The doubleheader was the start of the second half of the 120-game season, but the importance of each game feels heightened for the Dragons. They are in the hunt for one of two playoff spots in the High A Central League.
The Dragons entered the week with a 2.5-game lead on Great Lakes and Lake County in the East Division and a half-game lead on Cedar Rapids of the West Division in the race for the second playoff spot. Quad Cities leads the West and began the week 4.5 games ahead of Dayton.
When Wednesday’s doubleheader finished after 16 innings of baseball, the Dragons (34-27) led Great Lakes (34-28) and Lake County (34-28) by half a game. They trail Quad Cities by 6.5 games and Cedar Rapids by half a game.
To see the fortunes of each team on Wednesday, look no further than Great Lakes first baseman Justin Yurchak. He’s the league’s leading hitter for a reason. He had a 6-for-9 night to raise his batting average from .354 to .371.
But there was more to it than hitting line drives.
In the ninth inning of the first game, Yurchak hit a tapper that didn’t even make it halfway up the third-base line for a single. Dragons third baseman Victor Ruiz waited for the ball to roll foul, but it stopped on the chalk and the bases were loaded. After a run scored on a double play, Andy Pages hit a two-run double for a 7-4 lead.
The Dragons scored once in the ninth on a single by Jacob Hurtubise, who had three hits. Francisco Urbaez followed with a single off the glove of sliding right fielder Pages. But with no outs, Quin Cotton and Ruiz struck out and Michael Siani lined softly to the second baseman to end the game.
Yurchak was 4-for-4 in the second game, which began at 9:54 p.m., with an RBI single in the first and a leadoff double to start a three-run third. In the fourth, he hit a soft bouncer toward first base. Juan Martinez, the first baseman, and pitcher Lyon Richardson each thought the other was going to field the ball. It got through for a hit.
Richardson (2-4) had an up-and-down performance in the second game. The first four batters reached base for a 1-0 lead. Then he struck out five straight. In the third, the first four runners got hits to build a 4-0 lead. He allowed four runs on nine hits and two walks and struck out eight in four innings.
The Dragons’ only hits in the second game were a first-inning single by Urbaez and a seventh-inning singles by Ruiz and James Free.
The Dragons built a 4-0 lead in the second inning of the opener on an RBI double by Miguel Hernandez and RBI singles by Hurtubise and Cotton. The other run scored when Urbaez hit into a bases-loaded double play.
The Loons rallied with a homer by James Outman in the third and a two-run homer by Zac Ching in the fourth. Outman doubled in the tying run in sixth.
Hoffman rehab: Reds pitcher Jeff Hoffman will start Friday’s game for the Dragons. Hoffman has already made four rehab starts for Triple-A Louisville with a 1.76 ERA in 15 1/3 innings.
The Reds put Hoffman, 28, on the injured list on May 27 after he left a game in Washington in the second inning with a right shoulder injury. Hoffman’s ERA with the Reds this season is 4.61.
Streak ends: Former Dragon Graham Ashcraft saw his 43-inning scoreless streak end abruptly Tuesday night. Ashcraft allowed seven runs in one inning in a start for Double-A Chattanooga. Ashcraft’s streak began with 18 scoreless innings over three starts in June for the Dragons.
About the Author