The Toledo Mud Hens kept control early and finished the job, beating the St. Paul Saints 4-2 behind a productive third inning and a solid night from the pitching staff.
Toledo’s first real breakthrough came after it let a second-inning chance slip away. In the third, John Peck worked a walk with one out and stole second, setting up Trei Cruz to drive him home with a double.
Max Anderson followed by crushing a two-run homer to center field, giving the Hens a 3-0 cushion. It was Anderson’s 14th homer of the season, and it pushed his line to a .894 OPS while also underscoring the improved plate discipline that’s shown up with him this year.
Austin Gomber handled the start well enough, giving up only a run in the fourth before exiting in the fifth. Enmanuel de Jesus was tagged for a solo homer by Walker Jenkins in the sixth, but the late innings belonged to the Toledo bullpen. Brant Hurter, Ty Madden and Luke Taggart shut things down from there, and Taggart picked up his first Triple-A save.
Toledo added a much-needed insurance run in the eighth. Bennett Lee was hit by a pitch, Cal Stevenson came off the bench for Peck and singled, and Cruz came through again with another RBI double to make it 4-2.
Anderson finished 2-for-4 with a run, two RBI, a homer and a walk. Cruz went 2-for-5 with a run, two RBI, two doubles and a strikeout. Gomber’s line: 4.1 innings, one earned run, four hits, two walks and two strikeouts.
Over in Altoona, the Erie SeaWolves couldn’t get much going in a 6-1 loss to the Curve. Lucas Elissalt was forced into a long first inning and never really got settled, then was pulled early because of pitch count concerns after that opening frame pushed him over 30 pitches.
He got the first out of the game, but a walk and a single came quickly after, followed by a pair of singles that brought in a run. He finished the inning with two strikeouts and a pop-up, but the Tigers’ policy on starters after a workload like that kicked in immediately.
Yoniel Curet took over and was hit hard, giving up three runs in the second and another in the third. On the other side, veteran left-hander Nick Dombkowski was dominant, carving through the SeaWolves lineup with six perfect innings and six strikeouts.
Erie finally broke through in the eighth when E.J. Exposito led off with a double, and two groundouts brought him home, but that was the only damage it could manage.
Exposito finished 1-for-3 with a run and a double, while Zyhir Hope went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. The SeaWolves head into Thursday’s 6:00 p.m. ET game in Altoona trailing 2-0 in the series.
West Michigan also saw a strong start go to waste in a 5-4 loss to Peoria. Ben Jacobs was excellent again, working five scoreless innings and allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out seven. He threw 47 of his 66 pitches for strikes, and with the Whitecaps still in the playoff race, it looked like he had more in the tank.
The Whitecaps got on the board in the third after Stephen Hrustich walked to start the inning. Carson Rucker and Jackson Strong then drew one-out walks to load the bases, and a passed ball brought in a run. Bryce Rainer was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, but Beau Ankeney and Edian Espinal both struck out to end the inning, and that missed chance loomed large later.
West Michigan briefly tied it in the sixth on a Juanmi Vasquez run allowed, then Rucker put the Whitecaps ahead with a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh. But Ryan Harvey was hit for four runs, three earned, in the top of the eighth, flipping the game to 5-2.
Espinal and Ricardo Hurtado singled with one out in the eighth, and Espinal scored on a wild pitch. Rucker added another solo homer in the ninth, his third since being promoted, but the comeback fell short.
With the defeat, the Whitecaps dropped to a game behind Great Lakes in the East division. Wednesday also brought news that longtime Whitecaps play-by-play voice Dan Hasty will leave the job at season’s end. He has been the team’s broadcaster for 12 years.
In Lakeland, Cameron Flukey was overpowering before rain suspended play in the fourth inning against Clearwater. The Tigers’ first-round pick from July had another eye-opening outing, averaging 95.5 mph and a massive 20 inches of IVB on his heater. He generated five whiffs on nine swings with the fastball and also got swings and misses on both his curveball and cutter.
Flukey threw 26 of 44 pitches for strikes, allowed one hit and one walk, struck out four and still hasn’t given up a run through three short pro appearances. The Flying Tigers had already jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first.
Jude Warwick singled and Jordan Yost doubled to start the inning, Jesus Pinto struck out, and Zach MacDonald walked to load the bases. Cris Rodriguez then ripped a two-run double, and Anibal Salas followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home MacDonald.
The teams will finish the suspended game at 4:00 p.m. ET on Thursday before playing their scheduled matchup.
In Other News...
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Hinchs overall record in Detroit has not erased the questions that come with an underwhelming season, even if his resume includes past managerial success elsewhere. For now, though, the bigger Tigers question may not be whether he survives the moment, but what kind of support and direction he has around him as the organization decides what comes next. A future change is still possible, but at least for the time being, the temperature on that front appears lower than the standings might suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Former Tigers Catcher Suddenly Has Another Path Back To The Majors
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Nidos new opportunity is tied in part to a change in Bostons catching picture, since the Red Sox recently designated Jake Rogers for assignment. For a player who was just on the open market, it opens a possible path back to the majors, and it gives Nido a chance to keep himself in the conversation after leaving Detroit behind. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Injury Update Brings Hope For Greene And One New Concern
Riley Greenes recovery is moving in the right direction, and for the Tigers that is the kind of update that can change the feel of the clubs outfield picture in a hurry. Detroit said Greene is progressing well enough that a rehab assignment may not be far off, while Justin Verlander is also trending upward and nearing the point where he can begin bullpen sessions, giving the team a pair of encouraging markers from two important veterans in different phases of their returns.
Matt Vierlings situation brings a less welcome note to the same update. The Tigers said the outfielder has suffered a setback and will need more time before he can get back on track, leaving Detroit with one more lingering question to manage as it waits on the healthier news to turn into actual depth on the roster. [Read more 🡒]