Five Hit by Pitches Lead Raptors to Sweep
Noel Cuevas drew the first hit by a pitch in the first inning. Malcolm Holland walked and stole second to start the inning. Pat Stover followed with an RBI single to left. That is when Cuevas was hit by a pitch. Cuevas was left stranded at third with the Raptors ahead 1-0.
The Raptors were hit by a pitch twice in the fourth. Tied 1-1, Cuevas walked and moved to third on two consecutive groundouts. While Bladimir Franco was batting, a wild pitch brought home Cuevas to take the lead. Franco and Justin Boudreaux were then hit on back-to-back pitches. Both were left stranded, ending the inning with the Raptors up 2-1.
With the Raptors with a 3-2 advantage, Ogden was hit by two pitches in the sixth. Jesus Valdez singled to center to start the inning. Austin Cowen was then hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Boudreaux was hit for the second time, loading the bases. Kevin Thompson then hit a run-scoring groundout to third. Devon Ethier finished the scoring with a two-run single to left, putting the Raptors ahead 7-2.
Ross Stripling started the game for the Raptors. The right-hander allowed just one unearned run in four innings, his longest outing of the season, lowering his season ERA to 0.85.
Kazuki Nishijima earned his league-leading eighth win, allowing just one run in two innings. The win ties him with 1994's Paul O'Hearn for the fifth most wins in a Raptors season.
Holland stole four more bases Sunday, pushing his season total to 37. Holland now stands six behind Frank Candela's team record on 43 stolen bases in 1998.
The Raptors will enjoy an off day Monday before traveling to Orem for a two-game series against the Owlz starting Tuesday. Luis Meza will take the mound for Ogden against Orem's Jairo Diaz. Game starts at 7:05 and can be heard on 97.5 Fox Sports Radio.