Bullpen could play critical role in SeaWolves' final series before All-Star break
The Erie SeaWolves continued their hot start to the second half of the season by winning four of six games in Harrisburg. Erie won five in a row at one point and sits a half game back of Altoona for first place in the Southwest Division. The SeaWolves return to UPMC Park on Tuesday for six games before a four-day break during the Major League Baseball All-Star activities.
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Heating up in Harrisburg
The first four games in Harrisburg went as well as the SeaWolves could hope with four straight wins. The week started with a long overnight trip before Erie outlasted Harrisburg 9-7 in 11 innings. Gage Workman drilled a two-run home run in the 11th inning to give the SeaWolves the thrilling win.
After a much-needed day off Tuesday, the SeaWolves dominated Wednesday; five pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout in a 7-0 win. The next day, Erie won 7-6 by scoring four runs between the sixth and seventh innings. Wenceel Perez had the big hit, a triple to drive in two runs and give Erie the 7-6 lead.
On Friday, the SeaWolves won another thriller as they held off Harrisburg in the late innings. Erie led 6-1 in the middle of the eighth inning when the Senators scored two runs. The SeaWolves went back up by four, 7-3, in the ninth inning on a Dane Myers run-scoring double. Harrisburg scored two more runs and had the tying run at the plate, but Erie hung on 7-5.
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Not so grand ending
In 78 games, the SeaWolves had allowed just one grand slam, which was during a mid-April game in Somerset. With a chance to win five games or even sweep the six-game series in Harrisburg, Erie allowed two costly grand slams in the final two games of the series. On Saturday, the game was tied at one in the bottom of the eighth inning when Wilson Garcia crushed a grand slam to right field. The grand slam was set up by two walks and a base hit. Andrew Navigato hit a home run in the ninth inning for the SeaWolves to cut the lead to 5-2.
More:Extra innings, walk-offs and other fireworks: Erie SeaWolves start the 2nd half on a roll
On Sunday, Erie led 5-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning when John Nogowski hit a grand slam to left-center. The grand slam was set up by three walks, two with two outs. In the ninth inning, more walks led to a sacrifice fly to tie the game before a Garcia walk-off single to give Harrisburg a 6-5 win.
Pitching trouble
The SeaWolves had to lean on their bullpen for six innings Sunday. If they don't receive any help by way of roster moves, they might need a big effort from their relief pitchers for all six games this week. Wilmer Flores is set to start Tuesday, but with his impending trip to Los Angeles for the MLB Futures Game, his innings might be limited. Flores was also scheduled to pitch Sunday, but in his absence Erie could go with a bullpen game. The Erie bullpen had a tough time in Harrisburg, allowing 21 earned runs in 26⅔ innings for an ERA of 7.09.
The SeaWolves still have the second-best team ERA in the Eastern League at 3.80 behind Somerset's 3.34. Binghamton is last in the league with a 5.26 ERA and has allowed 104 home runs, which is second to Hartford. Erie has allowed 85 home runs, which ranks fifth-most in the league.
Related:From Germany to MLB? Erie SeaWolves' Markus Solbach's quest for one major-league chance
Future Mets
Binghamton features seven of the top 30 prospects in the New York Mets organization, according to MLB.com. Among the seven prospects, the Ponies have two of the top three. Brett Baty is a third baseman and outfielder listed as the No. 2 prospect. He was the 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Lake Travis High School in Texas. Baty, 22, is hitting .267 with 16 doubles, 11 home runs and 30 RBIs in 69 games.
Ronny Mauricio is a shortstop listed as the No. 3 prospect for the Mets. The 21-year-old native of the Dominican Republic was signed in 2017 and was ranked as the No. 11 international prospect that year. He is hitting .250 with 18 doubles, 15 home runs and 53 RBIs in 69 games.
Binghamton's prospects include pitcher Jose Butto (No. 12), second baseman/outfielder Carlos Cortes (15), catcher Hayden Senger (20), catcher Nick Meyer (27) and pitcher Brian Metoyer (30).
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The week ahead
The SeaWolves (46-34) host Binghamton, which has the worst record in the Eastern League at 31-50. The Rumble Ponies are 3-9 in the second half and have lost six in a row. The two teams play at 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday with a 6:35 p.m. start on Friday and 1:35 p.m. start on Sunday.The SeaWolves will play as the Erie Pinatas on Wednesday.
Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNreisenweber.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie SeaWolves host Binghamton in final series before All-Star break
