Barons Drop Weekend Set vs. Lookouts
May 8, 2023 - Southern League (SL)
Birmingham Barons News Release
The Birmingham Barons headed into the weekend and the final two games of the six games series with a chip on their shoulder. The Chattanooga Lookouts walked-off the Barons the night prior to even the series at two a-piece.
The two foes have been battling this whole series as they have taken turns winning for the past four nights. With the fate of the series left until the weekend, the next two games were filled with action.
Here are how the final games of the series between the Barons and Lookouts went:
Saturday, May 6th, 2023
Coming into the Saturday day affair the Barons were revenge filled as they had walked-off the night before. They knew that with a win today they could get some momentum back, to try and win the series. The two foes kept the week-long battle alive in a close game, this time ending in a 5-3 final score in favor of the Lookouts.
The Barons were the first to jump on the scoreboard as an RBI single from catcher Xavier Fernandez scored a run. Fernandez has come through for the away team a lot this week, ending Game 5 2-4 with one RBI.
Even with the early energy boost the Barons could not keep the Lookouts off the board. Chattanooga would score a run in the next two innings to put themselves up one in the third inning. Birmingham needed to respond, and center-fielder Yoelqui Cespedes knew how.
Cespedes wound up on the fifth pitch of the at-bat and delivered a strike over the left-center-field wall to knot the game at two a-piece. Birmingham was about to tie the ballgame because of their offense and a stellar outing from starting RHP Matt Thompson.
Thompson let up the two earned runs early in his duties from the bump, nevertheless the right-hander in his 5.1 IP did not let it affect him. The 22 year-old finished his night with six hits, two earned runs and eight strikeouts.
The Chicago White Sox No. 14 prospect kept them in the close affair and was able to combine with LHP Andrew Perez for a shutout inning in the sixth. After the pitching staff was able to prolong the tie ballgame, the Barons gifted them back a run to take the lead in the seventh.
Designated hitter Chris Shaw led off the inning with a towering fly ball that eclipsed the center-field wall. Shaw came into the series with zero home runs on the year, and with this blast in Game 5 made it his second in three games.
Birmingham, with the lead, turned to LHP Gil Luna to take on the bottom of the eighth. Luna only mustered up one out in the inning, coupled with three earned runs to give the Lookouts back the lead.
The Barons were only left with one more opportunity to garner a comeback. In the top of the ninth Chattanooga sat down the three Barons batters in order.
Sunday, May 7th, 2023
The Barons now sat down 3-2 in the series against the Lookouts with one game left. After dropping two games in a row to Chattanooga, Birmingham was not going to go down without a fight. The nine inning bout ended in an 8-6 decision in favor of the Lookouts, finalizing the series victory 4-2.
The game started very shaky for the Barons giving up three runs in the first two innings. The Lookouts smacked a two-run homer to get things started in the first, and scored another on an RBI single.
Birmingham's hopes of splitting the series seemed to disappear with every pitch. However as rapidly as Chattanooga got their lead, the Barons cut it in half with one swing of the bat.
In the top of the third inning shortstop Moises Castillo walked to bring a runner on with two-outs for second-baseman Jose Rodriguez. Rodriguez wasted no time in his at-bat in taking the third pitch deep to center-field for a two-run home run. The Dominican Republic native didn't just display his talent in this game, he did it all series finishing 4-18 with two runs, three RBI and two home runs.
The rough start for the Barons didn't seem as bad since they were able to muster some offense of their own. Rodriguez aided starting LHP Garrett Schoenle by giving two of the four runs that he let up to start the game. Schoenle, despite the rough start, got his stuff together for the rest of his 5.0 IP outing.
The southpaw finished his night allowing five hits, four earned runs, one home run and striking out nine. Schoenle finished with three scoreless innings, and the Barons bats were not going to let that go to waste.
In a similar position as Rodriguez was faced with in the third, Cespedes walked up to the plate with one-on and one-out in the sixth inning. Yoelqui fought himself to a full count, and on a high fast-ball he sent a two-run blast out of the park.
Cespedes capped off his stellar series going 1-3 with a run, two RBI and a home run. That performance aided in his 6-20 four run, three RBI, a double, a triple and two home run week.
Birmingham had finally fought themselves back into the ballgame with two home runs, still the Lookouts were not going to back down. Chattanooga saw the Barons two-run homers and raised them a three-run blast in the seventh off of RHP Nash Walters.
The Barons gathered up two of the three runs they needed from Shaw, who delivered his third home run of the series in the eighth inning. Shaw's efforts were appreciated but the Barons were not able to build upon the two-run blast.
Birmingham would allow another Chattanooga run to cross the plate, bringing us to our final score of 8-6.
The Barons now embark on a six-game home stand, this time inviting the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to town. The Blue Wahoos have been on a tear recently winning nine out of their last ten games. Even so LHP Garrett Davila will take the bump in the series opener to try and stop the red-hot fish.
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Southern League Stories from May 8, 2023
- Birmingham Squanders Solid Efforts in 6-4 Battle against Chattanooga - Birmingham Barons
- Barons Drop Weekend Set vs. Lookouts - Birmingham Barons
- Homestand Highlights: May 9-14 vs. Pensacola Blue Wahoos - Mississippi Braves
- Garrett Crochet of CWS Talks Rehab, Barons, and Time in MiLB - Birmingham Barons
- Shuckers, Brewers Announce Promotion of Darrell Thompson to Triple-A - Biloxi Shuckers
- Domingo Robles Named Southern League Pitcher of the Week - Mississippi Braves
- Shuckers Face Trash Pandas in First Home Stand of May - Biloxi Shuckers
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