Clippers hold on for 6-5 win over Yankees

The Clippers extended the win streak to ten, and stayed undefeated on their long road trip as they held on for a 6-5 victory over the Yankees in Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

After taking game 1 in an 8-1 victory cut short by rain last night, the Clippers were back at it with the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees for game two of a four game set in Scranton. Columbus got off to a fast start in the top of the first. Ezequiel Carrera started the game off with a double down the right field line. After Carrera advanced to third on a Jason Kipnis groundout, Clippers first baseman Shelley Duncan did his part to drive in Carrera for the first run of the ballgame with a bloop RBI single. Just like that, Columbus had a 1-0 lead.

There would be more offense for the Clippers in the top of the second. Jered Head led off the inning with a single to center field. That was followed with a Jared Goedert walk. After a Paul Phillips flyout to left, Ezequiel Carrera reached on an infield single to load the bases with one out. Kipnis took advantage of the situation, driving in another Clippers run. The RBI groundout by Kipnis doubled the Clippers advantage 2-0. But Columbus was not done offensively. The next batter, Shelley Duncan, who knocked in the first Columbus run in the first, added to his RBI total with a clutch two out hit. Duncan's two run single augmented the Clippers lead to 4-0.

The lead for Columbus would increase even more in the top of the 5th. Shelley Duncan and Nick Johnson both walked to begin the inning. Chad Huffman then singled to load the bases with nobody out. It set the stage for the next batter Luis Valbuena. He put a 2-2 pitch in play adding on to Clippers lead. So two runs came in on that play, making it 6-0 in favor of the boys from C-Bus.

The Yankees made a concerted effort to get back into the ball game in the bottom of the 6th. After singles by Austin Krum and Luis Nunez to begin the inning, Kevin Russo got Scranton Wilkes Barre on the board with an RBI single that made it 6-1. The next batter, Greg Golson, tripled to deep center field. Two runs came in and all of the sudden, the Yankees were only down by three. Fortunately, Corey Kluber retired the next batters he faced and got out of the inning with a 6-3 lead intact.

The run lead for Columbus would shrink in the bottom of the eighth. Like he did in the sixth inning, Greg Golson came through with an RBI triple that made it 6-4. With Golson sitting at third with one out, Jesus Montero was walked to set up a potential double play. The first pitch from Zach Putnam to the next batter, Jorge Vasquez, was a wild pitch that got by Clippers catcher Paul Phillips. It allowed Golson to score and now Columbus was clinging to a one run lead. Putnam was pulled from the game due to an undisclosed injury. Josh Judy came in to replace his injured teamate. Judy walked Vasquez, but he got Brandon Laird to fly out and struck out Jordan Parraz to get out the inning, preserving the slim Columbus lead in the process.

It was a much cleaner inning for Judy. He struck out the first two batters he saw in the bottom of the ninth and ended up securing the win and getting his 9th save of the year.

The Clippers and Yankees will resume action Saturday night when Columbus right-hander Jeanmar Gomez (6-1) faces off against Yankees starter Greg Smith (0-0) with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM.