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Bullpen blunders: Late miscues on mound lead Cyclones to loss

Cyclones come back, take season-opener in extra innings
Photo by Steve Solomonson

Mahoning Valley 6

Cyclones 5

August 24 at MCU Park

The Cardiac Clones gave up two runs in the ninth in a tough 6–5 defeat at the hands of Mahoning Valley on Wednesday at MCU Park.

“The last couple of innings were painful to watch for you as well as me and for the players,” Brooklyn manager Tom Gamboa said. “But that’s what the minor leagues is about. We gift-wrapped one and handed it to them tonight.”

The game began as a pitching duel as starters Justin Dunn and Aaron Civale both threw three shutout innings.

The Scrappers broke the scoreless tie in the fifth when Logan Ice led off with a single off Gary Cornish. Alexis Pantoja followed with a single – which moved Ice to third – and Pantoja took second on the throw.

Gabriel Mejia singled on a grounder just out of the reach of shortstop Colby Woodmansee to score the first run. Todd Isaacs followed with a bunt single past Cornish to score Pantoja and give Mahoning Valley a 2–0 lead.

Brooklyn answered right back. Woodmansee doubled and scored on a Michael Paez double – which was misplayed by Mejia in center. A Jay Jabs groundout and Brandon Brosher walk put runners on the corners with two outs. With Anthony Dimino at the plate, it appeared as if Brosher was picked off, but while the first baseman tried going for the tag, Paez scored, beating the throw home.

The Cyclones took the lead in the seventh as Paez walked, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Dimino off Ping-Hsueh Chen.

Gabriel Feliz, however, couldn’t hold the lead on the mound. Erlin Cerda walked, Emmanuel Tapia was hit by a pitch, and Nathan Winfrey’s two-run double gave the Scrappers a 4–3 lead in the top of the eighth.

The Cyclones answered right back in the bottom of the frame. Chen walked Luis Carpio, and Desmond Lindsay followed with a go-ahead blast to left field.

Brooklyn’s bullpen couldn’t wrap up the win and Alejandro Castro struggled in the top of the ninth. Mejia led off with a bunt single. Isaacs then hit a slow grounder to second and beat it out for a single when Paez’s throw was wild, Andrew Calica’s sacrifice fly to center scored Majia and tied the game.

A wild pitch moved Isaacs to second. Castro struck out Cerda, but the ball got away as Isaacs moved to third. Then another wild pitch scored the go-ahead run.

“In fairness to Feliz and Castro, with our pitching, neither guy would be in a game like that tonight,” Gamboa said. The Cyclones skipper added that Feliz and Castro were in roles they weren’t accustomed to.

“By luck, a one-run game was too much for both of them on the emotional part,” he said.

Brooklyn had two on with two out in the bottom of the ninth, but Woodmansee struck out to end the game.

The 32–32 Cyclones look to get back over .500 when they host the Scrappers at 7 pm on Thursday.

UPS AND DOWNS

The Cyclones now have a .214 team batting average. The previous low was .220 set in 2015.

On Tuesday, former Cyclone Rob Gsellman picked up the win for the Mets in his Major League debut. The pitcher was a New York-Penn League All-Star in 2013.

Follow the Cyclones all season long at brooklynpaper.com/sections/sports/cyclones