Game Recaps: Tuesday 5/19

Saarloos Shines In Scranton

The Clippers (20-20) closed out a series win with a 4-1 victory over Scranton Wilkes-Barre. Columbus has fought back to the .500 mark for the first time since April 16th with nine wins in the last eleven games.

The Clippers started the scoring early, tallying two runs in the first inning on RBI singles by Jordan Brown and Josh Barfield. The Yankees got a run of their own as Austin Jackson scored on a Todd Linden single.

The score remained 1-1 until the fifth when J.B. Cox relieved Kei Igawa and allowed a solo home run to Michael Aubrey, his fourth of the season. The final run of the game came as Wilson Valdez was driven home by Trevor Crowe's third hit of the game, making it 4-1.

Following Scranton's two hits in the first inning, Kirk Saarloos pitched no-hit baseball for the next 5.2 innings. Saarloos allowed only six hits over nine innings, his second complete game of the season.

There was a bit of controversy in the third inning when Jordan Brown hit a ground ball just inside first base for a hit, but umpire Derek Crabill confused everyone by signaling a fair ball into foul territory. Brown hesitated momentarily, but then ran all the way to third because Shelly Duncan, the right fielder, didn't chase the ball. Yankees manager Dave Miley argued the call and was ejected.

Josh Barfield had his first multi-hit game since returning to the Clippers roster and Trevor Crowe had his first three-hit game of 2009.

The Clippers are off Wednesday before beginning a four game series in Buffalo. Zack Jackson will start for Columbus Thursday and the first pitch is slated for 1:05pm from Coca-Cola Field.

Tomlin Leads the Way, Aeros Triumph 3-1

Josh Tomlin turned in his third straight quality start and relievers Zach Putnam and Vinnie Pestano combined for three perfect innings of relief as Akron claimed a crisply played 3-1win over Trenton before 3,740 fans at Waterfront Park Tuesday. The Aeros improved to 28-8, going 20 games over .500 in just their 36th contest of the season and keeping the best record in all of professional baseball. The Thunder fell to 16-19.

Akron wasted no time in putting a run on the board, as Carlos Rivero drew a one-out walk in the top of the first and alertly went to third on Beau Mills’ bloop single to center. Carlos Santana then followed with an RBI base hit to left, putting the Aeros up 1-0.

Tomlin escaped trouble in the bottom of the third when he struck out Colin Curtis to end the inning with runners at second and third, and Akron then got some breathing room as a solo home run from Jared Goedert in the top of the fourth made it 2-0. The Thunder cut the margin in half in the fifth thanks to a fortuitous bounce, as Justin Snyder walked with two down and went to second when Eduardo Nunez’s grounder hit the leg of umpire Cory Hinga for an infield single. Seth Fortenberry then laced a hanging curveball to right for an RBI single, but Tomlin recovered to get Curtis on a fly to left to end the inning with the tying run at third.

It remained a one-run game until the ninth when Santana led off with a double to right-center, and a walk to Goedert and a single from Nick Weglarz loaded the bases with none out against Trenton reliever Kevin Whelan. Matt McBride then delivered a sacrifice fly to give Akron some breathing room at 3-1, and Pestano never let the tying run come to the plate in the bottom of the inning.

Tomlin (5-1) earned the win with six exceptional innings, allowing one run and scattering seven hits (six of them singles) for his third straight victory. He walked one and tied his season-high with eight strikeouts, with seven of those Ks coming in the first three innings as he struck out the side in both the second and third frames. Putnam was perfect in the seventh and eight, getting five groundouts and a punch-out before Pestano notched his league-best 12th save with a 1-2-3 ninth. Thunder starter Wilkin de la Rosa (1-1) was very good in his own right, suffering the loss despite a final line of two runs and four hits in 6.2 innings. Goedert’s home run was his second of the season, while Santana finished 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Game two in this three-game series is set for 7:05 p.m. Wednesday, as Akron’s Hector Rondon (5-1, 1.95 ERA) makes his return to the starting rotation against an as yet unknown Trenton pitcher.

Kinston Loses 8th Straight, 4-3

Lonnie Chisenhall hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to mount a Kinston charge, but it wasn’t enough as Potomac handed the K-Tribe a 4-3 loss Tuesday night at Historic Grainger Stadium.

It was another great pitcher’s duel as both starters came into the game in the top four in ERA in the Carolina League. Both lived up to the billing as Kinston’s Eric Berger went 5 2/3 innings giving up three hits and no runs. Berger walked three and struck out five, leaving the game with a 1.82 ERA now the best in the Carolina League. Potomac’s starter Jeff Mandel was touched up for a run in the bottom of the second, when Kinston’s Ronald Rivas scored on an RBI single by Ryan Blair. Mandel would recover and limit Kinston to just one more hit until the bottom of the eighth inning.

Down 1-0, Potomac unleashed a two-out rally in the top of the seventh inning. After getting back-to-back two out singles off of K-Tribe reliever Kyle Landis, Matt Meyer came in from the pen and walked Francisco Plasencia to load the bases. National’s slugger Chris Marrero took the first pitch he saw and drilled it over the left-field wall for a grand slam. It was Marrero’s fifth home run of the season and gave Potomac a 4-1 lead.

Kinston rallied in the bottom of the eighth inning when Chisenhall led off with a solo home run off of starter Jeff Mandel. It was Chisenhall’s (1-for-5) seventh home run of the season. Mandel would walk Matt Brown before the Nationals went to the bullpen. After a Ronald Rivas single and a Lucas Montero ground out, an RBI grounder by John Allman scored Brown making the score 4-3. Mandel (5-1) would pick up the win, giving up three earned runs in seven innings. Landis (0-2) would pick up the loss for Kinston.

The K-Tribe will try to break their eight game losing streak Wednesday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. Another great pitching matchup as Potomac’s Brad Meyers (3-0, 1.85) takes on Kinston’s Paolo Espino (0-1, 0.90), game time 7pm in Kinston.

Captains fall 4-1

Graham Johnson posted his first professional win as the Greensboro Grasshoppers bested the Lake County Captains 4-1 on Tuesday. The Captains had the go ahead run at the plate in the top of the ninth inning for the second game in a row but fell short.

The Grasshoppers score an unearned run in the bottom of second when starter T.J. House overthrew first base on a pick off attempt allowing Justin Jacobs to score and it was 1-0. The lead went to 2-0 when Jacobs singled home Jake Smolinski in the bottom of the third inning. The score went to 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning when Daniel Pertusati doubled home Paul Gran.

The Captains scored their only run in the top of the sixth inning when Donnie Webb scored on an Abner Abreu sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. The Hoppers added an Insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning when a run scored on a wild pitch.

House (1-5) took the loss working 4.1 innings and allowing three runs, two earned on five hits, walking three and striking out two. Santo Frias pitched 2.1 scoreless innings of relief for the Captains striking out five.

Johnson hurled 5.1 innings and allowing one run on three hits, walking one and striking out four. Pete Andrelczyk pitched the final inning to notch his seventh save and his second in the last two games.

Game three of the four game series is Wednesday at 7:05 PM. The Captains will send RHP Danny Salazar (0-1, 9.00) to the mound against the Grasshoppers LHP Brad Hand (2-3, 10.23).

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