AUBURN - For the most part, the hits were hard to come by for the Auburn Doubledays in a game against Mahoning Valley on Sunday. But it only took one - the first and biggest of the game - for the Doubledays to set the tone early. With two runners on, via walks thrown by Scrappers' starter Ryan Miller, Auburn first baseman Manny Rodriguez ripped a first- inning, first-pitch breaking ball over the right-center field wall in Falcon Park to propel the Doubledays to a 6-4 win.
Glenn Gaston / Special to The Citizen
Auburn Doubledays' Adam Calderone (center) and Brad Emaus (right) congratulate Manuel Rodriguez on his first-inning three-run home run during Sunday's game at Falcon Park.
Auburn Doubledays' Adam Calderone (center) and Brad Emaus (right) congratulate Manuel Rodriguez on his first-inning three-run home run during Sunday's game at Falcon Park.
“With guys on first and second, I just tried to hit the ball well for one RBI,” Rodriguez said. “But it wound up being for three instead.”
“I think that Earl Weaver once said that three run home runs are hard to overcome,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg added. “I'll take a three-run home run anytime. (Miller) hung that breaking ball and Manny's a good hitter. He doesn't miss too many mistakes. It went out there and it was a big spot on the scoreboard for us.”
Weaver, the former Baltimore Orioles manager, also once said that, “The only thing that matters is what happens on the little hump out in the middle of the field.”
And for both teams at Falcon Park on Sunday, that meant a lot of calls to each bullpen. The Doubledays and Scrappers each went through four pitchers. Auburn's only right-handed hurler in its current rotation, Shane Benson, made his third start of the season, but like the previous two games, he left with a no decision. Adam Rogers came in next and earned his first win in three innings with one walk, one strikeout, two hits and one earned run. After Joe Wice worked the next 1 1-3 innings, Ron Lowe finished up and earned his fourth save in as many opportunities. Mahoning Valley started a rally in the top of the ninth when catcher Alex Castillo hit a two-run double with two outs, but Lowe caught Todd Martin looking for his third strikeout of the inning.
Miller earned the loss for the Scrappers, his second of the year, after going only 1-3 of an inning.
After allowing three runs on eight hits in two innings against Auburn last week, Miller's struggles on the mound continued in just his third start of the season. He went through eight batters to start the game, walking four of them and giving up five earned runs.
After Rodriguez's homer, Paul Franko and J.P. Arencibia crossed home on a bases-loaded walk and a Luis Sanchez sacrifice fly.
James Brettl, Dan Morales and Brett Carlin combined to confine the Doubledays offense to two hits, one walk and no runs for the next seven innings.
Carlin gave up three hits in four batters in the eighth, including a Wesley Stone double and an RBI single from Carlos Vasquez.
A 1-3-6 Scrappers double play halted another big inning for the Doubledays.
“The tempo of the game was really bad,” Holmberg said. “It was slow and lethargic. (Miller) started it a little bit and maybe it bled over into our dugout because there were a lot of balls and walks and pitching from behind. Adam came in and picked it up a little bit but then he also fell into a slower pace. Pace and tempo in this game is very important and both teams were working at a snails' pace tonight.”
Mahoning Valley actually out-hit the Doubledays 9-8, but few of them were even close to timely. Designated hitter Justin Jenkins provided the Scrappers with their first run in the sixth on a double to score Matt Brown.
Two infield errors in the next inning helped shortstop Mark Thompson cross home plate before Castillo scored Jansey Infante and Thompson in the ninth.
“It doesn't matter how many hits you get because win or lose, it's the runs that count,” Holmberg said. “We're second or third in the league in runs scored, but we're probably eighth or ninth in batting average as a team. Getting hits and guys getting on base are certainly important, but it's guys coming up with big hits at the right time to score those runs and that's what it's about. You can come up with 13, 14 hits in a game, but if you don't come up with the runs you need, you wind up losing.”
Auburn (7-6) hosts Mahoning Valley (6-7) today for the second in a three game series.
D-days Today
Record: 7-6
Streak: 1 win
Next: vs. Mahoning Valley, today, 7 p.m., airs on 1590 WAUB
“I think that Earl Weaver once said that three run home runs are hard to overcome,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg added. “I'll take a three-run home run anytime. (Miller) hung that breaking ball and Manny's a good hitter. He doesn't miss too many mistakes. It went out there and it was a big spot on the scoreboard for us.”
Weaver, the former Baltimore Orioles manager, also once said that, “The only thing that matters is what happens on the little hump out in the middle of the field.”
And for both teams at Falcon Park on Sunday, that meant a lot of calls to each bullpen. The Doubledays and Scrappers each went through four pitchers. Auburn's only right-handed hurler in its current rotation, Shane Benson, made his third start of the season, but like the previous two games, he left with a no decision. Adam Rogers came in next and earned his first win in three innings with one walk, one strikeout, two hits and one earned run. After Joe Wice worked the next 1 1-3 innings, Ron Lowe finished up and earned his fourth save in as many opportunities. Mahoning Valley started a rally in the top of the ninth when catcher Alex Castillo hit a two-run double with two outs, but Lowe caught Todd Martin looking for his third strikeout of the inning.
Miller earned the loss for the Scrappers, his second of the year, after going only 1-3 of an inning.
After allowing three runs on eight hits in two innings against Auburn last week, Miller's struggles on the mound continued in just his third start of the season. He went through eight batters to start the game, walking four of them and giving up five earned runs.
After Rodriguez's homer, Paul Franko and J.P. Arencibia crossed home on a bases-loaded walk and a Luis Sanchez sacrifice fly.
James Brettl, Dan Morales and Brett Carlin combined to confine the Doubledays offense to two hits, one walk and no runs for the next seven innings.
Carlin gave up three hits in four batters in the eighth, including a Wesley Stone double and an RBI single from Carlos Vasquez.
A 1-3-6 Scrappers double play halted another big inning for the Doubledays.
“The tempo of the game was really bad,” Holmberg said. “It was slow and lethargic. (Miller) started it a little bit and maybe it bled over into our dugout because there were a lot of balls and walks and pitching from behind. Adam came in and picked it up a little bit but then he also fell into a slower pace. Pace and tempo in this game is very important and both teams were working at a snails' pace tonight.”
Mahoning Valley actually out-hit the Doubledays 9-8, but few of them were even close to timely. Designated hitter Justin Jenkins provided the Scrappers with their first run in the sixth on a double to score Matt Brown.
Two infield errors in the next inning helped shortstop Mark Thompson cross home plate before Castillo scored Jansey Infante and Thompson in the ninth.
“It doesn't matter how many hits you get because win or lose, it's the runs that count,” Holmberg said. “We're second or third in the league in runs scored, but we're probably eighth or ninth in batting average as a team. Getting hits and guys getting on base are certainly important, but it's guys coming up with big hits at the right time to score those runs and that's what it's about. You can come up with 13, 14 hits in a game, but if you don't come up with the runs you need, you wind up losing.”
Auburn (7-6) hosts Mahoning Valley (6-7) today for the second in a three game series.
D-days Today
Record: 7-6
Streak: 1 win
Next: vs. Mahoning Valley, today, 7 p.m., airs on 1590 WAUB
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