Hens swept out of Columbus, off to L'Ville
After being shut out Saturday night, the Hens could only muster one run off the Clippers' pitching staff as they were swept by Columbus to begin their road trip. Despite matching the Clippers in the hit column with eight, the Hens were unable to get their runners across the plate in the losing effort.
Cesar Ramos delivered five runs of two-run baseball on the mound. The lefty gave up just four hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Manager Lloyd McClendon threw two more lefties at the Clippers, as Matt Crouse and Blaine Hardy tossed scoreless frames as well.
The game's first offense came in the second when Jesus Aguilar tagged a Ramos pitch into the left field bleacher seats, making it 1-0 in favor of the Clippers.
The Hens were able to tie it up, however, in the fifth. With one out, Jordany Valdespin smoked a triple to center. Up next, Pedro Ciriaco successfully got the run in with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Valdespin and tied it up.
The Clippers answered right back in the home half, though. Joey Butler led off with a single, and Yandy Diaz grounded into a fielder's choice that got Butler forced out at second and left him alone at first. Erik Gonzalez followed with a double to right-center that brought Diaz all the way around to break the tie.
Toledo's best chance to score again came in the sixth, when Steven Moya and Chad Huffman strung together back-to-back one-out singles. Dean Green struck out, but Moya and Huffman put on a double steal to each move up a base. John Hicks walked to load the bases, but Columbus starter Adam Plutko struck out Valdespin to escape unharmed. Plutko lasted six innings while giving up just one run on six hits and five strikeouts.
Joe Jimenez entered in the bottom of the eighth looking to keep it a one-run game and give the Hens a chance to fight back in the ninth. Jimenez got two quick outs, but a hanging slider to Adam Moore ended up over the fence in left-center for some insurance runs for Columbus.
Percy Garner came on in the ninth and shut Toledo down 1-2-3 to complete the sweep for the Clippers.
The Hens head to Louisville for three games before returning home on Thursday, August 25 to play the Clippers again.