Nate Pearson pitched two scoreless innings to start the game in Hillsboro.
The Vancouver Canadians held on to a big lead this time and clinched a series victory over the Hillsboro Hops with a 10-6 win at Ron Tonkin Field Monday night. Though the C’s lost the season series 7-3, they gained a measure of revenge against the Hops by taking three of five on their fake turf. Had they held an eight-run lead in the opener, it could have been a 4-1 series victory.
Norberto Obeso had the first hit of the game when he doubled off Jhoan Duran with one out but the C’s could get not get him home. Hillsboro got a two-out broken bat single from Luis Lara off Nate Pearson in the bottom of the first but Pearson got fellow 2017 first-round draft pick Pavin Smith to pop up to third in foul territory as Deiferson Barreto was able to chase the ball down with a nice running catch. Pearson had retired Camden Duzenack on a grounder to short before striking out Ryan Dobson.
The second inning saw the C’s go down in order and Pearson tried to return the favour against the Hops but a two-out double by Tra’mayne Holmes prevented that from happening. After having thrown 18 pitches in the inning, Pearson stranded Holmes at second by retiring Ryan Tufts on pitch number 19 with a fly ball to right.
Matt Morgan had a double and a triple, a run batted in and two runs scored Tuesday.
The third inning saw the C’s offence get into gear as Matt Morgan mashed a ground-rule double to center field. Brandon Polizzi was then grazed by a Duran pitch to put him on base. Kevin Vicuna advanced both runners 90 feet with a sacrifice bunt before Obeso got aboard with a base on balls to load them up. Logan Warmoth scored Morgan with an infield single to short that Duzenack knocked down but could not make a play on. A fielder’s choice by Kacy Clemens brought home Polizzi to make it 2-0 C’s before Jacob popped up to short to end the rally.
Brody Rodning pitched 3-2/3 innings of relief Tuesday night.
Brody Rodning relieved Pearson and struck out the first man he faced in Jose Perez but a double by Duzenack, a Morgan passed ball and another double by Dobson put Hillsboro on the board. Luis Lara singled Dobson to third before a Smith groundout to Vicuna brought Dobson in with the tying run.
Norberto Obeso went deep for the second time this season.
Brock Lundquist gave the C’s their second leadoff double in as many innings to begin the fourth and he would race home on a Morgan triple to regain the lead for Vancouver. Polizzi was able to squeeze one past the drawn-in infield as his grounder was deflected by Duran and got past Dobson at second to score Morgan. Polizzi stole second and got to third on a Vicuna groundball to first that showed Vicuna beat the throw from Smith at first to Duran covering the bag. However, the umpire called Vicuna out and that drew the ire of C’s manager Rich Miller. The C’s would carry on as Obeso lined over over the fence in right field for a two-run home run to boost the C’s lead to 6-2. Rodning preserved the four-run advantage by getting a strikeout of Daulton Varsho and eventually stranding a two-out walk by Holmes.
Clemens gave Vancouver their third consecutive leadoff double by dropping one just fair down the left field line against Luis Castillo. David Jacob worked his way on base with a walk and Lundquist loaded up the bases with a single to left. Barreto brought Clemens with an infield single to short to make it 7-2 Vancouver. They could not add any more runs as Morgan struck out, Polizzi forced out Jacob at the plate on a 5-2 fielder’s choice and Vicuna tapped one back to the mound.
The Hops would chip away against Rodning when an error by Warmoth at short allowed Duzenack to get on base. A walk to Dobson and a one-out double by Smith drove in Duzenack. Rodning struck out Dan Swain for the second out but a wild pitch by Rodning saw Dobson score Hillsboro’s fourth run before Varsho’s ground-rule double to right plated Smith. Rodning would get Holmes to ground to third for the third out.
There was no leadoff double for Vancouver in the sixth or a baserunner for that matter as Duzenack robbed Warmoth of a hit by playing deep in the hole at short where his throw was scooped up by Smith at first.
Rodning got two quick outs on three pitches by getting Tufts to fly out and snaring a bunt pop up by Perez. Duzenack extended the inning with a walk and he proceeded to steal second. That led to Rodning’s exit as fellow lefty Grayson Huffman entered the game. It took Huffman one pitch to get out of the inning as Huffman’s glove went flying off on a Dobson liner but Vicuna was there to make the play at second to throw out Dobson at first.
