Francisco Acuña's home run lifts Hoppers to 2-1 win

Prized pitching prospect Jared Jones strikes out 8, and Acuña hits second HR of season

Greensboro Grasshoppers' shortstop Francisco Acuña. (Jak Kerley/Greensboro Grasshoppers)

By Jeff Mills

July 16, 2022

BROOKLYN ― Raise your hand if you would’ve picked Francisco Acuna as the player most likely to hit a clutch home run. Now put your hand down. Because, no, you would not. And yet it was, indeed, Acuña ― all 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds of him ― who launched a

BROOKLYN ― Raise your hand if you would’ve picked Francisco Acuna as the player most likely to hit a clutch home run.

Now put your hand down. Because, no, you would not.

And yet it was, indeed, Acuña ― all 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds of him ― who launched a two-run home run over the left-field fence in the eighth inning to lift the Greensboro Grasshoppers to a 2-1 victory over the Brooklyn Cyclones at Maimonides Park on Friday night.

Winning pitcher Wandi Montout (4-4) pitched a scoreless seventh inning to pick up the win in relief, and right-hander Cameron Junker worked the ninth inning for his seventh save. Junker struck out Jaylen Palmer on a 2-2 pitch to end the game, stranding the potential tying run at second base.

Right-hander Jared Jones pitched perhaps his best game in 17 starts this season. Jones allowed a run on two hits and two walks, striking out eight in six innings. The 20-year-old, rated by MLB Pipeline as the No. 11 prospect in Pittsburgh’s farm system, ranks third in the South Atlantic League with 102 strikeouts in 80⅔ innings.

But it was Acuña who stole the show.

The 22-year-old shortstop from Colombia is quietly having a good year, hitting .272 in a utility role while playing superior infield defense. And he was the unlikely offensive hero Friday.

Brooklyn's lefty reliever Andrew Edwards (0-1) hit Eli Wilson with a pitch leading off the eighth. Wilson was forced out at second on Hudson Head’s ground ball, but Head’s speed prevented a double play.

Acuña followed, and he hit a 2-0 pitch over the fence in left for his second home run of the season and his eighth in 253 minor-league games.

Yoyner Fajardo, Abrahan Gutierrez and Dariel Lopez all went 1-for-4 with singles as the Hoppers managed just four hits in the pitchers’ duel.

But on this night, Acuña’s unexpected home run was the only hit that mattered.

NOTES

Greensboro is 15-13 in one-run games this season. The Hoppers have won 14 of their last 22 one-run games.
First baseman Abrahan Gutierrez went 1-for-4. He has reached base in 18 of his last 22 games, going 23-for-79 (.291) during that span with five doubles, two home runs and 16 RBIs.
Catcher Endy Rodriguez went 0-for-3 with a walk. He has hit safely in 26 of his last 32 games, going 32-for-98 (.327) with 13 doubles, three home runs, 21 RBIs and 19 runs scored. The versatile 22-year-old is rated by MLB Pipeline as Pittsburgh's No. 7 prospect, and he has played four positions ― catcher, first base, second base and left field ― this season.
Designated hitter Dariel Lopez has hit safely in 25 of his last 28 games, going 41-for-118 (.347) with six home runs, six doubles, 20 RBIs and 21 runs scored. He has 12 multi-hit games in that span.

In his career at the News & Record, journalist Jeff Mills won 10 national and 12 state writing awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors, the Society for Features Journalism, and the N.C. Press Association.