One swing, not walks, deals costly loss to Wild Things
Out of all the colorful language you hear at a ballpark, there is one four-letter word that is sure to make a manager cringe.
Walk.
Though music celebrates the walk – “Walk This Way,” “Walk on the Wild Side” – pitching coaches hate the free pass.
Free bases lead to free runs, which ultimately leads to losses, 99 times out of 100.
Thursday night was that 100th time for the Wild Things, though the outcome still wasn’t to their liking.
After issuing only five walks over the first two games of the series, both ending in wins for Washington over Gateway, the Wild Things spent much of the series finale walking the park. Their pitchers issued nine walks and hit another batter.
None of that mattered. None of those free passes came around to score.
What ultimately came back to hurt the Wild Things in a costly 2-1 loss to the Grizzlies was one hanging slider, one mighty swing of Kyle Gaedele’s bat and a whole lot of missed opportunities by Washington hitters.
Gaedele, the Grizzlies’ first baseman who doubles as the team’s hitting coach, practiced what he preaches and hit a two-run homer on a hanging slider thrown by Washington starter Hayden Shenefield (2-4) in the fourth inning and the Grizzlies held on for a 2-1 win that dealt a severe blow to the Wild Things’ playoff chances.
Washington entered Thursday 5½ games behind Evansville for the West Division’s final wild card spot. The Otters gained a game by thumping Florence, 18-8. The Otters and Wild Things begin a key three-game series tonight in Washington with only 17 days remaining in the Frontier League season.
Washington spent most of the night trying to overcome Gaedele’s home run.
Washington did take a 1-0 lead in the third inning when designated hitter Anthony Brocato hit a tape-measure homer to left field off Gateway starter Lukas Veinbergs (8-3). It was Brocato’s 25th home run of the season, which ranks second on the franchise’s single-season list. Jacob Dempsey is the record holder with 31 homers in 2009.
That, however the only run the Wild Things could push across, though they had plenty of chances. They left eight runners on base and had runners thrown out at both third base and second.
Washington left the bases loaded in the fourth and eighth innings. Wild Things hitters were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Gateway stranded 13 on base, leaving the bases loaded in the sixth and eighth innings.
Gaedele’s home run, his seventh in 21 games, followed a one-out bloop single by Andrew Penner. The home run smacked off the second tier of signage beyond left field.
Veinbergs went five innings and was followed on the mound by Alec Whaley, Brian Eichorn and former major leaguer Josh Lucas, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his third save.
Extra bases
Washington was held to five hits, including two by Wagner Lagrange. … The Wild Things have nine home games remaining.