Lowell 3
Cyclones 1
July 20 at MCU Park
Brooklyn fell to the Spinners Friday, after the Cyclones couldn’t take advantage of a late burst of energy.
Following six innings of one hit ball, our boys burst to life. Carlos Cortes smacked a triple to right, before Manny Rodriguez doubled to plate Cortes in the seventh. The Clones couldn’t stretch their luck though, and the inning ended with only one run scored.
In the eighth, Anthony Dirocie singled with two outs, then Jose Brizuela singled, but Hayden Senger flew out to left to end the inning. Cortes slapped a leadoff single in the ninth but was tagged out in a double play.
The New Englanders took the lead early, scoring one in the second, before Kyle Wilson gave up a solo homer in the fourth. Lowell scored again in the fifth to cement the lead.
Our boys give it another try tonight at MCU at 6 pm.
Ups and Downs
After the game, manager Edgardo Alfonzo explained the previous game’s unusual pitching strategy, in which starter Kevin Smith was taken out after two innings, and six Cyclones pitchers were used in total for the loss against Tri–City. Alfonzo said that the Clones had gone into the game planning on taking Smith out earlier than most starters because he is new to pro ball. It was not, he said, part of a grander plan to do away with starting pitchers trying to get as deep into the game as possible.
“I knew Smitty [Smith] was going to be three innings, and Megill was going to be maybe two innings, and then we go from there,” Alfonzo said. “That was the plan, especially with Smitty, who I think was a reliever in college. I think he has a good future as a starter. We’re trying to build up for his next start, so sometimes you got to go with a plan like that. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Cyclones pitching coach Royce Ring confirmed the plan.
“He’s a draft player, and draft players we wouldn’t throw six, seven innings right out the gate,” Ring said. “If I throw a kid 20, 30 pitches, then I throw him 70 the next time. It’s a huge workload difference, we increase the chances of the guys getting hurt. We try to do this in a way that supports health.”
