The Dragons averaged 12.7 strikeouts in their three-game series at Lake County to open the season. In Tuesday night’s game in front of a sellout crowd of 8,135 that extended the record streak to 1,442 games, the Dragons struck out 18 times in a 9-7 loss to Great Lakes.
The Dragons (1-3) also walked 12 times and scored three runs on bases-loaded walks. However, two strikeouts with the bases loaded ended the third inning. A strikeout with runners at second and third ended the fifth. In the eighth with the bases loaded and down two runs, Austin Callahan gave fans a moment of hope.
Callahan drove a ball to the edge of the warning track that made the fans stand and try to collectively push the baseball onto the right-field lawn. But it was caught. In the ninth, the Dragons were three up and three down on strikeouts for the third time.
“We’ve got to keep getting better at the plate,” said outfielder Justice Thompson, who was 1-for-4 with three strikeouts. “We definitely had some good ABs today – we had some not-so good ABs today – but we got to keep stringing them together and find a way to put that ball in play with two strikes and minimize our strikeouts, make the defense work and give us a better chance to win.”
The Dragons averaged 9.5 strikeouts a game last year. Tuesday night’s total was two short of the club record of 20 reached in 2012 and 2021. The 12 walks were also two short of the club record in the franchise’s first month of existence in 2000.
The Dragons’ lone big hit came in the third inning when Michael Trautwein followed a Thompson single with a double over the right fielder’s head to tie the score 2-2.
“The guys weren’t giving in, they weren’t taking a lot of bad swings in some of those bigger chance innings,” LaHair said. “They were grinding and passing the baton and continued to put pressure on the other team throughout the whole game. I like my chances when we score runs like that. I think we’re going to be fine.”
So does Thompson.
“Our lineup is good. one through nine,” he said. “We’ve got guys who can hit the long ball, guys who can steal bases and guys who put the ball and play in general.”
The Loons (1-3) walked only three times, but they finally got their offense going with three home runs. They entered the game as one of 10 teams in High-A leagues without a homer. Yeiner Fernandez and Austin Gauthier hit solo homers off Dragons starter Hunter Parks. Damon Keith hit a three-run homer off Owen Holt as part of five-run fifth that put the Loons up 7-2.
Injury update: Center fielder Jay Allen and shortstop Edwin Arroyo are injured. Allen, the Reds No. 13 prospect according to MLB pipeline, landed on the seven-day injured list Tuesday because of a bad landing in Saturday’s game at Lake County. Allen dove into first base trying to beat out an infield hit and sprained his left thumb. Allen was 1 for 9 at Lake County.
Shortstop Edwin Arroyo, the Reds’ No. 3 rated prospect, missed the home opener. He also is on the seven-day injured list but is expected back much sooner than Allen. Arroyo left Saturday’s game with a hip flexor strain. Arroyo was 3 for 9 at Lake County.
Ex-Dragon update: Shortstop Matt McLain, 23, is slugging and getting on base at Class AAA Louisville even if he’s batting only .200 through nine games. McLain, who played in 29 games in Dayton in 2021, has two homers, two doubles, six RBIs and .467 slugging percentage. His OPS is .818. The Reds drafted McLain out of UCLA in the first round in 2021 with the No. 17 overall pick.
THURSDAY’S GAME
Loons at Dragons, 7:05 p.m., 980
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