The Dragons stranded 11 runners on base as they were shutout for the fourth time this year and second time in the last three games.
“They are looking for results and not good at-bats,” Dragons manager Luis Bolivar said after his squad fell to 11-20. “They are getting anxious and chasing pitches out of the strike zone instead of just staying calm, staying patient and waiting on a good pitch to hit.”
Clinton (16-14) scored once in the fourth, twice in the sixth and added an insurance run in the eighth despite recording just seven hits and walking just once.
“It was a tough one,” Bolivar said. “We just can’t get anything going. The last few games our pitchers have thrown well. We aren’t hitting much, but we will keep working on waking up the bats.”
Despite the slow start, Bolivar is seeing progress from his young squad.
“We are making a lot of progress on defense and pitching wise,” Bolivar said. “The guys are working hard so hopefully it all starts paying off soon.”
Hard luck loser: Jared Solomon is still looking for his first win with the Dragons. Solomon struck out seven in 4 2/3 innings, but departed on the short end of a 1-0 score and fell to 0-2. The start marked the fourth time Solomon surrendered three or fewer runs. The Dragons offense has scored three or fewer runs in three of those games.
Make it six: Tuesday night was the sixth straight game that Dragons pitchers gave up three runs or less. Their record in those six games is 3-3.
Bad combination: The Dragons are last in the Midwest League in ERA with a 5.31 and 12th of the 16 teams in hitting with a .223 average.
Up next: The Dragons continue their homestand with the Lumberkings on Wednesday at 7 p.m. when Ricky Salinas looks for his first win in a Dragons uniform. The right-hander will be opposed by Tanner Andrews.
Buzzing by: The Burlington Bees will follow Clinton into Fifth Third Field for a three-game series begining Thursday. Burlington is currently leading the chase for the second playoff spot in the West Division.
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