IL1 Toledo Mud Hens

Hens Rout Indians, Regain West Division Lead

Published on July 15, 2018 under International League (IL1)
Toledo Mud Hens News Release


INDIANAPOLIS - The Toledo Mud Hens regained top spot in the West Division standings with a convincing 9-2 win over the Indianapolis Indians on Sunday at Victory Field.

The Mud Hens (51-41) overwhelmed second-place Indianapolis (50-41) with four home runs in the series finale, three of which arrived in the ninth inning. Christin Stewart finished 1-for-4 with a three-run shot and a season-high four RBI, while Chad Huffman went 2-for-5 with a two-run drive, a single, and two runs scored. Dixon Machado also shined at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three singles and a pair of runs scored.

Making his first appearance in a Toledo uniform, Matt Hall did not factor in the decision, striking out three in 5.1 innings of work, allowing two earned runs on three hits and five walks. Hunter Cervenka tossed 1.1 shutout innings in relief to pick up his second win of the year, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one.

The Mud Hens broke the scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Machado ripped a line drive past the glove of third baseman Jose Osuna and into left field for a leadoff single, and advanced to second on a Stewart groundout. Not far removed from his Triple-A Home Run Derby championship, Huffman then sent a 1-1 pitch over the left-field wall to give Toledo a 2-0 edge.

Hall stymied the Indians in his first two trips through the order, but ran out of gas in the bottom of the sixth. Indianapolis used three consecutive walks to load the bases with nobody out, setting up Jose Osuna for a sacrifice fly into deep center that plated Kevin Newman. The Mud Hens replaced Hall with Cervenka, but the hosts restored parity when Kevin Kramer added a sacrifice fly of his own to left to drive in Sean Rodriguez.

Toledo quickly recaptured the lead, tallying a run in both the seventh and eighth innings to open up a 4-2 advantage. Huffman started the seventh with a base hit into left, moved up to second on a botched fielder's choice attempt, and reached third on an Edwin Espinal double-play ball. Gerber put the Mud Hens back in front with a hard single into right that drove in Huffman and made it a 3-2 contest. The visitors quickly loaded the bases loaded with nobody out in the penultimate inning, but could only generate one run as Harold Castro scored when Stewart was hit by a pitch.

The Mud Hens put the game beyond any doubt in the closing stages, using three home runs as part of a five-run ninth inning. Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Castro clubbed back-to-back solo efforts to extend Toledo's cushion to 6-2. After Jacob Robson lined a base hit into center and Machado walked to put runners on first and second, Stewart unloaded a three-run rocket into right-center for his 16th home run of the campaign. Trailing 9-2, the Indians turned to reserve catcher Ryan Lavarnway to salvage the final two outs.

What's Next:

The Mud Hens return to Fifth Third Field on Monday to begin a three-game set against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Kyle Funkhouser is slated to make his Triple-A debut for Toledo in the series opener, while Gary Sanchez is expected to play on Monday and Wednesday for the RailRiders as part of a rehab assignment.

#RoadToDetroit Report (rankings according to MLB.com 2018 Prospect Watch):

5. OF Christin Stewart: 1-for-4, home run, four RBI

7. RHP Kyle Funkhouser: DNP

11. OF Mike Gerber: 1-for-4, single, RBI

12. IF Dawel Lugo: DNP

15. RHP Grayson Long: DNP (DL)

16. RHP Bryan Garcia: DNP (DL)

18. LHP Tyler Alexander: DNP

23. LHP Matt Hall: (ND) 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 SO

26. OF Jacob Robson: 1-for-4, single, walk, run

Hens Notes:

- The Mud Hens hit back-to-back home runs for the third time this season and second time this month. Jason Krizan and Grayson Greiner hit consecutive home runs on July 6 at Louisville.

- Lavarnway is the first position player to pitch against Toledo since Louisville's Hernan Iribarren took the mound on May 17, 2017.

- Robson has hit safely in 12 of his first 14 games with the Mud Hens, averaging .436 (24-for-55) with six doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBI.

- Dawel Lugo started in the 2018 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on Sunday at Nationals Park in Wahington, D.C.

Check out the Toledo Mud Hens Statistics

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International League Stories from July 15, 2018


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