Wahoos Drop Playoff Opener

September 11, 2015

At the All-Star break, Pensacola manager Pat Kelly admitted that first half champion Biloxi was the only team he thought was better than the last place Blue Wahoos.

Ironically, both teams are now playing for the Southern League South Division crown, after Pensacola won the second half.

In the first game of the five-game-series, the Shuckers came out on top, 4-2, with a dominating performance by Biloxi pitcher Jorge Lopez in front of 2,782 fans at MGM Park.

Kelly credited Lopez for cruising through the Pensacola lineup.

“We got two guys on in the ninth and our guys kept on battling but we didn’t have a lot of chances,” Kelly said, who said Lopez’s changeup and fastball kept Pensacola off balance. “We just ran into a hot pitcher. There’s nothing we can do about that.”

Playing in his first playoff game in his 11-year minor league career, Pensacola second baseman Ray Chang scored the tying run, 1-1, in the second inning after reaching second on a throwing error by Biloxi shortstop Orlando Arcia. Chang then smacked a single back through the box in the ninth inning to score Pensacola first baseman Marquez Smith and pull the Blue Wahoos within, 4-2.

“I thought he was terrific,” Kelly said about Chang.

But those were about the only highlights for Pensacola offensively.

Lopez showed why he earned pitcher of the year honors in the Southern League Thursday night.

Lopez, the Milwaukee Brewers No. 9 prospect, held Pensacola hitless through the first 5.1 innings and left the game to a standing ovation in the seventh. Pensacola shortstop Alex Blandino singled up the middle to center field off Lopez, ensuring Pensacola would make 555 games without being no-hit — a streak that goes back to the Blue Wahoos inception in 2012.

However, Lopez, who broke two Pensacola hitters’ bats, stranded the Blue Wahoos Phillip Ervin at third in the sixth inning.

Lopez, who threw a season-high 115 pitches, allowed one unearned run, two hits and struck out seven in 6.2 innings. Only Pensacola left fielder Jesse Winker (who fouled out to left field), Blandino and catcher Kyle Skipworth hit balls out of the infield.

The Biloxi pitcher is now 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA against Pensacola and has struck out 29 in 29.2 innings.

Meanwhile, Daniel Wright gave up a single and three doubles to the leadoff batters for Biloxi in four of the first five innings. However, Wright got Taylor out in a rundown between third and home on a failed squeeze bunt in the fourth inning and stranded two other runners at third base in the first two innings.

Wright left the game, trailing 3-1, and struck out six Shuckers in his 5.1 innings of work.

Kelly said Wright did a “terrific job getting out of tough jams.”

Wright said he gutted out each inning.

“I just kind of tried to come up with stuff to get out of jams,” he said. “They’re just solid.”

Biloxi scored first to take the lead, 1-0, when third baseman Yadiel Rivera singled and Arcia drove him in with a triple to left center — four of Biloxi’s six hits off Wright through five innings went for extra bases.

Biloxi’s Arcia, who had his team’s first two RBIs, grounded out to Pensacola’s third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean in the fifth inning to score the Shuckers second baseman Nick Shaw, who lead off the inning with a double. The ground out put Biloxi back on top, 2-1.

Biloxi first baseman Garrett Cooper scored in the sixth, 3-1, on Shuckers center fielder Brett Phillips ground ball that hit the first base bag and leaped over Pensacola’s diving Smith and rolled into right field. Cooper then batted in Arcia in the seventh for a 4-1 Biloxi lead.

The Blue Wahoos ended the longest drought of missing the playoffs by a Southern League Major League affiliate. The Cincinnati Reds last Double-A team to make the playoffs was Chattanooga in 2006.

Pensacola plays the Biloxi Shuckers at 7:10 p.m. Friday at MGM Park. Biloxi then moves to Pensacola for Saturday and, if needed, will play Sunday and Monday at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.

The winner of the South Division then plays either the Twins Double-A affiliate Chattanooga Lookouts or the Tampa Bay Devil Rays affiliate the Montgomery Biscuits. The Lookouts won its first game, 4-3, with a walk-off single by Southern League MVP Max Kepler.

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos play the second game of the best-of-five Southern League South Division playoff series against the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate the Biloxi Shuckers at 7:10 p.m. Thursday. The Blue Wahoos LHP Cody Reed (6-2, 2.17) is scheduled to face the Shuckers RHP Adrian Houser (4-1, 2.92).

Comments

Comments are closed.

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