Gm 52: C's throw away chance to pull away in North

(Volcanoes Stadium - Keizer, OR) - It was a night that saw Canadians pitching hold the 2nd overall pick from the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft to an 0-for-4 effort with a lone walk. It was a night where the Canadians put 10 runs on the South Division leaders in their own stadium. It was a night that the Canadians saw everyone else in the North Division fall, and yet - it was a night to forget for Vancouver.
The Canadians (8-6) blew two multi-run leads as the usually gifted pitching staff looked normal from start to finish with RHP Sean Wymer going two innings, allowing five hits including a home run to Salem-Keizer CF Aaron Bond (6) that helped erase an early 3-0 lead that was provided to the Toronto Blue Jays 4th Rounder out of Texas Christian University. RHP Denis Diaz got whacked around giving up two more runs in his lone inning of work to see his ERA increase to 5.32 over 14 outings. RHP Joey Murray hadn't allowed a run in 16 innings, and got torched for four (4) runs over his 1 2/3 innings giving up four straight hits in the bottom of the 5th inning including a solo home run to Volcanoes 3B David Villar (10) to help hand Salem-Keizer back a two-run lead just minutes after the Canadians offense had struck for four runs in the top of the 5th to regain a two-run cushion.
Simply put, the front end of the Canadians pitching effort just wasn't good enough as Salem-Keizer posted a three-run second, a two-run third and a four-run fifth that had Vancouver's offense feeling the pinch to produce at an equal pace.
Add to the follies a pair of baserunning gaffs which included CF Tanner Kirwer trying to stretch a sure double into a hopeless triple, getting thrown out by 6-7 feet by a Diego Rincones-to-Nico Giarratano-to-David Villar relay in the top of the 2nd inning - or - Jesus Severino trying to stretch a double for an additional 90-feet only to get thrown out by about 10-feet in the top of the 5th - both efforts stopped innings dead in their tracks.
A pair of errors from Canadians catcher Chris Bec proved costly with the second of his two miscues putting Thursday's game on ice as the University of Maine standout sailed a pick-off attempt from behind home plate past 1B Yorman Rodriguez down the right field line allowing Salem-Keizer 2B Kyle McPherson to score from second base handing the Volcanoes a three-run lead (11-8). That bravado from Bec proved costly as the Canadians would rally for a pair of runs in the top of the 9th inning with RF Brandon Polizzi (walk, stolen base) and 2B Otto Lopez (error, wild pitch) scoring to bring Vancouver to within a run. Bec was found standing on-deck as RHP Jesus Tona got Canadians 1B Yorman Rodriguez to pop-out in foul territoy to end the game, as Vancouver fell 11-10.
Note: The Canadians are 6-0 (1.000) in the second half of the season while wearing their black alternate jerseys and were riding a three-game winning streak in the darkest of their four jersey options. Vancouver opened up this series wearing... Red. (editors note)
The Canadians caught a huge break on the out-of-town scoreboard as Everett, Spokane and Tri-City all lost on Thursday meaning that Vancouver remains a game up on both the Aquasox and Indians, three better than the Dust Devils with 24 second-half games remaining.
Thursday was the Canadians last 'baseball mulligan' as they cannot pitch and defend that poorly and expect to win the North Division second half pennant.  
On a more positive note, 2B Otto Lopez, and RF Brandon Polizzi had multi-hit night's for the Canadians while LF McGregory Contreras hit his 8th home run of the season off RHP Ryan Walker on a 1-2 count that showed poise and the ability to hit a ball as hard as anyone in the Northwest League as he scorched a fastball that was meant as a putaway pitch and instead got putaway on the other side of the left field fence.
Vancouver will send LHP Nick Allgeyer (0-0, 2.89) to the mound in hopes of starting a new three-game winning streak as despite the Canadians tribulations on Thursday, are still 3-3 (.500) for their current 13-day, 10-game roadtrip that resumes on Friday at 6:35pm from Volcanoes Stadium. The game can be heard in its entirety at www.canadiansbaseball.com.
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