Down on the Farm: Heartbreaking Losses for TinCaps & Missions
Credit: Ryan Cox/ EVT Sports
Fort Wayne TinCaps: 2-1 loss vs Dayton
Adrian Morejon toed the rubber for Fort Wayne in game one of a best-of-three series vs Dayton, and he pitched quite well.
He only gave up one run in six innings of work; striking out five and scattering seven hits.
The lone run of the night for the TinCaps came on a throwing error in the bottom of the third inning, which tied the game at one.
The game remained deadlocked until the top of the 8th, when Dayton managed an unearned run off fireballers Dairus Valdez and Andres Munoz. The run, which came home on a throwing error by 17-year-old SS Gabriel Arias, did not come without controversy:
Wow, after what looked like 2 strikes were called balls, a throwing error by TinCaps' SS that would have ended inning brings in a run.
— Justin A. Cohn (@SportsiCohn) September 10, 2017
So Dayton is up 2-1 on TinCaps, but that should have been moot I think.
— Justin A. Cohn (@SportsiCohn) September 10, 2017
Fort Wayne then went down quietly in the 8th and 9th innings to drop game one. The Eastern Division Championship Series now moves onto Dayton, where the TinCaps will have to find a way to win two games in a row to keep their season alive.
Key Performers:
Adrian Morejon (6.0IP, 7H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 5K)
The 18-year-old Cuban lefty had one of his better starts as a TinCap tonight. The sole run he gave up came in the very first inning. After that, he was mostly nails and ended up throwing 58 of his 95 pitches for strikes. If this was his last start of the season, he made it a good one.
LF Nate Easley (3-4, R)
Nate Easley had three of Fort Wayne’s seven hits on the night. The super-utility man had an incredible second half in the Midwest League. In his final 29 games, Easley hit .299 with a .419 OBP and a .849 OPS. Couple that with a 33/21 K/BB ratio, and there might be something here. He ended up having a very nice showing at the plate tonight.
San Antonio Missions: 6-3 loss @ Midland
Through seven and a half innings on Saturday night, the Missions probably felt like they had the game in the bag. They scored two in the first inning on a Luis Urias RBI double and a Franmil Reyes sac fly. They then added one more run in the fifth on a Josh Naylor RBI groundout to take a 3-0 lead. Midland managed to score a run off Eric Lauer in the bottom of the inning to make it a two-run game, and the score remained 3-1 until the bottom of the eighth.
LHP Brad Wieck came on in the eighth and immediately walked the first two batters. Following a sac bunt which advanced the runners to second and third with one out, Wieck then walked another batter to load the bases.
In came All-Star closer Trey Wingenter, who was tasked with the job of shutting Midland down.
He didn’t.
Top prospect Jorge Mateo greeted Wingenter with a bases-clearing double to give Midland the lead. An RBI single and an RBI groundout later in the inning gave Midland two insurance runs. San Antonio failed to mount a rally in the top of the ninth, and that was that.
The series is now tied at two apiece, and a decisive game five in San Antonio awaits. The game will be played on Sunday at 4:05 PM PT.
Key Performers:
Fernando Tatis Jr. (2-5, R, 2B, SO)
Tatis Jr. continues to swing the bat well in this series, and a decision awaits of where he will be playing to start next year. If I had to guess, I would say Lake Elsinore. But we will see.
2B Luis Urias (1-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB)
After a scorching start to his AA season, the last few months have been rough on the 20-year-old. He seems to be getting back in the swing of things, though. Tonight, he went 1-3 with a walk. It could have easily been 2-3, as he scorched a ball to the warning track in left field in one of his at bats that ended up being tracked down. Following the Texas League playoffs, Urias will have the opportunity to showcase his skills in the Arizona Fall League.
LHP Eric Lauer (4.2IP, 7H, R, ER, 2BB, 1K)
Lauer struggled some tonight and ended up getting bounced in the fifth inning. Midland got a little bit of revenge on the 22-year-old, as he dominated them the last time he faced them (7.0 IP, 1H, 9K). Tonight, he was hit around a little bit, but was able to limit the damage. He seems like a candidate to open next season with the Missions, with eyes on El Paso and potentially a MLB call-up (if all goes smoothly) later in the year.
Baseball is fun. College sophomore that is aspiring to work someday in the sports industry. Follow me on twitter @Friar_Faithful. Go Pads!