New Hampshire 7-12-0Hartford 1- 2- 0WP: Jordan Romano (7-0)LP: Jesus Tinoco (4-4)HR: Cavan Biggio (12), Guerrero Jr. (7), Metzler (5)T- 2:29A- 6,263
New Hampshire 7-12-0
Hartford 1- 2- 0
WP: Jordan Romano (7-0)
LP: Jesus Tinoco (4-4)
HR: Cavan Biggio (12), Guerrero Jr. (7), Metzler (5)
T- 2:29
A- 6,263
HARTFORD, CT- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., baseball's number one prospect, homered, collected two doubles, singled and scored three runs to lift the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to a 7-1 victory over the Hartford Yard Goats Wednesday and a sweep of the three-game series. The Yard Goats were held without a hit for 7 2/3 innings, before Ryan Metzler ended the combined no-hit bid with an upper deck home run to right-field. In front of Hartford's ninth sellout crowd of the season (6,263), the first place Fisher Cats (23-13) improved to 7-0 at Dunkin' Donuts Park in 2018 and lead the Colorado Rockies' affiliate (21-18) in the season series, 8-1.
Fisher Cats' right-handed starter Jordan Romano, who improved to 7-0 and tops the Eastern League in victories, allowed just two walks through six innings against the second best hitting club in the league. But in the seventh inning, experiencing an issue with his throwing hand, Romano was removed with a 2-and-2 count on Hartford's lead off batter Dom Nuñez. He struck out five batters and threw only 61 pitches in his outing. Reliever Danny Young entered to keep the no-hit bid alive, until serving up Metzler's home run. Garrett Hampson added the Yard Goats' second hit with a ninth inning double.
The Toronto Blue Jays affiliate put the game away early, batting around to score five runs in the third inning against starter Jesus Tinoco.. Andrew Guillotte opened the frame with a double and scored on a bloop single down the right-field line by Ryan Hissey. A triple by Jonathan Davis and a sacrifice fly by Bo Bichette added to the score, before Guerrero Jr. doubled and Cavan Biggio unloaded with an upper deck home run to right-field, capping the frame. Biggio leads the EL in home runs with 12. A sacrifice fly by Connor Panas and Guerrero's home run to left, his seventh of the season, added to the Fisher Cats' advantage.
Guerrero's four hits and two hits each by Davis, Biggio and Guillotte led New Hampshire's 12-hit attack. The Fisher Cats lead the EL in team batting average and runs scored.
The Yard Goats look to return to their winning ways, when they host the Cleveland Indians affiliate, the Akron Rubber Ducks in a four-game series, starting Thursdaynight at 7:05. RHP Peter Lambert will pitch for Hartford against RHP Shao-Ching Chiang for Akron. The game will be televised on Vantage Sportsnet, broadcast on AM 1410 WPOP and streamed on newsradio.1410.com and MiLB.com.
