The Toledo Mud Hens blew a tight game against the Iowa Cubs last night, losing 7-3 in ten innings after a brutal collapse. After taking a series lead, Iowa has now ripped off three straight wins, leaving Toledo reeling from this one. It’s a tough pill to swallow when your starter gives you everything he’s got, only for the bullpen to let it slip away in gut-wrenching fashion.
File Was Dealing, Then the Mud Hens Offense Woke Up
Dylan File stepped onto the mound and looked sharp, despite giving up a leadoff homer to James Triantos and a double to Ben Cowles in the top of the first. Most guys would crumble right there, but File locked it down. He retired 18 of the next 22 batters he faced, working around a few hits and a walk. The dude struck out six through six innings, keeping the Mud Hens in it. His stuff was legit, landing first-pitch strikes to 20 of 24 batters and getting ten whiffs. That changeup? Filthy, producing four whiffs on five swings. His four-seamer was also working, averaging 93 mph and inducing four whiffs and four strikeouts.
The Mud Hens’ bats were quiet for a while, but they finally came alive in the fifth. Trei Cruz and Chris Meyers got things going with back-to-back singles, and Andrew Navigato moved them over with a sacrifice bunt. Then, Max Burt stepped up and delivered a huge two-out single right up the middle to drive them both in, giving File a 2-1 lead to work with. Talk about clutch!
The Bullpen Rollercoaster Ended in Disaster
Nick Sandlin came in for File in the seventh and absolutely shoved, holding that 2-1 lead through two dominant innings. Four of his six outs were strikeouts, and nine of his 31 pitches were swing-and-misses. Both his splitter and slider were working, practically unhittable. The Cubs only put two balls in play against him and reached base once on a walk. Sandlin had this thing locked down.
But then Ricky Vanasco took over, tasked with closing it out, and the wheels completely fell off. A hit batter, a wild pitch, and a single put the tying run on third, and Ethan Hearn smacked a sharp liner up the middle to tie the game at two. Vanasco’s woes just spiraled from there. Navigato mishandled a potential double-play ball, letting the go-ahead run score. Yeah, the defense eventually turned the next double-play, but the damage was already done. Toledo clawed back in the bottom of the ninth, with Josue Briceño walking, Meyers singling Cruz to third, and Cruz scoring on a wild pitch to tie it up again. But then Meyers got tagged out at the plate trying to score on the same wild pitch, forcing extras in the most heartbreaking way.
Automatic Runner Leads to an Automatic Loss
Heading into the tenth with an automatic runner on second, Jack Little took the mound, and it was clear he wasn’t ready for the moment. After getting the leadoff man to ground out, he walked the next three batters, handing Iowa the lead again. Justin Dean then stepped up and cleared the bases with a double, suddenly putting Toledo in a four-run hole. The Mud Hens went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the tenth, ending what was an exciting game on a ridiculously sour note.
The Mud Hens will look to salvage the series tomorrow afternoon. The series concludes Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET. They’ve gotta shake off this gut punch and find a way to finish strong.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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