TMLR Recap 5/13: Jackson Strong, Lockhart Locked In

It was a very busy night (and day) on the farm, with seven total games to recap. We had a little bit of rain, some excellent pitching, and a whole mess of triples. And that Javy Baez fella apparently did some stuff. Read all about it below…

Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A)

Final: Toledo 7, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 0 (8 Innings)

Top Performers:

Jake Rogers (rehab): 2-for-3, 2B, K, R

Matt Vierling (rehab): 1-for-4, 2B, 2K, R, RBI

Akil Baddoo: 1-for-3, HR(6), BB, 2R, 2RBI

Hao-Yu Lee: 2-for-3, BB, 2R, SB(5)

Pitchers:

Lael Lockhart: 6IP 5H 0R BB 5K

Tyler Owens: IP BB K

Bailey Horn: IP

Game Notes:

The Mud Hens welcomed another familiar face to their lineup as they kicked off their series with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Jake Rogers, playing in his first game since April 7th, led off the game with a double. Matt Vierling immediately followed with a double of his own, and Toledo had a lead it would never relinquish. Manuel Margot knocked in Vierling with a single to make it a 2-0 game in the first. It stayed that way until Akil Baddoo launched his 6th home run of the year to make it a 4-0 lead.

The Hens plated three more runs in the 7th, but they weren’t really needed. Their pitching was excellent, and starter Lael Lockhart had easily his best outing of the season. He tossed six scoreless frames before giving way to Tyler Owens and Bailey Horn, who each added a scoreless inning. That’s when the rain rolled in and the game was delayed, before ultimately being called early. The Mud Hens improve their record to 19-21.

Matt Vierling, also on rehab, follows up Rogers’s double with an RBI double. 1-0 Toledo. Both hits were off Carlos Carrasco pic.twitter.com/SsJqcred0K

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 13, 2025

Erie SeaWolves (Double-A)

Final: Erie 3, Altoona 1

Top Performers:

Trei Cruz: 2-for-4, 3B, BB, K

Max Anderson: 1-for-5, K, 2RBI

Thayron Liranzo: 1-for-4, HR(3) 2K

Pitchers:

Jaden Hamm: 4.2IP 7H 0R 0BB 5K

R.J. Petit: 1.1 IP K

Jordan Marks: 2IP 2H ER BB 4K

Dylan Smith: IP 2K SV(2)

Game Notes: The Erie SeaWolves traveled south to the Richmond Diamond for a six-game set against the Flying Squirrels. It will be Erie’s final trip to the park, barring a playoff series, as the Squirrels are set to move to a new stadium next year. And the Wolves kicked off their farewell tour in style, getting some timely offense and good pitching to improve to 22-12 on the season.

Trei Cruz got things going quickly with a leadoff triple, and he then scored when Richmond shortstop Averson Arteaga made an error on a Max Anderson grounder. That was it for the scoring for the next five innings, as Jaden Hamm continued to make big pitches when he needed to, working around seven hits. Meanwhile, Richmond’s 6-foot-8 lefty Jack Choate was carving through SeaWolves with relative ease. The biggest moment in the game may have come in the bottom of the 5th, when Richmond loaded the bases with just one out. Hamm got a huge strikeout of Carter Howell, and then R.J. Petit came in and induced an inning-ending fly out from the dangerous Bryce Eldridge.

Thayron Liranzo gave Erie a little cushion in the 6th with his 3rd home run of the season. Then a two-out rally in the 7th, with hits from Jim Jarvis, Cruz, and Anderson made it 3-0. Jordan Marks, just called up from West Michigan, announced his presence with authority, striking out the first three batters he faced. Things got a little iffy after that, but he managed to wiggle out of a bases-loaded jam with just one run on the board. Dylan Smith came in and closed things out in the 9th, continuing his excellent performance as a reliever this year.

Jordan Marks struck out the side in the first inning of his Double-A debut with Erie. pic.twitter.com/aXf7hwJwBO

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 14, 2025

West Michigan (High-A)

Final: West Michigan 3, Fort Wayne 0

Top Performers:

John Peck: 2-for-4, HR(3) 2K

Izaac Pacheco: 1-for-4, 3B, 2K, R, RBI

Peyton Graham: 2-for-4, K, RBI, SB(2)

Pitchers:

Sawyer Gipson-Long: 3IP 0H 0R BB 2K

Carlos Marcano: 5IP 3H 2BB 0K

Carlos Lequerica: IP K SV

Game Notes: The Whitecaps and TinCaps had the first game of their series delayed by 100 minutes. And when they finally saw the field both teams’ bats seemed a little stifled by the soggy weather. But the pitching took advantage, and Tigers fans will be happy to know that Sawyer Gipson-Long looked strong in three scoreless innings of work. He did get some help from his defense, but it was nice to see him back in action, and he needed just 32 pitches to complete three innings.

