Jackson, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, couldn't pull off their second sweep in August on Thursday, dropping an 8-2 series finale to the Tennessee Smokies at The Ballpark at Jackson.
Jackson, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, couldn't pull off their second sweep in August on Thursday, dropping an 8-2 series finale to the Tennessee Smokies at The Ballpark at Jackson.
The Generals (73-54) finished their ten-game homestand 5-5, winning four of five games against Tennessee (52-77).
Beginning after a 40-minute delay due to rain, Josh Green (2-3, 4.25 ERA) looked very comfortable in the early innings, facing just two more batters than the minimum across the first five frames. Three consecutive one-out hits by the Smokies in the sixth inning brought home Tennessee's first two runs, and a two-out RBI triple to center by Tennessee's Jared Young drove in their third run to push Tennessee in front, 3-1. Green finished with 88 pitches, throwing 61 for strikes while inducing nine groundball outs. Kevin McCanna pitched a scoreless seventh inning, and Matt Brill sped one-two-three through the eighth before things got wooly again.
With one out in the ninth, Brill allowed a double to Tennessee's Tyler Payne, followed by an infield error that permitted Connor Myers to reach base. The next six batters that Brill faced registered an RBI double, a walk, another RBI double, a sacrifice fly, another walk, and a single with an outfield error, leading to five Smokies runs that stretched the visitors' lead to 8-2. Galli Cribbs Jr. got the final out in mop-up duty. The Smokies finished 5-for-13 with men in scoring position, grabbing a total of seven extra-base hits on the night. In a Major League rehab start, Chicago Cubs utility man Ben Zobrist scored twice, earning three walks from the leadoff spot.
Offensively, the Generals scored first. A lead-off double by Daulton Varsho in the fourth inning set the table for a two-out RBI single by Ramon Hernandez that gave Jackson the 1-0 edge, but the offense largely dried up after that against Tennessee's Erick Leal (3-4, 4.66 ERA) and the Smokies' bullpen. A one-out RBI double by Galli Cribbs Jr. in the seventh scored Ryan Grotjohn to bring the Generals with 3-2, but Manuel Rondon and Oscar De La Cruz (S, 1) retired the final eight Generals in order to keep Jackson from the sweep. Hernandez finished with two hits and an RBI, collecting Jackson's only multi-hit effort.
The Jackson Generals, a West Tennessee franchise since 1998, are the Double-A minor league affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. The Generals play at The Ballpark at Jackson, Tennessee's 2017 & 2018 Pro Sports Field of the Year. Next June, The Ballpark at Jackson will host the 2020 Southern League All-Star Game, and you can purchase 2020 season tickets today by calling 731.988.5299 or visiting JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!
