Casey Mize throws a good game in a SeaWolves loss

Toledo Mud Hens 7, Buffalo Bisons 5 (box)

Beau Burrows struggled badly in this one, but the offense beat up on the Bisons bullpen to win on Tuesday. Burrows walked four and needed 60 pitches through two innings. He allowed a pair of runs in the first, and walked three hitters in a row in a stretch in the second inning. Trent Szkutnik took over for two innings and allowed a run, while the offense began to power up.

The Hens scored two in the fifth via a Frank Schwindel solo shot, and an RBI single from Josh Harrison. The Bisons balked home Ronny Rodriguez in the sixth, but Caleb Thielbar and Jose Fernandez each allowed runs in relief. Things were finally settled in the eighth when a Willi Castro RBI single kicked off a four run inning. Bisons’ reliever Ty Tice walked both Daz Cameron and Christin Stewart with the bases loaded to force home the final two runs of the contest.

Schwindel: 1-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, SO

W. Castro: 2-4, R, RBI

Burrows: 2.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, SO

Coming Up Next: First pitch is set for 7:05pm ET on Wednesday night as the Bisons and Mud Hens meet up again.

Portland Sea Dogs 2, Erie SeaWolves 0 (box)

The offense was quiet, but more importantly Casey Mize put together a nice outing after a rocky start. The Tigers top ranked prospect breezed through a quick first inning, but gave up a lot of solid contact in the second. Mize had good command of his fastball but struggled to miss bats as the Sea Dogs put together some good at-bats and pushed across one run. A diving catch from Cam Gibson running toward the foul line in left field probably prevented another run. However, Mize settled in nicely from there and proceeded to carve up the Sea Dogs for four more innings as he found the feel for both slider and splitter.

Unfortunately, Daniel McGrath, his opposite number, had his way with a SeaWolves offense that struck out 13 times in the game. Josh Lester and Chace Numata doubled in the losing effort. Wladimir Pinto allowed a run in relief.

Numata: 1-3, 2B, 2 SO

Mize (L, 6-2): 6.0 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 7 SO

Coming Up Next: Tarik Skubal (0-1, 2.25 ERA) gets the ball at 7:05pm ET on Wednesday night against the Sea Dogs lefty Matthew Kent (5-3, 2.92 ERA).

Tampa Tarpons 7, Lakeland Flying Tigers 2 (box)

Tom de Blok’s quest for his first win of the season fell short, and he didn’t get a lot of help from his teammates either. De Blok tossed four scoreless innings, and then couldn’t escape the fifth. He was ultimately charged with five earned runs and falls to 0-11 on the season. The Flygers actually led first, as Chad Sedio singled home Brock Deatherage in the first inning. Nick Ames launched a solo shot in the fifth, but that was all they managed offensively.

Ames: 1-3, R, RBI, BB, 2 SO

Deatherage: 2-5, R, 3 SO, BB

De Blok (L, 0-11): 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 SO

Coming Up Next: Garrett Hill (4-4, 2.08 ERA) welcomes the Tarpons back on Wednesday night at 6:30pm ET.

West Michigan Whitecaps 8, Fort Wayne TinCaps 0 (box)

The Whitecaps smacked around the TinCaps early and then smothered them after both teams endured a lengthy rain delay between the second and third innings. Ulrich Bojarski got things going in the first inning, singling home Jack Kenley. Daniel Reyes launched a three-run homer moments later, and the Whitecaps were off to the races. Starter Wilkel Hernandez was knocked from the game by the rain delay, but Chance Kirby and Zach Hess shut the TinCaps down the rest of the way and the Whitecaps kept adding on runs.

Reyes: 2-4, HR, R, 4 RBI

Bojarski: 3-4, 3 R, RBI

Kenley: 2-5, 2B, R, 2 SO

Kirby (W, 4-7): 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, BB, 2 SO

Coming Up Next: Robbie Welhaf (3-6, 3.86 ERA) welcomes in the Bowling Green Hot Rods on Wednesday night.

Connecticut Tigers 3, Aberdeen IronBirds 2 (box)

The IronBirds got an early lead as the Tigers went with a bullpen day, but they came back to retake the lead and got a superb relief outing from Zac Shepherd in particular to win. The Tigers got on the board in the fifth inning when Corey Joyce scored on an Eliezer Alfonso groundout. The run scored the game, but a run scored against Austin Anderson in the sixth as the IronBirds recaptured the lead. The Tigers came back with a two-run seventh, with Alfonso adding an RBI single. Zac Shepherd, the converted Australian third baseman (note, he has not converted from Australian to our knowledge) then spun a clean seventh, and after allowing a leadoff single in the eighth, he punched out three in a row to send things to the ninth inning. Yaya Chentouf, recently demoted from Single-A West Michigan, allowed two hits, but managed to escape with a pair of strikeouts to earn the save.

King: 2-3, R, SO

Alfonso: 1-3, 2 RBI, SO

Greene: 1-3, BB

Shepherd (W, 1-3): 2.0 IP, H, 4 SO

Coming Up Next: The IronBirds and Tigers meet up again on Wednesday night at 7:05pm ET.