Chapman rebounds with three-hit outing
The Cuban defector fanned seven hitters, yielded just three hits and picked off two before leaving with a blister in the sixth inning as Louisville doubled up Lehigh Valley, 4-2, on Wednesday.
Chapman (4-2) allowed a baserunner in every inning in which he pitched with one exception. IronPigs Dane Sardinha, Brian Bocock and Joe Savery all went down swinging in the fifth frame.
After striking out Cody Ransom to begin the second, Chapman gave up a single to Neil Sellers. Dane Sardinha lined out to right before Chapman caught Sellers napping at first. The southpaw tossed the ball to Drew Sutton who relayed it to shortstop Zack Cozart for the inning-ending tag on Sellers.
Bocock doubled to begin the second, but Chapman stayed out of trouble with a sacrifice, a strikeout and a groundout.
Chapman gave up a double to Ransom in the fourth, but induced a flyout from Sellers to end the side.
His second pickoff of the game came in the sixth after Chris Duffy drew a leadoff walk. Chapman walked Luis Maza, but got Wise to strike out before leaving the game with a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand.
After allowing just three earned runs over his first four starts of the season, Chapman yielded six or more earned runs in two of his last three outings. Wednesday was the first game in which Chapman did not yield a run, earned or otherwise.
Chapman posted a 1.29 ERA in April, but has gone 3-1 in May with a 6.86 ERA in four starts.