Ervin triples twice during three-hit night

When Cincinnati picked outfielder Phil Ervin 27th overall in the 2013 Draft, it envisioned nights just like Tuesday.

The Reds' No. 2 prospect, hyped for his bat and speed, put both on display at Fort Wayne. Ervin tallied two triples among his three hits while driving in three runs and scoring twice for Class A Dayton in a 10-9 loss to the TinCaps.

The 21-year-old outfielder added a double and a walk while going 3-for-4, lifting his Midwest League average to .237 and his OPS to .691.

Ervin got things rolling for the Dragons in the first inning, driving in the game's first run with a two-out triple to right field. He struck again in the third, clubbing a double to left and scoring on Jonathan Reynoso's groundout.

The Samford University product tripled again in the fourth, plating two more runs as Dayton jumped out to a 7-3 lead.

The Reds drafted Ervin in the first round last year and saw positive early returns. The 5-foot-11 speedster hit .326 with eight homers in 34 games with Rookie-level Billings last summer, then posted a .916 OPS in 12 games with Dayton to close out the season.

Things haven't gone as well in 2013. Ervin batted .207 in April and .214 in May, clubbing one homer while piling up 49 strikeouts in his first 53 games. He's turned that around in June, hitting .298 with two homers and a .946 OPS in 16 games.

The one area where Ervin hasn't struggled is on the bases, where he's racked up 18 steals in 19 tries.

The three hits tied a season high, something he's accomplished three other times and most recently on June 1. Ervin had four triples on the season coming into Tuesday.

Reds No. 19 prospect Amir Garrett did not figure in the decision after allowing three runs on eight hits in five innings. The two-sport star walked one batter and struck out two.

For Fort Wayne, Padres No. 15 prospect Dustin Peterson went 4-for-6 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. First baseman Jake Bauers fell a triple shy of the cycle with three RBIs and also scored twice for the TinCaps.