Tuesday’s game were split by the Blue Jays affiliates as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Lansing Lugnuts both won. For the Lugnuts, it was a series sweep over Fort Wayne before continuing their road trip back north to visit the Great Lakes Loons in Midland, Michigan while the Fisher Cats won their series opener against the Reading Fighting Phils.
Buffalo Bisons 6, Pawtucket Red Sox 9
The Buffalo Bisons managed to complete their suspended game, losing 9-6 to the Paw Sox but couldn’t get their regularly scheduled match in. As the starting pitcher, Chad Jenkins was hit hard, allowing the first eight runs to Pawtucket on the first day of this two-day match, giving up six hits and two walks over 2 2/3 innings. Only four of his eight runs were earned, however, as errors by Matt Hague, Ezequiel Carrera and Munenori Kawasaki all factored into the eight-run third inning. While Rob Rasmussen allowed both of his inherited runners to score, Ryan Tepera came in for the fourth inning and provided 2 1/3 innings of one-run relief while Scott Barnes threw 2 1/3 scoreless, allowing just one hit before Steve Delabar threw a clean ninth inning.
While they only had seven hits, the offence was patient enough to draw seven walks including a pair each by Caleb Gindl (0/3, 2 BB) and Chris Colabello (0/2, 2 BB, R). Ezequiel Carrera was 1/4 with a walk and an RBI while Matt Hague drove in a pair with a double and triple.
Player of the Game: Matt Hague
New Hampshire Fisher Cats 5, Reading Fighting Phils
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats made it a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth thanks to the heroics of catcher Jack Murphy whose second home run of the game proved to be the decisive blow. Murphy’s two home runs drove in three of the Fisher Cats’ five runs with the other two coming off the bat of Ryan Schimpf who was 2/4. Jorge Flores (1/2, BB) and Dwight Smith, Jr. (1/4, 2B) had the other two hits in the game for New Hampshire.
John Anderson got the start and provided 5 1/3 innings of solid work, allowing two runs on four hits (including a home run to former Fisher Cat Gustavo Pierre) and two walks. Matt West earned some good reviews, pitching 1 2/3 innings and allowing two hits with two strikeouts. Cory Burns provided a good case study of why looking at a relief pitcher’s win total is a bad indicator of his pitching. Burns threw two innings but allowed a pair of runs on four hits, blowing the save in the eight inning. He earned the win after the Lugnuts staged the comeback.
Player of the Game: Jack Murphy
Dunedin Blue Jays 1, Bradenton Marauders 7
The Dunedin Blue Jays didn’t have a lot go their way as starter Jairo Labourt didn’t make it out of the first inning. Labourt allowed four runs (three earned) on just one hit and three walks while just retiring one of the six batters he faced. Reliever Matt Dermody came on to allow two of Labourt’s runners to score but only allowed one run of his own in 3 1/3 innings of work. Tiago Da Silva allowed a run in 2 1/3 innings while Jimmy Cordero surrendered another run in two innings. Chad Girodo was the only pitcher to keep the Marauders off the board with a scoreless ninth. The batters didn’t have much of a game either, with only Mitch Nay getting two hits (a single and a double) while Derrick Loveless drove home the only run with a double.
Player of the Game: Mitch Nay
Lansing Lugnuts 6, Fort Wayne TinCaps 4
Tuesday morning’s game against the Fort Wayne TinCaps featured the first Lansing start by 19-year-old righty Sean Reid-Foley who was deemed “overpowering” by both the Lugnuts’ broadcaster, Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, and a scout who I talked to during the game. Reid-Foley was on a tight pitch limit (only throwing 53 pitches by my count) but managed to strike out six TinCaps in just three innings of work. Justin Shafer relieved him and, while he was giving up some hard hit balls, kept the ball down well and used his sinking fastball to generate nine ground ball outs to just two in the air. Shafer pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed six hits and two runs (one earned) without walking anyone. Mark Biggs threw one inning but was tagged with two unearned runs before Phil Kish closed the game out with a save.
The offense was almost entirely generated by the bottom of the batting order as left fielder Chris Carlson led the way with three hits (including a double). Michael De La Cruz had a pair of hits (also including a double) and drove in a pair while Justin Atkinson had two singles.
Roster Note: Sean Reid-Foley was assigned to the Lansing Lugnuts while Francisco Gracesqui was placed on the 7-day DL.
Player of the Game: Chris Carlson and Sean Reid-Foley
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