Yikes. What a brutal Friday for the Toledo Mud Hens, getting absolutely crushed 11-2 in Game 1 of their doubleheader against the Omaha Storm Chasers. Sawyer Gipson-Long was absolutely not it on the mound, failing to even make it to the fourth inning for his third straight start. This dude has given up four or more runs in pretty much every outing since July 7, and opponents are hitting a ridiculous .429 off him this month. Talk about a slump!
Gipson-Long’s Rough Ride and The Wheels Falling Off
Gipson-Long had trouble from the jump, working around some unlucky singles in the first. But then Jacob Berry went deep in the second, and that was only the start of the headache. The third inning? Total meltdown. SGL hit the leadoff guy on a full count, gave up a swinging bunt single, then saw a triple sail right over Wenceel Perez’s head, ricocheting off the wall into right-center. A long sac fly made it 4-0, and then back-to-back walks on nine pitches ended his day way too early. Jack Little came in, gave up a flare to right field for another run, and that was five runs in the third alone. Little didn’t fare much better in the fourth either, giving up two runs on three hits to make it a whopping 7-0. This pitching staff has to find some answers, like, yesterday. What are we even doing out there?
A Rookie’s Redemption Amidst The Chaos
Honestly, the Mud Hens had chances early to make this a game. Max Anderson ripped a double off the wall in the first but got stranded. Andrew Navigato had a hard-hit single in the second that screamed extra bases, and a Seby Zavala liner up the middle could’ve scored him from second. But Jack Goodman grounded out, and poof, inning over. Goodman and Zavala were making their first at-bats for Toledo, with Goodman called up from Single-A Lakeland and Zavala recently signing. The offense went quiet after that, except for one sweet moment. In the fifth, after Zavala walked, Goodman absolutely CRUSHED his first Triple-A home run. We’re talking a no-doubter into the street beyond left field! Seriously, that blast was the *only* silver lining in a truly dark cloud. What a moment for the kid!
Game 2, Grand Slams, And A Position Player On The Bump
Game 2 was basically a rerun, ending 10-3 in Omaha’s favor. Beau Brieske got lit up thanks to a brutal string of singles that turned into a grand slam. It was one of those truly awful days where bloop hits turn into nightmares. Troy Watson had a scoreless sixth, which was nice, but then Cal Stevenson, a position player, ended up on the mound in the seventh. He even got a strikeout with an 80-mph heater after lobbing in some 50-mph eephus pitches. Wild stuff! It was a tough night all around for the Mud Hens, losing both ends of the doubleheader. You gotta wonder how they bounce back from a sweep like that.
Meanwhile, back in the Emerald City, our Mariners had a tough one too. The Tampa Bay Rays edged them out 2-1. Just a brutal outcome when every single run counts. We need our bats to wake up and get some Ws on the board. This early season momentum is everything, and we gotta keep pushing for every advantage we can get!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bless You Boys.
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