Widener delivers again, as Generals snap skid

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, got another outstanding effort from ace right-hander Taylor Widener on Thursday, pulling out a tight 2-1 victory over the Chattanooga Lookouts at AT&T Field.

The win for Jackson (61-54) breaks an eight-game skid against Chattanooga (55-59) while halting a four-game slide in the month of August.
Widener (5-5, 2.49 ERA) added seven shutout frames to his sterling Southern League resume on Thursday, fanning nine batters without giving up a walk. Widener allowed only three hits, holding Chattanooga's top third of the order to an oh-for-nine collective mark. He closed his effort by striking out the side in the seventh inning, with his last pitch hitting 94 miles per hour. The Arizona Diamondbacks' third-ranked prospect extended his scoreless innings streak to 16.0, a season-high mark among Generals pitchers. Widener now leads all qualified Southern League pitchers in ERA (2.49), WHIP (0.98), opponents' batting average (.188), and strikeouts (151). Thursday's outing helped Widener match his career-best single-season mark of 119.1 innings pitched, set in 2017.
In relief, Miguel Aguilar picked up his first hold at Double-A, retiring two of the three hitters he faced in the eighth inning. Yoan López (S, 10) got the final out of the eighth and held on in the ninth despite a hit batsman and a two-out RBI double by Mitchell Kranson. The Generals' staff holds a 3.34 ERA in seven August contests. All of Jackson's three wins have come by one run.
Offensively, the visitors got on track in the sixth against tiring right-hander Tyler Wells (0-1, 0.90 ERA). After shutting out the Generals through the first five frames, Wells ceded a double to Ben DeLuzio to lead off the inning. With one out, DeLuzio stole third base for his 25^th swipe of the year, but the Jackson center fielder was immediately removed from the game due to an apparent injury suffered on his headfirst slide into the base. Jose Vinicio entered as a pinch runner, and one batter later, Vinicio came home to score the game's first run on a Wells wild pitch. Vinicio remained in the game to play center field for the second time in his career, making one putout in the eighth inning to help secure the victory.
The Generals added a run with three consecutive two-out singles in the eighth inning, as Marty Herum bounced an RBI single up the middle to score Domingo Leyba for a 2-0 lead at the time. The Generals offense finally ended their streak of six games without a stolen base, but they remained homerless for the tenth game in a row, dating back to July 28.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:15 pm CT Friday (8/10) vs. Chattanooga Lookouts
AT&T Field - Chattanooga, Tenn.
RHP Justin Donatella (5-7, 3.69 ERA) vs. LHP Dietrich Enns (1-5, 5.45 ERA)
Broadcast Link: Jackson Generals Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
August 14-18 vs. Montgomery Biscuits (AA, Tampa Bay Rays)
…featuring Shark Week Night (August 18)!
August 30-September 3 vs. Chattanooga Lookouts (AA, Minnesota Twins)
…featuring SEC Night (September 1)!
PLAYOFFS:
In 2018, manager Shelley Duncan and the Generals won the First Half North Division title, assuring them of a bid to the Southern League playoffs in September. Games 1 and 2 of the North Division Series will be held at The Ballpark at Jackson on September 5 and 6. For tickets and more information about the Generals, dial 731.988.5299
or log on to our ticket page at JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!
The Jackson Generals, a West Tennessee franchise since 1998, are the Double-A minor league affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2017, The Ballpark at Jackson was named the Professional Sports Field of the Year by the Tennessee Turfgrass Association.