Bats Fall Silent as Threshers Drop Opener to Mets, 9-2
BOX SCORE CLEARWATER, FL - The Clearwater Threshers mustered just three hits in a 9-2 loss to the St. Lucie Mets in the six-game series opener on Tuesday night at BayCare Ballpark. Right-hander Starlyn Castillo made the start on the mound for Clearwater, allowing four runs on three hits with
*CLEARWATER, FL - *The Clearwater Threshers mustered just three hits in a 9-2 loss to the St. Lucie Mets in the six-game series opener on Tuesday night at BayCare Ballpark.
Right-hander Starlyn Castillo made the start on the mound for Clearwater, allowing four runs on three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in four innings of work.
The Threshers (12-25, 47-55) opened the scoring in the first on a sac-fly RBI by Leandro Pineda and added another in the second on an RBI single by Matt Alifano to make it 2-0.
With the home team leading 2-0 in the fourth, Castillo ran into trouble and loaded the bases before allowing a go-ahead grand slam to Jack-Thomas Wold to make it 4-2 St. Lucie.
The Mets (21-16, 61-41) went on to add five more runs in the eighth inning off right-handed reliever Alex Garbrick, who allowed five runs on five hits including a three-run home run by Carlos Dominguez.
Trailing 9-2 in the ninth, the Threshers secured their first hit since the second on an infield single by Hao Yu Lee to begin the final frame but Clearwater couldn't inch any closer in dropping a third consecutive contest.
Clearwater and St. Lucie return to action in game two of the six-game set on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. Left-hander Gabriel Cotto (2-3, 4.65) is scheduled to start for the Threshers with coverage on the Threshers Broadcasting Network set to begin at 6:20 p.m.