Mud Hens fall to Redbirds, 7-4
Jun. 27—The Memphis Redbirds used a five-run rally in the sixth inning to come back and defeat the Toledo Mud Hens 7-4 on Saturday night at Fifth Third Field.
A two-run home run by Rayder Ascanio was the big hit for Memphis.
Toledo's Locke St. John pitched four scoreless innings without allowing a walk. The 28-year-old left-handed pitcher gave up three hits and struck out six in his third start of the year.
St. John struck out the side in the first inning to open Saturday's game.
St. John has been one of the most reliable bullpen arms for Toledo. He has a 1.73 earned run average over 26 innings pitched. Saturday, he threw 42 of his 58 pitches for strikes.
Memphis starter Grant Black gave up three runs on four hits in three innings of work.
Black struck out three with two walks.
What happened: Renato Nunez was a few feet away from his third home run in two games. The Mud Hens first baseman drove in Derek Hill on a double off the left-field wall in the first inning.
In the fourth, Aderlin Rodriguez extended the Mud Hens lead with a two-run home run to centerfield. The homer was his 10th of the season, and Rodriguez is second among Mud Hens players.
Kramer Robertson hit his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot in the fifth.
Toledo failed to hold on to a two-run lead. Memphis began its five-run output with a two-run triple by Connor Capel.
That tied the game, and the Memphis right fielder later scored on a base hit by Robertson. Ascanio hit the Redbirds' second home run to provide Memphis with insurance runs.
In the Mud Hens' half of the sixth, Rodriguez cut into the Redbirds lead with a double that drove in Kody Clemens.
Matt Szczur added a run in the top of the ninth with a one-out double to drive in Ascanio.
Game MVP: Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with two extra-base hits and three runs batted in.
He said it: "[Rodriguez] is a professional hitter. I mean, a lot of people don't know about Aderlin. He's been overseas, he's played well in the states, he's done a lot of good things," Mud Hens manager Tom Prince said. "I liked him over at third base. The actions were pretty good over there. He's moved around pretty much. And then we get a shift on [Justin] Williams, and I actually put him at second base. He said he's never been there before in [his] professional career. So it's good to have some refreshing stuff like that."
Make note of it: Prince is four wins shy of 500 wins as a manager. Before becoming Toledo's manager, Prince spent 11 seasons managing minor-league affiliates in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization.
Comings and goings: Zack Short was promoted to Detroit as the 27th man for the Tigers' Saturday doubleheader against the Houston Astros.
Gerson Moreno was transferred from Toledo to Double-A Erie.
Hill continued his rehab assignment with the Mud Hens with a start in centerfield on Saturday. He is recovering from a right shoulder sprain, and went 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored.
"Early on, I had a little bit of trouble getting all the way through it," Hill said of how his shoulder felt when swinging the bat. "But, the rehab team down there [in Lakeland, Fla.] did an amazing job, and I feel symptom-free right now, so I feel good."
A look ahead: The Mud Hens will wrap up their series against the Redbirds on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. Drew Hutchison will get the start versus the St. Louis Cardinals' No. 9 prospect Angel Rondon. If Toledo defeats Memphis, it will win the series.
Monday is a scheduled off day for Toledo before it begins a six-game home series against Columbus.
First Published June 26, 2021, 10:55pm
