Ponies Still Can’t Get Runners Home As They Drop Opener In Portland

Binghamton Rumble Ponies @ Portland Sea Dogs

August 24, 2017

Marcos Molina @ Kevin McAvoy

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Binghamton	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0		1	8	0
Portland	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	X		2	3	1

W: McAvoy (6-7, 3.95 ERA); L: Molina (2-7, 3.65 ERA); Save: Poyner (9)

Boxscore

The Stats:

Pitchers

Marcos Molina (L, 2-7, 3.65 ERA) – 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 2B, 4 TB, 3 BB, 5 K (5 K/Sw), 6 GB: 10 FB: 3 LD, 103 Pitches (63 Strikes), 12 Swinging, 14 Called, 11.7% SwStr, 24.5% Whiff/Swing, 14.7 Pitches/IP, 27 BF

Tim Peterson (1.20 ERA) – 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K (0 K/Sw), 1 LD: 1 PU, 9 Pitches (7 Strikes), 1 Swinging, 2 Called, 11.1% SwStr, 20% Whiff/Swing, 9 Pitches/IP, 3 BF

Table 1 – Molina pitch stats by inning

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	Total
Total	8	21	17	16	15	11	15	103
Strikes	7	13	10	12	6	6	9	63
Swinging*	0	4	1	3	0	1	3	12

*11.7% Swinging strike rate; 24.5% Whiff/Swing rate

Batters

2B - Luis Guillorme - 0-4, 1 BB, 1 K, 5.9% SwStr, 25% Whiff/Swing, 3.4 Pitches/PA

LF - Kevin Kaczmarski - 0-5, 4 K, 25% SwStr, 66.7% Whiff/Swing, 3.2 Pitches/PA

3B - David Thompson - 2-3, 2 2B, 1 BB, 1 K, 13.6% SwStr, 33.3% Whiff/Swing, 5.5 Pitches/PA

1B - Kevin Taylor - 1-3, 1 BB, 3.25 Pitches/PA

DH - Peter Alonso - 0-4, 1 K, 1 GIDP, 13.3% SwStr, 25% Whiff/Swing, 3.75 Pitches/PA

C - Tomas Nido - 0-2, 2 BB, 3.25 Pitches/PA

SS - Gustavo Nunez - 0-4, 1 K, 1 GIDP, 7.7% SwStr, 16.7% Whiff/Swing, 3.25 Pitches/PA

RF - L.J. Mazzilli - 2-4, 1 2B, 22.2% SwStr, 50% Whiff/Swing, 4.5 Pitches/PA

CF - Patrick Biondi - 2-3, 1 R, 1.67 Pitches/PA

PH - Matt Oberste - 0-1, 1 K, 8 Pitches/PA

Recapish

            The Binghamton Rumble Ponies finished 1-10 with runners in scoring position for a third straight game Thursday night in Portland, taking a 2-1 loss to the Sea Dogs in the opener of a five-game (in four days) series. Marcos Molina issued three walks but was overall very effective for the Ponies in this one, allowing just a pair of runs and three hits over seven innings of work. Unfortunately, while the Ponies outhit Portland eight-to-three, Binghamton managed to scratch out just one run due to the struggles with runners in scoring position.

            David Thompson was on base and in scoring position three times from the 3-spot Thursday, but the Ponies couldn’t get him home. He started his big night with a 1^st inning double. The only other Ponies hit through the first five innings was a Kevin Taylor single in the 4^th.

Thompson

Taylor

            Marcos Molina started his night with an eight-pitch 1^st inning. He cruised through the first four innings and was on his way to another easy frame in the 5^th when he suddenly lost his command. He walked two straight batters with two outs in the 5^th, and then Josh Tobias brought home both runs with his 19^th double of the year. After allowing the Tobias double, Molina quickly retired the next seven Sea Dogs batters in a row to finish his night.

Thompson

K #1

K #2

K #3

Biondi in CF

Guillorme!

K #4

K #5

            Binghamton responded by getting a run back in the next half-inning. Patrick Biondi started the 6^th with a single, went to second on a groundout, and then came around to score later in the frame on a two-out RBI single from Kevin Taylor.

Biondi

            After that, although the Ponies had a scoring chance in each of the final three frames, they couldn’t get the tying run home. L.J. Mazzilli and Patrick Biondi connected on back-to-back singles in the 7^th, but the hits came with two outs. Thompson’s second hit was another double (#28 this year) in the 8^th, and Binghamton loaded the bases in the frame, but it came down to Nunez, and he went down swinging to end that threat. Finally, while the 8^th was Binghamton’s best chance to scratch out a run, the 9^th might’ve been Binghamton’s most frustrating wasted scoring opportunity. L.J. Mazzilli led off the frame with a double, but then the next three Ponies went down on strikes to end the game.

Mazzilli

Biondi

Thompson

Mazzilli

            Tim Peterson struck out one during a scoreless bottom of the 8^th for Binghamton.

            Looking ahead, these two teams play one last 2017 double-header Friday, with Mickey Jannis and P.J. Conlon scheduled to start for Binghamton.

  

Fires in the Pacific Northwest as seen by @NASA's Aqua satellite on 8/31. Actively burning areas are outlined red. https://t.co/wXu56V0ESk pic.twitter.com/hizyhpFfvK

— NASA Goddard (@NASAGoddard) September 1, 2017