Welcome to Coop Scoop coverage of the Mud Hens' game against Columbus coming to you live from Fifth Third Field. I'll share thoughts, stats, and anything of interest from the game (newest posts are at the bottom, so refresh frequently).
6:00 p.m. -- Welcome to tonight's blog ... thanks for following along, as always. I'll get you lineups, then a few notes about the Mud Hens and Clippers to get you ready for the game. There are a few transactions for both sides, and I'll hit you with the usual collection of links as well. Let's get rolling, OK?
6:05 p.m. -- First, the starting lineup for the Columbus Clippers of manager Mike Sarbaugh ... Leading off and playing CF is Ezequiel Carrera, followed by Jason Donald at SS, Jason Kipnis at DH, Lonnie Chisenhall at 3B, Chad Huffman in RF, Nick Johnson at 1B, Luis Valbuena at 2B, Paul Phillips at C, and Jerad Head in LF. The starting pitcher for the Clippers is RHP Jeanmar Gomez. The Mud Hens are next ...
6:10 p.m. -- Here is the starting lineup for the Toledo Mud Hens of manager Phil Nevin ... Leading off and playing 2B is Will Rhymes, followed by Argenis Diaz at 3B, Jeff Salazar in CF, Ryan Strieby at 1B, Scott Thorman at DH, Omir Santos at C, Clete Thomas in RF, Cale Iorg at SS and Deik Scram in LF. The starting pitcher for the Mud Hens is RHP Enrique Gonzalez. A few notes are next ...
6:15 p.m. -- A few notes about the Mud Hens, starting with the obvious ... 3B Brandon Inge is not here today, as the Tigers ended his rehab assignment after yesterday's game. Hens manager Phil Nevin said he expects IF Danny Worth to join Toledo for Friday's game against Louisville here at Fifth Third Field. LHP Adam Wilk, who was sent to the Hens when RHP Ryan Perry was called up to the Tigers yesterday, already is here. More on Wilk in a moment ...
6:19 p.m. -- Nevin said that Wilk will join the Mud Hens rotation, taking the spot of Gonzalez as Gonzalez returns to the bullpen. Wilk probably will pitch once in relief in the next few days before taking the start Tuesday in Columbus.
6:25 p.m. -- On the Clippers side, Shelley Duncan isn't with Columbus as he will be called up to Cleveland in the near future. But he isn't in the lineup today, which should thin out the lineup a little bit.
6:30 p.m. -- Let's take a moment to post some links to recent stories ... click here to read yesterday's game story of the Mud Hens' loss to Columbus. Click here to read yesterday's Hens Eggs. Click here to read yesterday's in-game blog.
6:41 p.m. -- Well, good news and bad news ... The bad news is that it's raining here at Fifth Third Field. The good news is that it's a light rain -- and the field isn't even covered. At this point, Enrique Gonzalez is getting ready to warm up, and I expect we're on time.
6:51 p.m. -- While the skies look overcast, we are getting sunshine. We seem to be on pace to start on time. I'm going to sneak dinner, and I'll be back with the Gonzalez scouting report and more shortly!
7:09 p.m. -- Mud Hens starter Enrique Gonzalez gave up a pair of runs in the first inning ... give Columbus leadoff man Ezequiel Carrera credit for working Gonzalez for a nine-pitch walk, and Jason Kipnis drove a bullet off the wall in deep right-center for a triple that scored a run and set up the second run on a sacrifice fly. Gonzalez threw 19 pitches, 13 of which were strikes. His fastball touched 94-96 mph (seven at 94, four at 96). He seemed to be throwing a cutter of sorts, and it sat at 89-90 mph. It was almost exclusively fastballs for Gonzalez in the first.
7:16 p.m. -- Columbus starter Jeanmar Gomez was extremely efficient in the first, retiring the three Mud Hens on seven pitches, five of which were strikes. His fastball maxed at 91 mph (two pitches) and his slider sat at 81 mph. But not a lot of pitches to scout.
