Williams-Sutton takes lumps for TinCaps

Dwanya Williams-Sutton was an on-base machine Monday -- in the most painful way possible.
The San Diego outfield prospect was plunked four times and added a walk and two RBIs as Class A Fort Wayne knocked off Cedar Rapids, 10-2. With 19 this season, Williams-Sutton leads the Midwest League in getting tagged by pitches.

"It's frustrating but then it's not, because in the Padres organization, we really focus on on-base percentage," he said. "That's the good thing. The bad thing is not being able to swing the bat, going into my last at-bat, feeling a little rusty. My arm's sore, but I got on base today, so that's all I'm worried about."
Williams-Sutton walked in the first inning before being hit by a pitch by righty Tyler Palm with the bases loaded in the second inning. After being drilled in the fourth by Alex Schick, Williams-Sutton took another pitch off his body in the fifth again against the righty with the bases loaded. Both times, the East Carolina product plated Tyler Benson.
The third time led to some internal and external conversation.
"After the third time I was like, there's no chance -- no chance -- I get hit again," Williams-Sutton said. "The catcher (Cedar Rapids' Alex Isola) when I went to hit was like, 'Man, we're not trying to hit you' my third time. Then my fourth time he was like, 'Bro, I promise you we're not trying to hit you.'
"I told him it was all good."
Gameday box score
Williams-Sutton was popped for the last time in the seventh by righty Nate Hadley.
"I'm pretty sure I had like 13 my junior year in college, but I don't try to get hit by pitches," said Williams-Sutton, who had 14 for the Pirates during his 2018 season. "My teammates, they think I try to lean into it, but it's where I've stood. My coaches in college always told me don't move your feet because that might alter your at-bat, so I just don't move my feet and they keep going at it. I'm going to just keep getting hit, I guess.
"I definitely stand in the same spot that I've stood always in the box. I think pitchers are pitching me inside where they think I can't hit the ball inside. They're just coming in a little too much and they usually end up hitting me in the arm. Other than that, I've been steady all my years with placement in the box."
The four plunks put him in a five-way tie for the Minor League record going back to 2005. Other "victims" included Ogden's Carlos Medero-Stullz on July 5, 2006, West Michigan's Casper Wells on May 2, 2008, Dominican Summer League Blue Jays 1's Fausto Natera on June 17, 2008, Trenton Kemp of the Gulf Coast League Red Sox on July 3, 2015 and Spokane's Tyler Sanchez on July 25, 2015.
The Major League record for most times hit by a pitch in a single game is three, set 30 times since 1908 -- most recently this year by Arizona's Tim Locastro on May 24 and Cincinnati's Derek Dietrich on June 21.

In his only at-bat of the night, the outfielder grounded into a double play in the eighth, finishing with an 0-for-1 line that tells anything but the full tale of a strange game.
"I'm going to go eat some food, get in the ice bath for sure," Williams-Sutton laughed. "I'm going to do everything I can. Tomorrow we've got an off day, and that's going to be big because I know if we had a game tomorrow, there's no way I'd be able to play."
Williams-Sutton's 19 plunks this year stand tied for fifth among full-season Minor Leaguers with Triple-A Reno's Wyatt Mathisen. Houston's No. 8 prospectSeth Beer leads the Minors with 24 between Class A Advanced and Double-A.
San Diego's No. 15 prospectTucupita Marcano went 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot with a double, a walk and four RBIs while No. 28 prospect Joey Cantillo matched a career high with 10 strikeouts. He allowed two runs on five hits over six innings to improve to 7-3 on the year.