The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (64-54, 28-16) visited PNC Field on Tuesday night to begin a seven-game series against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (58-60, 24-20). This is the second time the IronPigs visited PNC Field.
In addition, this is the fourth and final series meeting between these teams for the season. The IronPigs trail the overall series 9-8. In their last meeting, they missed one game due to inclement weather and that game will be made up on Wednesday.
Before the game, the Philadelphia Phillies optioned RHP Luis Ortiz and third baseman Weston Wilson back to Lehigh Valley. Wilson was in the lineup against the RailRiders.
Drew Hutchison (3-2, 5.10 ERA) was on the mound for Lehigh Valley making his 12th start of the season against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s Clayton Beeter (1-4, 6.31 ERA).
Lehigh Valley threatened to take the lead at the top of the second inning. With one out, Simon Muzziotti worked a four-pitch walk. Rafael Marchan was next. He put the ball down for a base hit to right field with Muzziotti sprinting to third base.
Esteban Quiroz was next but struck out swinging for the second out with Jordan Qsar next. Qsar grounded toward second baseman Jamie Westbrook, who threw the ball to first baseman Jake Lamb which ended the inning.
In the bottom of the second inning, Drew Hutchison gave up two straight singles to Andres Chaparro and Franchy Cordero with Jamie Westbrook up to bat. On an 0-2 count, Westbrook hit Hutchison’s changeup that went in the direction of Drew Ellis. The ball bounced off Ellis’s glove and into left field which brought Chaparro home for a 1-0 RailRiders lead.
Next, Hutchison walked Jake Lamb that loaded the bases for Brandon Lockridge. Then, Hutchison walked Lockridge which forced in a run for a 2-0 lead.
After getting Wilmer Difo to lineout toward Simon Muzziotti, Hutchison walked Estevan Florial which forced in another run and it was now 3-0 RailRiders. Lehigh Valley got out of the inning when Jasson Dominguez grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre blew the game wide open in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out, Hutchison gave up back-to-back singles to Jake Lamb and Brandon Lockridge, followed by walking Wilmer Difo. The bases were loaded for Estevan Florial.
Florial hit Hutchison’s fastball on a high fly ball to center field. The ball bounced on the ground before going over the wall for a ground-rule double which scored Lamb and Lockridge. It was now 5-0 RailRiders. Jasson Dominguez was next. He hit Hutchison’s slider down for a base hit to right field. Difo and Florial scored for a 7-0 lead.
That was it for Hutchison, who was dealing with a blister on his throwing hand and was replaced by Max Kuhns. Drew Hutchison’s finished the night pitching 3.1 innings, allowing seven hits, seven runs, four walks, and one strikeout in 63 pitches, of which 47 were strikes.
Max Kuhns was making his IronPigs debut. He pitched 29 innings with a 1-2 record, an 8.07 ERA, allowing 32 hits, 29 runs, 26 earned runs, eight home runs, 24 walks, 39 strikeouts, and three saves in 31 games for the Reading Fightin’ Phils.
Austin Wells was up to face Kuhns. On a 2-2 count, Kuhns hit Wells on the foot with Andres Chaparro up to bat. Kuhns got Chaparro to fly out toward center fielder Weston Wilson, who made the catch to end the inning.
Lehigh Valley finally got on the board at the top of the fifth inning. Jordan Qsar started the inning working a four-pitch walk with Scott Kingery due up. Kingery hit Beeter’s fastball for a double to left field. Next, Beeter walked Kody Clemens which loaded the bases for Weston Wilson. Unfortunately, Wilson struck out on a foul tip.
Darick Hall was next but before he could bat, the RailRiders made a pitching change. Josh Maciejewski replaced Clayton Beeter. Hall grounded toward first baseman Jake Lamb, who threw the ball to shortstop Wilmer Difo for the force out at second base.
Jordan Qsar scored which made it 7-1 RailRiders. Drew Ellis flies out toward right fielder Brandon Lockridge for the final out of the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Max Kuhns walked Franchy Cordero and Jamie Westbrook with Jake Lamb up to bat. Lamb hit the ball toward shortstop Scott Kingery for the forceout at second base. Brandon Lockridge was next. During his at-bat, Kuhns threw a wild pitch and Cordero scored for an 8-1 lead.
Lockridge grounded toward third baseman Drew Ellis, who threw the ball to first baseman Darick Hall for the first out. Two batters later with two outs, Kuhns struck out Estevan Florial which ended the inning. That was it for Kuhns, who pitched 1.2 innings, with no hits allowed, one run, three walks, and one strikeout in 41 pitches, of which 16 were strikes.
Lehigh Valley attempted to add another run at the top of the sixth inning. With one out, Rafael Marchan doubled on a fly ball to center field. It was Marchan’s seventh double of the season.
Next, Esteban Quiroz moved Marchan to third base with a ground out toward first baseman Jake Lamb for the second out. Jordan Qsar was next but he struck out swinging and the inning was over.
Ben Bowden was the new Lehigh Valley pitcher in the bottom of the sixth inning. Bowden gave up a double to Jasson Dominguez to start the inning. Two batters later, he walked Andre Chaparro with Franchy Cordero up to bat.
Cordero hit Bowden’s slider for a line drive to right field for an RBI double. Jasson Dominguez rounded third base to score for a 9-1 lead. Jamie Westbrook was next. He singled on a line drive to left field which brought Chaparro home for a 10-1 lead with Jake Lamb up to bat.
On the first pitch, Lamb hit Bowden’s slider for a three-run home run onto the berm at right field for a 13-1 lead. After giving up a single to Brandon Lockridge and striking out Wilmer Difo, Bowden was replaced by Taylor Lehman. Lehman walked Estevan Florial before Jasson Dominguez singled on a line drive to center field to bring Lockridge home for a 14-1 lead. Then, Lehman struck out Austin Wells which ended the inning.
Moving ahead to the bottom of the seventh inning, Yunior Marte was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley. He gave up two hits throwing 13 pitches to get three outs, of which nine were strikes.
At the top of the eighth inning, Simon Muzziotti put the ball down for a base hit to left field. It was Lehigh Valley’s fifth hit of the night. Next, Rafael Marchan worked a four-pitch walk with Esteban Quiroz up to bat. Quiroz hit a high fly ball to right field that almost went for a home run but Brandon Lockridge made the catch that ended the inning.
With no more pitchers in the bullpen, position player Cal Stevenson pitched for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the eighth inning. He got Wilmer Difo to flyout toward center fielder Weston Wilson for the first out, a ground out by Estevan Florial, and a flyout from Jasson Dominguez toward left fielder Simon Muzziotti which ended the inning.
Aaron McGarity was the new pitcher for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at the top of the ninth inning. Jordan Qsar started the inning by working a four-pitch walk with Scott Kingery up to bat. He flies out toward left fielder Estevan Florial for the first out with Kody Clemens next.
Clemens lined out toward left fielder Estevan Florial for the second out with Weston Wilson the last hope to keep the game alive. Unfortunately, Wilson flies out toward left fielder Estevan Florial for the final out of the game. The IronPigs lose to the RailRiders by the final score of 14-1.
Lehigh Valley’s offense was quiet in this game registering five hits, walking seven times, going 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position, and leaving ten men on base. Lehigh Valley pitcher Drew Hutchison lost his third game of the season for Lehigh Valley, and Josh Maciejewski won his third game for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The IronPigs and RailRiders play a doubleheader on Wednesday. The first game starts at 5:05 pm on MiLB.com. Game two will start proximate thirty minutes after game one. Tickets for the game are available on StubHub and Viagogo. Also, pick up IronPigs merchandise today at Fanatics.com.
