Only five Dragons (5-11) reached base. Only one made it to second base. Singles by Carlos Jorge to start the game, Johnny Ascanio with two outs in the second and Peyton Stovall with two outs in the sixth were the Dragons’ only hits.
“We were ready to be aggressive, but it got used against us because they had a lead, and they were bringing the tempo,” Harrison Jr. said.
The deficit wasn’t the fault of a Dragons player. The Reds sent 14-year veteran Wade Miley to Dayton for his first rehab start coming off Tommy John surgery to repair his left elbow.
Miley escaped a jam in the first inning. But he surrendered four runs in the second, two in the third, six doubles and a solo homer. He was scheduled to pitch three innings but left with one out in the third.
When a game deteriorates as quickly as Tuesday’s did, minor-league managers and coaches look for teaching moments. Harrison Jr. said the way Miley, the wiley veteran, escaped the first inning was a lesson for his young pitchers.
Max Clark, Detroit’s No. 2 prospect and the No. 6 overall, doubled to start the game. Then Seth Stephenson, one of the top base stealers in the minors, singled Clark to third.
But Miley kept Stephenson at first and kept his cool. He got out of the inning with an infield pop up, a strikeout and a groundout to first. He didn’t let a stressful situation turn into a big inning.
“That will be something I address with them tomorrow because a lot of times guys trying to get there don’t get that opportunity to see that,” Harrison Jr. said. “That nervous energy kicks in and you try to do more in that situation, where Wade just didn’t change. Out of all the bad things that we could probably find in this game, I thought that was one of the better things. That could be a teaching point for a bunch of young baseball players.”
The other teaching points this week will be working with the hitters to adjust to what the Whitecaps are throwing. So far they haven’t been able to do that with left-hander Joe Miller.
Miller (1-0) shut the Dragons out on one hit in four innings in the season opener, a game the Whitecaps (12-4) won 7-0. On Tuesday, Miller shut the Dragons out on two hits in five innings and struck out one. The Dragons struck out only six times, but most of their contact was soft.
“Miller doesn’t have overpowering stuff but does a good job of mixing his timing and throwing hitters off,” Harrison Jr. said.
Miley will return to the mound Sunday for his second rehab start. And the Dragons will face Miller for the third time.
The Dragons are 0-4 against the Whitecaps already. They will try to end that streak Wednesday with Jose Montero on the mound. He hasn’t allowed a run over nine innings in his first two starts.
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