April 8, 2018 at 5:41 a.m.
TinCaps drop home opener
Fort Wayne struggles in 9-3 loss to Lake County
TinCaps drop home opener
Copyright 2018, The Commercial Review
All Rights Reserved
FORT WAYNE — Three errors, a starting pitcher who struggled to throw effectively and a strikeout total equal to the number of hits in the game.
The TinCaps opened their 10th season at Parkview Field with a game they soon hope to forget.
The Fort Wayne TinCaps remained winless on the season Saturday with a 9-3 loss on Saturday to the Lake County Captains on a cold, brisk evening.
“Didn’t say much to them right now,” third-year TinCaps manager Anthony Contreras said of what he told his team following a disappointing performance in the first home game of the season. “Look at the game and talk to them tomorrow. We want them to continue to keep playing.
“We saw the last couple years you have to keep continuing to play fundamentally sound baseball. You’ve got to keep grinding it out.”
Mason Thompson, Fort Wayne’s 20-year-old right-handed starting pitcher from Round Rock, Texas, struck out the first batter he faced but fromthere things didn’t quite go his way.
He walked a batter and hit another in the first inning but didn’t allow much more damage.
Lake County, the Class-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, loaded the bases with no outs in each of the next two innings. The Captains (2-0) took a 2-0 lead. After walking Jose Medina, Thompson fielded a soft grounder off the bat of Jose Vincente and sailed a potential double-play ball into the outfield.
The Captains, who never trailed in the game, got their lead on an RBI single from Jorma Rodriguez and a bases-loaded walk from Austen Wade before the TinCaps (2-0) cut the deficit in half on a Luis Campusano double that knocked in Gabriel Arias.
In the third, Tyler Friis had an RBI groundout to make it 3-1, chasing Thompson from the game.
“Probably establishing his fastball,” Contreras saidof to what he blamed for Thompson’s struggles. “He was having trouble getting ahead early. Any time you do that you’re forced to leave the ball over the plate. We can’t walk as many guys as we did and give those opportunities like that.”
Campusano, making his first start behind the plate,thought he saw good stuff out of his Thompson, and shook off the performance as just an opportunity to grow.
“Mason is a bulldog,” said Campusano, a 19-year-old Augusta, Georgia, native. “He did what he could. It is baseball. It happens. Everything can go your way. It is what it is. It just happened. Tough loss but I thought he did really good.”
Thompson did finish with fivestrikeouts, but allowed five runs on just two hits with four walks.
Lake County added three more runs in the fourth inning, during which Medina hit an RBI double and Friis drove in a run. Medina was 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and three runs to lead the Captains.
Fort Wayne’s offense was inconsistent in the TinCaps’ home debut. After allowing a run in the second inning, Kirk McCarty struck out all three TinCaps in the third inning. He fanned seven in 4 1/3 innings and did not factor into the decision. Kyle Nelson, who just had 1 2/3 innings of relief work, fanned three of the six batters he faced and got the win.
In all, Fort Wayne struck out 14 times. They watched called third strikes on seven occasions.
The TinCaps’s three errors led to two unearned runs, one in the second inning on Thompson’s errant throw, and another on a ground ball that went through the legs of Reinaldo Ilarraza at third base that allowed Friis to score.
“When balls got hit to them, I’m not going to make excuseson why they made the errors and threw the ball away, but (the cold) is tough,” Contreras said. “You can’t feel the ball. You want your young guys like that to get on (the field and get off. Our pitchers need to do a better job of establishing the strike zone and getting ahead early.”
Lake County and Fort Wayne continue their four-game set today. First pitch is 2:05 p.m. in a continuationfrom Friday’s game that was postponed because of inclement weather. They will pick up the game in the fourth inning and play a full nine frames, then after an approximate 30-minute break they will play a seven-inning game to complete the series.
All Rights Reserved
FORT WAYNE — Three errors, a starting pitcher who struggled to throw effectively and a strikeout total equal to the number of hits in the game.
The TinCaps opened their 10th season at Parkview Field with a game they soon hope to forget.
The Fort Wayne TinCaps remained winless on the season Saturday with a 9-3 loss on Saturday to the Lake County Captains on a cold, brisk evening.
“Didn’t say much to them right now,” third-year TinCaps manager Anthony Contreras said of what he told his team following a disappointing performance in the first home game of the season. “Look at the game and talk to them tomorrow. We want them to continue to keep playing.
“We saw the last couple years you have to keep continuing to play fundamentally sound baseball. You’ve got to keep grinding it out.”
Mason Thompson, Fort Wayne’s 20-year-old right-handed starting pitcher from Round Rock, Texas, struck out the first batter he faced but from
He walked a batter and hit another in the first inning but didn’t allow much more damage.
Lake County, the Class-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, loaded the bases with no outs in each of the next two innings. The Captains (2-0) took a 2-0 lead. After walking Jose Medina, Thompson fielded a soft grounder off the bat of Jose Vincente and sailed a potential double-play ball into the outfield.
The Captains, who never trailed in the game, got their lead on an RBI single from Jorma Rodriguez and a bases-loaded walk from Austen Wade before the TinCaps (2-0) cut the deficit in half on a Luis Campusano double that knocked in Gabriel Arias.
In the third, Tyler Friis had an RBI groundout to make it 3-1, chasing Thompson from the game.
“Probably establishing his fastball,” Contreras said
Campusano, making his first start behind the plate,
“Mason is a bulldog,” said Campusano, a 19-year-old Augusta, Georgia, native. “He did what he could. It is baseball. It happens. Everything can go your way. It is what it is. It just happened. Tough loss but I thought he did really good.”
Thompson did finish with five
Lake County added three more runs in the fourth inning, during which Medina hit an RBI double and Friis drove in a run. Medina was 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and three runs to lead the Captains.
Fort Wayne’s offense was inconsistent in the TinCaps’ home debut. After allowing a run in the second inning, Kirk McCarty struck out all three TinCaps in the third inning. He fanned seven in 4 1/3 innings and did not factor into the decision. Kyle Nelson, who just had 1 2/3 innings of relief work, fanned three of the six batters he faced and got the win.
In all, Fort Wayne struck out 14 times. They watched called third strikes on seven occasions.
The TinCaps’s three errors led to two unearned runs, one in the second inning on Thompson’s errant throw, and another on a ground ball that went through the legs of Reinaldo Ilarraza at third base that allowed Friis to score.
“When balls got hit to them, I’m not going to make excuses
Lake County and Fort Wayne continue their four-game set today. First pitch is 2:05 p.m. in a continuation
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