Aeros Bullpen Key in 5-1 Victory over Erie
July 29, 2009 - Eastern League (EL1)
Akron RubberDucks News Release
AKRON, OH - The Aeros scored four times in the third and a trio of relievers silenced the dangerous Erie offense, as Akron claimed its third straight game over the SeaWolves 5-1 in front of 2,014 fans at Canal Park Wednesday night. Newly acquired Connor Graham got the starting nod for the Aeros but departed in the fourth inning because of a blister, but relievers Steven Wright, Zach Putnam and Josh Judy allowed just three singles and a walk over the final 5.2 innings. Akron improved to 64-41 with the victory and extended its lead in the Southern Division to six games over Erie (57-46).
In his first outing in Double-A, Graham lit up the radar guns early on but also faced issues with his control. He walked three of the first four batters he faced to load the bases with one out, but the 6'7" right-hander escaped serious harm by inducing a run-scoring ground ball from Alex Avila and striking out Michael Bertram to end the inning and strand runners at second and third.
It remained 1-0 until Akron got on the board in the third, as Cristo Arnal extended his hitting streak to seven games with a one-out single to left and leadoff man Jose Constanza followed with a base hit of his own to move Arnal to third. Jerad Head then hit a chopper to short on the next pitch and hustled to beat the relay throw, keeping the inning alive as Arnal scored to tie the game. The effort paid off for the Aeros as Nick Weglarz followed with a walk and Carlos Santana laced a sinking two-run double to right that eluded Brennan Boesch to put Akron in front 3-1. Beau Mills then finalized the frame with an RBI double of his own to give Akron a three-run edge.
More clutch hitting in the bottom of the seventh paced the Aeros offense, as Arnal grounded a two-out double to left field and Constanza scored him with his second single to provide the final margin.
Wright kept his record perfect at 8-0 with 2.2 innings of one-hit baseball, walking none and striking out three in relief of Graham. Jonah Nickerson (7-8) took the loss for the SeaWolves, permitting all five runs along with six hits in 6.2 innings. Putnam surrendered a pair of singles and struck out four in two shutout frames, and Judy struck out two while working the ninth. Graham hit 95 mph with his fastball and show cased an excellent slider, as evidenced by his five strikeouts in 3.1 innings. He allowed one run, one hit, and three walks as the Aeros tied a season-high by notching 14 strikeouts. Santana finished 1-4 and drove in a pair while extending his hitting streak to a season-high seven games, and Mills finished 2-3 with a walk for his team-leading 31st multi-hit game of the season.
The Aeros will look for their first four-game sweep of 2009 in Thursday evening's series finale at Canal Park. It is another Thirsty Thursday, meaning fans can enjoy 12-ounce beverages (soda and beer) for just $1 from the time gates open until the end of the third inning. Right-hander Josh Tomlin (9-8, 4.16 ERA) will take the mound for Akron looking to become just the second 10-game winner in the Eastern League while Erie will counter with Thad Weber (4-2, 3.56 ERA). The game broadcast begins at 6:50 p.m. on SportsRadio 1350 AM and online at www.akronaeros.com. For more information, please call the Aeros at (330) 253-5151.
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