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Pitching dominates Scrappers doubleheader
By Steve Ruman
Niles
As baseball bargains go, it would be difficult to top the deal offered up Thursday by the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
Buck Night gave fans the opportunity to gain admittance to Eastwood Field for one dollar. Hot dogs and selected beverages also could be purchased for the same price.
As an added bonus, a rainout on Wednesday meant that fans were treated to a pair of games between the Scrappers and Auburn Doubledays.
Those in attendance who favor pitching duels got their money’s worth and then some as the Scrappers and Doubledays split the two games. The Scrappers won the opener 3-0, while the Doubledays prevailed in the nightcap 2-0.
A trio of Scrappers pitchers limited Auburn to just two hits in the first game. A trio of Doubledays pitchers duplicated the feat in the finale.
“We saw some good pitching tonight, but also we’re just not hitting,” said Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak. “That will come around. A lot of these guys are just getting settled into being here and things will fall into place offensively.”
The first game saw the Scrappers score all the runs they would need in the bottom of the third inning. With runners on first and second and two out, left fielder Jorge Martinez laced a triple into the left-field corner which scored a pair of runs.
Martinez has provided an early spark to an otherwise struggling Scrappers offense. He has knocked in eight of the team’s 19 RBIs and is batting .316.
Martinez has been in the Cleveland Indians’ organization since signing as a free agent in 2009.
“Jorge has done a nice job this year, the ball really flies off his bat,” Kubiak said. “In the past, I think he used to swing at a lot of pitches out of the strike zone. He seems to be more selective this year and it’s paying off.”
In the fifth, the Scrappers added an insurance run when Leo Castillo belted a lead-off home run over the left-field wall.
The three runs proved to be more than enough thanks to the strong performance turned in by Scrappers starter Sean Brady. The 20-year-old Florida native who was selected by the Indians out of high school in the fifth round of the 2013 draft worked four scoreless innings, surrendering just one hit and a pair of walks.
In his Scrappers’ debut last Thursday at Jamestown, Brady was roughed up for eight hits and five runs in four innings of work.
“Sean even pitched well in his loss, and he looked good tonight,” Kubiak said. “I think in his first start he tried to be a little too fine. Tonight he had good stuff.”
Brady was relieved by Justin Garcia (1-0), who was credited with the win. Garcia worked two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit. Luis Gomez pitched a perfect seventh, striking out a pair of batters, to record the save.
In the nightcap, Juan Santana, who also struggled in his first outing at Jamestown (six hits, three runs, four innings) also redeemed himself against the Doubledays. The right-handed starter gave up just one run on five hits while recording six strikeouts. However, the Scrappers couldn’t get anything going offensively.
“We have a lot of draft picks just coming in who haven’t yet played,” Kubiak said. “Once we get everyone in place, we’ll come around.”
The Scrappers return to action tonight at Batavia.