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Yankees Score Five in the First, Ortiz Handles the Rest

May 22, 2012 - International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees News Release


Columbus, OH - Ramon Ortiz (WP, 2-3) gave himself an early birthday present on Tuesday afternoon tossing eight innings of two run baseball as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (24-20) took three of four from the Columbus Clippers (21-24) with a 6-2 win in the series finale at Huntington Park.

Ortiz, who turns 39 years old on the Yankees off day on Wednesday, pitched like someone much younger as he turned in his longest start of the season against the Clippers who managed two runs on a pair of solo homers against him on the afternoon. While the Columbus offense couldn't generate much against the SWB right hander, the Yankees put up a crooked number early in the game for the second straight day. After scoring six runs in the second inning on Monday night, the Yankees scored five in the top of the first on Tuesday and gave Ortiz a comfortable lead before he ever threw a pitch.

Kevin Russo led off the game for the Yankees with a double into the right field corner off Clippers starter Chris Seddon (LP, 4-3) extending his hit streak to season high eight straight games. Steve Pearce singled Russo to third with one down for Ronnier Mustelier. Mustelier got the run home with a sacrifice fly to left field and the Yankees led 1-0. With two down, the next four hitters for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre would reach against Seddon who allowed his biggest inning of the season since allowing six in a game against Toledo on April 24th. Francisco Cervelli knocked in Pearce with an RBI single, and when Canzler misplayed the ball in left, Brandon Laird scored all the way from first and Cervelli ended up on third base and the Yankees led 3-0. Cole Garner followed with an RBI single and Gustavo knocked in a run with a double off the wall in right center and SWB had a 5-0 lead.

Ortiz pitched aggressively with the lead allowing only a lead off homer to open the second by Jared Goedert and a one out homer in the sixth inning by Cord Phelps. The right hander finished his day with 8.0 IP, allowing six hits and two runs with no walks and four strikeouts. Ortiz won his second consecutive start on the road trip after a seven inning winning effort at Toledo on Thursday May 17th.

After the opening inning in which the Yankees scored five runs and matched their season high with six hits in a single inning, Seddon settled down retiring 12 consecutive SWB hitters after Molina's first inning RBI double. He managed to get through the seventh, which was big for Columbus, after Monday's starter Corey Klueber was knocked out in the top of the season inning by the Yankees. Ramiro Pena added the sixth and final run for SWB with a single to right field scoring Cervelli who was hit by a Seddon pitch, went to second on a Garner sacrifice bunt and moved to third on Laird's fly out to center.

Juan Cedeno added a scoreless inning for the Yankees in a non save situation walking two and striking out one Clippers hitter in the bottom of the ninth.

Following an off day at home on the road in Buffalo on Wednesday, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre opens a four game "home" series with Buffalo in its own stadium on Thursday night. The four game series at Coca-Cola Field starts on Thursday night with a 7:05 PM first pitch. Right-hander Adam Warren (2-2, 4.98) takes the mound for the Yankees, while the Bisons counter with right hander Matt Harvey (4-1, 4.31).

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