Yankees Drop Third Straight Game with 8-2 Loss to Toledo Mud Hens

Published on May 15, 2012 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees News Release


Toledo, OH - Dellin Betances (LP, 2-3) matched his season high with seven strikeouts and also matched a season high with six walks but it was a two strike pitch to Brad Eldred in the third inning that was the turning point in the game. Eldred hit his league leading 16th homer of the season on a two strike pitch with the Yankees leading 1-0, that drove home three runs giving Toledo (22-17) a lead it would never relinquish as the Mud Hens handed Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (18-19) its third straight loss in the opening game of a four game series by an 8-2 score.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre got on the scoreboard first picking up an unearned run off Toledo starter Thad Weber (WP, 3-1) thanks to some shaky Mud Hens defense. After a lead off walk to Jack Cust and a Brandon Laird single to right with one down, Francisco Cervelli hit what looked to be an inning ending 6-4-3 double play that was kicked by shortstop Audy Ciriaco and loaded the bases. With two down following a Cole Garner strikeout Ramiro Pena's grounder to second could have ended the inning for a second time but after fielding the grounder at second base, Brent Dlugach over threw Ciriaco covering the bag and the Yankees picked up an unearned run as Cust scored for a 1-0 SWB lead.

Betances got through the first two innings with minimal damage before running into trouble in the third. Justin Henry led off the inning with a single and moved to second base on the second walk of the game from Betances to Ryan Strieby. With two on and none out, the IL's leading home run hitter and RBI man Eldred came to the plate. The Yankees lead disappeared when Eldred took a Betances pitch over the wall in left for a three run shot knocking in his IL best 43rd, 44th and 45th RBI's, giving Toledo a 3-1 lead.

The Yankees starter issued six walks on the night for the fourth time in eight starts this season but did match his season high in strikeouts with seven for the second consecutive start. Betances was lifted after 3.2 innings throwing 104 pitches with 50 going for strikes allowing the three earned runs on the Eldred homer.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre picked up its second and final run off Weber in the top of the fifth. Eduardo Nunez picked up his first RBI since returning to SWB from the New York Yankees with a single to left that scored Garner from second base after he led the inning off with an infield single and moved to second on a Pena ground out.

The Yankees run in the top of the fifth cut the Mud Hens lead to 3-2 but the momentum from the run scoring inning didn't last as the Mud Hens scored a pair, charged to SWB reliever Jason Bulger to extend the lead to 5-2. Bulger who took over for Betances and got the final out of the fourth inning allowed a lead off walk and single to open the fifth inning and following a sacrifice bunt that moved runners to second and third, a second walk loaded the bases. Exit Bulger and enter Juan Cedeno from the Yankees pen who surrendered a two RBI single to the first man he faced Quintin Berry giving the Mud Hens a three run lead.

Toledo would add three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, all against Cedeno with a RBI fielder's choice from Dlugach, a sacrifice fly from Berry and on a throwing error from Francisco Cervelli.

The Yankees continue the four game series at Fifth Third Field in Toledo against the Mud Hens Wednesday morning with a 10:30 AM first pitch. D.J. Mitchell (2-1, 3.41 ERA) gets the start for SWB while Toledo will counter with left hander Andy Oliver (3-1, 3.23 ERA).

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International League Stories from May 15, 2012


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