rally from behind to win in 11 innings with Luke Gold the hero.

Max Clark opened the game with a single, but Max Anderson lined out and Thayron Liranzo grounded into an inning ending double play. Adametz allowed a run in the second inning, but then locked things down to five innings with just the lone run allowed.

Things weren’t looked so great when Erick Pinales took over from Adametz in the sixth and allowed two more runs for a 3-0 Lansing lead. Clark got the ‘Caps on the board in the bottom of the sixth when he singled, took second on a wild pitch, and scored on an Anderson single. 3-1 Lansing.

Yosber Sanchez lowered his ERA to 1.62 since moving up to West Michigan in early June by firing two scoreless innings, and holds a strikeout rate near 30 percent with only two homers allowed in 58 innings of work. The hard-throwing right-hander could move quickly next year and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Tigers promoted him to Erie’s bullpen for the postseason. Either way, the ‘Caps couldn’t take advantage to score in the seventh or eighth innings. CJ Weins allowed a Lugnuts solo shot to Jonny Butler in the top of the ninth, and it was 4-1 Lansing and looking grim.

Diego Barrera took over for Lansing in the bottom of the ninth, and after a Liranzo ground out, John Peck, Roberto Campos, and Luke Gold singled in order to make it 4-2. Jim Jarvis singled in Campos and got Gold to third, where a Dom Johnson fly ball was deep enough to score him and tie the game. The ‘Caps faithful were hype.

They then had to sit through two more stressful innings as Weins and then Marco Jimenez spun shutdown innings in the 10th and 11th.

In the bottom of the 11th, with John Peck starting on second, Campos lined out to right field to moved the runner to third, and Luke Gold chopped a ground ball through the left side to walk off the Lugnuts.

Clark: 3-5, R, K

Gold: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, K

Peck: 2-5, 2 R, K, SB

Adametz: 5.0 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Lakeland Flying Tigers 5, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 2 (box)

Gabriel Reyes was electric once again, and the Flying Tigers built him a nice lead to work with as they took the first of six in the final series of their season.

Reyes is quickly becoming a favorite of the young pitching prospects. The lefty allowed two runs, struck out seven, and walked just one over 5 ¹⁄₃ innings of work. He’s still in the low 90’s, occasionally hitting 94-95 mph, but he’s got carry and extension, and he also has some projection left in his build. His slider is an absolute weapon and he has the makings of a pretty good changeup as well. It’s too firm now, but his arm action sells it pretty well.

In the bottom of the second, Jose De La Cruz was hit by a pitch to start things off. Josue Briceño popped out, and Eduardo Valencia grounded into a force of De La Cruz at second. Jack Penney doubled in Valencia from first, and Samuel Gil reached on an error, allowing Penney to score as well.

In the third, Zach MacDonald led off with a double and later scored on a scorched Briceño single at 110 mph. It’s going to be fun to see him back and healthy next season.

In the top of the fourth, Reyes allowed a solo shot that made it 3-1 Lakeland, then went right back to collecting ground balls and strikeouts.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Mussels walked Gil and Franyerber Montilla with one out, and then wild pitched them ahead 90 feet. Nomar Fana grounded into a force of Gil as they cut him down from third to home, but a balk scored Montilla, and MacDonald smoked another double to plate Fana.

Reyes allowed a single to open the sixth, then collected a fly out before Luke Stofel took over in relief. Stofel promptly issued a walk and a allowed a single, eventually giving up Reyes’ second run, but this one was in the bag as the rains arrived and eventually the game went in the books as a six inning affair.

MacDonald: 2-3, R, RBI, 2 2B

Penney: 1-3, R, RBI, 2B

Reyes (W, 4-2): 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 7 K