Brown & Bullpen Combine on Yard Goats Shutout Win

Brown & Bullpen Combine on Yard Goats Shutout Win

Reading, PA- McCade Brown and four relievers combined for a five-hit shutout as the Yard Goats blanked the Reading Fightin Phils 3-0 on Wednesday evening at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading, Pennsylvania. Brown worked 5.2 innings, and allowed just three hits and recorded seven strikeouts to earn his first Double-A win. Relievers Welinton Herrera, Sam Weatherly, Collin Baumgartner and Brayan Castillo closed out the game retiring 10 of the final 12 batters as the Yard Goats snapped a four-game losing streak. Hartford scored three runs in the third inning as Juan Guerrero cracked a two-run double, and Bryant Betancourt added an RBI single. Third baseman Kyle Karros had a hit to extended his on base streak to 28 consecutive games.

The Yard Goats scored three runs in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead against Fightins starting pitcher Jean Cabrera. After striking out the side in the first inning the Reading right-hander allowed singles to Nic Kent and Cole Carrigg putting runners at first and second base. Juan Guerrero followed by lining a double into the left field corner, scoring Kent and Carrigg and giving the Yard Goats a 2-0 lead. It was Guerrero’s 15^th double of the season. Later in the inning, Bryant Betancourt added a two-out RBI single, scoring Guerrero to make it 3-0.

Hartford starter McCade Brown worked around leadoff walks in the first two innings and got help from a double play in the second inning. The hard throwing righty retired the side in order in the third and fourth innings and sat down nine consecutive batters from the second through fifth innings. He allowed only three singles and got the first two hitters of the sixth inning before he departed with a 3-0 lead.

The Yard Goats bullpen was outstanding and retired 10 of 12 batters faced in 3.1 innings. Welinton Herrera struck out the only batter he faced in the sixth inning and Sam Weatherly hurled a 1-2-3 seventh with a pair of strikeouts. Collin Baumgartner worked around a leadoff single in the eighth and had a strikeouts and Brayan Castillo navigated around a two out double to earn his fifth save.

The Yard Goats continue the six-game series against Reading on Thursday night (7:00 PM). LHP Sean Sullivan will start for the Yard Goats. The game will be broadcast on the free Audacy app. The Yard Goats return to Dunkin’ Park next Tuesday, June 24^th to host the Toronto Blue Jays affiliate, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.