Tigers’ Daniel Norris dominates in start for Triple-A Toledo

Toledo Mud Hens 2, Rochester Red Wings 0 (box)

Daniel Norris was dominant, striking out eight hitters while scattering six hits in seven shutout innings. Norris threw 97 pitches on the evening and out-dueled Twins top prospect Jose Berrios to earn his fourth win of the season. Tyler Bortnick hit a pinch-hit home run for the Mud Hens in the sixth inning to stretch their lead to two. Relievers Kyle Ryan and Bruce Rondon made the slim lead stand up, combining for a pair of scoreless innings to preserve the win. JaCoby Jones hit a triple, walked, and stole a base.

Jones: 1-3, 3B, BB, SO
Bortnick: 1-1, HR, R, RBI, BB
Gose: 0-4, SO
Collins: 1-3, RBI
Norris (W): 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO

Coming up next: Matt Crouse (1-1, 3.18 ERA) will start against Rochester’s Logan Darnell (7-5, 3.25 ERA) as the Mud Hens look for their third win in a row.

Erie SeaWolves 5, Bowie Baysox 4 (box)

The SeaWolves offense put up five runs on 10 hits and withstood a late Bowie rally to win their sixth game in a row. Dean Green drove in three runs, stretching his season-long total to 72 RBI in 69 games played. Corey Jones drove in a pair of runs and reached base twice, while Jason Krizan was on base four times. Righthander Myles Jaye earned his third win of the season with a quality start. Paul Voelker locked down his fifth save of the year in a scoreless ninth inning.

D. Green: 2-3, 3 RBI
Krizan: 2-2, 2 R, 2 BB
Harrell: 2-4, R, SO
Jones: 1-3, 2 RBI, BB, SO
Jaye (W): 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Coming up next: Righthander Spenser Watkins will make his first career Double-A start against Bowie’s Jayson Aquino (3-6, 3.66 ERA) on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

West Michigan Whitecaps 7, Lansing Lugnuts 0 (box)

The Whitecaps offense exploded for five runs in the third inning and cruised to their 39th win of the season, clinching a spot in the Midwest League playoffs for the third year in a row. Will Maddox, Will Allen, and Brett Pirtle all drove in runs during the big inning, while David Gonzalez and Derek Hill added RBIs later on. Starting pitcher Fernando Perez was sharp, allowing just two hits in six innings with five strikeouts and zero walks. Jonathan Maciel worked the final three innings for his second save of the season.

Allen: 1-4, R, 2 RBI
Maddox: 1-5, R, RBI, SO
Hill: 1-4, RBI
Perez (W): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 SO
Maciel (S): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 SO

Coming up next: Sandy Baez (2-6, 3.25 ERA) will start against Lansing’s Jon Harris (5-1, 2.30 ERA) on Saturday evening at Cooley Law School Stadium.

Tri-City ValleyCats 13, Connecticut Tigers 1 (box)

The Tigers got walloped on Opening Night in the New York-Penn League, allowing 13 runs on 14 hits to the ValleyCats. Starter Ryan Castellanos gave up a pair of runs in four innings and took the loss, but the real damage was done against relievers Jose Vasquez and Michael Vinson (five earned runs apiece). Offensively, the Tigers only managed six hits and a walk while striking out nine times. Designated hitter Blaise Salter drove in Connecticut’s lone run and hit a double. Shortstop Anthony Pereira, a young prospect worth paying attention to, also added a double.

Salter: 2-4, 2B, RBI
Havrilak: 1-4, R
Pereira: 1-3, 2B
Castellanos (L): 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, SO

Coming up next: The Tigers will send Alfred Gutierrez to the mound on Saturday as they finish up a quick two-game series against Tri-City.

★★★

The Lakeland Flying Tigers were off on Friday after an 18-inning affair on Thursday evening. The Florida State League will be played on Saturday evening at 7:05 p.m. ET in Fort Myers, FL. Lakeland will be represented by right-handed starter A.J. Ladwig and outfielder Christin Stewart on the North roster. The Flying Tigers’ next game is on Monday, June 20, at Clearwater.