Montgomery Biscuits Take Series With 4-3 Win Over The Wahoos

July 15, 2014

In his last three starts, Mikey O’Brien has pitched in High-A Bakersfield, Calif., Triple-A Louisville, Ky., and then returned to Double-A Pensacola.

But O’Brien said Monday all the travel didn’t bother him as he went up against Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson and held his own, leaving after seven innings with a 3-2 lead.

However, the Montgomery Biscuits came from behind in the eighth inning with two runs to win the game, 4-3, and to take the series, 3-2, in front of 4,050 fans at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.

O’Brien pitched his longest outing of the season, going seven strong innings. He retired the last 12 batters he faced and 15 of the last 16. O’Brien allowed four hits, two earned runs, one walk and struck out three.

“I don’t mind traveling as long as I have a job and I am out on the mound every fifth day,” O’Brien said. “For the most part, I felt locked in and in a groove.”

Blue Wahoos manager Delino DeShields said it was one of O’Brien’s best outings for Pensacola.

“He ran into a little trouble in the third but outside of that he was in total control out there,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hellickson, who made his season debut Tuesday in Tampa Bay against the Kansas City Royals, got in six innings of work. He had arthroscopic surgery on his throwing elbow in January. Hellickson looked just fine Monday, striking out 11 Wahoos, including seven of the last eight batters he faced. He walked none, while giving up just one run.

“I was just treating tonight like it was a real game,” said Hellickson, a righty who is 39-31 with a 3.69 ERA in five seasons with Tampa Bay. “It’s the best I’ve felt command wise and with my changeup. I was pretty happy with how my day went.”

O’Brien said he found Hellickson’s work on the mound fun to watch.

“I’ve enjoyed watching him pitch for the last couple of years,” O’Brien said. “He showed tonight why he’s a Major Leaguer.”

Hellickson is scheduled to start for High-A Charlotte on Sunday. He rejoins Tampa Bay’s rotation at the start of its first post-All-Star break homestand, a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox from July 25-27.

“I’m looking forward to it quite a bit,” said Hellickson about his second start for the Rays, after allowing one run and six hits with two strikeouts and one walk in 4.1 innings against the Royals.

Pensacola took the lead, 3-2, in the seventh inning on an opposite field solo home run by Kyle Waldrop and a line drive shot over the left field wall by Juan Duran. Duran’s solo homer tied him with the second most homers in Blue Wahoos history in a season with 11. Travis Mattair holds the single-season record, hitting 13 dingers last season.

The Blue Wahoos are off Tuesday during the Major League All-Star Game. They start a five-game series on the road at Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate the Jacksonville Suns that gets underway at 6:05 p.m EST Wednesday. RHP Daniel Corcino (8-7, 4.40) takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the Suns LHP Chipper Smith (3-3, 4.02).

by Tommy Thrall

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports, TOP sports