Max Anderson and Max Clark each turned in two-hit nights, but Toledo couldn’t climb all the way back in a 6-4 loss to Columbus on Tuesday.
Carl Edwards Jr. was tagged for four runs over the first two innings, and that early hole proved too deep. He did settle in after that and finished with eight strikeouts, but the long ball continued to be an issue.
Toledo got a quick jolt in the first when Clark was hit by a pitch to open the game. After Jace Jung struck out, Anderson singled and Gage Workman drew a walk to load the bases. The Hens had a real chance to cash in, but Corey Julks struck out and Trei Cruz lined out to end the inning empty-handed.
They did get on the board in the second. Carlos Pérez, the new depth catcher, launched a solo homer - his third with Toledo - to start the inning. Even so, Columbus had already built a 4-1 lead by the time the frame was over.
Julks cut into that margin with a solo shot in the fifth to make it 4-2. Clark followed with a double off the wall in right-center in the sixth, but Toledo couldn’t bring him home.
Pérez went deep again in the eighth with another leadoff homer, and Anderson added a solo blast in the ninth to keep his hot July rolling.
Anderson finished 2-for-5 with a run, an RBI and a homer. Clark went 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
Pérez was 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and two homers. Edwards took the loss, falling to 4-8 after allowing four earned runs in five innings, with four hits, three walks and eight strikeouts.
Erie had a rougher night in Akron, where the RubberDucks rolled to a 12-3 win and racked up 19 hits against Max Alba and the SeaWolves bullpen.
Akron jumped ahead with two runs in the first, but Erie answered right away when Seth Stephenson singled and Peyton Graham ripped an RBI double to left in the bottom half. That made it 2-1, but it was the last time Erie was within striking distance. Akron scored nine times over the next four innings and never looked back.
Justice Bigbie snapped out of the end of his hit streak by starting a new one with a solo homer in the fourth. Andrew Jenkins followed with a solo shot of his own, but that was all the offense Erie could muster.
Parker Pennington went 2-for-3 with a walk. Graham finished 1-for-4 with an RBI double and a strikeout.
Bigbie was 1-for-4 with a run, an RBI, a homer and a strikeout. Alba took the loss after giving up seven earned runs on 10 hits in 2.2 innings, with no walks and four strikeouts.
West Michigan got a much cleaner result at home, blanking Belmont Sky Carp 4-0 behind a strong outing from Rayner Castillo and a two-run homer from Izaac Pacheco.
Woody Hadeen started the bottom of the first with a single to right, and after Bryce Rainer struck out, Pacheco crushed a two-run shot to right-center in his first at-bat of a rehab assignment. That put the Whitecaps up 2-0 immediately.
They added another run in the second when Stephen Hrustich singled, stole second and later scored on a Caleb Shpur single. Castillo took it from there, working five innings and allowing three hits and three walks while striking out four.
West Michigan also introduced two new faces. Catcher Edian Espinal and first baseman Beau Ankeney were promoted from Lakeland, and both made their first marks in High-A.
Espinal walked in the first, singled in the third and also threw out his first High-A runner. Ankeney singled in the sixth for his first Midwest League hit, moving Clayton Campbell into scoring position.
Hrustich then walked to load the bases, and Campbell scored on a wild pitch.
That was enough. Preston Howey and Jalen Evans each covered two innings to finish the shutout.
Pacheco ended up 1-for-2 with a run, two RBIs, a homer and a walk. Hadeen was 2-for-3 with a run.
Hrustich went 1-for-2 with a run, two walks, a strikeout and a stolen base. Castillo picked up the win to improve to 2-8.
Lakeland spent most of Tuesday chasing Tampa after Grayson Grinsell was hit hard early in a 10-7 loss to the Tarpons.
Jordan Yost singled to open the game, but Michael Olivato grounded into a force at second in his first full-season A-ball at-bat, and Roberto Campos, on a rehab assignment, grounded into a double play. Then the game got away quickly. Five hitters into the bottom of the first, Tampa was already ahead 4-0, and a third home run off Grinsell pushed the margin to 5-0.
Grinsell did settle in after that and lasted four innings, striking out six without issuing a walk, but the damage was already done. Antonio Florida and Andrew Pogue each gave up two runs in relief.
Lakeland did piece together some offense late. Ronald Ramirez doubled in the third for his first hit at the Single-A level.
Javier Osorio launched a long home run in the fifth to get the Flying Tigers on the board. In the top of the eighth, Oliveto singled for his first knock in full-season ball.
Then came a ninth-inning push. Ramirez hit a solo homer to left, Anibal Salas blasted a three-run shot, and Nick Dumesnil added a homer to right-center, his sixth of the year.
Dumesnil finished 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI, a homer and two strikeouts. Osorio went 1-for-3 with two runs, an RBI, a homer and a walk.
In Other News...
Tigers Got A Jolt From The Last Player Fans Expected
Eduardo Valencia was back with the Tigers in a backup catching role after Kerry Carpenter landed on the injured list and Jake Rogers was released, and the reunion could hardly have started any better. Detroit rolled to a 14-0 win over Baltimore, with Valencia delivering the kind of unexpected spark that can change the feel of a game before it even settles in.
Valencia finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs, and the Tigers kept the pressure on all night by scoring in every inning. Troy Melton did his part too, working seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts to help turn the game into one of those lopsided wins that can still say something about a club's depth and timing. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Suddenly Hold The Deadline Decision Fans Have Waited On
Tarik Skubal was still taking the ball for Detroit this week, which tells you everything about where the Tigers stand as the trade deadline closes in. The club is staring at the kind of fork every contender hopes to reach and every front office dreads, with a chance to add help for a postseason push or to turn valuable arms into future pieces.
Skubal is the headliner, but he is not the only name in the conversation. Casey Mize, Kenley Jansen and Jack Flaherty all sit in the mix as possible trade chips if Detroit decides to sell, and the fact that Skubal just pitched for the Tigers suggests the decision is not yet locked in. For a team trying to balance present tense and long-term value, the next move will say a lot about how aggressively it sees this season. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Rumors Just Put A Mets Rotation Arm In Play
The trade deadline is starting to take shape around Tampa Bay, and the Rays are again being tied to impact talent as they try to reinforce a roster that already owns the best record in the American League. Robert Murray of FanSided reported that the Rays are looking at several possible upgrades, including Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto and New York Mets starting pitcher Freddy Peralta, a sign they may be aiming high as July approaches.
Tampa Bays strong farm system gives it the kind of prospect capital that can keep it in the mix for major moves, and that alone makes the Rays worth watching over the next few days. For a Tigers team that has seen Tarik Skubals name surface in the rumor mill, the broader message is clear enough: Tampa Bay is not waiting around, and it is willing to explore the market for players who could matter in October. [Read more 🡒]