Photo by Ed Delany
Las Vegas 51s (25-38) 5, Tacoma Rainiers (34-27) 4 Box Score
- Brandon Nimmo RF: 1-for-4, BB, K
- Amed Rosario SS: 1-for-3, Run
- Josh Rodriguez LF: 3-for-4, 2 Runs, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI
The 51s were initially trailing in this game 3-1, but a four-run sixth changed all that. Rodriguez was an integral part of today’s game with two home runs. He now has eight on the season. His second homer was a two-run shot in the sixth. Las Vegas also had RBI hits from Kevin Plawecki and Travis Taijeron that inning.
- LHP Sean Gilmartin (2-2, 7.05 ERA): 5 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
- RHP Ben Rowen (1-2, 5.59 ERA): 1 IP, 3 H, ER, K
- RHP Erik Goeddel (2-4, 6.50 ERA): 1.2 IP, H, 3 K
- RHP Chase Bradford (1-1, 3.77 ERA): 1.1 IP, 2 K
Gilmartin gave up two in his first inning of work and only one the rest of the way. Rowen gave up a run, his batting average against (BAA) going into this game was .342 but he’s only walked four in 24 innings of work. Goeddel now has a 2.77 ERA his last 10 appearances which spans 13 innings. Bradford picked up his ninth save since taking over for Paul Sewald.
Harrisburg Senators (25-35) 5, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (33-23) 4 Box Score
- Tomas Nido C: 2-for-4, 2B, BB
- Kevin Taylor LF: 2-for-4, BB, K
- Cody Decker 1B: 1-for-4, Run, HR, RBI, BB, 2 K
Nido is now slashing .274/.318/.452 with a 15:11 K-to-BB ratio. That is in line with last season where he rarely struck out. Taylor has hit .355 over his last 10 games. He has a .407 OBP this season.
- LHP P.J. Conlon (5-4, 3.38 ERA): 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, BB, K
- RHP Cory Burns (0-1, 5.06 ERA): 1.1 IP, H, 2 R, ER, BB, 2 K
Conlon went seven solid and only gave up three runs in the process. He is tied for the Eastern League lead in innings pitched. His WHIP at 1.13 is good for tenth best in the league. Burns blew the save and subsequently lost it in the ninth after pitching a scoreless eighth inning. The tying run scored on an error by Burns.
Lakeland Tigers (25-33) 9, St. Lucie Mets (30-30) 1 Box Score
- Jhoan Urena 3B: 1-for-3, BB, K
- Patrick Mazeika DH: 1-for-4, K
- Dan Rizzie C: 2-for-4, 2B
Only five hits for the St. Lucie Mets in this one. They only scored one run in the eighth on a J.C. Rodriguez sacrifice-fly. Urena has started hitting better lately after a brief period of struggling.
- RHP Andrew Church (5-4, 4.19 ERA): 7 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 4 K
- RHP Alex Palsha (1-1, 3.80 ERA): 2 H, 2 R, ER, BB, K
Church struggled in this game for the St. Lucie Mets but wore this one for the team due to the heavy bullpen usage in game one. He gave up four runs in the first six innings but gave up three in his last inning of work.
Continuation of Friday’s game: Lakeland Tigers (24-33) 6, St. Lucie Mets (30-29) 5 Box Score
Cameron Griffin came in for the St. Lucie Mets and gave up a walk-off walk. The St. Lucie offense was not able to get anything going in extras.
Columbia Fireflies (35-25) 4, Charleston Riverdogs (30-32) 2 Box Score
- Gene Cone RF: 3-for-4, RBI, K
- Luis Carpio 2B: 1-for-3, RBI, K
- Tim Tebow LF: 1-for-2, 2B, BB, K
The Fireflies only had five hits but still won the game. Cone had three hits out of the lead-off spot. Desmond Lindsay scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error and the Fireflies tacked on a run courtesy of Michael Paez’s RBI Groundout.
- LHP Thomas Szapucki (1-0, 4.35 ERA): 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K
- RHP Max Kuhns (1-0, 2.10 ERA): 1 IP, BB, 2 K
Szapucki still has not racked up the strikeouts like last year but it appears he is still finding a way to get outs. He threw 92 pitches in this game in an attempt to continue building strength. Kuhns continued his domination of the SAL. He now has a 0.90 WHIP and 37 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings of work.
Columbia Fireflies (34-25) 5, Charleston Riverdogs (30-31) 3 Box Score
- Andres Gimenez SS: 3-for-4, Run, RBI
- Dash Winningham 1B: 1-for-3, Run, HR, 2 RBI
- Desmond Lindsay CF: 0-for-3, 2 K
Columbia scored all five of their runs in the fourth inning. Gimenez had three hits in this one, and was slashing .270/.333/.383 after game one. It is really impressive considering it his first experience of stateside baseball. Winningham now has 10 homers on the season, only two fewer than last year despite playing in 70 fewer games.
- RHP Jordan Humphreys (9-1, 1.41 ERA): 6 IP, 6 H, ER, BB, 4 K
- RHP Joseph Zanghi (0-2, 3.74 ERA): 0.2 IP, H, 2 ER, 4 BB
- LHP Taylor Henry (2-0, 3.75 ERA): 0.1 IP, K
Yet another great start for Humphreys. This start actually increased his ERA, that’s how good he has been. Zanghi has had some issue with walks this year and that popped up today. Henry swooped in for the save after Zanghi couldn’t finish the game.
