The start of 2017 has been rough for the Hartford Yard Goats, but a weekend sweep of Akron may be just the kickstart the squad needs.
Yesterday’s 5-2 victory was held together by pitching performances from Sam Howard and the bullpen, shutting down Akron’s offense most of the day and powering the Goats to an important win that puts them only three games under .500.
Howard pitched 4 1⁄3 innings in the start, surrendering only four hits and one earned run over that time. Howard’s ERA is down to 1.67 over six AA starts and batters are only hitting .150 against the lefty. The former fourth round pick has been excellent in every inning of work for Hartford this year and that continued with another ground ball heavy performance on Sunday.
The Yard Goats improved to 19-22 with the win and are working to overcome their middling April.
Other news and notes from the affiliates are below:
Triple-A: Colorado Springs Sky Sox 3, Albuquerque Isotopes 2
Jordan Patterson (No. 13 PuRP): 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
Sam Moll (No. 28 PuRP): 2 IP, 0 R
Carlos Estevez: 1 IP, K, 0 R
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 5, Akron Rubber Ducks 2
Ryan McMahon (No. 7 PuRP): 1-for-3, 2B
Dillon Thomas (Friend of the Brand) 1-for-4, 2B, R
Sam Howard (No. 20 PuRP): 4 1⁄3 IP, 4 H, 2 K, 1 R
High-A Advanced: Lancaster JetHawks 7, Inland Empire 66ers 3
Brendan Rodgers (No. 1 PuRP): 1-for-5, 3B, 3 RBI
Brian Mundell: 2-for-4, 2B, HR
Wes Rogers: 3-for-3, RBI
Jesus Tinoco: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 K
Single-A: CANCELLED, RAIN
Monday Probables:
Triple-A Albuquerque: Thad Weber (1-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. Colorado Springs
Double-A Hartford: Ryan Castellani (2-4, 6.37 ERA) vs. Bowie
Single-A Advanced Lancaster: Craig Schlitter (6-0, 2.02 ERA) vs. Inland Empire
Single-A Asheville: Brandon Gold (2-2, 5.28 ERA) vs. Rome