Because multiple teams had suspended games to finish up, today’s wrap-up will be a little different in style.
AAA: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre beat Toledo 5-2 on Wednesday night behind a good pitching performance by Dellin Betances. One of the Yankees top prospects, Betances went six strong innings, allowing two runs on four hits. While he also walked four and threw just 54 of 100 pitches for strikes, it was a notably improved performance by Betances, who has struggled all season long. Offensively, he got support from his battery mate, Gustavo Molina, who hit his second home run of the season in the fourth inning off Jacob Turner. Matt Antonelli also helped the cause with a 1-for-3 day that included an RBI and two runs scored.
AA: Trenton Thunder
Trenton played a game and a half last night, as Tuesday’s outing was suspended due to rain. In finishing up that matchup, the Thunder came out on top of Erie, thanks to the likes of Cody Johnson and Zoilo Almonte. Johnson hit his 13th home run of the season to break the 8th inning tie, while Thunder fans saw Almonte go 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Ryan Pope finished off the first game with a scoreless 1.2 IP to earn the victory.
In yesterday’s scheduled game, the Thunder won 3-2 as Shaeffer Hall gave them a solid outing, throwing five innings of one-run ball. Hall allowed just four hits and struck out five, though didn’t factor into the decision. That honor went to Kelvin Perez, who blew the save but held on for his second victory of the season. Trenton managed just three hits, but they helped in a big way. Both Kevin Mahoney and Addison Maruszak homered to account for two of three Thunder runs
High-A: Tampa Yankees
Matt Tracy looked very good again for Tampa, though it wasn’t enough as the Yankees allowed four in the 8th inning to fall 5-4 to Clearwater. Over six innings of work, he allowed just one run on four hits and a walk. Tracy also struck out five hitters as he brought his ERA to 1.25 on the season. Unfortunately for Tracy, Branden Pinder imploded in the 8th, allowing three runs to score on four hits. Rob Segedin went 1-for-5 with a pair of runs batted in, and has now reached base safely in 17 straight games. Neil Medchill and Jose Mojica both had multi-hit games for Tampa.
Class A: Charleston RiverDogs
Charleston picked up their first game leading 7-3 after three innings and completely exploded offensively from there to win 19-6 over Asheville. Tyler Austin went 5-for-5 with four runs scored, and came up just a home run short of the cycle. Meanwhile, fellow top prospect Gary Sanchez had a career night, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a home run. Sanchez was responsible for bringing home seven runners. Angelo Gumbs and Casey Stevenson also homered for Charleston. Joel de la Cruz got the win for Charleston after coming on in relief of William Oliver.
In the regularly scheduled game, the RiverDogs appeared to have nothing left in the tank. They dropped to Asheville 10-5, and the top five spots in the order went a combined 1-for-16 on the night. Angelo Gumbs did hit another home run, and Ali Castillo did have a a triple and a home run to do their parts, but it wasn’t enough. Evan Rutckyj started for Charleston, and just ten days after a phenominal debut in the South Atlantic League, put up his second straight dud. Rutckyj lasted just 3.2 innings, allowing six runs on four walks and three hits. On a positive note, he did strike out five of the eighteen batters that he faced.
