Trash Pandas Drop Bullpen Battle To Smokies 7-2
A pitcher’s duel early was broken open by the Tennessee Smokies late, handing the Rocket City Trash Pandas a 7-2 loss on Saturday night in front of an energetic crowd of 6,456 at Toyota Field. For the first time all week, the Trash Pandas were able to hold the Smokies
A pitcher’s duel early was broken open by the Tennessee Smokies late, handing the Rocket City Trash Pandas a 7-2 loss on Saturday night in front of an energetic crowd of 6,456 at Toyota Field.
For the first time all week, the Trash Pandas were able to hold the Smokies off the board in their first turn at the plate. Making his first minor league start, Houston Harding navigated around a pair of walks to start the game with a zero.
The Smokies did eventually break through to open the scoring on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s solo home run in the top of the third, his 14th homer of the season. Harding ended his start with a one, two, three top of the fourth to keep the deficit at one.
Over four innings, Harding allowed one run on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts to keep the game close. Tennessee starter DJ Herz was just a little better early.
The Smokies lefty held the Trash Pandas hitless until the bottom of the fifth, when Bryce Teodosio’s ground ball went through the right side of the infield for a single. He then stole second and third as Tyler Payne walked. Herz then threw an errant pickoff throw to first, allowing Teodosio to come in with the tying run. Herz pitched five innings for the Smokies, allowing one unearned run on one hit with three walks and nine strikeouts.
John Swanda was first out of the Rocket City bullpen in the fifth and quickly worked into a bases-loaded jam with nobody out. He escaped by striking out Owen Caissie and inducing an inning-ending ground ball from BJ Murray to keep the score tied at one. Swanda finished a brilliant relief outing with three strikeouts in a clean sixth.
But in the seventh, the Smokies broke through to retake the lead against Nick Jones (L, 1-1). Andy Weber got the inning started with a single and stole second before coming in to score on Levi Jordan’s RBI single. Jordan stole second himself and scored on Owen Caissie’s single to center. Pablo Aliendo capped the inning’s scoring with a two-run triple to right, putting Tennessee up 5-1.
Out of the Smokies bullpen, Samuel Reyes (W, 3-1) was sharp for two scoreless innings to hold the lead after seven. The Trash Pandas got a run back in the eighth on Jeremiah Jackson’s RBI triple, his first of the season, to score David Calabrese, who singled to start the inning against Smokies reliever Porter Hodge.
Tennessee plated two more runs in the ninth off Ivan Armstrong to extend the lead to 7-2, the eventual final score.
Offensively, the Trash Pandas were held to five hits in the loss, with no player recording more than one. Jackson went 1-for-3 with a triple, an RBI, a walk, and his 21st stolen base of the season. Teodosio’s pair of stolen bases brings his season total to 12. Making his first Double-A start, Nolan Schanuel went 0-for-4 at the plate.
The Trash Pandas (41-53, 10-15 second half) conclude the series with the Smokies (54-40, 18-8 second half) on Sunday afternoon. First pitch at Toyota Field is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio. The game will be televised locally on WAAY 31.6, This TV. Following the game, kids are invited to run the bases.