The Columbus Clippers got a clean night from their pitching staff and enough pop to pull away from the St. Paul Saints, winning 5-1 behind Ben Lively’s steady start.
Lively set the tone with 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out four. Hunter Stanley picked up the win and moved to 2-1 after giving up a solo homer, walking one and striking out two across 2.1 innings. Ryan Borucki and Daniel Espino each added scoreless work, with both finishing with two strikeouts.
The Clippers put together five runs on six hits and five walks. Daniel Schneemann finished 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, Kody Huff went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, and Milan Tolentino capped the scoring with a solo shot for the final run of the game.
Akron’s night ended in far rougher fashion, as the RubberDucks dropped an 8-7 decision to the Harrisburg Senators.
Franklin Gómez had a short start, lasting just 2.2 innings while giving up five runs on five hits and three walks. Jay Driver got through the third inning scoreless after issuing a walk, and Zane Morehouse later turned in 1.2 strong innings, allowing only two baserunners and striking out four.
The game turned into a back-and-forth fight after Harrisburg’s four-run second inning. Akron got a run back in the bottom half when the Senators walked in a run and then allowed another to score on a wild pitch.
The Ducks kept chipping away, and in the fifth, back-to-back singles and a force out put runners on the corners with one out. A stolen base and another single brought in a run and put runners back on the corners before Nolan Schubart launched his seventh homer of the season to put Akron ahead.
Sean Matson took the loss and fell to 1-7, charged with three runs in the sixth and eighth innings over 3.1 innings. He allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out four. Carter Rustad finished with a clean ninth.
Lake County handled business at home, beating Wisconsin 8-4.
Jackson Humphries worked 4.2 innings and allowed six hits and one walk, giving up two runs, one earned, while striking out six. Donovan Zsak improved to 5-0 with 1.1 innings of one-hit relief.
Luis Flores gave up two runs on four walks, including a run that scored on a walk and another on a wild pitch. Jogly García closed it out with two hits and three walks allowed, but he kept Wisconsin off the board and struck out four.
The Captains piled up 12 hits and five walks. Anthony Martinez drove in two runs, lining a double in the first and adding a single in the third. Tommy Hawke went 2-for-6 with two runs and two doubles, Welbyn Francisca was 2-for-5 with two runs and a walk, and Cannon Peebles went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI.
In Charleston, the Hill City Howlers saw a late lead slip away in a 3-2 walk-off loss to the RiverDogs.
Erigaldi Perez turned in a quality start, going 6.0 innings and allowing one run on six hits and two walks while striking out five. Keegan Zinn followed with 2.0 innings, giving up one run on one hit and one walk and striking out one. Harrison Ruiz took the ball in the ninth and was tagged for the loss after surrendering two doubles on the walk-off play.
Hill City scored twice on seven hits and four walks. Alejandro Blasco delivered an RBI single in the sixth to bring in Yerlin Luis from second, and Jhorvic Abreus doubled to right in the ninth to score Jonathan Martinez from second. Jonathan Martinez also swiped his 33rd base of the season in the ninth.
In Other News...
Gabriel Arias Just Forced A Former Guardian Back Out Of Chicago
The Cubs infield shuffle kept turning over before Owen Miller could really settle in. Chicago brought him up after Dansby Swanson went down with an injury, looking for quick depth in the middle infield, but his stay on the roster was about as brief as it gets. For a player who has already worn uniforms for Cleveland, Milwaukee and Colorado, it was another short stop in a career that has bounced around the league.
Chicago then claimed Gabriel Arias off waivers, and the move pushed Miller back out of the picture almost immediately. Arias is expected to fill a utility role behind Nico Hoerner and Pedro Ramrez, giving the Cubs another versatile infield option while closing the door on Millers latest chance to stick in Chicago. [Read more 🡒]
Angel Genao Is Forcing A Guardians Infield Dilemma
Angel Genaos first taste of the big leagues has been enough to make the Guardians pay attention. Since making his MLB debut on Aug. 5, he has handled a utility infield role with the kind of steady play that can change a managers thinking, pairing a .320/.382/.440 slash line with encouraging defensive work through his first 50 at-bats.
Stephen Vogt has already acknowledged the ripple effect, noting that Genaos performance is turning the infield into a real competition for playing time. For Cleveland, that is the good kind of problem to have, but it can also lead to difficult roster decisions as the club tries to balance production, versatility and opportunity across the group. [Read more 🡒]
Stephen Vogt Just Sent A Clear Message With Clevelands Lineup
Stephen Vogt did something rare for Cleveland this week by rolling out the same lineup in back-to-back games, a small choice that still carried plenty of meaning in a season where the manager has mixed and matched often. It suggested a group that was starting to settle in, and it came with rookie Angel Genao holding down shortstop for a second straight start while Erik Sabrowski continued to trend up after his return from the injured list.
The lineup stability also fit the broader tone around the club, where Vogt had checked in with key players about how they were feeling before locking things in. Jos Ramrez was part of that conversation, and he kept adding to his place in franchise history with another hit, nudging himself further up Cleveland's all-time list while the Guardians tried to find a rhythm that has been elusive for much of the season. [Read more 🡒]