The Whitecaps drew first blood in the top of the 4th when John Peck launched his 3rd home run of the season. The game remained tight until the 6th, when Izaac Pacheco smashed a two-out RBI triple, and Peyton Graham singled him home to make it 3-0. After that it was the Carlos Show. First it was Carlos Marcano, who kept the ball in play and worked quickly, tossing five scoreless frames despite not striking out a single batter. Then Carlos Lequerica came in to work a scoreless 9th and earn his first save of the season. There was one more highlight from the broadcast…

John Peck launches a solo homer to left center to put West Michigan up 1-0. It’s his 3rd home run of the season. pic.twitter.com/Z1VYYJX1OD

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 14, 2025

Lakeland (Low-A)

Final: Lakeland 5, Clearwater 2

Top Performers:

Kevin McGonigle (rehab): 0-for-3

Carson Rucker: 2-for-4, 3B, K, R

Woody Hadeen: 1-for-3, BB, K, 2R, SB(8)

Garrett Pennington: 1-for-4, 2B, 3K, 2RBI

Jackson Strong: 3-for-4, 2 3B, R, RBI

Pitchers:

Hayden Minton: 4.2IP 6H 2ER 4K

Ronny Chalas: 2IP 2H BB 2K

Moises Rodriguez: 1.1 IP H BB 3K

Thomas Bruss: IP H K SV(2)

Game Notes: Rain spoiled Lakeland’s chance at earning a series tie in Bradenton on Sunday, but they started this week’s tilt in Clearwater with a solid win. Carson Rucker was the first catalyst in this one, smoking a line-drive triple to center to lead off the 2nd inning. He scored on an RBI single from Jackson Strong, who was just getting his eventful evening started. Clearwater’s first run came on an odd play when Griffin Burkholder drove the ball to left field and it became wedged under the wall. Strong raised his arms to signal that it was unplayable, but later pulled the ball out. By that time Burkholder had circled the bases for his first career home run.

Strong was undeterred, though, immediately leading off the next inning with the first of his two triples on the night. Strong scored on a wild pitch, and the Flying Tigers added two more runs in the 6th inning on a Garrett Pennington double to right center. Five runs was more than enough for Lakeland’s pitching. Starter Hayden Minton wasn’t terribly efficient, but it was his first outing in nine days. The bullpen did an excellent job, however, tossing 4.1 scoreless frames to move Lakeland to 18-15 on the season.

Jackson Strong scorches his 2nd triple of the game to right center. pic.twitter.com/KIi74e6WLU

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 14, 2025

FCL Tigers (Florida Complex League)

Final: Tigers 7, Yankees 3 (Game 1) – Yankees 6, Tigers 0 (Game 2)

Top Performers:

Jesus Pinto: 1-for-6, HR, BB, K, 2RBI, SB(3)

Enrique Jimenez: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, SB

Javier Osorio: 2-for-4, HR, K, 2RBI

Jose Dickson: 1-for-6, BB, 3K

Pitchers:

Eddy Felix: 4IP 4H ER 5K

Freddy Pacheco (rehab): 2.1 IP 2H 3ER 2BB

Wuilberth Mendez: 4IP 4H 3R 2ER 2BB K

Game Notes: It was two for the price of one for the sickos, with the FCL Yankees and FCL Tigers hitting the field at 10 AM Eastern for a doubleheader. Game One was a back-and-forth affair, with the Tigers scoring in the 4th inning on a wild pitch. Starter Eddy Felix was very good, but the Yankees tied it in the 4th on a home run from a rehabbing Brennen Davis. The Tigers took the lead again in the 6th inning on an Enrique Jimenez RBI knock. But the Yankees took the lead right back on a 2-run homer.

The Tigers kept fighting. Jesus Pinto and Javier Osorio both launched their first FCL home runs to guide the Tigers to a 7-3 win. Game two wasn’t nearly as fun for the Tigers. Rehabbing reliever Freddy Pacheco struggled with control, and the offense managed only one hit. The split leaves the Tigers with a 5-3 record on the early season.

BONUS

Final: Phillies White 5 , DSL Tigers1 4, (exhibition)

It’s basically spring training down in the Dominican Summer League, and occasionally we get to catch a game. The baseball can be pretty ugly at times. But you hardcore fans might be interested in knowing a little about what happened. We posted Cris Rodriguez’s RBI single earlier (below) but he didn’t have a particularly great game, going 1-for-5 with three strikeouts, all looking.

The offensive star of the game for the Tigers was outfielder Santiago Pinto, who led off and went 3-for-3 with a triple, a walk, three steals, and two runs scored. But the Tigers ultimately lost because of wildness. Ericksson De Los Santos is a 6-foot-6 left-handed pitcher whose fastball sits at 95-96 MPH. But he couldn’t throw strikes. The Tigers led 4-2 in the 9th, but De Los Santos gave up a single, threw two wild pitches, walked three batters, and then allowed a double, and the Tigers lost 5-4.

Cris Rodríguez with an RBI single to third base to score Santiago Pinto (1B, 2SB) and give the DSL Tigers 1 an early lead in today’s exhibition. pic.twitter.com/zeqeP0wZvq

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 13, 2025