7:41 p.m. -- Interesting to see LHP Adam Wilk in the bullpen ... but it's a false alarm. Wilk isn't active for the Hens yet. He won't be added to the roster Friday, when Ryan Perry officially is activated by the Tigers.
7:59 p.m. -- The Mud Hens aren't getting many good swings against Jeanmar Gomez so far. Through the first three innings, the only good swing was a single by Deik Scram in the third.
8:05 p.m. -- Well shut my mouth. Gomez walked two in the fourth inning ... but he also pitched out of the jam. We're moving to the fifth and it's Columbus 2, Mud Hens 0.
8:20 p.m. -- Gonzalez runs out of gas in the fifth, walking the last two batters he faced to load the bases with two outs. L.J. Gagnier assumes the unenviable task of facing Lonnie Chisenhall with the bases loaded.
8:27 p.m. -- I know there is probably carping as L.J. Gagnier walks in a run and throws balls with his first six pitches ... Well, OK, I'm CERTAIN now that Gagnier has thrown a strike and the crowd gives him a Bronx cheer. Here is the rest of the story: Gagnier is working to throw from a lower, more sidearm slot. Obviously he's still working to gain command from the new arm slot. But 10 of his first 12 pitches were outside the strike zone, and that will raise the ire of the locals.
8:36 p.m. -- And while Mud Hen pitchers have struggled with the strike zone, Jeanmar Gomez has been in command so far ... He just mowed down the Hens in the fifth with a double play. He has thrown just 56 pitches, 34 of which were strikes. Gomez has handcuffed the Hens on three singles and two walks, but he has allowed just one runner to advance to second -- and nobody has gone past. We have finished five innings and it's Columbus 4, Mud Hens 0.
8:50 p.m. -- It looks as if L.J. Gagnier is gaining some command with the new release point ... but this is a work in progress. A bit of bad baserunning by the Clippers -- Paul Phillips is caught running too far off second base and gets picked off on a lineout to Deik Scram in left. But Gagnier has thrown 32 pitches, only 15 of which were strikes. Middle of the fifth, Columbus 5, Mud Hens 0.
8:55 p.m. -- Today's Racing With the Stars update ... Jamie Farmadillo was the winner of today's race, but Jim Flealand had the craziest race. He had a chance to win, and instead decided to do a couple of spins near the finish line. Suspicious, to say the least ... and after the race Flealand checked Spike the Walleye mascot into the fence.
9:04 p.m. -- Jeanmar Gomez continues to cruise through the Mud Hens lineup, pitching around a hit by Argenis Diaz in the sixth. He has thrown 68 pitches in his first six innings, 43 of which were strikes. In the sixth inning Gomez sat at 91-92 mph (two at 92, four at 91) and he had a two-seam fastball at 87-88 (two of each) and a slider that sat at 83-84 mph (one of each). Lots of good things from Gomez ... throwing strikes, changing speeds, not allowing the Hens to get a lot of good swings. We're at the seventh-inning stretch and it's Columbus 5, Mud Hens 0.
9:29 p.m. -- We're in the bottom of the eighth, and Gomez looks to be marring an otherwise fine pitching line for tonight. He walked Deik Scram to start the inning, his second leadoff walk in as many innings. But in the second inning in a row Gomez got a double play to blunt the threat and finishing the eighth without inning. We head to the ninth and it's Columbus 6, Mud Hens 0.
9:49 p.m. -- Jose Ortega uses a double play to retire the Clippers in the top of the ninth, so let's give a quick scouting report on Ortega in the ninth. Ortega threw 14 pitches in the ninth, eight for strikes. His fastball sat at 93-96 mph (two at 93, one at 94, two at 95 and one at 96). Ortega's slider sat at 85-87 mph (one at 85 and 87, two at 86). We head to the bottom of the ninth and it's still Columbus 6, Mud Hens 0.
10:02 p.m. -- The Mud Hens mount a bit of a rally, loading the bases in the ninth, but they do not score. The final from Fifth Third Field is Columbus 6, Mud Hens 0. I'm heading down to the clubhouse, so I'm going to close the blog for tonight. Thanks for following along!
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