Toledo 7, Syracuse 1 (Nationals)
The Mud Hens led wire to wire in this one and several players had a great night with the bat. Andy Dirks (CF) led the way: 3-5, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI. Scott Sizemore (2B) continued his solid year so far at AAA with a 2-3 night, including 2 runs scored and 2 BB. Timo Perez (LF) recorded 4 RBI off of a double and a homer.
Adam Wilk (LHP) started and pitched 7 innings. He allowed 1 earned run on a homerun. Other than that, he scattered 5 additional hits and one walk while striking out 3. His ERA for the year dropped to 2.49 and he recorded his first win.
Erie 6, Altoona 8 (Pirates)
Erie trailed 2-8 heading into the top of the 8th inning before tacking on 4 to make it interesting. Bryan Holaday (C) went 3-4 with a 1 2B and 2 RBI for the SeaWolves. Ben Guez (OF) also had a productive night: 2-4, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB.
Normally, I would call out Jamie Johnson (CF) for going 0-5 on the night; however, he picked up 2 RBI and so will escape my Stephen Colbert “wag o’ the finger”.
The SeaWolves found themselves out of this one early because of poor starting pitching from Mark Sorensen (RHP): 4.1 IP, 6 H, 7 R (6 earned), 4 BB, 1 K.
Lakeland 4, Clearwater 2 (Phillies)
Lakeland scored all 4 runs in the bottom of the 5th inning and quality pitching helped preserve a win. Wade Gaynor (2 RBI), Gustavo Nunez (1 RBI), and Brent Wyatt (1 RBI) combined for all Lakeland RBI.
Jay Voss (LHP) was credited with the win after pitching 5 innings. He allowed 5 hits and 2 ER but did not walk a batter. He also struck out 3. This was Voss’ second start of the year; however, in his last start he only threw 2 innings. I like to gauge a developing pitcher by his K/BB ratio and his BB/9 ratio – in this case, Voss is nearly at the 2:1 K/BB (11/6). I’d like to see him continue to work on control and stretch these outings out as he gets more comfortable as a starter.
Kenny Faulk (LHP) recorded his fifth save of the year after a perfect 9th with 2 Ks.
West Michigan 6, Lansing 12 (Blue Jays)
The Lansing Lugnuts did most of their damage in the 2nd and 5th innings when they scored 5 and 4 runs, respectively.
Brennan Smith (RHP) pitched 4 innings as the starter before getting the hook 5 runs and 6 hits later. Richard Zumaya took the loss after allowing 4 earned runs in just 1/3 of an inning. Zumaya also walked 3 batters without a strikeout. Lebron, Torrealba, and Rondon combined to finish a night of mediocrity for the Whitecaps pitching staff.
Robert Brantly (C) had another good night: 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI (season average at .339). James Robbins also had a nice night: 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI.