Castro shines as Hens drop series finale

TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo Mud Hens matched the Louisville Bats with a series-high 12 hits, but dropped the rubber match by an 8-3 count on Sunday at Fifth Third Field.

Harold Castro reached base in all four of his plate appearances, finishing 3-for-3 with two doubles, a single, a walk, and a run scored. Jason Krizan also shined at the dish, going 2-for-3 with a solo shot, a double, and a walk, while Mikie Mahtook went 2-for-5 with a double and a single. In all, five Mud Hens (40-28) batters recorded multiple hits.
Making his Toledo debut as part of a rehab assignment, Francisco Liriano notched seven strikeouts in four innings of work, but was saddled with the loss after surrendering eight earned runs on 11 hits and two hit batsmen. Kyle Dowdy provided the backup with five shutout innings in relief, scattering a hit and three walks while fanning four.
Liriano needed eight pitches to send Louisville (25-40) down 1-2-3 in the top of the first, but the Bats responded with six runs in the second stanza. Gabriel Guerrero led off the frame with an opposite-field home run that carried over the wall in right to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. With runners on second and third and nobody down, a Chadwick Tromp pop-up was misjudged by second baseman Dawel Lugo and landed in the infield, scoring D.J. Peterson and doubling Louisville's advantage.
After Blake Trahan successfully executed a squeeze bunt to plate Steve Selsky, Nick Senzel lined a double into left to drive in Tromp and extend the Bats' lead to 4-0. Later in the inning, Guerrero brought home Senzel and Phillip Ervin with a base hit into right to make it a 6-0 ballgame.
Louisville wrapped up its offensive outburst with runs in the third and fourth frames. Selsky started the third with a home run to right, while Peterson's base hit up the middle drove in Guerrero gave the Bats an 8-0 edge heading into the bottom of the fourth.
The Mud Hens had runners in scoring position in each of the opening five innings, and finally made a breakthrough in the bottom of the seventh. Krizan got Toledo on the board when he ripped a leadoff shot to left for his sixth home run of the campaign.
The bottom of the order got things going for the Mud Hens in the bottom of the ninth, as Pete Kozma started the inning with a base hit up the middle, advancing to third when Castro ripped a two-bagger to left. The hosts eventually knocked in the first of two consolation runs, as Mike Gerber plated Kozma with a broken-bat groundout to first. Lugo then lined a two-out single into left to drive in Castro and cut the deficit to 8-3, which held up as the final tally.
What's Next:
The Mud Hens open a six-game road trip on Tuesday with the first of three matchups against the Gwinnett Stripers. First pitch from Coolray Field is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
#RoadToDetroit Report (rankings according to MLB.com 2018 Prospect Watch):
10. OF Christin Stewart: DNP
11. OF Mike Gerber: 0-for-5, RBI
12. IF Dawel Lugo: 2-for-5, two singles, RBI
15. RHP Grayson Long: DNP (DL)
16. RHP Bryan Garcia: DNP (DL)
18. LHP Tyler Alexander: DNP
Hens Notes:
• Liriano is the 19th starting pitcher used by the Mud Hens this season.
• Including rehab assignments, 18 players have appeared for the Tigers and Mud Hens during the 2018 campaign.
• Toledo is 23-6 when tallying 10 or more hits this season.
• The Mud Hens have won five of their last six meetings against the Stripers, dating back to last season.