Vancouver got one runner on when Lundquist reached on an error at second but Lundquist was cut down on a double play grounder by Barreto. Huffman was back out for the seventh and struck out Lara swinging on his way to a clean frame.
Logan Warmoth drove in three runs against Hillsboro Tuesday.
The C’s got a break in widening their lead in the eighth. Polizzi drew a one-out walk against Breckin Williams and Vicuna singled to right to put two runners on. Obeso then grounded out to second as Dobson tried to start a 4-6-3 double play. Vicuna was ruled safe at second as the base umpire thought Duzenack did not make contact with the second base bag before throwing to first to retire Obeso. Replays showed Duzenack did get the bag with his foot and the inning should have been over. However, things evened out as you will recall earlier that Vicuna should have been rewarded with an infield single in the four-run fourth. Warmoth then blooped a single to right to score Polizzi and Vicuna. Warmoth then managed to steal second and managed to score the C’s 10th run when Duzenack was handcuffed on a short-hop liner from Clemens for a base hit. Matt Brill relieved Williams and ended the inning by tagging out Jacob on a tapper back to the mound.
Chris Hall entered the game in the eighth and caught Varsho looking to start things off. Holmes then dropped a double down the right field line, went to third on an errant pickoff attempt by Morgan behind the plate and scored on a Tufts sac fly. Hall ended the inning with a Perez groundout to short.
Lundquist led off the ninth with a single but was thrown out trying to steal second. Barreto would single but Morgan and Polizzi were strikeout victims. Jake Fishman took over for Hall and allowed just a Lara single to wrap things up for the C’s.
C-Notes
Lundquist had three hits while Obeso, Warmoth, Clemens and Morgan had two in Vancouver’s 14-hit attack. Every C’s hitter reached base at least once as three walks and a hit by pitch were added to the on-base total. Polizzi and Warmoth each stole a base with Warmoth driving in three runs and Polizzi scoring three. Vancouver had eight in 18 at-bats with runners in scoring position, stranding eight men.
Pearson was up to 99 miles per hour on one pitch and 80 on another as he struck out one over two shutout innings of two-hit ball. Rodning improved to 3-1 despite five runs over 3-2/3 innings but only two runs were earned. He gave up five hits and three walks but struck out four. Huffman had one strikeout in 1-1/3 clean innings, Hall allowed an unearned marker in the eighth on one hit but struck out one. Fishman got the final four outs, striking out two and allowing just one hit.
2015-2016 C’s outfielder Rodrigo Orozco contributed with the bat and glove for the Lansing Lugnuts Tuesday.
Rodrigo Orozco collected two hits, a walk, and an outfield assist at home plate in the Lugnuts’ 3-2 loss in Dayton. https://t.co/IXFdvMFmAc pic.twitter.com/shBXXVONCz
— Lansing Lugnuts (@LansingLugnuts) August 8, 2017
2014 C’s catcher Max Pentecost continues to see more time at first base.
#BlueJays C prospect Max Pentecost back at 1B tonight for Dunedin. He hasn’t caught back-to-back days — or even 2G in 3 days — this season
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) August 5, 2017
2014 C’s outfielder Roemon Fields continues to thrive with the Herd.
Congrats to this week’s @ADPROSports Player of the Week, Roemon Fields! #Bisons30 pic.twitter.com/NWR1cq0nnf
— Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons) August 7, 2017
2012 C’s outfielder D.J. Davis is heating up in Dunedin.
D.J. Davis last 25G (88PA): .352/.460/.437 for @DunedinBlueJays #BlueJays 2012 1st Round Pick now .247/.331/.301 in 2017
— Mark Brubacher (@Mark_Bru) August 7, 2017
2016 C’s first baseman Christian Williams sums it up best on a sad weekend for baseball.
Tough couple of days for baseball #RIPDonBaylor #RIPDarrenDaulton
— Christian Williams™ (@ChiWilly24) August 7, 2017
C’s Fast Forward
The C’s return home to begin an eight-game homestand with the first three against the Tri-City Dust Devils. Vancouver is now 6-6 in the second half, three games behind first place Spokane and one game behind second-place Tri-City in the North Division. Game times are 7:05 pm Tuesday and Wednesday and 1:05 pm Thursday. CanadiansBaseball.com and TSN 1040/1410 will broadcast the games.
C's Plus Baseball | A Vancouver Canadians Blog 