Victor Martinez has promising evening in Mud Hens loss

Syracuse Chiefs 8, Toledo Mud Hens 3 (box)

It took half an inning for the Syracuse Chiefs (21-44) to back Toledo (28-37) into a corner that they could not escape. Mud Hens righthander Tim Melville (2-6, 5.70 ERA) took the hill for Toledo and just couldn't hold off the Syracuse offense. A drive over the left field wall by the Chiefs' Rick Hague sent three of the five Syracuse runs that cross the plate at the bottom of the first inning at NBT Bank Stadium on Monday evening. The rehabbing Victor Martinez did his part for Toledo by notching a pair of hits, including an RBI single at the top of the third inning. Steven Moya submitted a pair of hits, combined with a pair of RBI against Chiefs' righty Taylor Jordan (2-3, 3.20 ERA). Toledo made a late push in the eighth inning with an additional pair of runs, but the celebration would be short lived as the Mud Hens fall 8-3 in the series opener.

Martinez: 2-4, RBI
Machado: 2-4, 2B, 2 SO
Moya: 2-4, 2 RBI
Jones: 1-4, 2B, R
Melville (L): 5.2 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

COMING UP NEXT: Syracuse will return to NBT Bank Stadium Tuesday evening to host the Mud Hens in game two of the three-game road series for Toledo. The Mud Hens have slated recent Comerica transplant Shane Greene (4-6, 5.82 ERA with Detroit Tigers) to take the hill for his 2015 Triple-A debut against Syracuse.

New Hampshire Fisher Cats 8, Erie SeaWolves 1 (box)

Try as the SeaWolves (21-40) did to score against the visiting Fisher Cats (29-34), the task proved much harder than anticipated on Monday evening at Jerry Uht Park. Wynton Bernard, James Robbins and Austin Green combined for six of the SeaWolves' 10 hits, but that surprisingly led to only one run on the evening. Austin Green's RBI single scored Conner Harrell for the lone Erie run of the game. The pair of hits from Bernard moves him into a second place tie for hits overall in the Eastern League with 72 this season. Erie righty Warwick Saupold (1-5, 5.32 ERA) did what he could to work through five innings from the hill, but the Fisher Cats successfully tagged him for four earned runs off six hits. A four-run second inning from New Hampshire gave them enough of a boost to secure the win.

Bernard: 2-4, SO
Green, A.: 2-4, RBI
Robbins: 2-4, SO
Green, D.: 1-3, 3B, BB
Saupold (L): 5.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R (4 ER), 5 BB, 2 SO

COMING UP NEXT: Both teams will return to Jerry Uht Park Tuesday evening to battle for game two of the SeaWolves' three-game home series with the Fisher Cats. Erie righty Chad Green (2-8, 5.59 ERA) will face off with New Hampshire right hander Taylor Cole (2-6, 4.96 ERA).

★★★

Mother Nature saw to it that there was a whole lot of rain and not enough baseball to appease the fans hoping to attend action on Monday evening. The Lakeland Flying Tigers were put on hold in their game against the Charlotte Stone Crabs. Monday's activities will be made up as one half of a doubleheader between the two clubs on Tuesday evening. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET

The West Michigan Whitecaps found themselves in the same boat to the north as weather put a stop to their plans with the Burlington Bees on the road. West Michigan returns home on Tuesday to host Fort Wayne in the first of a three-game homestand.