Barons Drop Another 1-run Loss to Trash Pandas
By Jeff Allison BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Birmingham Barons drop another one-run loss, a 7-6 defeat, to the Rocket City Trash Pandas before 7,825 at Regions Field on Wednesday. The Barons held a 6-2 lead going into the sixth inning, but the Barons bullpen gave up five runs in the
By Jeff Allison
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Birmingham Barons drop another one-run loss, a 7-6 defeat, to the Rocket City Trash Pandas before 7,825 at Regions Field on Wednesday. The Barons held a 6-2 lead going into the sixth inning, but the Barons bullpen gave up five runs in the final four innings.
The Barons have lost six games in a row, and pitching has been hit hard during that stretch. In the Barons last eight games, the pitching staff has a 4.93 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP.
Starting pitcher Lucas Gordon pitched 5.0 innings, giving up three hits, two earned runs, two walks with seven strikeouts. Chase Watkins pitched one inning, giving up two hits, two earned runs, and a walk. Eric Adler couldn't record an out as he gave up three hits and two earned runs. Jonathan Clark pitched one inning, giving up two hits, and recorded a strikeout. Riley Gowens (0-1, 2.25) gets the loss, going two innings, giving up four hits, one earned run, and getting a strikeout.
The Barons (14-21) scored first in the game. In the bottom of the first inning, Colby Shelton hits a home run to right field. The Barons take the 1-0 lead.
In the top of the second inning, Rocket City (18-17) scores on a J.J. D'Orazio RBI single, scoring Matthew Lugo. The game is tied at 1-1.
In the bottom of the third inning, Alec Makarewicz hits a home run to center field, and the Barons take a 2-1 lead.
The Barons were not done scoring in that inning. Andy Weber doubled off the left field wall. Jeral Perez followed with an RBI single, scoring Webter. The Barons led 3-1.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Trash Pandas scored on a Kyren Paris groundout, scoring Arol Vera. The Barons led 3-2. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Makarewicz hit a towering home run to right field and gave the Barons a 4-2 lead, his seventh of the season.
Later in the inning, Jorge Corona doubled down the left field line, scoring Anthony DePino and Weber. The Barons led 6-2, but the Barons bullpen could not hold the lead as Rocket City scored those five runs the rest of the way and took the second game of the six-game series.
For Birmingham, Makarewicz hit two home runs and got a walk; Shelton hit a home run in the loss.