The Akron RubberDucks brought the thunder Friday night, launching five home runs in an 11-4 win over the Somerset Patriots. Nolan Schubart did the loudest damage, going deep twice, while Dean Curley matched him with a pair of homers of his own. Jaison Chourio also left the yard, turning Akron’s lineup into a full-on power display.
Caden Favors set the tone on the mound, working 6.0 innings and improving to 5-6. He gave up over two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five. Jay Driver handled the seventh with a scoreless inning, and Dylan DeLucia finished things off over the last two frames, allowing two runs on one hit and two walks with three strikeouts.
Akron jumped in front right away in the bottom of the first. Jaison Chourio doubled to center, stole third, and Bennett Thompson followed with a single that brought him home. Schubart then added a two-run shot in the next at-bat to stretch the lead.
The home run parade kept rolling in the third, when Schubart launched his second of the night. Curley followed with a back-to-back blast to right center.
Akron kept stacking runs from there, with Christian Knapczyk reaching on a force out in the sixth before Tyresse Turner singled, moved up on a throwing error, and set the table for Ryan Cesarini’s walk and Chourio’s bases-loaded walk. In the eighth, Turner doubled to lead off, advanced on a wild pitch, Cesarini walked again and stole a base, and Chourio crushed Akron’s fourth homer of the game.
Curley closed out the scoring in the same inning, following a Nolan Schubart single with his second homer of the night.
Columbus fell just short in a 6-5 loss to Syracuse, even after Milan Tolentino kept coming through in the middle innings. Trenton Denholm got the start for the Clippers and went 5.0 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four.
Trevor Stephan took the loss and moved to 0-3 after 2.0 innings, giving up a run with two walks and three strikeouts. Ryan Borucki threw the eighth and allowed one hit while striking out two.
The Clippers struck first when Cooper Ingle opened the game with a walk, Daniel Schneemann singled, and David Fry reached on an error to load the bases. Kyle Manzardo then lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Ingle. Columbus added another in the fourth after Kahlil Watson reached on catcher interference and Tolentino followed with his 14th home run of the season to left center.
Tolentino came back in the sixth and sparked another rally. Kody Huff walked with one out, Tolentino doubled to right to bring him in, and Dayan Frias later singled on a fly ball to right to score Tolentino and tie the game.
Columbus couldn’t cash in after that, and the Clippers dropped the one-run decision. Ingle finished 0-for-4 with a walk and a run, Schneemann went 2-for-4 with a walk, Fry went 0-for-5 and stayed .000 since being demoted to AAA, and Manzardo was 0-for-3 with an RBI.
Lake County had a rough night in a 13-2 loss to Lansing. Harrison Bodendorf started and went 4.2 innings, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts.
Luis Flores followed with 1.1 innings and gave up three runs on two hits and three walks. Cam Schuelke surrendered five runs on five hits and four walks over 2.0 innings.
The Captains’ offense only managed runs at the beginning and end of the game. Jace LaViolette hit his 18th homer of the season in the top of the first with two outs, and Welbyn Francisca added his 11th homer in the ninth, also to right.
Hill City made the most of a strong pitching night and blanked Wilson 2-0. Ryan Prager earned the win and improved to 3-3, throwing 6.2 scoreless innings with three hits, one walk, and nine strikeouts. Evan Chrest picked up his third save by covering the final 2.1 innings without allowing a baserunner and striking out four.
The Howlers scored both of their runs in the second. Gabriel Rodriguez, Yeiferth Castillo, Johan Rodriguez, and Pedro Dalmagro strung together four straight singles to bring home the first run, and Yerlin Luis followed with a groundout that scored Castillo from third for the final run.
In Other News...
Guardians Roster Churn Just Put These Former Top Prospects On Notice
The Guardians have spent the past stretch sorting through their prospect depth, and the ripple effects go well beyond the names that already changed places. Gabriel Arias, Bo Naylor and Juan Brito have all been part of the roster churn in one form or another, which has only sharpened the scrutiny on the next wave of young talent in the organization. For a club that has leaned hard on internal development, every move tends to send a message about who is rising, who is holding steady and who may need to force the issue a little longer.
Kyle Manzardo and George Valera are among the other former top prospects whose standing now feels worth monitoring, especially with recent performance and injuries complicating the picture. Manzardos path has already been affected by a move to Triple-A after the Guardians brought in Nathaniel Lowe, while CJ Kayfus is also in a difficult spot after a major ankle injury ended his season. Taken together, the list gives Cleveland a clearer look at its depth chart, even if the most important questions about who sticks and who slips still have to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Cooper Ingle Just Became A Real Guardians Lineup Option
Cooper Ingle stayed put at the trade deadline, and that alone says something about where he stands in the organization now. Still with the Columbus Clippers, he has continued to force the issue by producing at a high level in Triple-A, giving the Guardians another internal name to consider as they search for more offense and sort through a few recent roster changes.
For Cleveland, the timing matters. If the lineup keeps sputtering, Ingle looks less like a depth piece and more like a real option to come back up and help immediately. The Guardians do not need to look far to find someone who has been swinging it well, and the longer his run in Columbus continues, the harder it becomes to keep him out of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Could Get A Needed Pitching Boost At The Perfect Time
Ben Lively is inching closer to being an option again, and that matters for a Guardians pitching staff that could use some extra cover as the season moves into its final stretch. The right-hander, who signed a minor league deal with Cleveland in February and had already spent two seasons with the club before going down, has been working back from a right forearm strain that has kept him sidelined for months.
His rehab assignment has now reached a point where the next step feels significant, even if the team is still taking things carefully. A return would not just bring back a familiar arm, it would give Cleveland another layer of depth at a time when every healthy starter and swing option can make a difference in how the rotation holds up down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]