EL1 Akron RubberDucks

Aeros Left Thunderstruck as Trenton Snaps Streak in Series Opener

Published on June 18, 2013 under Eastern League (EL1)
Akron RubberDucks News Release


Akron, OH- It was a tale of two completely different rehab appearances for right-handers Chris Perez and Blake Wood Tuesday night at Canal Park, as the Aeros dropped the series opener against the Trenton Thunder, 5-1.

The Thunder, the AA affiliate of the Yankees, snapped a five-game losing streak, and improved to 3-4 against the Aeros this season. The Aeros fell back to a game under the .500 mark following a winning road trip to New Hampshire and Portland.

Perez, the Cleveland Indians closer, tossed one inning and was touched up for five runs on a trio of thunderous homeruns. Perez (0-1) was placed on the Tribe's 15-day DL on May 27th with a right shoulder strain and was coming off a successful scoreless inning of relief in Class A Lake County on Sunday.

Trenton third baseman Reegie Corona kicked-off what would be a homer-laden inning off Perez. After striking out the following batter, Perez proceeded to give up another solo blast off the bat of Francisco Arcia, hit the next man up, and yet again was taken deep, this time by Shane Brown. Brown's mammoth shot cleared the bleachers in right and smacked off the brick wall directly behind them, giving Trenton a commanding 5-0 lead in the second inning.

Perez, who after the game said he felt good physically, threw 23 pitches, 17 of which for strikes. He struck out two batters on hard sliders, but topped out at 90 miles-per-hour on his fastball.

In contrast, Wood was solid in his inning of work, as he worked quickly and struck out the side to open the game for Akron. Taking over for Wood was left-hander Matt Packer, who went five innings, giving up no runs on three hits while striking out six and walking none.

Packer continues to be 'Mr. Reliable' for the Aeros rotation this season, as he hasn't allowed more than two runs in is last six appearances and has lowered his ERA to a miniscule 1.42 in the month of June.

Strong on the mound for Trenton was Sean Black (1-0), who was making his first start for the Thunder. T 25-year-old righty threw six complete innings, yielding just one run off five hits.

On the offensive side of the plate, the Aeros lone run came in the bottom of the third, as Ronny Rodriguez plated Tyler Holt on a ground out to second base. Earlier in day, Rodriguez was named the Indians Minor League Player of the Week for June 11-18. The shortstop ranked third in the Eastern League in batting throughout last week, hitting .435 (10-23) with five RBI and five runs scored, while posting a 1.136 OPS.

Designated hitter Cedric Hunter also added two hits on the night for Akron on what was otherwise a quiet night for a lineup that entered the night second in the EL in hitting.

The Aeros (34-35) and Thunder (34-35) will play the middle game of the series on Wednesday night at 7:05. RHP Brett Brach (4-2, 4.53) will get the ball for Akron, while RHP Shane Green (NR) is the scheduled starter for Trenton. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1350 AM, and online at www.sportsradio1350.com. For more information, please call the Aeros at 330-253-5151. Follow the team on Twitter @akronaeros or on Facebook at facebook.com/theakronaeros.

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Eastern League Stories from June 18, 2013


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