Watts-Brown, Brown Set for Friday Duel in Manchester
Published on July 25, 2025 under Eastern League (EL)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (8-16, 37-56) and the Hartford Yard Goats (14-10, 50-43) continue their six-game series with a 6:35 PM EDT first pitch at Delta Dental Stadium on Friday night. Trailing 12 games to nine in the season series, New Hampshire needs to win each of the next three games to earn a series split with the Yard Goats in 2025.
LAST NIGHT
Fisher Cats starter Kendry Rojas (L, 0-2) struck out seven batters and three bullpen arms allowed one run over 4-2/3 innings, but New Hampshire fell to Hartford, 6-3. In his fourth Double-A start, Rojas surrendered five runs on nine hits and no walks in 4-1/3 innings. Reliever Nate Garkow fanned four batters in 1-2/3 innings, and Conor Larkin struck out two in one inning of relief. Righty Geison Urbaez gave up one run across the final two frames.
Offensively, all three of New Hampshire's runs came across in the bottom of the third inning. Eddinson Paulino reached on a walk and scored on a wild pitch, and Je'Von Ward singled and scored on a Gabriel Martinez double. Alex De Jesus knocked the Fisher Cats' third straight hit to cash in Martinez.
Charles McAdoo singled to reach in his ninth straight game, and Cade Doughty owns the longest active hit streak on the team with hits in each of his last seven games.
PITCHING MATCHUP
New Hampshire's Juaron Watts-Brown (1-2, 3.83 ERA) is set to make his 11th start for the Fisher Cats this year. Since joining New Hampshire on May 20, Watts-Brown owns a 3.83 earned run average with 47 strikeouts to 25 walks over 44-2/3 innings pitched. He started his Fisher Cats tenure on May 24 in a five-inning effort against Somerset, allowing five runs on five hits. The 23-year-old responded with back-to-back quality starts in Hartford on May 30 and against Altoona on June 5. Watts-Brown has made three starts against the Yard Goats this year, beginning with six, one-run innings and eight punchouts at Dunkin' Park at the end of May. He made two starts against the Yard Goats to open the first half on June 24 and June 29. Watts-Brown surrendered two runs on five hits in his first start of the week before dealing four scoreless frames in New Hampshire's 7-5 loss to Hartford on June 29. Watts-Brown is second to New Hampshire's Trey Yesavage for the most strikeouts in Toronto's farm system. Across his time with High-A Vancouver and New Hampshire, the Blue Jays' No. 10 prospect (MLB Pipeline) has collected 109 strikeouts over 82 innings of work.
Right-hander McCade Brown (3-1, 3.48 ERA) will make his eighth start for the Yard Goats this season. Brown started the year with High-A Spokane, where he pitched to a 1.60 earned run average over nine starts, with 48 strikeouts and six earned runs over 33-2/3 innings pitched. He was assigned to Hartford on May 30 and made his Double-A debut against the Fisher Cats that same day. Brown surrendered three runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks across five innings pitched in New Hampshire's 4-3 win in extras. The three earned runs Brown allowed were on a Yohendrick Piñango three-run homer in the top of the second inning. The 24-year-old out of Normal, Illinois, faced New Hampshire again on June 26 and held the Fisher Cats to one run on two hits while striking out six in another five-inning effort. The Fisher Cats' lone run was on Jackson Hornung's first Double-A homer in the top of the first inning, and Hartford would go on to win, 2-1. Brown is in his third full season of professional baseball after Colorado selected him in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Indiana.
THIS DAY IN FISHER CATS HISTORY
July 25, 2024- In a 5-4 walk-off win over Reading, Garrett Spain had the walk-off single. With two outs, Cade Doughty singled and Kekai Rios walked, setting the stage for Spain. Anders Tolhurst worked two innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. Ryan McCarty had three hits in the game, driving in a run.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The series moves into the weekend with another 6:35 PM EDT first pitch on Saturday night. The Fisher Cats send Trey Yesavage (1-1, 6.35 ERA) to the hill for his sixth Double-A start against Hartford's Michael Prosecky (0-0, 0.00 ERA), who will make his second start in Double-A.
Eastern League Stories from July 25, 2025
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- Sea Dogs Walked-off by Flying Squirrels, 3-2, on Friday Night - Portland Sea Dogs
- Paulino Homers Twice to Power Cats to Friday Win - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Curve Drop Friday Night Matchup with Chesapeake - Altoona Curve
- Arteaga Lifts Squirrels to Walk-off Win - Richmond Flying Squirrels
- Baysox Deliver Shutout Win in Altoona on Friday Night - Chesapeake Baysox
- Yard Goats Fall in New Hampshire - Hartford Yard Goats
- Watts-Brown, Brown Set for Friday Duel in Manchester - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- July 25, 2025 Sea Dogs Game Notes - Portland Sea Dogs
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