Hens unable to Wright ship in game one

Monday night started a week long home stand for the Hens as they played host to the Norfolk Tides to get things started. Norfolk, the cellar dwellers in the IL South, sent Mike Wright to the hill as the right hander got his first win of the season. For Toledo, Warwick Saupold took the ball in his second rehab appearance since rejoining the club last week. 

Saupold earned himself a quick first frame against the Tides, striking out former Hen Xavier Avery to lead off the game. Avery would strikeout a total of three times on Monday night. However the quick first was not indicative of the short night Saupold would have on Monday. In the second, the Australian born Saupold surrendered a solo home run to Corban Joseph as Norfolk took a 1-0 lead. In the third the right hander was cruising after retiring the first two batters via the strikeout, and then had Mike Yastrzemski in a one ball two strike hole, the third hitter of the inning. The one and two pitch would be Saupold's last as he exited after feeling discomfort on the mound. The discomfort was speculated to be related to Saupold's groin injury he was previously recovering from. 

The Hens were able to rally for a run in the bottom of the third following the injury to tie the game at one a piece. The run came across after Dean Green led off the frame with an opposite field double to left. Following the double, Anthony Gose lofted a shallow fly ball to the outfield and what looked to be an out, but the ball was misplayed by Xavier Avery in center bouncing off his head enabling Green to motor around and tie the game. 

Dustin Molleken came on in Saupold's relief and threw 2.0 scoreless innings, striking out two. 

In the sixth, with Chad Bell on out of the pen for Toledo, Norfolk's Trey Mancini put the Tides in the lead with a line drive home run to left. Norfolk broke the lead open in innings eight and nine as they scratched across a total of five runs in the two frames off Angel Nesbitt and Drake Britton.

The story on the mound came against the Hens on Monday evening as Mike Wright was able to keep the Toledo bats in check all game long. The right hander has been up with Baltimore for the majority of this season (3-4, 13 G, 6.12 ERA). Wright earned the win throwing eight innings of one run ball, allowing just six hits and striking out six. 

The Toledo bats continued their ninth inning heroics after Wright's exit, as they put together a three run rally. After singles by Casey McGehee and Jacoby Jones, the Hens had two runners on with two out. Backstop John Hicks followed the singles by putting an exclamation point on the inning with a no doubter over the left field wall to make the score 7-4. But the rally would fall just short as Norfolk's Chaz Roe came on to get the game's final out, striking out Argenis Diaz.

The two teams are back in action on Tuesday, with the first pitch set for 7:05 PM.