Mud Hens earn 3-2 win over Charlotte Wednesday morning

5/16/2018
BY JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
  • SPT-Hens17p-129

    Nick Pfaff 10, of Navarre Elementary School, gets a baseball from Muddy the Mud Hen before the Mud Hens' game against the Charlotte Knights at Fifth Third Field on May 16, 2018.

    Blade/Amy E. Voigt

  • Four Toledo Mud Hens relievers combined to pitch them to a 3-2 victory Wednesday against Charlotte at Fifth Third Field. “Starter” Johnny Barbato retired all nine batters he faced, and Caleb Thielbar followed with three scoreless innings to claim the win. Kevin Comer got a game-ending strikeout to earn the save.

    What happened: The Mud Hens jumped in front with a pair of first-inning runs thanks to an RBI double by Jim Adduci and a run-scoring single by Jason Krizan.

    The game stayed 2-0 Toledo until the eighth, when Charlotte crept close with back-to-back one-out doubles that produced a run. But the Hens got that run back in the bottom half thanks to a run-scoring double by Adduci.

    The Knights threatened to tie it in the ninth, scoring a run and putting the potential tying run on second base and the potential go-ahead run on first. But Comer struck out Juan Perez to earn his second save of the season.

    VIDEO: Mud Hens 3, Knights 2

    Game MVP: Adduci obviously played a role in both Hens scoring rallies, finishing 2 for 4 with a run scored.

    He said it: “Barbato set the tone by pitching well out of the chute. He asked for the start, which was nice. And our bullpen has been phenomenal all year, and their numbers show it.” — Mud Hens manager Doug Mientkiewicz

    Make a note of it: Barbato is the 13th pitcher to start for Toledo this season. That is tied with Gwinnett for the most in the International League this season. … Ronny Rodriguez singled in the first to extend his current hit streak to 12 games, the longest active streak in the IL.

    Comings and goings: Late Tuesday, the Detroit Tigers called up two Toledo pitchers, Wednesday’s scheduled starter Artie Lewicki and Thursday’s scheduled starter Ryan Carpenter. To make room on their roster, the Tigers optioned pitcher Zac Reininger and infielder Dawel Lugo to the Mud Hens. … The Hens also added two right-handed pitchers from Double-A Erie, Kyle Dowdy and Kurt Spomer. … Toledo also put pitcher Mark Montgomery on the disabled list with an elbow issue.

    A look ahead: The Mud Hens will look to complete a three-game sweep at 10:35 a.m. Thursday. It will be another “bullpen” game for Toledo, with a yet-to-be-named pitcher starting for the Hens against Charlotte’s T.J. House (1-4, 6.37 ERA).

    Contact John Wagner at jwagner@theblade.com419-724-6481, or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.