The Vancouver Canadians lost 4-0 and 5-3 to the Hillsboro Hops on Tuesday and Wednesday at Hillsboro Ballpark.
On Tuesday, Christian Cerda singled home the only run the Hops would need. Andrew Pintar doubled to left with one out and Cerda got Pintar home with a two-out infield single to short off Vancouver starter Pat Gallagher.
Hillsboro added two more in the second inning when Gallagher walked Juan Corniel with the bases loaded and Jack Hurley produced a sacrifice fly to center.
The Hops scored one more time against Chay Yeager in the seventh. Corniel was hit by a pitch, moved to third on a Pintar single to right and scored on a Gavin Conticello single up the middle.
On Wednesday, Cerda ignited another Hops rally with a double to center off C’s starter Geison Urbaez in the bottom of the second. The bases were loaded with nobody out when Urbaez committed a balk that brought Cerda home. A Corniel groundout to first scored a Kevin Sim walk to make it 2-0 Hillsboro. Urbaez ran the count to 0-2 on Jack Hurley who fouled off the next pitch. The C”s righthander immediately waved to the dugout and exited the game just moments after a visit to the mound by trainer Katie Reyes and bench coach Deiferson Barreto.
Carson Pierce was pressed into service and gave up a run-scoring double to center to Hurley that plated a Manuel Peña base knock to left.
Hillsboro scored again in the bottom of the third when Conticello tripled to right and scored on a one-out single to right by Cerda off Pierce.
The Canadians offence finally got on the scoreboard in the eighth inning against Peñiel Otaño. A two-run triple by Brown drove in a single to right by Estiven Machado and a knock to center by Jommer Hernández.
Ryan McCarty drew a walk and was forced out on a 4-6 fielder’s choice by Jace Bohrofen but that brought in Brown to cut the Hops lead to 4-3. Zane Russell squelched the rally by getting Jackson Hornung to hit into a 6-4-3 double play.
The Hops rounded out the scoring with a run against C’s reliever Justin Kelly. A one-out Sim double to left, a Hernández passed ball and a Peña single to right brought Sim around to score.
C-Notes
The C’s best chance to score Tuesday was a two-out bases-loaded rally in the second when Santiago singled to left, Jean Arnaez reached on an infield single to third and Jaden Rudd walked but Hernández grounded out to short.
Grayson Thurman pitched 1-1/3 innings of perfect relief with two strikeouts and Conor Larkin retired all three hitters he faced.
Hops starter Spencer Giesting retired the last 15 hitters he faced after giving up a Dasan Brown single to left field to start the top of the third.
C’s hitting coach Ryan Wright was ejected by home plate Tim Barreras after Giesting left the game with one out in the eighth inning in favour of Listher Sosa.
A total of 17 consecutive Vancouver batters were retired until Brown reached on a fielding error at first in the ninth. Kyle Amednt gave up a one-out single to center by Jace Bohrofen before wrapping the game up.
Spencer Giesting struck out 13 Canadians over his seven innings of work and did not allow any baserunners until the fourth when Brown beat out an infield single to third and went to second on a throwing error by José Fernandez. McCarty then singled to right to put runners on the corners. McCarty moved up to second on a wild pitch but Giesting would strike out the side.
A two-out infield single to second by Jeff Wehler, a stolen base and a Dylan Rock walk went for naught in the seventh. Wehler singled to right off Vancouver, BC native Eli Saul to open the ninth but Saul got the next three men he faced, striking out Machado looking to end the game.
Rafael Ohashi turned in two scoreless innings despite dealing with five baserunners and Johnathan Lavallee put up a goose egg with each of them striking out a pair of batters.
Vancouver nearly lost its starting battery to injury on Wednesday. After Urbaez left the game in the second inning, Hernández was hurt on the passed ball in the eighth inning. He took a Kelly pitch off his left forearm above his catching glove but would remain in the game.
2022-2023 Canadians infielder Riley Tirotta has been promoted from Double-A New Hampshire to Triple-A Buffalo. Tirotta is up to replace fellow 2022 Canadians infielder Damiano Palmegiani who was placed on the seven-day injured list. In 18 games with the Fisher Cats, Tirotta batted .286/.438/.464 with two home runs and eight runs batted in. He collected his first Triple-A base hit on Wednesday and drew a walk Buffalo’s Game 2 win against St. Paul.
The Canadians will have a new player on the roster. The Toronto Blue Jays signed free agent shortstop Jamari Baylor from the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League. He slashed .255/.379/.511 in 15 games with the Revolution. A third-round pick in 2019 out of Benedictine High School in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, Baylor was traded to the Colorado Rockies for cash on May 6, 2023. The 23-year-old righthanded hitter spent time with the Spokane Indians and faced every Northwest League team except for Vancouver last season. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Baylor will wear number 15.
The corresponding roster move is catcher José Ferrer being returned to the Development List.
The C’s look to end their losing streak as they send Ryan Jennings to the hill. Chris Georges will have the call on CanadiansBaseball.com at 6:35 p.m. The game is also on MiLB.TV.
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